TB Travel Luggage and Colors

I've seen people comment in this forum and on other blogs and web-sites about Tom Bihn travel luggage and exterior colors of said luggage. This has made me curious, as I plan on buying at least one, possibly more, TB luggage in the coming months. In particular, I'm talking about the Aeronaut, the Tri-Star, and the Western Flyer.

I've read that some people choose either black or steel/silver/grey for the exterior color of these bags to avoid the look of "tourist on holiday". I'm not asking to start an argument like "great taste" versus "less filling". :D I simply want to know influences TB luggage owners to choose a specific external color.

What color are your TB luggage and why did you choose that color(s)?

When you're putting together a wardrobe—pieces that will work together—you're supposed to pick a neutral (e.g., black, navy, brown) as your base color. My neutral is black, so I buy black bags and shoes.

Also, I have a kit in Indigo. It's beautiful but very bright. I think I might get tired of a large bright bag.

I am the very opposite.

My Steel Brain Bag is the first Tom Bihn bag I bought.

My next order was all Grape (a discontinued color) and I have ordered bags in many of the cool colors offered.

Most of my Tom Bihn bags have a Steel interior, I love Steel, this is a very businesslike color with such richness that it beats anything I have ever seen in the bag world or even clothing.
It changes hue with light and the color I an wearing.


I am also very much attracted to Indigo.

I plan to get a whole wardrobe of bags and accessories in that color, I am a big fan of blue and purple and Indigo just fits the bill.

I often am tempted to go "all-black" but I like the TB colors too much! As such, I have a Crimson Aeronaut, Indigo Tri-Star, Sapphire Brain Bag, Cocoa Imago, Black/Olive/Steel Large/Medium/Small Cafe Bags, Black Western Flyer, Black Checkpoint Flyer, Black Zephyr, various pouches in different colors, etc.

Fascinating. Have any of you ever taken any photos of your collections of Bihn wares?

My first Tom Bihn was my Ristretto for iPad. At the time I ordered, there was no choice, only olive/cayenne. But I really like the color combination. I find the olive is a nice neutral color that works with my laptop bags (an olive/green Timbuk2 messenger and a dark gray Encase sling). I have a Brain Cell on order; it's in black for use on its own (to be "business-like").

For travel bags, I like bright, distinctive colors (e.g., so you can see that the flight attendant has moved your bag to another overhead to make room for someone else's bag :) ). So my Western Flyer on order is in crimson/steel. I have a Swiss Army wheeled tote in red, so I thought I'd like to have the WF in a similar color (so I only have to pay attention to "red" bags :) ).

I like the surprise of getting organizer pouches in all kinds of colors. It's like wearing interesting socks: you know you've got something cool, but it's hidden from most people.

And although I prefer neutral colors for everyday use, I couldn't resist getting a plum Side Effect. It actually works very nicely with the Ristretto and adds a bit of color.

Try this thread: http://www.tombihn.com/forums/tom-bihn-news-everything-else/1115-picture-multiple-bags-together.html

A few of my choices were highly influenced by what color was in stock at the time I wanted my bag.

My Aeronaut is Steel, I didn't want black, it's too common a color if I have to check the bag.

My Swift is purple. One of my favorite colors, the other side is black which I wanted as a "more professional" side should I need it.

My Imago in black and red, it was another, what I found available at the time.

My cafe bag is Linen, I was going for neutral. I'm starting to want one in Indigo.

My Synapse is purple.. again, favorite color and I love a bright backpack. Something to wave around if I get lost in the woods.

For luggage, I really didn't want a "typical" color. If you've spent any time near a luggage carousel, you know that 95% of the bags are black. So I have indigo and the hubby has red.

As for other bags, the chosen colors just struck my fancy or the hubby's fancy.

My Western Flyer and Aeronaut are Crimson. It's easier to see when you let your bag somewhere. Imagin a thief thinking "I'll take this bag and disappear discretly...", and somebody with a big bag IS a tourist.

Professionnaly, my Smart Alec is all black and my Synapse is blue, more common colors.

You know, you can distinguish your black bag in a crowd by tying a bright cord to it (the handle, a zipper pull, etc.).

This works at the laundry, too. "That blue net bag with the orange cord? That's mine."

Does TSA let you tie anything colorful to the outer handle or zipper pull of luggage anymore? I tried tying something to a bag for a trip to San Francisco is Aug. of 2003 and they said they could not allow it (that was for checked luggage, of course).

How distinctive-looking is a Tom Bihn suitcase that has Steel/Grey as an external color? Are owners of Steel Aeronauts/Tri-Stars/Western Flyers able to spot their bags easily in the event they set them down or are forced to check them for a light?

I have a steel TriStar and think it's quite easy to identify in a group of bags. The sheen of the material, though subtle, makes it stand out, I think, among other bags. The high quality of the grey material and construction just announces itself when placed near a group of black bags and draws your eye. The steel TriStar is not going to be confused with the multitude of boring black bags coming down the chute if you do have to check it (never checked it in myself, that's the beauty of the Tri-Star, it's a carry-on) I don't like black bags, the indigo was too bright for me, but I'm quite happy with the steel. I have my airline frequent-flyer tag and lounge tag on the bag and there's been no problem getting through security. The bright yellow interior still makes me smile when I open the bag, it's so unexpected and downright cheerful.

My other bags include Smart Alex in black/sage, Imago in hunter/cork, cafe bag in linen/olive, Brain Cell and Snake Charmer in wasabi, packing cubes in solar, 3D clear organizer in punch, and various pouches.

Next purchase will probably be a cafe bag, just wish they had steel/punch instead of punch/steel. A small touch of girlie would be perfect, just not too much. I would love the plum Side Effect that was mentioned above, too.

Kinsale, I just got a large cafe bag in plum and it's now one of my favorite bags. I like the color. It stands on its own. (By that, I mean the color -- not the bag!)