Carry-On Traveller's bag

[dsg29]

I just pre-ordered a crimson Aeronaut. The good folks at tombihn say it should ship sometime in April. As for the packing assistance, I have a set of Eagle Creek Pack-it folders that have served me well. They're very light, secure with velcro, and come in a bunch of sizes.

[aggiemle]

I think the Aeronaut is a wonderful idea. I am just AMAZED at the back pack straps on the duffel bag, and the fact that the straps are able to tuck away... wonderful!

I'm pretty small though, so I'm holding out for the debut in May of the option for smaller back pack shoulder straps. Great Idea. I agree that pictures of the inside would be helpful. I just bought a small cafe bag and LOVE it.

Thanks for all the hard work and awsome products!

[Joy]

Any comments on what the Sage looks like? In a whole bag, does it give more of a 'grey' impression or a 'green' impression? Is the Hunter Green bag still available? If so, is there a sample of what the colour looks like around? I couldn't find it in the 'colours' panel on the bags I looked through.

[Cobos]

Joy: I'm not sure if Sage gives a green or grey, but if you look at the Smart Alec pictures you should be able to see what it looks like on a bag.

Cobos

[plaidboy]

I saw a pic of the hunter green. It's pretty sexy. I almost got it, but opted for the Crimson instead. Hopefully I'll get it before my trip next week.

plaidboy

[gtie97]

My travel took me through Seattle yesterday and was able to swing by the Tom Bihn store while doing a quick tour of the town.

What a great experience! The store and manufacturing shop is on the 2nd floor of the Outdoor Research property. It is a great location, right next to the harbor and ball parks. A quick elevator ride takes you to bag utopia. Basically, if you are a bagaholic, this is not going to be a quick visit. Amy was extremely friendly and helpful; I wish I could get this type of service at all stores.

I asked if I could see an Aeronaut sample, Amy was kind enough to bring one from the shop into the store. I wish I had gotten the name of the manufacturing associate, but she really helped me see what makes Bihn bags so great. Folks, let me put it this way, the people that build these bags care WAY more about the manufacturing quality than pretty much anybody else I come across (I am an industrial engineering consultant and spend my time working in process improvement, lean manufacturing concepts, etc). I received a quick tutorial on seams, bindings and material types. I was very impressed; there is a lot of craftsmanship and pride in these bags. I would suggest that it would be great to see a section on the web site devoted to the shop and these behind the scenes craftsman.

The Aeronaut itself is going to be a real hit, I like the three pocket design more now that I have seen the bag. It is going to offer a lot of packing options and the ability to keep items separated but quickly accessible. The shoulder straps are nicely executed and stealthy tuck away when not in use. Anyone who travels and prefers wheeless bags will find the Aeronaut an upgrade over what they are currently using. I'm not sure how well it will work as a single bag for packing and business items. Possibly placing your laptop, folder, binders on top of the middle compartment with a smaller version of a Freudian Slip in landscape would do the trick. Otherwise, you will need to carry the Aeronaut and a second bag for business trips.

[dsg29]

Waitwaitwait. You said next to the ballparks? Oh my. I MUST find a way to get myself to Seattle (I'm a baseball nut, and Safeco is on the list of parks I'd like to see in person).

I'm even more excited to receive my Aeronaut now. Most of my travel is for business, and my intent is to continue using my SmartAlec for the laptop, and the Aeronaut for everything else. If this bag is what it appears to me, I won't have to check anything on 2-4 day trips, even in the winter (when clothes are bigger and bulkier). Walking off the plane and heading to the hotel (or client) would be a welcome change, and the Aeronaut might just facilitate that. I'm glad to hear that the in-person experience was so good in Seattle, though I'm not all that surprised, given their obviously fanatical devotion to getting it right.

[Darcy]

A First Look at the Aeronaut by Imago Metrics

[Zephyrnoid]

Darcy Thanks for the plug!
I just returned from the Mexico trip and the Aeronaut performed like a champ.

Full Review>
http://www.imagometrics.com/GoBags/Aeronaut.htm

it's hard to believe I attended a wedding on Saturday the 8th of April in Mexico City, bridged by 4 days of casual sightseeing etc- completely out of the Aeronaut and a small camera bag. I did have to do some improptu laundry at the hotel- but still- I came home wearing a clean outfit.
I made pix of the content modules prior to leaving and listed all the contents by item and quantity. Net weight going out was 23lbs for packed Aeronaut. Only one pair of shorts went unused (It wasn't THAT warm out)
I even managed to get some cool pix of it en-route as it were.I have to tell you that airport self-portraits are a pain to shoot!
For about 15 minutes on the ride home- I just sat in my seat- Aeronaut across the aisle -and watched as it shared overhead space with clumsy incoming wheelies, more paper bags and baggage-rules-illegal behmouth luggage. I measured 6" of extra space between the Aeronaut and the hatch door with the Aeronaut oriented perpendicular to the hatch opening.
Carried it on my back for 1 hr as I 'hiked' up and down IAD,GVA and MEX airports waiting for boarding. Lovely feeling. As smooth as the Brain Bag!
Mucha Gracias!
Aten

A First Look at the Aeronaut by Imago Metrics

[Zephyrnoid]

Not yet noted in my Aeronaut report is that I didn't use locks on the maiden voyage-but rather security ties that have to be cut to separate the zipper pulls. They worked beautifully as did all the TSA compliant locks we tested!

... Keep in mind that you can always put a luggage lock through the standard holes on the splash-proof zipper.

[Joy]

What are the snaps on the "floor" of the Aeronaut for? They look like they are sort of attaching the sides to the bottom...?

[Darcy]

Joy,

Here's how Tom explained the snaps to us:

"The snaps hold the end dividers in place to help maintain the shape of the bag when loaded and define the three compartments. They are mostly to facilitate the final construction of the bag: if the customer unsnaps them, the main compartment engulfs the end pockets and the bag essentially becomes one compartment."

[maverick]

i'm very excited that a crimson aeronaut is on its way to me. i have a few trips planned this summer and will report how the aeronaut works out.

i normally have a bag like the smart alec or id with me to hold my computer and some other on-board necessities. for the business trips, i am going to see if i can put the brain cell (size 4) into the aeronaut instead.

while at my destination, i should be able to use the absolute shoulder strap from the aeronaut with the brain cell.

maverick

[dsg29]

Maverick-
You're doing exactly what I'm doing. My crimson smart alec and my crimson aeronaut will be my constant travelling companions. As noted in another thread, I just received my aeronaut, and I'm overjoyed with it. My SmartAlec will contain my laptop (in a Monolith) and all other hard-copy files, work-related detritus, along with my wallet, sunglasses, books, etc. The Aeronaut will easily hold the clothes, toiletries and other sundry stuff. Short of the really big trips, I shouldn't have to check anything again!

[Joy]

The waterproof zippers on the Aeronaut are really nice, I've never seen anything like them before. Now that I'm looking for them, I see from the pictures on the website that most of your bags - the ID, the Smart Alec, the Buzz, the Empire Builder, use the same zippers. But the Brain Bag has the more usual type of zipper, with a piece of fabric folding over as a rain guard, instead. I was wondering what the reason is for this choice?