No More Solar?

[backpack]

Tom Bihn Inc is a very small company, whose people are extremely sensitive to the needs of their customers.

Every fabric is custom made for the company, except black, I think.

It is a fine balance between bringing customer's wishes to life and saturate the demand of, let's say, Solar, then ending up with unsold inventory which a small company cannot afford.


Forums members, Tom Bihn aficionados and especially the people with B.A.S* know that you have to follow the forum and the blog like a hawk, update your Wish List on the basis of that and save your pennies all year long.

* (which I do not suffer from, which explains why there is no list of my TB bag acquisitions) :)


Solar and Wasabi lined bags happen to be two of the colors I skipped because I don't particularly like light lining in bags.

Tonm Bihn Pouches in many colors, sizes and textures were invented so I can find anything within a couple of seconds, one minute if it is the first outing after a TB bag switch.


As other have said, and it is repeated almost everyday, bags in dream colors pairs or trio need to be put on the Wish List the minute they appear on the pre-order list. And ordered the minute the budget allows.

It sometimes means choosing between two or more Most Coveted Bags.
When Azalea and Teal came out, I knew I wanted absolutely everything in that color and then UV came out.
Because I already have multiple Swifts, I choose Azalea Cafe Bags to match my pink outfits and UV bags to match my purple ones.
Right now, I have to look at Nordic and Aubergine offerings and make a decision.
Procrastinating is not good, the time to act is now.


Knowing how much people love Solar, Darcy very nicely warned of the dwindling inventory of bags in Solar combo and people bought them in trove.

At this point, the only think that can be done about Solar is to ask somebody on the board if they are willing to part with the Solar bag you wish you had gotten.

Some of the people who bought Solar bags, might be, now, more interested in Wasabi. You never know.

[bchaplin]

Actually, I've mentioned this before but with no bites -- I have a grey ballistic exterior / solar interior Co-Pilot in very good shape. As it turns out I never particularly warmed up to solar. I would trade it for another item (doesn't have to be a Co-Pilot). Make me an offer...

[jmachats]

I have no idea if it's still around but a short while ago Darcy posted there was one Navy/Solar Aeronaut left

[moriond]

I have no idea if it's still around but a short while ago Darcy posted there was one Navy/Solar Aeronaut left

I believe that was the Aeronaut in navy/solar that Nancy (ncb4) sent back in exchange for one in Aubergine/wasabi. This went out as a Twitter announcement 11 days ago:
FYI: we have one Aeronaut left in Navy/Solar (last of its kind) http://t.co/ZzwEJzlC

(I'm subscribed to Twitter so I can read the odd tweets that make it out from @TomBihn)

moriond

[Michelle]

A bright interior color for Tom Bihn bags are a staple element in Tom Bihn designs. What I'm still trying to wrap my mind around is the Dyneema® Steel interior. I'm sure there are many folks that like a more common interior color, however, why oh why aren't brighter colors offered? (By the way, I'm referring to the Western Flyer). Tom Bihn mentions that a brighter interior helps with retrieving items in darker lit environments. Solor or Wasabi are fine, I could really live with one or the other but why grey? :(

[dorayme]

Steel dyneema isn't as dark as you may think. I wouldn't call it bright or anything, but it has properties that help it from being dark. The sheen helps, the white threads help, the cross threads change the texture and that helps. Steel has been used in the Swift lining pockets for years and it doesn't make the interior dark or black holeesque.

The travel bags open up at minimum wide mouth so that helps with light and visibility. Most of us use packing cubes and other internal organization and those can often be chosen in a brigher color. If you have an option for brighter lining, I would go for it, but if steel Dyneema is the option, I wouldn't instantly write it off.

[Janine]

It takes all kinds, Michelle.

I absolutely adore the Steel Dyneema interior of my Nordic Synapse. It's a perfect background for my bright, cheerful Dyneema pouches. Wouldn't change it for the world.

[stan01]

I have a Tri Star w/ Solar interior and an Empire Builder w/ Wasabi interior. Both are great!

[jmachats]

I have an Aeronaut with Solar interior. I've grown to love it but at the time I really wanted the Iberian interior, which was out of stock. I asked around and everyone said they hadn't seen one in awhile and it probably wouldn't be back. Then after I got it Solar, the Iberian came back! Would have exchanged but the clear quarter packing cube I got went with solar, so I would have had to exchange that too. Too much of a hassle, so I just kept both. Totally cool now with my Solar but would have gotten the Iberian if it was available.

[BJ Nemeth]

I know this isn't a voting thread, but put me down as someone who likes Solar a lot, but doesn't really care for Wasabi. (Just one man's opinion, of course.)

[Lani]

backpack speaks the truth, y'all.

Knowing how much people love Solar, Darcy very nicely warned of the dwindling inventory of bags in Solar combo and people bought them in trove.

And I really appreciated that! I wound up buying a bunch of things in Solar, making me a happy camper. I even actually have a Navy/Solar Western Flyer that I've never removed the tags from because I've been setting it aside. Actually, now that the Western Flyer is available in Dyneema, I don't really need to be holding onto it so covetously. If I weren't so lazy I'd put it up on eBay. Hmm...

[backpack]

Due to the need for light weigh bags on my next trip, I choose Travel Dyneema Bags over Aubergine.

Depending on the budget and UV availibility, I might never be able to get an Aubergine/UV Aeronaute, TriStar, Co-Pilot or other future Tom Bihn offerings.

As I said before, I don't particularly care for Solar or Wasabi, while I love Iberian, I have many outfits in pink and I feel that it would clash with Iberian Dyneema on the outside.

I would not mind getting a Cardinal/Iberian set of bags because Cardinal is one of those rich red that I could pair up with my blue, teal and purple outfit and maybe some pink ones.

I found Tom Bihn bags perfect for storage of clothes which fold, I have a really small wardrobe.

I would have loved to see a Teal/Steel Cafe Bag pair but it was not to be so I enjoy my Sapphire with my teal outfits.


It bears repeating that Dyneema is made especially for Tom Bihn, many people who bought Solar lined bags are selling them or thinking of doing so, so if one wants Solar items really badly, one can always get them second hand.


I was about to say used, but my older bags look as new as the day I got them, of course, they have been in my hands for a while and have been moulded to my (bad) habit of carrying everything... and the kitchen sink.

[moriond]

backpack speaks the truth, y'all.



And I really appreciated that! I wound up buying a bunch of things in Solar, making me a happy camper. I even actually have a Navy/Solar Western Flyer that I've never removed the tags from because I've been setting it aside. Actually, now that the Western Flyer is available in Dyneema, I don't really need to be holding onto it so covetously. If I weren't so lazy I'd put it up on eBay. Hmm...

@Lani I've more than once suggested that Navy/Solar aficionados try to get in touch with you and find out whether that Navy/Solar Western Flyer with backpack straps is still avaiable.

[moriond]

I would have loved to see a Teal/Steel Cafe Bag pair but it was not to be so I enjoy my Sapphire with my teal outfits.

@backpack This is really embarrassing, but I can't remember when Teal was introduced at all. You're not referring to turquoise, which was introduced the same time as azalea, are you? The closest colors I've seen to teal, which I think of as darker, and more blue-green shade than turquoise, were among the Ultrasuede cleaning cloths that were briefly available. The slate blue is bluer and less gray than in the blog shots, and more beautiful than in the pictures. It's closer to the actual color in Maverick's video. I also like the (later) Lapis blue, but that's also not teal.

moriond

[TavaPeak]

I have a near-new Navy/solar Synapse that isn't feeling the love. It might need a new home, too.