Week of 20 May, 2007 - 00:00 to 26 May, 2007 - 23:59

The Convertible Packing Cube is designed to be used just like our regular End Pocket Packing Cubes: to organize the inside of your Aeronaut for easy packing and un-packing. When you reach your destination and it's time to leave the Aeronaut in the hotel or hostel, re-pack this cube with a windbreaker, lunch and your map, add a shoulder strap, and you're ready to go out and explore: no need to carry along an extra bag for day use. $20. In stock and ships within one business day.

The Passport Pouch is a simple pouch designed to carry your passport or other documents while traveling. Made of light-weight Dyneema ripstop fabric and trimmed with soft polyester knit material, the Passport Pouch can be worn under or outside your clothing, or around your neck or your waist, whichever works best for you. $10. In stock and ships within one business day.

The Size 2M Vertical Soft Cell is now available for order.

Size 2M is designed for larger 17" PC laptops, like the Dell Inspiron 9400. The Size 2M Vertical Soft Cell will slip inside our Brain Bag and Smart Alec backpacks.

Excerpt:
"Speaking as someone who is 6′4″ and doesn’t like to ever be without anything, I heartily recommend the Ego. The laptop compartment has quite good padding to protect against falls, and there’s a good deal of both open and organized storage space for students or office types. More than anything, though, there’s the sense of attention to detail and thoughtful design throughout the bag. The only question is really whether the bag is right for you. If you’re 5′2″ and just want to carry around your 12-inch PowerBook, there are probably better options, but if a MacBook and textbooks or peripherals are a fact of life, the Ego is well worth consideration."

Read the entire review.
See the Ego.

From the Customer Pictures section of the TOM BIHN forums:

"this picture is from my trip to the uk.

we stayed in a town called bedford, about 90 miles from london. bedford is a small town - wonderful opportunity to disconnect from civilization.

we went for a walk one afternoon and happened upon a playground. you're never too old to hit the playground!"

Customer MarkA posted in our forums about his experience of receiving his Ego messenger bag:

"It was waiting for me when I got home yesterday!

First impression - wow! I now really 'get' what people were talking about when they say high quality. This bag looks like it could take some serious hammering and laugh it off!"
Read MarkA's entire post.

Last week, Tom responded to your questions on the forums, explaining the differences between 1050 denier Ballistic Nylon and 1000 denier Cordura:

"There are two significant tehnical differences between cordura and ballistic nylon. First, ballistic is a "filament" yard, vs cordura which is texturized. This means ballistic nylon yarns are smooth & slick; cordura yarns are slightly fuzzy, actually discontinuous, more like a natural fiber. This gives cordura somewhat higher abrasion resistance, while the ballistic has higher tear strength. However, in both fabrics the tear strength and the abrasion resistance are so much higher than neccessary, the end-user will seldom if ever experience any difference between cordura and ballistic."
Read Tom's entire forum post about fabrics.

Tom also gave us an update on the design of the Horizontal Freudian Slip. Read that post here.

Sling away with laptop sling bags
By Dan Frakes

Excerpt:
"Perhaps the best feature of the Buzz is its build quality. The materials are thick and rugged, and the bag uses large, sturdy zippers. The pack looks and feels well made—made in the U.S., in fact, unlike most laptop bags these days—and includes a lifetime warranty."

See The Buzz