A Side Effect in Deep Blue (dark blue) 525 Ballistic with Moss (green with light green grid) 210 Cerylon interior. A Side Effect in Nebulous Grey (medium grey) 525 Ballistic with Island (blue with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Nebulous Grey (medium grey) 525 Ballistic with Sangria (red with light red grid) 210 Cerylon interior. A Side Effect in Nebulous Grey (medium grey) 525 Ballistic with Marigold (yellow with light yellow grid) 210 Cerylon interior. A Side Effect in Nebulous Grey (medium grey) 525 Ballistic with Seafoam (pale green with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Nebulous Grey (medium grey) 525 Ballistic with Moab (oxblood red with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Nebulous Grey (medium grey) 525 Ballistic with Ultraviolet (purple with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Nebulous Grey (medium grey) 525 Ballistic. A Side Effect in Wilderness (forest green) 525 Ballistic with Island (blue with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Wilderness (forest green) 525 Ballistic with Moab (oxblood red with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Wilderness (forest green) 525 Ballistic with Taiga (olive with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Wilderness (forest green) 525 Ballistic. A Side Effect in Solaris (yellow with white grid) 200 Halcyon. A Side Effect in Deep Blue (dark blue) 525 Ballistic with Seafoam (pale green with white grid) 210 Cerylon interior. A Side Effect in Deep Blue (dark blue) 525 Ballistic with MountainGrey (grey with light grey grid) 210 Cerylon interior. A Side Effect in Deep Blue (dark blue) 525 Ballistic. A Side Effect in Verde (green) 1050 Ballistic. A Side Effect in Original (black with white grid) 400 Halcyon. A Side Effect in Original (black with white grid) 400 Halcyon with Island (blue with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Taiga (olive green with grey grid) 400 Halcyon with Northwest Sky (light grey with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Coyote (tan) 1050 Ballistic. A Side Effect in Black (black with grey grid) 400 Halcyon and an Acai (dark purple with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Black (black with grey grid) 400 Halcyon and a Northwest Sky (light grey) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Black (black with grey grid) 400 Halcyon and a Moab (oxblood red) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Black (black with grey grid) 400 Halcyon. A Side Effect in Night Walk (blue-grey with grey grid) 400 Halcyon. A Side Effect in Night Walk (blue-grey with grey grid) 400 Halcyon with Acai (dark purple with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Black 525 Ballistic with Cerise (pink with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Black 525 Ballistic with Tidal (pale blue with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Black 525 Ballistic with Taiga (olive green with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Black 525 Ballistic with Mountain Grey (grey with light grey grid) 210 Cerylone interior. A Side Effect in Black 525 Ballistic with Island (blue with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Black 525 Ballistic with Northwest Sky (light grey with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Black 525 Ballistic with Moab (oxblood red with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Black Ballistic. A Side Effect in Aubergine (dark purple) Ballistic with Tidal (light blue with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Aubergine (dark purple) Ballistic with Seafoam (light green with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Aubergine (dark purple) Ballistic with Island (blue with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Aubergine (dark purple) Ballistic with Mountain Grey (grey with light grey grid) 210 Cerylon interior. A Side Effect in Aubergine (dark purple) 525 Ballistic. A Side Effect in Burnt Orange 525 Ballistic with Mountain Grey (grey with light grey grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Burnt Orange 525 Ballistic. A Side Effect in Constellation (light blue) 525 Ballistic with Mountain Grey (grey with light grey grid) 210 Cerylon interior. A Side Effect in Constellation (light blue) Ballistic with Cerise (pink with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Constellation (light blue) 525 Ballistic with Marigold (yellow with light yellow grid) 210 Cerylon interior. A Side Effect in Constellation (light blue) 525 Ballistic with Solaris (yellow with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Constellation (light blue) 525 Ballistic. A Side Effect in Coyote (tan) 525 Ballistic. A Side Effect in Ursa (grey-brown) Ballistic with Moss (green with light green grid) 210 Cerylon interior. A Side Effect in Ursa (grey-brown) Ballistic with Cerise (pink with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. A Side Effect in Ursa (grey-brown) 525 Ballistic with Dawn (blue-grey) 210 Ballistic interior. A Side Effect in Ursa (brown-grey) 525 Ballistic. A Side Effect in Acuity (light blue with white grid) 200 Halcyon. A Side Effect in Coyote (brown with white grid) 200 Halcyon. A Side Effect in Island (blue with white grid) 200 Halcyon. A Side Effect in Northwest Sky (light grey with white grid) 200 Halcyon. A Side Effect in Sitka (forest green with white grid) 200 Halcyon. A Side Effect in Ultraviolet (purple with white grid) 200 Halcyon. A Side Effect in Wasabi (green with white grid) 200 Halcyon. Side Effect in 200d Halcyon taiga green. The Side Effect in 200d Halcyon Tidal blue.
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Side Effect

5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
182 Reviews

$65.00

3D Organizational Pouch, Shoulder Bag, or Waist Pack: You Decide.

1.7 liters / 105 cu. in.

Aubergine Ballistic/Tidal 200 Halcyon
Black Ballistic/Zest 200 Halcyon
Black Ballistic/Tidal 200 Halcyon
Black Ballistic/Mountain Grey 210 Cerylon
Deep Blue Ballistic/Moss 210 Cerylon
Nebulous Grey Ballistic/Island 200 Halcyon
Ursa Ballistic/Moss 210 Cerylon
Wilderness Ballistic/Island 200 Halcyon
Taiga 400 Halcyon/Northwest Sky 200 Halcyon
Looking for the Side Kick or Side Hustle?
A Side Effect with the included 5/8 Shoulder Strap attached. The interior of the Side Effect's pockets. The interior of the Side Effect on the pocketless side.
Person wearing a Side Effect as a crossbody bag. Person taking a phone from the front pocket of the Side Effect. Person opening the main pocket of their Side Effect while wearing it as a hip bag Person wearing the Side Effect as a hip bag A person running wearing the the Side Effect as a hip pack using the optional Gate Keeper Waist Strap. A person carrying the the Side Effect as a should bag using the included 5/8 Shoulder Strap. A possible loadout for the Side Effect. A 3x5 notecard in the front pocket of a Side Effect.
Thumbnail for a video explaining the features of the Side Effect.

TLDR

A small, yet versatile everyday crossbody shoulder bag that can also be used as a sling bag, waist pack, or organizer pouch.

  • Main compartment with 2 open-top organizer pockets and 4 O-rings
  • Zippered pocket on the exterior with an O-ring and a clipped 8" Key Strap
  • Wear it as a crossbody bag with our 5/8" Shoulder Strap (included) or as a sling bag / waistpack with a 1" Waist Strap (optional)

Want a bigger version of the Side Effect? Check out the Side Kick. Want an even bigger version? Check out the Side Hustle.

Full Description

Main Compartment

The main compartment opens with two zipper sliders, making it convenient for left or right-handed folks. It also allows you to choose where the sliders end up when the bag is closed. This compartment can fit essential items like your phone, sunglasses, wallet, snacks, or sunblock.

On one interior side of the main compartment are two open-top organizer pockets. These are designed to organize your smaller items, like earbuds, chapsticks, or chargers.

Inside the main compartment are four O-rings. Two are set in the middle towards the top of the bag and the other two are midway inside the bag along the side panels. You can use these O-rings to attach any of our Ghost Whale Organizer Pouches or Mystery Organizer Pouches.

Zippered Exterior Pocket

On the outside of the bag is a straight zippered pocket that is sized specifically for a passport. This pocket spans the full width of the Side Effect. There is also one O-ring with an included 8" Key Strap attached. You can choose to wear this as the front side of the bag or backside, depending on your preference. 

Ways to Carry the Side Effect

Shoulder/Crossbody Bag

On either side of the Effect are o-rings to which you can attach the adjustable 5/8" Shoulder Strap (included), made from nylon webbing and with the same plastic clips as our Key Straps. When you're not wearing the Side Kick, you can use the 5/8" Shoulder Strap to hang it on a coat hook or from a doorknob. 

Waist Pack or Sling Bag

Also on the sides of the bag are unobtrusive webbing loops to which you can attach an optional 1" Gatekeeper Waist Strap, using our ubiquitous Gatekeeper clips. Wear the Side Effect around your waist or hips, and you've got a sweet waist pack. Wear it crossbody with the bag on your back, and you've got a mini sling bag. Either way, it's great for cycling, hiking, or any situation where you need your hands completely free. 

Wrist Bag

Clip the Handle Loop to one of the O-rings on either side of the Side Effect and carry the whole affair in hand.

Organizer Pouch

Clip one side of any of our Key Strap variants to the Side Effect and then clip the other side to an O-ring inside one of our larger bags. That way, the Side Effect stays tethered to your bag.

What's Included

5/8" Shoulder Strap

A simple and light-duty shoulder strap made of 5/8" nylon webbing. It is adjustable and has plastic snaphooks at each end. It does not have extra padding.

8" Snaphook/Snaphook Key Strap

As with most of our bags, we've included a key strap. 8" long from tip-to-tip, a snaphook on either end. Good for attaching your keys to.

Cord Zipper Pulls

A set of pulls to extend, quiet, or replace your metal pulls.

What's Optional

Gatekeeper Hip Belt

Attach this to the unobtrusive webbing loops on the sides of the Side Effect if you want to wear this as a sling bag or waist pack.

The main compartment opens with two zipper sliders, making it convenient for left or right-handed folks. It also allows you to choose where the sliders end up when the bag is closed. This compartment can fit essential items like your phone, sunglasses, wallet, snacks, or sunblock.

On one interior side of the main compartment are two open-top organizer pockets. These are designed to organize your smaller items, like earbuds, chapsticks, or chargers.

Inside the main compartment are four O-rings. Two are set in the middle towards the top of the bag and the other two are midway inside the bag along the side panels. You can use these O-rings to attach any of our Ghost Whale Organizer Pouches or Mystery Organizer Pouches.

On the outside of the bag is a straight zippered pocket that is sized specifically for a passport. This pocket spans the full width of the Side Effect. There is also one O-ring with an included 8" Key Strap attached. You can choose to wear this as the front side of the bag or backside, depending on your preference. 

Shoulder/Crossbody Bag

On either side of the Effect are o-rings to which you can attach the adjustable 5/8" Shoulder Strap (included), made from nylon webbing and with the same plastic clips as our Key Straps. When you're not wearing the Side Kick, you can use the 5/8" Shoulder Strap to hang it on a coat hook or from a doorknob. 

Waist Pack or Sling Bag

Also on the sides of the bag are unobtrusive webbing loops to which you can attach an optional 1" Gatekeeper Waist Strap, using our ubiquitous Gatekeeper clips. Wear the Side Effect around your waist or hips, and you've got a sweet waist pack. Wear it crossbody with the bag on your back, and you've got a mini sling bag. Either way, it's great for cycling, hiking, or any situation where you need your hands completely free. 

Wrist Bag

Clip the Handle Loop to one of the O-rings on either side of the Side Effect and carry the whole affair in hand.

Organizer Pouch

Clip one side of any of our Key Strap variants to the Side Effect and then clip the other side to an O-ring inside one of our larger bags. That way, the Side Effect stays tethered to your bag.

5/8" Shoulder Strap

A simple and light-duty shoulder strap made of 5/8" nylon webbing. It is adjustable and has plastic snaphooks at each end. It does not have extra padding.

8" Snaphook/Snaphook Key Strap

As with most of our bags, we've included a key strap. 8" long from tip-to-tip, a snaphook on either end. Good for attaching your keys to.

Cord Zipper Pulls

A set of pulls to extend, quiet, or replace your metal pulls.

Gatekeeper Hip Belt

Attach this to the unobtrusive webbing loops on the sides of the Side Effect if you want to wear this as a sling bag or waist pack.

Materials

Exterior Fabric

bluesign® certified High-Tenacity 2x2 Ballistic nylon

Interior Fabrics

bluesign® and OEKO-TEX® certified 200 denier Halcyon/nylon ripstop 
— or —
bluesign® certified 210 denier Cerylon 6,6 Ripstop nylon

Zippers

#8 YKK coil zippers

Specs

Dimensions

9.0" (w) x 5.5" (h) x 3.1" (d) / 230 (w) x 140 (h) x 80 (d) mm

Weight

525d high tenacity ballistic nylon: 6.9 oz / 195 grams
400d Halcyon®/nylon ripstop: 6.2 oz / 176 grams

Volume

1.7 liters / 105 cu. in. (ASTM Standard Measure)

Total

5 (4 in the main compartment; 1 in the front zippered pocket)

5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
Based on 182 reviews
99%would recommend this product
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182 reviews
  • Melanie H.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Compact, Versatile, Easily Adjustable, Comfortable
    6 months ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Compact, Versatile, Easily Adjustable, Comfortable
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Perfect everyday bag!

    Great size for a small purse or everyday bag. Well thought-out organizational pockets. Light weight with a comfortable strap that's easily adjustable and doesn't tangle or slip. It's also a perfect in-flight bag to hang from the airplane seatback (demonstrated in the first photo below, using TB swivel carabiners). A really versatile bag that holds more than it appears. One of my most-used and favorite TB bags!

    Shown below:

    -How it would hang from an airplane seatback

    -Interior pockets

    -Next 3 photos: inside a TB Daylight Briefcase, Co-Pilot (exterior pocket), and Truck (exterior pocket)

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  • Mélanie
    Verified Buyer
    2 years ago
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    The perfect hand bag

    I bought my first Side Effect in my very first TB order about 8 years ago. It has been my hand bag ever since. It holds key, wallet, phone, driving licence, tissues, lipstick, small change, sanitizer, and it's not even full. When black halcyon came out i bought another one, as i found halcyon can fit even more, and it's also lighter, and i prefer the look. I love also that the side effect fits in the bottom pocket of the Synapse 25 or in a side pocket of my aeronaut 30 when i'm flying with one-bag policy only. In black halcyon it fits with every outfit i wear. I also bought later on a side kick to see if it would be a better hand bag - but far too big for me :) if you are a minimalist lady like me (at least when it comes to hand bag content) you will love it! I recommend 100%

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  • Sarah S.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship, Versatile
    1 year ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship, Versatile
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Almost Perfect

    The size of this bag is perfect for daily carry for an average day. The materials are quality and the organizational pockets on the interior are clutch. I do wish however that there were pockets inside of the front zip compartment. I like being able to add in some easy access items to the front of bags but like to keep them stored separately so I can differentiate things like keys and medicine easily. Also would love it if there were a pen/pencil pocket in the main compartment. I love that it can be worn multiple ways as well! But I do find the waist strap is too short to wear my bag across the chest which is disappointing but typical as I have a larger bust (~48 inches) but it fits perfectly as a waist bag and crossbody purse.

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  • Bradford L.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Gift
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Sewn in USA, Great Gift, High Quality Finishings, High Quality Craftsmanship
    1 year ago
    Bought For Gift
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Sewn in USA, Great Gift, High Quality Finishings, High Quality Craftsmanship
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Awesome "kit" bag

    I bought this to store a portable heating pad and accompanying accessories and it happens to be the perfect size for everything. I'm a huge sucker for the O -rings inside, and as with any bag I've had from these guys, the storage compartments just make sense. Far too often those small compartments just get in the way but with these bags you truly are getting the most legit bag experience possible. Treat yo self. And hey Tom and Friends! I really dig the saturated colors like alphaviolet and Viridian and would love to see more of that in the future. I also really love the Moab Halcyon, its under represented in the organizer bag category!

    All in all, my favorite thing about the bag is knowing that the people who made it get breaks and seem to be treated pretty damn well. I'm definitely not made of money but bags are something you want to buy nice, not twice. And while these are at the higher end of whats in my range, they seem to be worth every penny and the company from what I can tell has a business model that others should learn a lesson from.

    -guy who sewed a bunch of band patches on a vest and fancies himself to know a thing or two about good stitching.

    *If anyone happens to be wondering, it is slightly too small for a Nintendo Switch!

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  • Jessica L.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Compact, Versatile, Comfortable, Sewn in USA
    1 year ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Compact, Versatile, Comfortable, Sewn in USA
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Perfect- inside other bags, or as it's own thing!

    I currently use a cubelet + super mini ghost whale + Nik's wallet inside a side effect as an every day purse like object carried cross body. I can carry my Pixel 6 phone, kindle paperwhite, headphones, sanitizer, extra K-95 mask, and keys. When I went to a recent work conference, it was easy to slip off the straps, and stash my side effect inside an icon. I could also take out the cubelet and carry it with a wrist strap. I am excited to use the side effect during the school year inside a teacher bag/backpack in this fashion, so that I can just take it out and put the strap on for the weekend/after school.

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Sewn in Seattle

Our bags are designed and sewn right here in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.

That allows us to be control freaks in the best way possible; we have direct control and oversight of the quality of our materials, our products, and the jobs and working environment that we help create. It also offers us a unique spontaneity: when we have an idea for a new product or accessory, we can design it, figure out how to build it, add it to our website and be ready to ship it out our front door all within just a few weeks. How cool is that?

Intrigued? You can find out more about the unusual way we do business on our Company Philosophy page.

THE BIHN Guarantee

Everything you buy from us here at TOM BIHN is satisfaction guaranteed. We’ve been in business since 1972 and we stand behind what we make.

If something goes wrong and it's our fault, we'll fix it for free. Repairs due to normal wear and tear or due to other things that are not our fault will be performed, when possible, at a reasonable charge right here in our Seattle factory where your bag was made. Defects in materials or workmanship are uncommon and almost always evident while the product is still new. Keep in mind that bags and packs are often subject to extreme wear in everyday use: do not expect them to last forever. Only true love lasts forever! You can expect a TOM BIHN product to give years and years of hard service.

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