Pop Tote

I bought this bag in aubergine for my wife as she needed something more casual and a little more space for stops around the town and picking up small items from the store. Overall, she loves and uses it quite a lot.

Her comments generally have included what others have said. In her bag's color, the inside is very dark and hard to see darker items. The bag would be better suited with a lighter liner of some sort. It probably would not even need to be as high quality as the Halcyon. Also, some sort of slip pocket for very basic organization. Nothing elaborate, but maybe a section to put heavier items so they don't flop around and trample other items in the bag. A last bonus item would be a small interior zippered pocket to hold smaller items that you would not want exposed on the less useful exterior zippered pockets. I would suggest removing one of the exterior pocket inside and making it slightly larger. Lastly, she likes the capacity a lot and is fine with it. However, the straps could be a couple inches longer as it rides very high slung over the shoulder.

Though those changes would add some cost, I think they would elevate the bag up a notch. I would have paid an extra $25 for it if it had most of the suggestions. Unfortunately, we would probably never get an upgraded one because Tom Bihn bags are built like tanks and hers will likely never need replacing for a very long time.

Overall, a very good bag with even more potential possible.

I just returned from a 9-day adventure in the Galapagos and all I took with me was my Techonaut 30 and Pop Tote. You read correctly; I did it all with only those two carry-ons. I moved with ease through each airport and on and off each boat. I carried all my clothes; swimwear; snorkel gear; camera, lens, and related equipment; toiletries; two spare pair of shoes; and even returned with souvenirs in tow. I was unstoppable!

The one thing I wish the Pop Tote had? Reinforced rings on each side so I could attach an Absolute Shoulder Strap. When the bag is heavy, all I wanted to do was throw it over my shoulder (or wear it crossbody) and the two handles just aren't comfortable enough even though they're slightly padded. A couple of rings would add flexibility to add a strap or attach a pouch or grab bag.

For reference, I'm a 5'2" woman who carries all her own stuff. Pack light and be nice!

When this became available in raspberry, I was so excited to be able to buy a bag in something other than the stale, extremely dude-coded colorways that have dominated Bihn bags lately that I barreled past my instinct to send this one back out of the box, and now it's too late. The interior is too cavernous to put even a large water bottle in, and the side pockets are tapered so severely that only a very small bottle will fit (and with a bottle in there, you can forget about putting anything in the zip pocket on that side). Whatever you put in the main compartment just slides around—even larger items. This is just not functional as an everyday bag, and it cost too much to keep around in hopes that I'll find a purpose for it, so I hope I can sell it.