Customer feedback

CanusDom writes: "I have been using my WF [Western Flyer] regularly since I bought it back in January. It was well worth taking the time and finding the Tom Bihn store in Seattle!! The WF is great for anything up to about 4/5 days." -- Follow the thread Wester Flyer as a 'Suitcase'?? in our Forums.

"I have been the proud owner of a Brain Bag for 4 years and it accompanied me on all my trips since the day I ordered it." Read backpack's entire review of the Brain Bag backpack and Large Cafe shoulder bag.

"I have been able to pack my size 48 blazer in the Aeronaut without too much trouble. I put the blazer on a light weight hanger in a standard garment bag. After I have my packing cubes ready, I lay the garment bag on the open Areonaut and tuck the bottom of the bag into the main compartment with the top half of the bag draped over the back. I pack the cubes on top of this and then tuck the top of the garment bag over the cubes. This makes a loose bundle, with the garment bag around the packing cubes. I have done this with just a wool blazer and with a full poly/cotton suit with minimal wrinkles." -- Read the entire forum thread for more user experiences packing a blazer in the TOM BIHN Aeronaut maximum carry-on bag.
Above: a picture of the Aeronaut in Heathrow Airport posted by Zephyrnoid in the TOM BIHN Forums.

In July, dmr posted this question in the TOM BIHN Forums:
"I'm looking to purchase a Tom Bihn bag for my son who is starting high school this fall. First off, he needs a backpack that can carry a great deal of "stuff" back and forth from school. I'm talking books, folders, school supplies, a 1L SIGG bottle, lunch, etc."

Forum members ozone and BJ Nemeth recommended the Brain Bag, as did backpack, who noted: "I wish I had a Brain Bag in high school! I have one now, it so well balanced, has such adequate cushion on the back and straps and it is a very sturdy item it is the greatest backpack I ever owned." ratdeau suggested the Smart Alec, as "My two daughters have a Smart Alec with Freudian Slip. Two years of use and still perfect."

dmr ended up ordering the Brain Bag. The result?
"My son's Brain Bag and its accessories came just in the nick of time, the day before school started. The Brain Bag doesn't look much bigger than any other back pack but I was amazed when my son brought back all of his textbooks, there were seven of them, and assorted workbooks, etc. at the end of that day. They all fit in his new backpack with some room to spare! I could barely lift the thing, but he won't be taking that much with him back and forth every day, at least I hope not! Wow! That's all I can say for now, just "Wow!"

Read the entire forum thread "Which backpack is best for high school?" from start to finish.

Excerpted from "Another reason to love Seattle - Bihn bag lost and found", posted by timothy at his Slashdot journal:

"I would perhaps not admit to losing my nice new bag, if it hadn't been found. But it was, so I will: on Tuesday morning, I set out for a bagel at The Bagel-Deli Company (340 15th Ave E # 201 Seattle, WA 98112). (Chose one of the lunch specials, the Gobbler, with no mayonnaise, of course.) I had brought along a book to read as I ate, and was carrying it in my Tom Bihn Super Ego bag. But somehow, somehow I forgot I had the bag along with me, and left with the book in my hand instead. On the way back to the house, I stopped for some yogurt, bought two of the (quite good, reasonably priced) QFC house brand fruit-on-the-bottom ones, and walked about, now with the book under my arm, a yogurt in each hand. Still hadn't occurred to me that I could have had a bag along, one capable of carrying dozens of yogurts and bunches of books. This is called being absent-minded, if you enjoy euphemisms."

Did Timothy find his Super Ego? When did he realize it was missing? Was there a happy ending? To find out, visit timothy's journal and finish the story.

Above: a picture from the Imago Metrics review of the Super Ego.

In the TOM BIHN Forums thread "Western Flyer as personal item"....

ledrock asked: "I'm planning on taking my Aeronaut as my carry on bag, and I'm thinking of getting a Western Flyer to use as my personal bag/briefcase, but was wondering if anyone had encountered any problems with airlines claiming the W.F. is too large to be considered a personal bag."

travls replied: "I've used a Western Flyer on United once a month domestically since it came out. It's pretty loaded, including with a MacBook in a Brain Cell. I've been pleased that it always fits under the seat, even when there's one of those metal boxes for video on the aisle seats. It's a great choice for that application in my opinion, because everything zips up so there's no chance of having things fall out when repetitively stowing it and taking it out."

aiethabell offered a ton of great advice: "So, my suggestions: GET THERE EARLY. If you're boarding at the tail end of the call, the bins will already be full, and that's when the attendants onboard look for involuntary gate-checks."

BJ Nemeth added: "I always put my Aeronaut in the overhead bin, and my "personal item" has been (at different times) a Super Ego, a Brain Bag, and a Smart Alec -- all fully packed with a laptop, camera gear, and more. While I have seriously cut into my own foot room, I have never had a problem with flight attendants or other passengers."

And lpotr4, rabergnc, peregrina added their experiences. Read the full thread in the TOM BIHN Forums and consider adding your own experiences and advice.

"I keep the mbp in the back compartment with the snake charmer and power brick. The front compartment has more than enough room for a fleece, books, files and whatever else I need. It can also take a dslr in the front compartment which is brilliant for me. I went to New York in 2006 and didn't bring a laptop because I didn't have a bag that could hold a mbp, camera, books, ipod, and other assorted sundries. Now I can!!" Read seamus' full review of the Brain Bag in the TOM BIHN Forums or see the Brain Bag for yourself.

From the {position: relative;} blog:

"I’ve had an Olive/Wasabi Small Cafe Bag from Tom Bihn for almost 8 years. I love this bag - it’s the perfect size, it looks cool, and it’s very clean-lined.

One of the buckles broke yesterday. I emailed customer service about 15 minutes ago and have already gotten a response - they offered to fix it for free. But I decided to order a new one, because my old one is getting a bit frayed (and I can try a new color). This is a company and a product I highly recommend."

"After tons of research I settled on the Tom Bihn Aeronaut bag."
......
"I was stunned to discover that even with 2 pairs of shoes, 2 skirts, 2 dresses, 2 pairs of pants, 4 shirts, 10 pairs of underwear, 4 pairs of socks, pajamas, my toiletries (not insubstantial), an iGo charger, 3 guidebooks, and all of my other stuff placed in it, I had room to spare. Before succumbing to temptation and packing some of the items I had taken out of my pile as unnecessary (bathing suit, etc.), I decided to weigh the bag. First I stepped on the scale (that’s another post by itself), then I put on the bag as a backpack. I was amazed that it weighed 20 lbs and still felt comfortable enough to walk around the airport for a few hours, race to catch a metro or wander the streets before check-in time at our hotel."

Read the entire post. See the Aeronaut.

Above: Pictures from the One Bag, One World (OBOW) Review of the Aeronaut.

Posted by HMI in the TOM BIHN Forums in the thread, "Ristretto - First Impressions":

"[Laptop] Keyboard covers
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Wonderful covers that are handy for dusting the screen .. and wonderfully color coordinated with my Olive/Cayenne Ristretto :-)

Pouches
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I also ordered a few pouches. The Padded one especially for the MBA superdrive and in addition a few Clear ones also. They are all wonderfully made and they are very handy for storing different nitpicking.

Overall
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I am very, very happy with the items I ordered and the way everything has been handled by the TB people .. TB people I hail you !!!!!"