Wheeled Bags

[Darcy]

Reading "Your Briefcase Just Ran Over My Toe" (an article in the New York Times on wheeled luggage) made me wonder: would you like to see a TOM BIHN wheeled bag? If so, why? Or does the idea of a TOM BIHN wheeled bag go against everything that we're about?

[moriond]

Reading "Your Briefcase Just Ran Over My Toe" (an article in the New York Times on wheeled luggage) made me wonder: would you like to see a TOM BIHN wheeled bag? If so, why? Or does the idea of a TOM BIHN wheeled bag go against everything that we're about?

I'd have to wonder, what would a TOM BIHN wheeled bag look like? Maybe it would revise all our opinions (though somehow I don't think so). I thought the quote from the article was an apt description of the market for the (current) wheeled bags.

“Rolling briefcases are one of those contradictory things,” said a Tumi spokeswoman who didn’t want her name attached to the words she said next. “They are hideous,” she said, adding, “our customers tell us they can’t live without them.”

[LWarren]

Not a wheeled briefcase (too much. Cull your papers.) or a wheeled backpack (Oxymoron, almost?).
But a rolling travel bag? Yes, I'd love to see a Tom Binh version. First, because I imagine that it would be a completely rethought, redesigned, better, higher-quality, kinda thing. (Like all Tom Binh bags, yep). And because it would open up the world of Tom Binh sleek efficient coolness to a whole population of people who need a little extra help moving their stuff around. I have a cheapo set of wheeled bags, and for certain kinds of hauling, under certain circumstances, they're indispensable. I'd be delighted to have the opportunity to invest in a TB version, and recommend same to my globe-trotting kin.
The wheel? It's nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it's an impressive human invention. Hurrah for the wheel, I say.

[eristick]

No, no, no. Siquid mantica non capit, domi relinquendum est.

[PM4HIRE]

TOM BIHN wheeled bag goes against everything that you are about and would be a blunder. BAD duffle bags attemped the same thing, and others have also tried, and went nowhere.

[MikeL]

No, no, no. Siquid mantica non capit, domi relinquendum est.

^^^ ...what eristick said.

TOM BIHN wheeled bag goes against everything that you are about and would be a blunder. BAD duffle bags attemped the same thing, and others have also tried, and went nowhere.

^^^ and, a 3rd from me!


It really goes against the grain with me.

[Just]

Good point with the whole 10 percent body weight thing, but I think the AMA hasn't tested out Tom Bihn bags (or the Absolute Shoulder strap yet ;)

I am mostly against it because of the part where having wheels and somewhat of a frame to support the wheels would make the bag actually much heavier... plus, wheels are one more thing to worry about and also take up a lot of room.

Simplicity is best, methinks.

[jehingr]

Back in the day (the mid '90s) I did carry (or should I say use) a wheeled briefcase from McKlein. It was more like an old school sample case, but with an extendable handle & wheels. It weighed a ton, but it held everything I needed to carry back in those consulting days. It was also built like a tank - with all of the good and bad that implies. (Why am I using the past tense here? The bag is STILL in great shape today, and could be used if I ever again had to carry more than what fits in my Empire Builder).

Back then, laptops where much larger and heavier than they are today. E-mail was an iffy proposition (a large percentage of my clients didn't have it), so printing things out was a necessity. So I carried a "portable" Canon printer/scanner, along with about half a ream of paper everywhere. I also had a ton of files, a network hub/router, an early USB hub, phone cables & a complete kit to make hotel phones work for dial-up access (remember the joys of dial-up?), a stapler, a toolkit, etc, etc. And every single piece of it was bulky & heavy!

Thank goodness those days are GONE. Now my trusty 17" Powerbook, and Airport Express, a 1 TB Firewire drive, and a Snake Charmer full of cables covers everything I need, and it all fits in my Empire Builder with room to spare. So, hopefully I will NEVER need to carry more than my EB ever again - thus there is no need IMHO for a wheeled briefcase.

But - when traveling for business and needing to carry a couple of suits, plus some casual clothes, etc. I do depend on a wheeled bag for clothing. I always check it on the airlines. I would rather do without the weight, but until Tom designs a tactical garment/suiter bag for us, I haven't found a better solution.

[timarelay]

I'm not sure if Tom Bihn should design a wheeled bag, but I know I can't live without them. If I'm going on a flight, and I'm taking two pieces of luggage, there's no way I can carry two fifty pound suitcases. That's very nearly as much as I weigh! Definitely over ten percent.

But I think Tom Bihn exists more to fill niches than anything else.

I'd rather have a smaller brain bag (so I'm not tempted to overload with more than ten percent of my body weight, of course) than a tom bihn wheeled bag any day :D

[BJ Nemeth]

It's been a while since I've posted in the forums, but I've been extremely happy with the Super Ego I received last Christmas. I knew there would be more Tom Bihn bags in my future, and it's almost time for my second and third purchases.

One of which will be the Aeronaut.

When I first discovered Tom Bihn bags, I had a wheeled suitcase that I was happy with. It held enough, and it was convenient enough. Everyone else has wheeled luggage, so it seemed like the way to go.

But it was at this website (the forum or the FAQ, I don't remember) where I learned about the downsides of wheeled luggage -- the extra weight and the loss of space. And along the lines of OneBag.com, I was carrying too much.

It was a revelation for me.

And if Tom Bihn offered a wheeled suitcase, I probably wouldn't have examined the pros and cons of wheeled bags more closely. I would have just followed the herd.

Now I'm excited about the Aeronaut, and excited about packing more efficiently for my trips. (I'll be starting a job soon with a lot of 5-6 day trips throughout the year.)

So I would vote *NO* to a wheeled bag by Tom Bihn. I think his talents would be much more useful elsewhere. (While it wouldn't suit me, it seems like a smaller or "petite" version of the Brain Bag would be very popular.)

I am certain that Tom could design a fantastic bag with wheels on it, and if he feels compelled to do it, by all means he should do it. But I don't think he should compromise his own philosophy just because wheeled bags are popular.

-- BJ

P.S. -- I'll be posting some photos in the next few weeks of my Super Ego at the World Series of Poker. I'm the lead final table reporter, and I'll snap a few pics of my Super Ego carrying my laptop, Digital SLR camera, and other gear in the ESPN final table arena. I've already amazed several people by how much stuff I'm able to carry in the bag. (As big as the Super Ego is, several people in the media have far larger bags, but with less stuff -- sometimes because they use wheeled bags.)

[JoyR]

I don't think it's the Bihn way, so I'd say no. I used wheelie suitcases/carryons for years--until I got my Aeronaut. It's so much better; I'd never go back to wheelies.

In a couple of weeks, my Aeronaut and its cousins [cafe bag, Smart Alec & many accessories] head for the Klondike! Pictures to follow.

[ellismc]

I don't think a wheeled bag is necessary, especially after making the switch to the Aeronaut. I think as I get older or less physically capable, I might still want a Tom Bihn and might need the wheels. So it's a toss-up, really. If you can make it fit into the Tom Bihn philosophy, that's great. If it looks like you're just trying to cater to the unwashed masses, I'd stick with what you do best.

[backpack]

I think Tom Bihn Bags should not have wheels but...

A wheeled portable luggage cart designed by Tom Bihn may just be the ticket.
Idealy it would be collapsible enough to fit inside the Aeronaute and have 4 wheels and a luggage holding platform that can lay flat.

It would be ideal when taking a Brain Bag as personal item and an Aeronaute as carry-on, carrying both in security's long lines or in badly designed airport with no shuttle between terminals is doable but not the most fun when tired, especially when coming out of multiple legs flights or a particularly bumpy red eye.

[dsg29]

This topic couldn't have come at a better time for me. I travel WAY too much, and because of various circumstances, I'm pretty well obligated to have three bags: My Tom Bihn SmartAlec (it's red, dammit. I'm the one who keeps insisting that calling it crimson is to misunderstand what crimson looks like), my red Tom Bihn Aeronaut, and something I have to check. That last bag is my problem. For comfort and convenience, I need a wheeled bag, but i haven't found exactly the one I like yet. I have a small, squarish wheeled bag from LL Bean, but it's not terribly capacious. I have a big, cheap red one, but it keeps falling over when I stand it up, and it's heavy even when it's empty. I just got a wheeled duffel which fits a lot of stuff (good!) is very light (good!) but its extension handle broke after its third use (bad!), and so it's not going to work out, either.

I would LOVE a Tom Bihn wheeled duffel or something similar. In fact, I'd be happy to be a tester. I fly a lot, I need to pack between 3-5 days worth of clothes at a time, it has to be lightweight, strong, be able to stand up straight when packed, and (of course) very well made.

Not everyone needs something like this, but a lot of us do. Does it "go against the Tom Bihn ethic"? Perhaps it does. Is that a sufficient reason to forego a product that a TON of people would appreciate? I think not.

Please please please!! There are a lot of us out there who want a small but roomy, light, well-made wheeled piece of luggage. This is a niche that's screaming to be filled.

[eristick]

There are eleventy-seven manufacturers of wheeled bags. I think that the reviews at Travel Insider are nice because they cover all price points.