January 27, 2015

Matt's Brain Bag's Battle Scars

1 comment
Matt's Brain Bag's Battle Scars | TOM BIHN

My Brain Bag has seen better days but it has had an amazing life—I wanted to share its journey with you.

It all started when I was stationed in Washington while serving with the US Coast Guard. I always traveled light, and wanted a bag for every day as well as short trips. I came across TOM BIHN and thought the Brain Bag was a perfect fit for me, my stuff, and the large laptop I owned at the time.

Since then I have taken my Brain Bag all over the world: New Zealand, Bosnia, the UK, and many places in between. Because I haven't yet made my fortune, I travel very light and on a very tight budget. I am always able to fit everything in my Brain Bag—actually, that is how I determine what I am bringing: if it doesn't fit, I don't need it.

My last trip was an amazing one. I rented scooters and motorcycles all across Europe for 3 weeks. While I was riding through Tuscany I hit a huge hole and went flying off the road, landing on my well packed Brain Bag. I was lucky and wasn't hurt aside from a few road rashes. The Brain Bag protected me, but in the process all the front compartments were shredded; all my adapters and chargers were all over the place or lost; and one shoulder strap ripped. The amazing thing is that although they looked rough, the two main compartments were fine. With some duct tape I used the bag for a week longer and, actually, I continue to use it. I have been told it looks terrible but I think of the damage from the accident as battle scars and I'm proud of them.

I wanted to share my memories and share the story of the bag as my way of saying thanks.

Matt's Brain Bag's Battle Scars | TOM BIHN
Abbey Road, United Kingdom

Matt's Brain Bag's Battle Scars | TOM BIHN
San Francisco, California, USA

Matt's Brain Bag's Battle Scars | TOM BIHN
New Zealand

Matt's Brain Bag Battle Scars | TOM BIHN
Italy, pre-crash

Matt's Brain Bag's Battle Scars | TOM BIHN
Italy, post-crash

1 comments

Dorayme - November 19, 2019

Matt, you have the coolest travel pics ever!
I’m glad you mostly came through the accident unscathed. Your BB is looking rough, though. So what would it take for you to decide to retire/replace it?

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