Week of 27 July, 2008 - 00:00 to 2 August, 2008 - 23:59

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.

Below: A customer with Tom Bihn in our Seattle showroom.

TOM BIHN Forum user ledrock asks in the TOM BIHN Forum thread "If you could take ONE pair of men's shoes...":

"I know that some of this comes down to physical differences, but I'm wondering if people have a strong preference for a single pair of shoes while traveling (let's assume city travel and not mountain climbing)."

Tom Bihn replied...
"I too have quested after the Holy Grail of one-shoe-does-it-all, but alas I pretty much always carry a pair of dressier shoes and wear something like the above Lowa shoes (or Chaco sandals in the summer) for everything else."

PM4HIRE added...
"I travel wearing Holey Prolines in black or Ecco Seawalkers , top-notch walking shoe."

And falconea posted...
"I have a slightly different approach - I pack a pair of plain black ballet slippers to do service as spare shoes and dressy, covered toe shoes."

Tom Bihn Snake Charmer
"Speaking of cables, I pack all of them into a Tom Bihn Snake Charmer ($25), a pouch with two zippered compartments designed to hold AC adapters and cables. You can easily see what's in either compartment through zippered mesh enclosures." Read more at James A. Martin's PC World Mobile Computing blog.

Tom Bihn Zephyr
"Speaking of bags, Tom Bihn's Zephyr ($150) is a well-designed, messenger-style laptop bag I recommend highly. I love the pockets on the bag's buckled flap; the unzippered pocket is easy to slip my iPhone into." Read more.

Posted at: James' Europe Travel Blog
By James Martin, About.com Guide to Europe
"I'm not a "cheap stuff" sorta guy. When I buy a bag or travel accessory, I want to make sure the design and manufacturing folks have thought things out. I don't want the sort of industrial garbage in which innovation is measured by how much the company can save by removing features or using inferior material while maintaining the same price. Sometimes they even have the unmitigated gall to claim that the (new and improved!) hobbled product is better or safer because of it (think about that 6 inch cord on your toaster, for example).

So when a small company appears on my radar claiming real innovation, I'm happy to look into it and share."

Find out what blogger and About.com Guide to Europe author James Martin thought of our Laptop Keyboard Cover.

See the Laptop Keyboard Cover: