TLDR
The Western Flyer is a three-way carry travel bag designed with the super organized, minimalist business traveler in mind. It is the smallest of our main carry-on travel bag options behind the Tri-Star, Aeronaut, and Techonaut.
- 2 main compartments of equal size and 6 O-rings
- 3 exterior pockets in the front panel
- Carry as a briefcase, backpack, or shoulder bag
- Personal item carry-on friendly for most airlines
Full Description
Two Main Compartments
The Western Flyer has two main compartments of equal size. The front compartment has 2 O-rings and a vertical divider that zips out of the way if it's not wanted. We recommend storing your clothes in a Western Flyer Packing Cube which is designed to fit in these compartments. Either half of the divided front compartment can fit a pair of shoes in a Packing Cube Shoulder Bag. The undivided back compartment also has 2 O-rings and is an ideal place to store your laptop in a Cache.
3 Front Exterior Organizational Pockets
On the left are two horizontal zippered pockets with an O-ring in each. One of the O-rings includes an 8" Key Strap, which is useful for tethering and keeping track of your keys or your AirPods. On the other O-ring, you can attach our Mystery Organizer Pouches or Ghost Whale Organizer Pouches. The top zippered pocket spans the full height of the bag and the bottom pocket goes about halfway.
On the right is a curved zippered pocket that is useful for storing a boarding pass when unzipped partially. Unzip it entirely, it's an expandable water bottle pocket. The bellows that make the pocket expandable can be snapped up so your water bottle doesn't fall out, or unsnapped to allow greater access to the pocket.
Ways to Carry the Western Flyer
Backpack
Want to carry the Western Flyer like a backpack? Untuck the hideaway backpack straps (same as those on our Aeronaut and Tri-Star) from the back compartment and snap on the bottom of the straps. They're our Edgeless Shoulder Straps and feature a 3/4" removable sternum strap and an optional (not included with this bag) 1" removable gatekeeper waist strap. Both the sternum and waist straps are simple webbing straps designed to help distribute weight and stabilize the bag to your body.
Shoulder Bag
The attachment points for an optional shoulder strap are offset on the Western Flyer to provide the best balance and comfort, should you carry the bag with a shoulder strap. We recommend using the Absolute Shoulder Strap with the Western Flyer if comfort is your primary concern. You also have the option of using any shoulder strap you already have that attaches to D-rings.
Briefcase
A single comfortable, padded handle made from PORON® foam sits directly above the center of gravity for maximum comfort, stability, and balance.
What's Included
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
Absolute Shoulder Strap
Upgrade from the included 1.5" strap to an Absolute Shoulder Strap if you anticipate carrying a heavy load.
Western Flyer Packing Cube
We recommend organizing your clothes and shoes in a Western Flyer Packing Cube. Cinch it down with the included tie-down straps for extra security.
Packing Cube Shoulder Bag
You can also store your shoes in a Packing Cube Shoulder Bag and store it on either half of the divided compartment. The Packing Cube Shoulder Bag will fit up to a size 12 in men's.
Freudian Slip
Love organizing and want even more pockets? The Tri-Star/Western Flyer Freudian Slip adds an additional eleven organizational pockets to your bag. One side of the Freudian Slip has two folder pockets that can fit folders/papers horizontally or vertically. The other side has two flat zippered pockets, four pen slots, two pockets sized for your wallet or phone, and a credit card slot.
Cache
The Western Flyer can accommodate a wide range of devices. If you plan on putting a laptop or smaller tablet in the interior banded open-top pocket, we recommend adding a Cache.
The Western Flyer has two main compartments of equal size. The front compartment has 2 O-rings and a vertical divider that zips out of the way if it's not wanted. We recommend storing your clothes in a Western Flyer Packing Cube which is designed to fit in these compartments. Either half of the divided front compartment can fit a pair of shoes in a Packing Cube Shoulder Bag. The undivided back compartment also has 2 O-rings and is an ideal place to store your laptop in a Cache.
On the left are two horizontal zippered pockets with an O-ring in each. One of the O-rings includes an 8" Key Strap, which is useful for tethering and keeping track of your keys or your AirPods. On the other O-ring, you can attach our Mystery Organizer Pouches or Ghost Whale Organizer Pouches. The top zippered pocket spans the full height of the bag and the bottom pocket goes about halfway.
On the right is a curved zippered pocket that is useful for storing a boarding pass when unzipped partially. Unzip it entirely, it's an expandable water bottle pocket. The bellows that make the pocket expandable can be snapped up so your water bottle doesn't fall out, or unsnapped to allow greater access to the pocket.
Backpack
Want to carry the Western Flyer like a backpack? Untuck the hideaway backpack straps (same as those on our Aeronaut and Tri-Star) from the back compartment and snap on the bottom of the straps. They're our Edgeless Shoulder Straps and feature a 3/4" removable sternum strap and an optional (not included with this bag) 1" removable gatekeeper waist strap. Both the sternum and waist straps are simple webbing straps designed to help distribute weight and stabilize the bag to your body.
Shoulder Bag
The attachment points for an optional shoulder strap are offset on the Western Flyer to provide the best balance and comfort, should you carry the bag with a shoulder strap. We recommend using the Absolute Shoulder Strap with the Western Flyer if comfort is your primary concern. You also have the option of using any shoulder strap you already have that attaches to D-rings.
Briefcase
A single comfortable, padded handle made from PORON® foam sits directly above the center of gravity for maximum comfort, stability, and balance.
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.
Absolute Shoulder Strap
Upgrade from the included 1.5" strap to an Absolute Shoulder Strap if you anticipate carrying a heavy load.
Western Flyer Packing Cube
We recommend organizing your clothes and shoes in a Western Flyer Packing Cube. Cinch it down with the included tie-down straps for extra security.
Packing Cube Shoulder Bag
You can also store your shoes in a Packing Cube Shoulder Bag and store it on either half of the divided compartment. The Packing Cube Shoulder Bag will fit up to a size 12 in men's.
Freudian Slip
Love organizing and want even more pockets? The Tri-Star/Western Flyer Freudian Slip adds an additional eleven organizational pockets to your bag. One side of the Freudian Slip has two folder pockets that can fit folders/papers horizontally or vertically. The other side has two flat zippered pockets, four pen slots, two pockets sized for your wallet or phone, and a credit card slot.
Cache
The Western Flyer can accommodate a wide range of devices. If you plan on putting a laptop or smaller tablet in the interior banded open-top pocket, we recommend adding a Cache.
Still Have Questions?
- emailus@tombihn.com
- Call 1-800-729-9607
- Ask in our Forums
Materials
Exterior Fabrics
U.S. high tenacity 1050 denier ballistic nylon
— or —
bluesign® certified High-Tenacity 2x2 Ballistic nylon
Interior Fabrics
bluesign® and OEKO-TEX® certified 200 denier Halcyon/nylon ripstop
Zippers
#10 YKK Racquet-Coil water-repellent zippers with lockable sliders on main compartments
#8 YKK Racquet-Coil water-repellent zippers on face pockets
Handle
PORON® foam handle
Other Components
Tough Duraflex®, Nexus, and Woojin buckles and related components
Specs
Dimensions
17.9" (w) x 12" (h) x 7.1" (d) / 455 (w) x 305 (h) x 180 (d) mm
Weight
1050d high tenacity ballistic nylon: 2 lb 10 oz / 1200 grams
525d high tenacity ballistic nylon: 2 lb 8 oz / 1130 grams
Volume
26 liters / 1600 cu. in. (ASTM Standard Measure)
Total O-Rings
6 (2 in the front main compartment, 2 in the back main compartment, 1 in the top front zippered pocket, 1 in the bottom front zippered pocket)
- jason k.Verified BuyerBought For MyselfProduct Standouts Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship, Durable3 months agoBought For MyselfProduct Standouts Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship, DurableRated 5 out of 5 starsGreat to have in my travel arsenal
This bag is so versatile! It is perfect for personal item only travel. It is amazing how much it can be over stuffed. It also has a very slim profile when its contents are reduced. I am going to use it in so many combinations!
Was this helpful? - Tony R.Verified BuyerBought For MyselfProduct Standouts High Quality Craftsmanship, Good Storage Size, Versatile, Sewn in USA5 months agoBought For MyselfProduct Standouts High Quality Craftsmanship, Good Storage Size, Versatile, Sewn in USARated 5 out of 5 starsNew favourite bag
I love it. After having the Pilot I thought this may be just too big but it's actually the perfect size for a couple of days travel. As usual with TB it is deceptive how much you can fit in. When flat the bag looks small but it springs out to quite a width when packed. I just wish it came with a strap!
Was this helpful? - Jennifer S.Verified BuyerBought For MyselfProduct Standouts Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship, Versatile6 months agoBought For MyselfProduct Standouts Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship, VersatileRated 4 out of 5 starsReally nice bag!
I just recently got to use this bag for the first time. It was a car trip, rather than air, so I can't yet report whether it fits nicely under airplane seats (I'm super hoping it does, because that was one main reason for my purchasing this bag, although I think partially it might depend on how full one stuffs it, since it seems to have good expansion capabilities). In any case, I loved it and am planning to continue using it as regular car trip luggage, too. I was able to fit a lot in, and I liked the various pockets--some, but not too many; seemed like just the right number--and liked the option to have the one large compartment divided with the zippered divider flap or not, just by zipping/unzipping the little flap. The only reason to give this bag 4 stars instead of 5 is that it would be super nice if the backpack straps were removable instead of integrated (not that I thought they were removable or anything, I totally understood that they were permanently attached; just that it would be a great feature if one did have the option to remove them rather than having them take up space/thickness when they're stuffed into the back storage compartment).
Was this helpful? - Tim D.Verified ReviewerBought For MyselfProduct Standouts Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship, Good Storage Size, Durable, Compact6 months agoBought For MyselfProduct Standouts Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship, Good Storage Size, Durable, CompactRated 5 out of 5 starsMore then a decade and 200K+ miles, rock solid
Like title says... Lost count of the countries and miles traveled with this bag. Ideal for one bag travel. Discrete enough to not look like luggage in conference room. But roomy enough to pack for days with laptop and gear needed for average techie. Would add a picture... but no real point since it still looks new.
Was this helpful? - DVerified ReviewerBought For MyselfProduct Standouts High Quality Craftsmanship, Sewn in USA, Durable, Thoughtful Design, Versatile7 months agoBought For MyselfProduct Standouts High Quality Craftsmanship, Sewn in USA, Durable, Thoughtful Design, VersatileRated 5 out of 5 starsthe perfect work bag
I've carried this bag on every single trip I've taken for the last four years, and it is my every workday bag. It has been on hundreds of flights, hundreds of thousands of miles on the road, across the entire US from Hawaii to Maine and several countries overseas. I was lucky to snag one made of 1050 ballistic, so it still looks brand new.
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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.