Sidney loves it: 4565.215 miles, the joys of a red bag and a white cat…

[Cher Wilk]

I just had to write a quick post to thank the Tom Bihn artwork people for the masterpiece they created on my Western Flyer box.
Below is an image of the cat I requested on the box, juxtaposed with my own white cat, Sidney, who has taken a definite shine to the new bag. He was equally impressed by the cat image, as was the UPS delivery man.



He has delivered two Tom Bihn products to me: the Co-Pilot and now my cardinal Western Flyer.
I experienced a certain amount of excitement in tracking its progress from its Seattle home to my own part of England, and with the aid of mapping software I was able to establish this was a journey of precisely 4565.215 miles. Wow.
I actually grabbed a screenshot of the various transit stops and because I probably have too much time on my hands I found myself checking them out on Google earth. So after all this anticipation its arrival was quite an event and I quickly tore into the box (although I was careful to preserve the cat for posterity).



My Western Flyer is red. A very deep, ecclesiastical hue. Not just any old red but the stuff of bishops and popes. Double wow. And such a relief as I thought I might end up with a garish someone cut my throat kind of red, but it really is very stately and quite dignified.
And why not a red bag? I found a lengthy thread on bag colours here in the forum a little while age (sorry can’t find the link) where the various benefits of more subdued colours were mooted and there appeared to be a consensus towards less lively colours. (I had no idea, for instance, that navy is the bag for business, second only to…..black, of course.) Well, I think a smattering of vivid tone goes quite a long way towards expressing one’s individuality, most likely in the same manner as eyebrow piercings and personal tattoos. I have all of those so no one is going to care if I have a red bag too. And really, if they are so intensely perturbed about the colour of my bag then I wouldn’t hesitate to advise them to seek a good therapist. Is it actually possible that my career (and life in general) is going to come to such a drastic halt just because I have a red bag? My world is going to fall apart, the skies open and the ground swallow me whole?
Obviously, I will go travelling with my red bag and absolutely nothing will happen. No, I won’t be mugged, and if I were it would not be due to my red bag. It would happen because there are nasty people in the world. I will not become a victim of vigilant airport staff just because my bag is red. That would only happen because my bag was clearly too heavy, too big or glaringly over-packed.

I have also heard the Western Flyer described as too large for a briefcase and “kind of funky”, although I have no idea what funky actually means in that context. To me it is just the right size to use as a technical bag for occasions when I have to carry my Macbook, projector, speakers, documents and teaching materials. I have the backpack straps version and after seeing it in person I’d be very comfortable with using it as a backpack. I even think of it affectionately as my Superman backpack, blasting me off into the cosmos whenever the need should arise.
So far I’ve only had a chance to take a look at the bag and practice packing a few things for my leisure trip to Oban, Scotland in April. I found that using the large packing cube designed for the bag I can easily fit a very heavy long cardigan, wool jumper, leggings, jeans and thermals into the rear compartment. This leaves plenty of space for other items such as raincoat, shoes, and toiletries. I think the bag is an excellent choice for a 3-4 day trip which doesn’t require technical equipment. I’m also planning to take my Co-Pilot to carry my compact cameras, ipad mini, kindle, phones, chargers and flask.

I have included a few images of the bag but it is quite difficult to capture its precise state of red!
Hopefully I’ll find time on my trip to take some photos of the bag when it is fully packed and in use.

Best wishes from England.

Cher and Sidney

[Fat Crip]

Great colour, great bag and brilliant write-up! I hope you enjoy Oban. I don't know if you've been there before, but near by are the Falls of Lora. Actually a tidal race rather than conventional falls. Amazing to watch the estuary go from a placid loch to a raging torrent!

[cucciasv]

And why not a red bag?

I just HAD to comment... I LOVE this post. First of all... the post is a great example of the epitome of TB Anticipation Syndrome.

And then there is the discussion on the color RED in a bag... red is my favorite color. I have been purchasing TB items in Iberian Dyneema right and left. I have used a Zephyr in Cardinal for several years - for business and pleasure.

And now, thanks to Cher Wilk, I'm afraid that I, too, will be purchasing a WF in Cardinal...

I've gotta stop reading these posts!

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Someone please help me!
I have BAS (Bihn Acquisition Syndrome)!!

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[Cher Wilk]

@ Fat Crisp Yes, I my last trip to Oban was around 10 years ago. I have a friend who lived in Port Appin and I travelled from Newcastle (where I live) up to Glasgow by coach and then caught a connecting coach to Oban. Unfortunately I was only there a couple of hours before catching yet another coach to somewhere near Appin. From there I was collected by, bizarrely, a school mini bus to take me into Appin! It was quite a journey but worthwhile because that area has some stunning scenery. But very remote: there was one small shop and the house, completely isolated from neighbours and transport, was on the doorstep of a loch. I walked down a little path in the dark and literally ended up in the river.
On this trip (a little closer to civilisation) I’m planning to visit Inveraray Jail, a nineteenth century court house that is now a museum. I think it would provide a good subject for my style of photography! There’s also Cruachan power station about 20 miles from Oban. I’m starting to realise my tourism interests might sound a bit unusual, but on a more conventional note I’ll also pop into Fort William for highland tea- a jam scone with cream.

[Cher Wilk]

@ Cucciasv Thanks, I’m sure the WF will be a great addition to your red collection! I have a medium organiser wallet in Iberian Dyneema and it matches the WF Cardinal quite nicely, also my Steel Dyneema Co-Pilot.

[Cher Wilk]

Thanks for the very warm responses to my post. I have replied individually to posters, but I'm still learning how the posting system works so I hope they show up in the appropriate place!