Week of 19 April, 2009 - 00:00 to 25 April, 2009 - 23:59

Excerpt:
"The day after this post ran, I got an e-mail from a lovely woman at Tom Bihn bags explaining that the reason I hadn’t found the perfect laptop bag was because I hadn’t tried her company’s top-of-the-line product. Fair enough, I hadn’t tried the exact bag [The Checkpoint Flyer] she was referencing in her e-mail. I told her I would take it out with me on a few trips and see how it handled. My expectations were low; I’d been let down so many times in the past that I assumed I would be let down again.

I’m not one to eagerly admit when I’m wrong, but I was. This bag is amazing. It meets my qualifications for a perfect laptop bag for business travel — and more. I’ve since taken it out four times (three of those involved air travel), and feel comfortable singing its praises."
Read the full review (complete with pictures like the one below) at Unclutterer. Or, see the Checkpoint Flyer for yourself.

We try to use our scrap material in creative ways - we don't want to waste anything if we can help it. In the above picture, you see a sight common in our Seattle factory - colorful, long strips of 1000 and 500 denier Cordura fabric. We use them in a bunch of different ways, but mainly for bundling parts.

The Side Effect can be used three different ways: as a shoulder bag (included is a shoulder strap that fits neatly inside of the bag when not in use), a waist pack (the waist strap tucks away when not in use), or as an organizer bag for toiletries, computer cables, or other small items.


Available for pre-order, ships by earl June. $30. Available in colors Black, Steel, Plum, Sapphire, and Olive.

Shiva posted in the TOM BIHN Forums:
"I got the Western Flyer in March but had not really used it for travel until this past weekend when I went to New York City by train. I was going on work, and had to take fairly dressy clothes, plus laptop, plus lots of paperwork. I also had a small (16inch) rollaboard.

The Western Flyer packed like a charm. I bundle wrapped two pants, 4 dress shirts, a linen jacket, one pair of jeans, and even a lightweight overcoat--into the western flyer. The front pocket easily accepted most of the rest of my stuff. I was quite stunned.

Mostly, I loved how well it fit on my back and how easily it carried. The last time I went to NYC, I got exhausted carrying my 21 inch rollaboard up and down stairs at stations, in subways, and in trains. This time, everything was a breeze. I had my WF on my back and a small rollaboard, and life was the easiest."

Read Shiva's entire post here.

See this thread in the forums to read the answer given by current Swift users.

Photos by indigodragonfly.

If you plan to order a Steel/Solar Aeronaut, we recommend doing so soon. Steel/Solar is the only color of Aeronaut that is currently in-stock, and we have only so many left. Our Seattle factory is hard at work making more Aeronauts (Crimson/Steel, Steel/Steel, Steel/Solar, Black/Steel) which will ship mid-late May, depending on how soon you place your order.

"I wanted to write and thank you for your help in selecting the Zephyr briefcase. I am extremely pleased - it has been excellent for daily use and the extra capacity has been perfect for business trips. Also, the placement of the strap connections on the bag really helps to distribute the weight evenly on my shoulder and makes the briefcase very comfortable to carry. Thank you!" - Stephen

The Zephyr briefcase is available for order in colors Black/Steel/Sapphire, Black/Black/Steel, Black/Black/Wasabi, and Black/Black/Cayenne.

"Until recently I didn't realise I had a bag fetish but after discovering this web site following the slashdotting recently, I've been feverish about getting my hands on a bag! I'm happy to say I now have a Steel/Cork/Wasabi Imago and a Steel/Solar Aeronaut in my possession (and a Plum/Olive medium cafe bag for my wife). The build quality is excellent as noted in many many other posts so I won't belabour that point with my own feeble description."

Posted by garglebutt in the TOM BIHN Forums. Click here to read the whole thread, or visit the Aeronaut and Imago pages.

The Small and Medium Cafe Bags in colors Sand/Olive, Punch/Wasabi, and Punch/Steel are now shipping. The Large Cafe in the above colors is available for pre-order and ships by early June.

Below is a review posted by Mauricio on the TOM BIHN Facebook page:

"I purchased my first Tom Bihn bag, an Empire Builder, along with an Absolute Shoulder Strap and Horizontal Brain Cell for my laptop almost 9 months ago. It's one of the best purchases I've ever made. The bag is indeed cavernous, as it easily fit my laptop, books, peripherals and other electronics while maintaining its original shape - and that was just the main compartment!

The absolute shoulder strap worked wonders when carrying a heavy load. Not only did the bag feel lighter, but unlike other pads, my shoulder remained comfortable. The neoprene pad also stayed on my shoulder and didn't slide off, allowing me to move freely without worrying about dropping my bag. When I didn't want to use the strap, I found the handles to very comfortable and remain cushioned, even after extended use. My old bag would leave my hands red and in pain. Small details like that really made me appreciate this bag even more.

Finally, the Horizontal Brain Cell became my laptop's best friend. I ordered a Size 1 for my Thinkpad T61. It was snug from top to bottom with a little breathing room on both sides. The several layers of protection and the fact that it's tightly secured in my Empire Builder leave me with the peace of mind that nothing will happen to it, even when I accidentally drop it!

A quality product well worth the price. :)"
Post a review of your TOM BIHN bag on Facebook.