All About the Red, White and Blue, While Being Green (Video)

“Partnering with UPS, TOM BIHN Bags ships every order via UPS carbon neutral. The company pays a little extra to ship the bags and carbon “credits” are purchased to offset the emissions generated by the shipping process.

Going one step further, they have their shipping and packing materials certified as environmentally friendly in the UPS Eco Responsible Packaging Program. The boxes aren’t just made of recycled cardboard, but also are right-sized (preventing use of excess materials) and crush-tested to prevent product damage. This is especially crucial, as there’s no environmental benefit if a flimsy package is damaged in transit and requires a replacement shipment.”

Read the full article over at the UPS blog.

Loaded Pocketz: Smart Alec Upper Modular Pocket Review

Loaded Pocketz reviews the Smart Alec Upper Modular Pocket

“The Upper Modular Pocket is made from the same materials as the Smart Alec – the exterior is U.S. high tenacity 1050 denier ballistic nylon and the pocket lining is 200 denier Dyneema®/nylon ripstop fabric. The zipper is #8 YKK Aquaguard®, which gives the pocket the same water repellency as the Smart Alec – something I rarely see in an admin pouch. The quality is flawless. The stitching is laser straight with no loose threads and everything is reinforced in the right areas.”

Read the full review @ Loaded Pocketz and discuss the review with the author over at the EDC Forums.

See also:
Smart Alec
Smart Alec Upper Modular Pocket

Miking: Packing Cube Backpack Goes Ice Climbing

TOM BIHN Packing Cube Backpack Goes Ice Climbing

Packing Cube Backpack Goes Ice Climbing

Posting by Miking in the TOM BIHN Forums. See also: The Packing Cube Backpack

In stock: 3D Dyneema Cube, Synapse, Yarn Stuff Sack

Thanks as always to our Seattle crew, the following bags are back in-stock and ready to ship within one business day:

Yarn Stuff Sack, all sizes, varieties, and colors

Synapse, all colors but Steel Dyneema/Steel Dyneema (ships by early March)

3D Dyneema/nylon Organizer Cube, all colors

TOM BIHN 3D Dyneema Organizer Cube
The 3D Dyneema Organizer Cube in Steel

New: 1″ Cafe/Ristretto Messenger Stabilizer

The 1″ Cafe/Ristretto Messenger Stabilizer is designed to keep your Cafe Bag, Imago or Ristretto bag close and prevent it from swinging around to the front when you’re riding your motorcycle or bicycle, or just moving fast on foot. It’s designed to work with the Small Cafe Bag, Medium Cafe Bag, Large Cafe Bag, Imago, and Ristretto for iPad, Ristretto for 11″ MacBook Air, and Ristretto for 13″ MacBook Air or Pro. Uses one-half of your bag’s waist strap (the half with the male buckle); if your Cafe Bag, Imago, or Ristretto doesn’t have a waist strap, you can order one here. FYI, we didn’t come up with this concept — Andrew Hsu, a longtime customer, did. Read all about it here.

$4. In stock and ships within one business day.

1" Messenger Stabilizer by TOM BIHN

Gear List – 12 Month Round the World Trip

Gear List – 12 Month Round the World Trip

Excerpted from the post “Gear List – 12 Month Round the World Trip” @ The Quest for Awesome:

You’re leaving the country for a year. What do you pack?

It took me 6 months to finish answering this question. Not only did people say I was crazy when I told them I’d be trying to do it with a 32 liter bag, they said it wasn’t possible. I ended up leaving the country with a 26 liter backpack [the Smart Alec].

Traveling as light as possible was the driving factor because of the freedom it allows (and partially just to see if I could do it). When a 26 L backpack is all I have:
There’s no need to check baggage
I look less like a tourist
I have higher mobility
I have lower dependency on having to find a spot to store/lockup my bag

Read the full post, complete with a detailed packing list, over at The Quest for Awesome.

In stock: 3D Clear Organizer Cube, Upper Modular Pocket, more..

Thanks as always to our Seattle factory crew, the following bags are back in-stock and ready to ship within one business day:

3D Clear Organizer Cube

Size 2S Vertical Brain Cell

Mesh Ballistic Organizer Pouches

Upper Modular Pocket for the Smart Alec backpack

Horizontal Brain Cell, Size 15-inch MacBook Pro Retina

Mesh Ballistic Organizer Pouch, Medium
Mesh Ballistic Organizer Pouch, Medium

Photo by athanasios: Dyneema/nylon collection

TOM BIHN Dyneema/nylon

Posted by athanasios in the Forums.

In stock: Smart Alec, 13″ Ristretto, RFID Blocking Passport Pouch

Thanks to our Seattle crew, the following bags are back in-stock and shipping within one business day:

Smart Alec, all colors

13″ Ristretto, all colors but Black/Steel, which ships by mid-January

Aeronaut, all colors but Black/Iberian, Steel/Ultraviolet, and Aubergine/Wasabi, which ship by late February

RFID Blocking Passport Pouch, all colors

Clear Quarter Packing Cube, all colors

Tall Yarn Stuff Sack, Clear Bottom, all colors

Medium Yarn Stuff Sack, All Fabric, all colors

Synapse in Black/Steel, Navy/Iberian, Indigo/Steel, Conifer/Steel, and Steel Dyneema/Wasabi

3D Clear Organizer Cube in colors Plum, Steel, Conifer, Storm, Azalea, and Navy

Cache for iPad mini, Horizontal and Vertical

New: Parts

Slam your Ego male buckle in the car door? Lose the Gate Keeper clips for your Checkpoint Flyer? Need an extra set of Annex clips for a second Brain Cell? Misplace your Aeronaut sternum strap? Or maybe you simply want extra parts (if you’re going to do something DIY with them, be sure to
share the results with us). We’ve created a new Parts page where you can order replacement or additional parts or components. If there’s a part you need that isn’t listed in the drop-down selection menu to the right, let us know, and if it’s something we can offer, we’ll add it as an option.

Parts. $1 – $8. In stock and ships within one business day.

TOM BIHN Bag Parts
1″ Triangle Metal Hook (pair)