Western Flyer

Next time you’re out, watch how often people struggle with packs, bags, purses, luggage. TB ain’t like that. My prior experience with TB products has been great—stylish but discreet, comfortable, and functional as heck. Tough and precise even in the details where truth is found: high quality fabrics, thread, nylon, zips, clips, foam, grommets, snaps, etc., and careful assembly so it won’t break or disintegrate with use. The WF is as great as the TriStar, just smaller. I use one or both of the very comfortable backpack straps to carry it a distance, then take 10 seconds to tuck them away before entering transportation or buildings. Backpack in the open, handheld in close spaces. The top or end handles are great to smoothly sling into storage bins or to place on a table. No humiliating roller carry-on struggles, no sloppiness of unstructured bags, no snaggables on the outside. Internal O-rings—brilliant idea, strong materials. I rarely use the water-bottle pocket, but for some reason am glad it’s there. I removed the exterior label and replaced the metal zipper pulls with dark paracord and the great TB nylon ends. One bright contrasting paracord pull on the waterbottle zip helps you find your bag, helps someone find you, and you can tuck it out of sight. I recommend 1050 or ballistic nylon to keep shape with large or small load. When my bags get dirty, I soak them in a sink with some Tide, rinse, then spray the outside with a garden hose. Still look new.

The Western Flyer has become my favorite go-to bag for one bag travel. Mine is Ballistic Nebulous Gray/Halcyon Island. So far, it has handled 5-day, 7-day, and 9-day trips, on planes, trains, and automobiles. No kidding. The most recent was a combo trip on which I flew from California to Chicago [on a pizza mission], stayed for a few days there, and then took the California Zephyr back home. Even in a full sleeper compartment, the train is not flush with storage space, but the WF plus TB-fitted packing cubes was perfect. Here’s what went into the WF on this past trip, with room to spare:

1. Western Flyer packing cube containing all shirts, underwear & socks, and one pair pants [all Merino wool]

2. TriStar small packing cube containing Montbell rain shell and Patagonia NanoLoft jacket

Earthrunner Elemental Sandals [in disposable shower caps for dirt isolation][

3. Pack Towl [original]

4. Laundry Bag [which I never seem to use]

5. Eagle Creek Spectre dop kit [includes several non-toiletries, like clothesline, laundry detergent, corkscrew, no-knife Leatherman]

6. Tom Bihn Clear Organizer as my 311 [though TSA pre-check generally avoids need]

7. Tom Bihn Packing Cube Shoulder Bag holding snacks, teabags, collapsible water bottle, Merino Buff, playing cards, Ghost Whale Organizer for charger & cables, small playing cards, lens shade for iPhone, Bose QC noise canceling ear buds [for non-AirPod systems]

8. iPad Air + Magic Keyboard [a bit of a luxury, because of all the time on…

I have owned my Black Halcyon Western Flyer since the fall of 2019. It is a well made, functional, and versatile piece of luggage. It can serve as a main travel bag, a personal item to accompany another bag if not overstuffed, or even a briefcase, albeit a large one.

My typical use for the bag is as a main bag for trips lasting up to a week. For the sake of reference I am a 5'8" man and my wardrobe doesn't vary too much during the course of a trip. I try to travel with a single pair of shoes (Size 11) if possible. Bringing multiple shoes with the packing list described below usually means another larger travel bag or a car trip where the shoes can just hang out in the car and not in the luggage. I usually bring along a TB Daylight Briefcase for tech stuff, etc. so I don't need any room in the Western Flyer for that.

In the large main compartment I put 2-3 pairs of jeans/pants/shorts plus 4-6 lightweight (e.g. broadcloth) button front shirts. The shirts are bundle wrapped and all is placed inside a Halcyon TB Daylight Backpack which does double duty as a packing cube while in transit and day pack when out and about sightseeing, etc. during the trip.

In one side of the split main compartment, I put socks, underwear, t shirts, etc. Inside a Halcyon TB Shoulder Bag Packing Cube. I have never used this as a shoulder bag, but I could see it providing some additional organization for the Daylight Backpack.

I also have some REI expandable packing cubes approximately the same…

The build quality on this bag is simply amazing (like all Tom Bihn products) and will be a trusty companion for years to come. The zippered front compartment is extremely useful to separate my items, and like how perfectly the small Western Flyer packing cubes fit on each side of the zippered sections. This will be perfect for me if I am taking a 1 to 2 day business trip, or if I need a little extra room and need an extra bag. The only reason I didn't give the bag 5 stars is the lack of a dedicated laptop compartment. Having to use the cache to hold my laptop isn't ideal. These days most people travel with laptops even when going on vacation and not having a dedicated spot is a really big miss in my opinion. The biggest selling point for me was the size and being able to easily fit it under an airplane seat, along with the versatility to carry it as a backpack or over the shoulder. Overall I am very impressed with the Western Flyer and will be using it for years to come.

I love the Western Flyer! This is my absolute favorite bag for business or short trip travel. It's compact, fits plenty for me for a 3-4 day business trip (including shoes, a computer, and a hair dryer!), and fits under the seat in front of you on an airplane. Fits on the overhead compartment of even small regional flights also. I also find it very comfortable to carry, I always use the backpack mode. I use a packing envelope from eagle creek in the back compartment, and that works perfectly for all my business clothes, plus the 15in laptop I can usually add a curling iron, comb, and sonicare toothbrush there too (long skinny things, basically). The front compartment is used for shoes, hair dryer, toiletries, etc. I often add my kindle in the large front pocket. Husband also loves to borrow this bag for short trips. I also own an aeronaut45, but use it mostly for longer trips with the family, and use that to pack my stuff plus my toddler's.