The Le Grand Derriere (LGD) is a vintage reissue of a TOM BIHN design from the early 1990’. It’s, make no mistake, a large pack. Inside the main compartment, there’s an open-top pocket along the back panel that’ll fit an 11" iPad Pro, iPad mini, Kindle, or similarly-sized smaller tablet — or a notebook or paperback, if you’re working to minimize screen time. The rest of the main compartment is spacious and ready to fit a jacket, water bottle, and bento box. There’s four — yes, four — O-rings in the main compartment: two against the back panel and two against the front panel. That main compartment zipper is protected from the elements by a flap; some folks love flapped zippers as-is, and others find that adding the included Cord Zipper Pulls to the metal zipper pulls will make the main compartment easier to open and close.
The front exterior of the LGD provides two organizational options. First up is the asymmetrical buckle pocket: underneath that buckle is an open-top pocket that fits the largest phones or the smallest notebooks. Seem familiar? You’ve got it right: that asymmetrical buckle pocket is a nod to the iconic design of the Cafe Shoulder Bags. You’ll find an O-ring in there, ready to tether and secure your keys or perhaps an Organizer Pouch; attached to that O-ring is an included 8” Key Strap.
On the other side of the bag is a zippered pocket; it’ll fit a wallet (Nik’s Minimalist Wallet fits great), reusable utensils, snacks, keys, etc. That zippered pocket also has one O-ring.
The LGD can be carried or used in multiple ways. It's primarily designed to be worn as hip pack or carried cross-body as a shoulder bag, but we know some of you will choose to wear it sling-style. Sling-style, we think the LGD works best as back carry; some may choose to wear it front carry — YMMV. It can also be packed inside of a larger bag such as the Aeronaut 45 / Aeronaut 30 travel bags or the Shadow Guide 23 / 33 backpacks — what’s cool about using it that way is that it can act like a beefier version of the Packing Cube Shoulder Bag. Use it to organize clothes or toiletries on the journey, and wear it as a waist pack/cross-body/sling pack at the destination. We also love to use our LGDs as road trip bags: packed with snacks and drinks in the front seat, and ready to go when we pull up to a trailhead to stretch our legs. Speaking of hitting the trail — as a hiking waist pack, the LGD is top-notch. It’ll fit a water bottle, water filter, first aid kit, dog and human treats — everything you might need for a quick walk.
The exterior sides of the LGD have handy compression straps to help minimize the side profile of the bag when it’s packed full *or* lower its profile when it’s closer to empty. On the sides of the bag, you’ll also see D-ring attachment points to which you can clip an optional 1” Shoulder Strap, Simple Shoulder Strap, or Absolute Shoulder Strap. Which strap you choose depends on your priorities — one might choose the for the minimalist who occasionally needs a shoulder strap and doesn’t need a lot of padding, the 1” Shoulder Strap is a great option as it’ll neatly tuck inside the LGD when not in use. For the person who plans to pack a full water bottle or other heavy stuff and would like the load to be cush, the Absolute Shoulder Strap would be the way to go.
The waist/hip belt of the LGD neatly tucks away when not in use; it nestles behind a padded panel, which means you won’t feel the buckles against your hip when you’re wearing it as a shoulder bag. Per the original, vintage TOM BIHN LGD design, the waist belt is not removable. An optional 1-1/2" Waist Belt Extender can be ordered on our Parts page. And regardless of the exterior fabric option for the LGD — whether it’s 1000d Cordura or 525d ballistic — that back panel into which the waist belt tucks is made of smooth 525d ballistic.
Tom talks the history of the LGD:
The LGD was originally designed for some friends / customers in Santa Cruz back in the mid-1990s. “Lumbar” packs were in vogue, but I never much appreciated the look or utility of that style, so this was my own variation on that general idea. It seemed like most folks were using their lumbar packs as everyday bags for around town, so I wanted to add some functionality and aesthetic that reflected that use: hence two different types of front pocket (flapped and zippered) and the option of a shoulder strap for cross-body carrying.
The people who had the original version loved them and used them constantly – it was fun to see LGDs around town. Our new LGD redux is mostly true to the original, but I’ve added an innocuous grab handle on the top/back, and made the waist/hip belt so you can tuck it away – both features I likely would have added had I continued making them back then. :)
I love my LGD and use it daily, however, please learn from my mistakes and DON’T keep valuables in the front buckle pocket— I had my passport stolen out of it, major headache!
Also, a few more small pockets stitched on the interior would be a really nice touch!
This bag is perfect for bringing a couple of diapers and wipes, some snacks, a toy car or two, and some edc basics (leatherman, pens, iPad mini)
I just wish that the hip belt was removable or optional. I’ve cut mine off, but I’d rather not have to cut my precious Bihn!
I finally got to use this today on a mini hike at a local wildlife refuge. I got the black halcyon /island combo. It’s very light and very comfortable. I prefer to use it as a crossbody bag. I was using it as a camera bag plus had a few purse items inside. This bag holds a lot! The only thing I’d like is if this bag had an actual roomy water bottle pocket on the outside. Not a deal breaker at all, but my water bottle would not stay in the side straps,& my hub had to carry my water bottle for me because I would not put it inside with my camera gear.
This is somehow the most fun and most useful Tom Bihn bag I've owned, and it would be hard to imagine them surpassing it. Just look at it, then look at the name, and you can image the mischief in everyone's eyes as they were making it. Now look at the capacity, the pockets, the thoughtfulness of a quick-access pocket with a flap and the secure pocket with a zipper, and you can tell some serious thought went into the LGD.
It can carry a wide-format instant camera, a digital camera, a jacket, and all the accoutrements for dog walking. It is excellent for stashing fresh-baked goods too. The dimensions seem to maximize the carrying capacity, it's not too skinny or too cavernous, when you put something inside it doesn't shift around too much. I love how it doesn't try to give you too much carrying capacity, it's perfect for being out in the world and having your hands free. I wouldn't want it to be bigger or any smaller.
I'm very glad I added the belt extension accessory; between being taller and wider than most people, I find the LGD is easier to wear crossbody or sling style. Just like in the description, it makes more sense to keep it on your back but what's great is it's easy to move it around to your front side when you want to root through it.
People love it, I suspect it's the retro design and the fun colorways but it really is a product people want to know more about. Personally I love the teal with the red trim, and I put Island blue zipper pulls on it so it's even…
I purchased the LGD with the intention of using it as a lumbar pack while hiking and as a sling (despite being advised against it by the description). I opted for the plain black, because that's most versatile for my lifestyle.
It works beautifully as a lumbar pack - on my hikes, I carry a 27oz Klean Kanteen inside, a small organizer pouch, lunch, and an extra layer. My phone fit perfectly in the buckle pocket, and I tethered my Nik's Minimalist wallet in the zip pocket.
It's not great as a sling - doesn't conform well to my back, but it does have the benefit of being able to adjust the strap from either the top or bottom so that the buckle is in a comfortable location. (Most slings only offer one point of adjustment on the buckle.)
That said, I love the size of the bag, and the size reminded me of one of my favorite bags from my youth, so I bought the standard shoulder strap later. That turned this bag into a really great EDC! Carries my iPad mini in a case, small lunch, 12oz Zojirushi mug, small organizer pouch, pocket notebook, phone, and wallet. The vertical orientation and dimensions of the Cafe Bags (small and medium) and the very large size of the Maker's Bag meant none of those worked for me, but the horizonal orientation and dimensions of the LGD make this a great option for me.
