My Tom Bihn Collection

I wanted to start by saying, I have been using by brain bag with brain cell, snake charmer, and freudian slip for about a month now daily...what and awesome bag!! It carries everything I need on a daily working basis, is very durable, as well as a breeze to carry...even on one shoulder.
My most recent purchase was the Aeronaut in Steel/Solar, Medium Cafe Bag in Navy/Cayenne, mini clear pouch in plum, 2 small clear pouches (1 in cayenne, and the other in indigo), and 2 small cordura pouches (1 in kelly, and the other in linen). What beautiful colors!! Enjoy the pics, even though they do not do the colors justice. Keep up the great work Tom and Crew!!



The Solar interior just gleams!
http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/1394/dscn1662x.jpg


http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/3913/dscn1664i.jpg


http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/2641/dscn1665.jpg


The empty Aeronaut sporting his Absolute Strap

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/8449/dscn1666c.jpg


They almost look like they could be brothers

http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/7236/dscn1669.jpg


The Medium Cafe with pouches

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/4517/dscn1670i.jpg


http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/7563/dscn1675z.jpg


The Family...so far!!

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/2972/dscn1680l.jpg

hi larryb,

thank you for posting these awesome pictures!

...I don't NEED another Aeronaut, but that Solar interior...

Beautiful.

Fab pictures Larry....shows the colors and the sheen really well. I love the steel and solar color too---I have that for the Western Flyer and love it--the sheen is subtle and strong.
A question: what is the apple thingie you have in the pouch? I have not seen anything red?!

LarryB

Have you taken your Aeronaut on any air or road trips yet? Do you have a packing list?

Do you have any photos of anyone wearing these bags?

Great photos!

Well done. I may have to gather my bunch for a "family photo" or two.

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Originally Posted by Shiva

Fab pictures Larry....shows the colors and the sheen really well. I love the steel and solar color too---I have that for the Western Flyer and love it--the sheen is subtle and strong.
A question: what is the apple thingie you have in the pouch? I have not seen anything red?!

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That is a western digital passport drive with a sticker from a nano purchase.

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Originally Posted by MtnMan

LarryB

Have you taken your Aeronaut on any air or road trips yet? Do you have a packing list?

Do you have any photos of anyone wearing these bags?

Great photos!

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I have only had it about a week now and no trip yet. Hope to over the winter break. I will post more pics with a packing list once we use it. I do not have any pics of anyone wearing these bags. I will have to get my wife to snap a few soon.
Thanks.

Did you get one of those Bihn 3D Clear Organizer Cubes for your 3-1-1 items?

No, but the clear quarter packing cube is on my list for my next order.

I've been thinking about getting the same, or similar, items as what you're accumulating here. I've also been following Maverick's suit-in-an-Aeronaut-video thread, in case I ever have to carry a suit on an air trip.

All this leads me to wonder: if one packs 3-1-1 items in a Clear Quarter Packing Cube or a 3D Clear Organizer Cube, how does one plan to clean the inside of such a "cube" in the event of a "leak"? Who to do 'bout the goo...

Do you have any ideas?

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Originally Posted by MtnMan

All this leads me to wonder: if one packs 3-1-1 items in a Clear Quarter Packing Cube or a 3D Clear Organizer Cube, how does one plan to clean the inside of such a "cube" in the event of a "leak"? Who to do 'bout the goo...

Do you have any ideas?

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Hi MtnMan, I do have some thoughts on the matter. I have considered baging potential leaky items individually for air travel in their own ziploc bag, then if they do leak the mess is contained to the offender. Additionally, I plan to leave a gap for expansion. Here's how: Say I am using a 3oz squeeze bottle; I would fill it to say approximately 2 1/2oz, then I would squeeze the bottle so the contents were just at the top or close to it; then I would cap or close the item so that the squezed/depressed state was 'locked-in"; now when the external pressure drops, and the material inside subsequently expands, I have a half ounce of space for it to do so (said space being air free); thus I would not develop a leak unless the pressure drop was really significant, and if it did leak, the ziploc bag acts a barrier. I would also suggest getting as much air as reasonably easy to do out of the ziploc bag, so it doesn't balloon in a pressure drop. Since leaks are really only a concern due to flying (presuming you have a decent storage container), when I am on the ground, I would remove everything from the baggies, uncap and allow air into the bottles, as a matter of convenience for regular use.

10 minutes prep time when packing for a flight, and 5 minutes prep when unpacking for regular use is a small price to pay for keeping things orderly and clean. The best surprise is no surprise as a hotel chain is fond of saying.

Anyone have other ideas on this? Perhaps an insight into bottles that have a pressure valve built in? Or containers of extraordinary composition?

On an aside, this is the kind of thing that keeps me coming back to this forum. I really find these explorations of luggage, use, and travel, helpful. Additionally, while I saw recently in a thread that a member considered it poor form to point out products other than Tom Bihn manufactured goods, I disagree. I believe the intrinsic quality, and extraordinary service at Tom Bihn speak for themselves, and are not in any way diminished by comparisons to other manufacturers. Indeed, the atmosphere in this forum of free discussion and the ease with which people point out products elsewhere, I believe adds to the extraordinary nature of the forum, and the developing discussions.

I also suspect that when people find a feature of great use in a competing product, that Tom Bihn (the man) will look at that and consider producing his version (at a TB level - i.e. the best) of that feature. Tom himself would have to verify that of course, but I do suspect it.

Since buying Tom Bihn bags and goods, I am not just a customer, I am a fan. I find TB to be extraordinary and as a company have raised the bar. They are the bell-weather by which I measure other companies I deal with, particularly online. My only regret in dealing with Tom Bihn is that I didn't know of them sooner. ;)

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Originally Posted by ex machina

On an aside, this is the kind of thing that keeps me coming back to this forum. I really find these explorations of luggage, use, and travel, helpful. Additionally, while I saw recently in a thread that a member considered it poor form to point out products other than Tom Bihn manufactured goods, I disagree. I believe the intrinsic quality, and extraordinary service at Tom Bihn speak for themselves, and are not in any way diminished by comparisons to other manufacturers. Indeed, the atmosphere in this forum of free discussion and the ease with which people point out products elsewhere, I believe adds to the extraordinary nature of the forum, and the developing discussions.

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I agree.

Interesting points on your 3-1-1 technique, BTW. Do you store each of your seperate fluids in its own little ziploc bag, or do you group them together in bags? Do you use a Bihn clear cube at all?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MtnMan

Interesting points on your 3-1-1 technique, BTW. Do you store each of your seperate fluids in its own little ziploc bag, or do you group them together in bags? Do you use a Bihn clear cube at all?

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I have the 3-1-1 bag on my acquisition list for March (my next planned purchase window for Tom Bihn), and I have been considering the matter of leakage. The technique would involve each item getting its own Ziploc so any leak mess would be minimized to the offending container, and not compromise other items that did not leak.

At present, I use the Hanging Travel Kit from Orvis. Now that Tom added the convenience of the travel hook to the 3-1-1 bag, it would prove even more useful for my everyday as well as travel needs. I would use it as a compliment to my current bag, and in daily use, as my primary shower bag.

I use a communal restroom, and as such, I keep toiletries separately. There is very little available counter space, so I find the ability to hang a bag essential. I had planned on adding the 3-1-1 bag and using a keystrap for hanging but, now that it has the new hook (sauce for the goose), all the better. I will still keep a key strap with it for hanging in areas better served by that method (i.e. the squared top of a sliding shower door railing for instance.) While I keep my Orvis Bag pretty well stuffed ( I have a grooming kit with attachments in it for instance), my shower essentials I would keep in the 3-1-1. I don't need everything in the Orvis bag every time I shower. The ability to bring a bag with me into the shower stall, with the needed soaps, shampoos, etc. will be very handy. It will also make it less likely I will forget my stuff in there.

So I plan on having a two bag system, with the Bihn bag being my essential kit, but the Orvis bag being my storehouse for what most people tend to have accessible in the bathroom, but don't use with daily frequency. In travel, I would use just the Bihn bag. It's large enough to handle my needs for a trip, and 3-1-1 savvy.

Nice collection ,, I want a aeronaut .. Its so spacious ... Good new year
and greetings from Europe...