Smart Alec Backpack In Stock

The Smart Alec laptop backpack by TOM BIHN

The Smart Alec backpack is now in-stock and ready to ship. Other products recently put back into stock are the Brain Bag, Freudian Slip, Size 5 Horizontal and Vertical Soft Cells, Size 6 Brain Cell in Olive, and Size 2XL Horizontal and Vertical Soft Cells.

Recent blog posts on the Smart Alec:
Customer raves about her Smart Alec

Spymac reviews the Smart Alec

Am I a Smart Alec or Brain?

MacDailyNews Reviews the Smart Alec

Update on the Zephyr and Empire Builder

The design of the Zephyr (the smaller Empire Builder) is being finalized as this post is written. We will post preview pictures of the Zephyr soon (we’d like to take a picture for you now, but Tom is continually sewing, tearing apart, and re-sewing the current prototype to get the details just right for upcoming production of the bag.) The Zephyr is expected enter production in March or early April, and will be available for pre-order around then, too.

As originally conceived, the Zephyr featured all of the same features and details as the Empire Builder. Fortuitously, while designing the Zephyr, Tom reworked that front pouch to look even better, especially when it’s full of your gear. Most importantly, the new front pouch design fixes the problem some of you have experienced of your Empire Builder: tipping over when there’s too much stuff in the front pocket. The new design actually adds stability to the briefcase, sort of like an outrigger on a canoe.

Happily, both the new Zephyr and the next batch of the Empire Builder (due in late March) will feature this new pouch.
The Empire Builder

Yikes! Fugative Dye and Overseas Fabric

One of our customers recently contacted us to tell us that he’d seen
reviews posted on the Web that critiqued another laptop
manufacturer’s product: users were saying the dyes from the
lining fabrics were bleeding onto the laptops being carried inside.

Concerned that our laptop bags could have the same problem, he asked: are the fabrics that Tom Bihn uses colorfast, or might they bleed too?

The answer? No.

We use the best quality fabrics from U.S. mills that
follow government (read: EPA) regulations. In fact, when our fabric mills
aren’t making fabric for us, they are usually making the same fabric to meet rigorous military specifications.

Overseas fabric mills aren’t subject to the same rules and
regulations. If you buy nylon fabrics overseas, it’s a lot cheaper than
the fabric
you’d buy from U.S. mills, but it often is of significantly lesser
quality, and could potentially
have problems such as “fugative” dye.

Sometimes people ask why our bags are so expensive. One reason is because we spend more on higher quality fabrics, zippers, buckles,
webbing, thread, and every other part that goes into the bag. The price
we pay for that higher-quality material and those tougher zippers and
buckles gets passed on to you, but you’ll also have a bag that will last
years and won’t bleed dye on your stuff!

Introducing the Ego Messenger Bag

Distinguished by an interchangeable strip, the Ego is a mid-size messenger bag that mediates among
the ID and Super Ego; it’s bigger than
the ID, but smaller than the Super Ego. If you’ve desired a Super Ego but found it to be
just too big, the Ego is the bag for you.

  • Dimensions: 15.3 x 13.3 x 6.3″ / 390mm x 340mm x 160mm
  • Swappable front strip available in 19 different colors and materials allows you to continually customize the color combination of your Ego.
  • Volume: 23 liters / 1400 cu.in.
  • Choose between the Tom Bihn Standard Shoulder Strap and the Absolute Shoulder Strap
  • #8 and #10 YKK Uretek splash-proof zippers.
  • Like all TOM BIHN bags, the Ego is made in the Tom Bihn Factory in Seattle, Washington.

    The Ego is available for pre-order now with a shipping date of mid-March. If you want to order an Ego, we recommend doing so now: placing a backorder ensures that you’ll receive an Ego before they sell out.

    The Ego Messenger Bag by TOM BIHN

  • Happy Valentine’s Day from the TOM BIHN crew

    Happy Valentine's Day from the TOM BIHN crew in Seattle!
    Pictured: The Washington Mutual tower in downtown Seattle on February 13th, 2007. (Thanks, Kim!)

    Imago Metrics reviews the ID on location in Geneva, Switzerland

    “While the Super Ego is the maximum capacity one would want a messenger bag to be, the Imago is probably the minimum. The ID Bag hits the sweet spot in the middle. Fully loaded is was as cozy as any carry-on or personal bag would want to be. The renowned suspension shoulder strap absorbs pressure that would otherwise be transferred to the user’s shoulders, making long hikes or hurried dashes less strenuous than with plain unpadded straps.”

    Read the full review. The full review on the Imago Metrics Web site has detailed pictures of the features on the ID, and pictures of what would fit inside the ID.

    Imago Metrics Review of the TOM BIHN ID Messenger Bag

    Talk about the Imago Metrics review of the ID in our forums.

    Audio Review by Brain Bag Backpack Contest Winner

    Back in November, Victor Cajiao of the Typical Mac User Podcast held a giveaway of a Tom Bihn Brain Bag Backpack, a bag he had also reviewed.

    Jason H. was the lucky winner of the Brain Bag, and he sent us text and audio versions of his review of the Brain Bag.

    “I met my Brain Bag in mid-December when I came home to my parents’
    house in Michigan for the holidays. After that 13 hour drive from
    New York City, the first thing I did upon arriving was to find the
    box and open it immediately. It was just like being a kid on Christmas.”

    Continue on for the full text of Jason’s review of the Brain Bag. Or, you can listen to his review in MP3 format.

    P.S. On the Brain Bag: We’re already sold out in Black. Colors Steel, Kelly, Navy, Olive, and Sapphire are still in-stock…for now.

    I’ve been a bag aficionado for quite some time. In my family, it is
    traditional to get a set of luggage upon graduating from high
    school, but for me this would not do. I began looking at large
    backpacks months before that graduation date. I tried North Faces,
    Arc’teryxes, Lowe Alpines, Gregories, Kelties, and everything in
    between. None of them would do, of course. The only bag I liked, and
    the one I had to have, was made by Dana Design in Bozeman, Montana.
    It also happened to be the most expensive. I understood there was a
    reason these packs cost twice what other similar brands sold for.
    They were crafted to the highest standards, made only from the
    highest quality products, and designed to fit like a glove. I got
    that pack in 1997 and since then it has carried my gear on travels
    in Mexico, Ireland, most everywhere in Western Europe, Viet Nam, and
    from coast to cost multiple times in the States. It’s a brute that’s
    built to last, which is the most important thing in any bag.

    Additionally, I’ve carried different Timbuk2 messenger bags made in
    San Francisco during college, while teaching abroad, and on daily
    commutes in New York City. Also not cheap bags, these have never let
    me down and seem to last forever.

    What’s the point of these descriptions? Well, the fact is, I like to
    keep things for a long time. I like to buy a high quality product
    once and use it for years. Clothes, electronics, gear – it should
    all be durable.

    Of course there have been other bags in that time. Many, in fact,
    but all of them have fallen apart under normal use and have not
    earned the right to be remembered. I have a feeling the new Tom Bihn
    Brain Bag I’ve been using for a month now will enter my all-star
    pantheon. Yes, it just might be /that good/.

    I met my Brain Bag in mid-December when I came home to my parents’
    house in Michigan for the holidays. After that 13 hour drive from
    New York City, the first thing I did upon arriving was to find the
    box and open it immediately. It was just like being a kid on Christmas.

    I think I may have said to myself at the time, “Whoa… this is
    /really big!/” I had seen photos on Tom Bihn’s site and checked out
    the dimensions, but it was still a LOT bigger than I expected. I
    figured this could easily be the only bag necessary to carry
    everything for short trips. I slid my MacBook into the Brain Cell,
    admiring how snug the fit was. Then I began to examine the rest of
    the bag. It kept getting bigger and bigger.

    As you mentioned in your review, Victor, there are two large
    zippered compartments. Actually, large isn’t really the word. More
    like cavernous. Even with a Brain Cell clipped to the inside,
    there’s still tons of room to carry everything. Clearly this
    backpack was built for a much larger computer, but that just makes
    it a better traveling bag. At one point, I filled it with my
    computer, iPod, digital camera, toiletries, 3 pairs of jeans, 5
    shirts, socks, and underwear. There was still room for it to swallow
    more, which can become dangerous because I like to push bags to
    their limits.

    Besides the two gaping compartments, there are three smaller
    zippered pockets on the front of the bag. The small one at the top
    is ideal for change, iPod cables, little flash drives, keys, and
    anything else that tends to disappear into the nether regions of
    other sections of the bag.

    The side pockets conveniently hold pens, pencils, markers,
    calendars, and are shaped just right for Moleskine notebooks. That’s
    another thing I don’t leave home without. The mesh pocket on the
    outside works really well for things I need to get at quickly and
    frequently, like chewing gum or drinks.

    The final interesting feature is a two-part strap system. I looked
    at it and looked at it, trying to figure out its use. Water bottle
    holder? Thermos strap? Tripod tie-down? I went to the Tom Bihn site
    to learn more. Apparently you can strap an umbrella or a raincoat
    there, rolled up. I tried to do just that this morning, but
    unfortunately the umbrella fell out during rush hour when I got off
    the train. That wasn’t a problem, however, since I just made the
    umbrella disappear into one of the compartments.

    Regarding comfort, this backpack is excellent. I’m not a fan of
    over-padded straps. I think the extra bulk usually just gets in the
    way and in the long run makes the pack less comfortable. These
    straps are padded enough to be comfortable, but lean enough to be
    unobtrusive. There’s a waist strap and a chest strap as well, but I
    haven’t needed to use them yet. I don’t know how the pack will
    perform when those steamy New York summers roll around again, but
    the amount of padding on the back is like the straps: enough, but
    not too much. Dual compression straps on both sides let you cinch
    the bag down as much as you need and work great.

    Another feature worth mentioning is the carrying handle attached to
    the top of the bag. Oftentimes you need to take your pack off your
    back, like when you sit down on the subway. Without a handle, this
    can be irksome but the Brain Bag’s padded, sturdy handle was clearly
    designed by people who use backpacks in the real world. It’s
    comfortable enough to tote the bag around off your back, should you
    need to.

    Finally, I should mention the look of the bag. Most of those black
    shoulder bags just shout out “computer!” and aren’t at all stylish.
    There’s nothing that gives this backpack away as a computer carrier
    to the untrained eye. It does look like and behave like a big
    backpack, but when you’re wearing it, it certainly doesn’t feel its
    size.

    Thank you very much for providing me with the bag and letting me
    review it. For anyone out there with any doubts about buying a Tom
    Bihn bag, I give my full blessing and hearty encouragement to do it
    as soon as you can afford it. It’s worth the money to get
    something of this quality (or if you’re as lucky as me, you can
    write in to a Podcast and win one!). But be warned – this is one
    huge bag! You’ll be tempted to carry everything you own.

    Sincerely,
    Jason H.

    Judie Hughes of Gear Diary Reviews the ID

    Judie Hughes of Gear Diary recently reviewed the redesigned version of the ID bag. Below is an excerpt of the review. We strongly recommend you click here and read the full review – it’s full of excellent, detailed pictures of the bag.

    “I’ve reviewed quite a few Tom Bihn bags in the past, and if you were to read any of those past reviews, it should be quickly evident that I’m a fan. Their bags are thoughtfully planned, designed for real world usage, and made with pride from only the best materials. Of their bags that I have owned and still own, I have nothing but good things to say; these are bags that do exactly what they are needed to do, they hold up over many years of hard use, and they will look great while doing it.”

    Judie Hughes of Gear Diary with the

    See the ID bag or read the full review.

    Brain Bag Backpack: In Stock, New Colors

    The Brain Bag backpack is now in-stock in all colors: Black, Steel, Sapphire, Olive, and new colors Kelly and Navy (pictured below).

    Other products that have recently come back into stock are the: Freudian Slip, Size 4 Brain Cell, Size 2XL Vertical Soft Cell, and Size 2XL Horizontal Soft Cell.

    The Tom Bihn Brain Bag Backpack in colors Navy and Kelly

    Customer Review of the Aeronaut

    Check out this recent customer review of the Aeronaut.

    “On to the bag itself: The Aeronaut is very well constructed. It has one main compartment in the middle of the bag and two outer pockets that are perfect for shoes or items that you need to get to quickly. There is also a side zipper pocket that is small items / papers. When I got the bag, I was a little surprised how roomy it was.”

    On the Tom Bihn Packing Cubes:

    “I also ordered the packing cubes that go along with it. I got two smaller and one large and they fit perfectly into the bag. I am glad that I got the ones made by Tom Bihn because they were sized exactly right- no wasted space. Honestly, if left to my own devices I will usually pack using my foot- stuff everything in and then jam with my foot so it will eventually close. The packing cubes truely maximized space- I was able to take 5 shirts (4 short-sleeve, 1 long sleeve), three pairs of pants, 8 pairs of socks and underwear, some t-shirts, 3 pairs of shorts, and 2 pairs of shoes. Not too shabby!”

    Links:

    Read the full review.

    The Aeronaut

    Packing Cubes

    The Tom Bihn Aeronaut Maximum Carry-On Bag