Week of 26 October, 2008 - 00:00 to 1 November, 2008 - 23:59

"My Checkpoint Flyer arrived yesterday. You have truly outdone yourself with this product. Fit and finish are perfect. This is my new favorite bag. Thanks for continually upgrading your line and making such magnificent bags available." - B.H.

"I gave my 82 yr old father your vertical messenger bag as a present that he uses every day. The clasp broke and I know he called you all for many weeks until a replacement clasp was sent. He was so happy. He could not bear to part with the bag to have you fix it. My father comes from an old fashioned tradition of customer service in conjunction with self reliance. Thanks so much for allowing for both." - S.B.

"Tom..just wanted to thank you for all of your help , suggestions, and patience with my calls and questions.I have owned all kinds of bags in the past and i must say this is the most well thought out system yet. Quality is impeccable, strap is awesome, looks great, and the entire bag is laid out in a cogent fashion...you will have my business and referrals in the future..thank you again, i am extremely pleased with my purchase and your quality..." - A.M.

Irma, TOM BIHN fabric and material cutter.

Scary!

Riley didn't feel like dressing up, but he did feel like laying on the couch all day.

The Checkpoint Flyer airport security "checkpoint friendly" briefcase is now in-stock and shipping immediately in the 13" MacBook/Air, 15.4" MacBook Pro, and 17" MacBook Pro sizes. These three sizes also fit a wide range of PC laptops. (The NEW 15.4" MacBook Pro size is still available for pre-order and ships by early December.)

ComputerWorld:
"At $220, the Tom Bihn Checkpoint Flyer Briefcase is one of the most expensive bags in our list but also our favorite, thanks to its good looks, expert pocketry, and three hinged compartments that fold up into a compact case. It should fit even in the smaller overhead bins in commuter planes, yet still hold all your gear handily."

With the Absolute Shoulder Strap.

Above: the Swift Knitting Bag in Olive/Plum.

"I wanted to let you know that I am no longer looking for that "perfect" knitting bag. The "Swift" is it. I read your review of the bag by a knitter so I couldn't resist. I thought if it doesn't out like all of my "perfect knitting bag" purchases I would find some use for it. Behold, you do have the "Perfect" knitting bag. There is a place for all my things plus deep enough to hold a full size knitting book. I also purchased several of the pouches. They hold all my must have with me knitting tools. Thank you for this wonderful bag. It is the last, one and only, "Perfect" knitting bag that I will ever purchase. I highly recommend this to all my fellow knitting colleages." - E.A.

Tomorrow is Halloween, and it's also the one day this week that our Seattle Factory Showroom (aka retail store) is open. Make sure to come by - you might just see Riley in his antler hat costume for all of five seconds before he groans and paws it off his head.

See more great pictures of the Aeronaut on Flickr. Or, go directly to the Aeronaut.

timothy posted in the TOM BIHN Forums:

"One of the things that frequently gets stuffed into the outside (under-flap) pocket of my Super Ego is a U-style bike lock. Mine is heavier than I'd like, even if it's not one of those 30lb chain-link anchors. I wonder, though, in the general spirit of light travel that seems to animate many people here, are there any *light* bike locks worth owning? My bike is neither a beater nor fancy, but I'm reluctant to use anything less substantial; I also have a moderately thick cable + smaller lock, but that smaller lock is of the older Kryponite variety, susceptible to being opened with a Bic pen. (I've see it only on YouTube, myself, haven't yet tried to do it.)"

Any suggestions?

Click here (or on the below screen shot) to watch the video.

Posted in the comments on the YouTube page for the video:
"I'm loving mine! The build quality is fantastic and I couldn't have done a better job deciding how large and where each pocket should be located."

More links:
The Checkpoint Flyer
Gadling.com Review of the Checkpoint Flyer
jehingr's user review

"Here's my most recent experiences: Lufthansa in Seattle weighed my main carryon but not my "personal item." (I had no checked bag, so perhaps they were skeptical...) Austrian Air didn't weigh my bags, but at Dulles they had a sizer in the hallway leading up to the jetway and they had someone stationed to stop people whose bag looked too large and made them "size" them. Haha--the Western Flyer made it with ease!" - Posted by flitcraft in the TOM BIHN Forums.

Above: a picture from the One Bag, One World review of the Western Flyer.