November 7, 2025

What Does Your TOM BIHN Bag Say About You?

7 comments
Person carrying Truck over their shoulder shopping in a grocery store.

You can learn a lot about a person by looking at the bag they carry. Your adventures, habits, and packing systems (or lack thereof) say a lot about the bag and the human schlepping it around. 

Think of this as a personality quiz you’d find in the centerfold of a Teen People magazine, but without the werewolves and vampires.

So, go ahead: think about your favorite bag—the one that feels most you. Because let’s be real – if you’ve spent an afternoon comparing internal pocket layouts or contemplating long and hard between Halcyon and Cerylon, your bag choice probably does say something about you.

So, what does your favorite TOM BIHN bag say about you?

 



The Synik 30: The Cool Dad Thoughtful Minimalist

If the Synik 30 is your favorite bag, there’s a chance you rock a pair of New Balances, cargo shorts, and maybe even a “Kiss The Chef” apron. But don’t let that fool anyone – you’ve mastered the art of preparedness without the chaos. You appreciate a good internal frame, clean lines, and a clamshell that opens faster than your first IKEA assembly attempt. You’re the type that alphabetizes the spice rack for efficiency. You figured that thoughtful organization = less stress, and you carry that wisdom (and probably a travel-size first aid kit) wherever you go. 

 

The Handy Little Thing: The Organization Oracle

If your favorite is the Handy Little Thing, you find tranquility in structure. Everything has its place – pens, snack bars, chargers, cables, and that one perfectly sized notebook you can’t live without. You’re calm in a crisis and grounded in chaos. You’re the person people trust for advice, directions, and extra batteries. Efficiency is your love language, and yes – your cable management skills are amazing. Type A? Most definitely. 

 

The Truck: The Cheerful Go-Getter

If the Truck rings your bell, you’re open-ended, flexible, and unapologetically vibrant. You’re the type who says, “Sure, why not?” to last-minute road trips and spontaneous farmer’s market runs. Your natural habitat? The neighborhood co-op, the city streets, the sunny park bench with an iced matcha in hand. You’re the definition of “no fuss” – you toss it all in, sling it over your shoulder, and head for the door. 

 

The Techonaut 45: The Forward Thinker

Neck pillow? Check. Passport? Check. Extra outfit, snacks, and backup plan? Double check. You live in a constant state of readiness – not out of anxiety (as some may presume) but because your brain never stops engineering new possibilities. You’re modular, adaptable, and occasionally a beautiful mess of overlapping ideas. But somehow, you always make it work. You and your Techonaut are the ones who’s got everyone’s bases covered before they even realize they need to be covered. Long before anyone asks, you’ve already stashed the charger, the snacks, and the map for when plans inevitably change at Gate 42.

 

The Maker’s Bag: The Creative Connector

You’re the friend who’s always making something. A playlist. A painting. A new recipe. Your Maker's Bag is full of half-finished ideas and perfectly sharpened pencils. You see beauty in process – and you’re okay with a little mess along the way. You’re part artist, part storyteller, part community-builder. You believe in process over perfection. Your bag holds your tools and your curiosity. 

 

The Synapse 19: The Everyday Adventurer

You thrive in movement – whether it’s a cross-town commute, a weekend hike, or a spontaneous detour just to see where that side of the street leads. You’re practical but not predictable, curious but grounded. You pack your Synapse light, but you’re always ready for the plan to change in the best of ways. You’re always ready for a coffee with an old friend, a trail you’ve never tried, or a plane ticket you just had to book. 

 

The Pilot: President Business

Your Pilot is basically your sidekick. You could lead a meeting, catch a flight, grab a post-work drink without ever switching bags – and that's just how you like it. You’ve got just the right balance of polish and pragmatism: organized, dependable, and occasionally the hero with an extra pen or power bank. You explain the stock market to your friends while sipping on a hot Americano, because after all, you’re a business professional.

 

The Bantam: The Ultra Minimalist

If the Bantam is your ride-or-die, you’ve basically skipped to the top of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. You utilize the Bantam’s small size to its fullest potential. You travel light, move fast, and laugh in the face of “just in case.” Wallet? Phone? Keys? That’s it. You believe in living small but thinking big, and your bag follows suit. You’re the kind of person who has their life on one card, one device, and one very tidy to-do list. While everyone else is still zipping up, you’re already halfway to your next adventure. 

 


 

So, which bag are you?

Maybe you’re a Synik on weekdays and a Truck on weekends. Or a Maker’s Bag heart wrapped in a Techonaut’s planning spreadsheet.

Whatever your bag says about you, one thing’s for sure: it’s more than a container with straps for your stuff – it’s a reflection of how you move through the world. Every scuff, zipper pull, and thread tells a story of who you are. 

Now, tell us: Which bag feels most like you? Don’t see yours on our list? Let us know in the comments below, and we can make a second edition of this blog. 

 


 

And if you’re wondering, what's Tom’s favorite bag? We will leave you with this riddle, and we are sure you can figure out the rest:

Whispers from the archive stir once more.
A founder’s design, timeless to the core.
Built for journeys–work or afar,
This holiday, the legend returns from the stars.

Born in the hands of a maker named Tom,
Carried through meetings, both quiet and calm.
A classic returns, sleek, sturdy, and built to pack.
This holiday season… guess what’s back? 

Once by the founder, now by the few–
Soon, it returns–crafted anew.

7 comments

G42 - November 7, 2025

I don’t think I’m the target demographic for this style of blog (totally fine – lots of ways to shake the tree out there), but thought this was a fun line: “You’re modular, adaptable, and occasionally a beautiful mess of overlapping ideas.” 😄
And there needs to be a section D) All of the above
heh

Grace - November 7, 2025

I am a Swiftie, Tom Bihn style. What’s in my Swift? Probably a knitting project (or two). Maybe an ipad with
keyboard and charger. Maybe just an assortment of accumulated odds and ends, or a smooshed up halcyon shop bag just-in-case. Always a smaller bag for keys/wallet/etc. tucked inside; currently it’s a side kick but sometimes I use a side effect or everyday cubelet.

And sometimes I have to size up and become a Nomad (16 of course). Or size with the Medium Cafe bag. The one constant is that my bag is made by Tom Bihn.

Like a ten year old said this summer on our bus tour in France: you sure do have a lot of that [Tom Bihn] stuff.” Yes, I sure do.

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