X-Pac® RX-30

X-Pac® RX30 is a PFC-free fabric with a C0 DWR finish, recognized for its distinctive "X" pattern. It’s crafted entirely from 100% post-consumer recycled filaments, sourced from PET bottles collected along the East Coast of the United States.

X-Pac® stands apart from most of our materials as a laminate fabric rather than a single woven material. This means it’s composed of multiple layers—in this case, three layers of polyester—bonded together with adhesive to form a composite material. Each layer brings unique properties to enhance performance, offering benefits like water resistance, structure, strength, and texture. For the RX30, the backing is a thin polyester film, the middle layer is Dimension-Polyant's X-Ply® material made from post-consumer recycled polyester, and the outer face is a 300-denier 100% recycled polyester. The fabric is finished with a PFC-free DWR coating for additional environmental and functional advantages.

This fabric is made in the United States.

1050 Denier High Tenacity Ballistic Nylon

Our U.S.- made 1050 denier high-tenacity (type 6,6) nylon ballistic fabric was originally developed for use in flak jackets and bullet proof vests, hence the name "ballistic."

In the 1980s ballistic nylon was replaced by Kevlar fabric for use in personal armor; fabric mills began offering it to the outdoor and luggage industries. The luggage industry adopted it for use in soft bags as it did not abrade clothing, particularly women's nylon stockings.

Ballistic nylon is a filament fabric (not texturized) and therefore has the following advantages over Cordura®: it allows a bag to slide easily in and out of tight overhead bins, etc.; in use, it tends not to destroy clothing that it rubs against; it tends not to collect lint from sweaters, etc., and "pill"; it does not collect snow; and, very significantly, it does not collect pet hair.

Because it's a high-tenacity nylon, it does not take dye as readily as the cheaper nylons: you will sometimes notice an almost heathery sort of appearance to this fabric.

1050 denier Ballistic is woven with two plies of 1050 woven as one, which gives it its sheen and substantial feel. 1680 denier "Ballistic" cloth, which is commonly sold by other brands, is not typically a high-tenacity fiber, and does not have nearly the same abrasion resistance as our 1050 denier Ballistic fabric.

Our 1050 denier Ballistic has a urethane coating on the backside (the inside of our packs) and a Durable Water Repellant treatment (which you can't see) applied to the face side (the exterior of our bags). The exterior DWR makes water bead up on the surface and run off, and the urethane coating acts as an impermeable waterproof barrier.

420 Denier High Tenacity Nylon Classic Parapack

420 denier, high tenacity, type 6,6 nylon fabric (Parapack) was originally developed for the military for use in parachute backpacks—the thing on the guy’s back that holds the parachute. Paratroopers needed a fabric that was smooth and wouldn't hang up on anything as they jumped from the plane; it had to be light (obviously); and it needed to be strong so as not to be easily punctured or abraded.

You can think of 420 denier Parapack fabric as the little brother of 1050 denier Ballistic. Like 1050 Ballistic, 420 Parapack fabric is densely woven of high tenacity, filament nylon yarns. Both are also type 6,6 nylon, as opposed to the more common type 6. Type 6,6 has greater tensile strength than type 6, and very importantly type 6,6's melting temperature is higher by 40°C (70°F). This is a very good thing because the degradation of a fabric caused by abrasion is largely the result of heat building up during abrasion and damaging the material. A higher melting point means better abrasion resistance.

Like 1050 HT Ballistic cloth, 420d HT Parapack is relatively hard to dye and can sometimes have a heathery appearance.

Also like 1050d HT Ballistic, it's a filament fabric (as opposed to texturized) and tends not to accumulate snow, lint, or pet hair.

We got reacquainted with 420d Parapack back in 2013 as we developed the retro-inspired Guide's Pack and Founder's Briefcase. It has a great hand, a dense weave, and a less sparkly appearance than its cheaper imported cousins. We love it!

630 Denier 50% Recycled Nylon

Our 630 denier nylon fabric is woven of 50% pre-consumer recycled nylon; both the recycled and non-recycled fiber is sourced in South Korea, and the fabric itself is woven, dyed and treated there in a bluesign mill.

When the opportunity presented itself to utilize a 50% pre-consumer recycled nylon, we jumped on it: we received swatches, Taber (abrasion) tested them, performed various other tests, made sample bags, and were quite pleased with the results.

Previously, the only recycled fabrics out there have been recycled polyester. It’s not like we have something against polyester (PET) per se: it’s a very useful plastic for many applications, and its recyclability is great -- endlessly turning pop bottles into fleece pullovers and back again is pretty cool. However, polyester’s performance as a bag/backpack fabric is notably subpar when compared to nylon: its abrasion resistance and tear strength are lacking, and a bag made from polyester will tend to experience wear issues before a similarly constructed nylon bag.

A backpack’s or bag’s environmental footprint is far more than simply that of its primary fabric: lots goes into the making and shipping of its zippers, buckles, webbing, thread etc, and furthermore into the cutting, sewing and shipping of the finished item. We've concluded that it’s better to make one long-lasting bag than two (or more) bags with a shorter lifespan. We’re excited to offer a more environmentally friendly fabric, without sacrificing the long-term durability of nylon.

Our 630d fabric is a filament fabric, so it’s smooth like our 210d, 525d and 1050d ballistic, and doesn’t tend to collect pet hair or fussels. Unlike those fabrics, it’s a plain weave (a 1X1 construction as opposed to the ballistic, 2X2 or “basket weave”) and so its texture has a slightly more coarse appearance, reminiscent of 1000d Cordura. Its hand (or stiffness) is somewhere between 420 Parapack and the 525 2x2; at 7.8 oz per square yard / 265 grams per square meter, it’s just a bit heavier than 420 Parapack.

YKK® Zippers

We exclusively use YKK® zippers in all our bags. YKK® has been the industry leader for decades and consistently provide the highest quality and reliability. While we could save a few bucks with generic zippers, we believe that using anything less than the best would compromise the durability of our bags. With YKK®, we know we’re getting a product that performs well and lasts.

Our bags and backpacks primarily feature YKK® Racquet Coil (RC) zippers with a CO DWR treatment. These zippers are made by sewing a continuous coil (like a flattened spring or Slinky) onto lightweight webbing tape, forming the zipper’s teeth. The two joined assemblies create a zipper chain. Coil zippers have key advantages over molded tooth zippers, particularly in how smoothly they operate, especially around curves and corners—critical for our designs, which feature many rounded shapes.

Racquet Coil zippers are a tougher, more abrasion-resistant variation of standard coil zippers. At first glance, they look almost identical to the coil zippers commonly used by other brands—chances are, you wouldn’t have noticed the difference unless we pointed it out. The key distinction lies in the construction: in Racquet Coil zippers, the thread that secures the continuous coil (forming the zipper's "teeth") is recessed below the surface of the plastic coil. This is achieved by shaping the coil into a slightly oblique profile, resembling a “racquet” when viewed from the side. Like a “racquet” in profile:

The Synik line is the only collection with YKK® Aquaguard® zippers for the main compartment. The slight resistance of these zippers actually benefits the Synik’s clamshell-style design by preventing the zipper from fully opening when not wanted.

Aquaguard® zippers feature a urethane coating on the flat side, making them highly water-repellent, though not waterproof. Initially, we followed the industry standard of sewing them "upside down," with the coating exposed, for two reasons: first, to make it clear that the zipper was coated and second, to repel water before it could soak into the zipper tape. However, after several years of use, we found that the exposed coating didn’t hold up well under the wear and tear on the outside of our bags. So, in 2015, we began sewing them “right-side-up,” with the urethane coating on the inside of the bag—just like with our other urethane-coated fabrics. You can still see the glossy coating, but only by looking inside the bag. Some folks prefer the aesthetic of the glossy exterior, but we felt it was more important to optimize for maximum durability.

For our zipper pulls, we designed a custom medium length that balances usability with aesthetics. The metal zipper sliders are crafted from zinc alloy and plated to resist oxidation, ensuring long-lasting durability. Current versions of our pulls are also customized with a distinctive 'TB' logo. For lighter-duty applications, we use molded plastic sliders that are gentle on electronics and won’t trigger metal detectors. These sliders are exceptionally durable, with virtually no reported failures even after years of use.

Finally, zippers come in different gauges or tooth sizes, nominally measured as the width in millimeters of both halves of the zipper teeth when joined together: we use #3, #5, #8 and #10. We use the larger sizes (#8’s and #10’s) on the outside of most of our bags to maximize durability; #5’s are great for interior pockets and organizational bags, and #3’s are good for our small pouches.

200 Denier Halcyon

Halcyon 200d is a high-tech, high-performance alternative to the ubiquitous "oxford" cloths commonly used in backpacks and travel bags for interlinings, internal dividers and accessories. Halcyon 200d is a ripstop fabric woven of 200 denier nylon (base fabric) with a square grid of 200 denier UHMWPE (ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene) yarns every .25" / 6mm; an additional diamond ripstop pattern adds to its sophisticated aesthetic.

The grid of UHMWPE adds no weight but makes Halcyon 200d virtually impossible to tear. This is particularly important when paired with a heavy-duty exterior fabric like 1050 Ballistic nylon: the seam joining exterior fabric to lining fabric can be a relatively weak point if the two fabrics have disparate tensile strengths.

Our 200d Halcyon is dyed and woven in a bluesign® certified fabric mill and is finished in an OEKO-TEX® certified facility. OEKO-TEX® is a union of 18 independent research and test institutes in the field of textile ecology in Europe and Japan. The goal of the OEKO-TEX® production facility certification is to ensure environmentally friendly production processes in the long term, to improve health and safety and to promote socially responsible working conditions at production sites.

Many are surprised to learn that we primarily use 200d Halcyon as a lining fabric rather than as an exterior one—though it does make appearances on smaller accessory bags. While it's certainly strong enough for larger bags, we prefer the more robust feel of Ballistic Nylon and X-Pac, reserving 200d Halcyon for its perfect role as a liner.

210 Denier Cerylon

Cerylon 210 is a 210-denier, C0-finished, 100% high-tenacity nylon fabric, closely related to our 200-denier Halcyon. With impressive tear strength comparable to Halcyon, it’s well-suited for lightweight accessories, internal dividers, or as a lining material. It features a distinctive “double wall” ripstop pattern, inspired by its Halcyon counterpart. To enhance its durability, Cerylon is crafted with twisted yarns, a technique that increases fabric density and helps mask cosmetic abrasion.

When developing Cerylon, we envisioned a fabric that could complement Halcyon while offering a distinct alternative. Many customers love Halcyon’s iconic white ripstop grid, but others expressed a preference for a more understated aesthetic. Additionally, we wanted to future-proof our ability to recycle fabric scraps when the technology and economics align. Since Halcyon’s mixed-fiber composition (nylon and UHMWPE) makes recycling more challenging, we saw an opportunity to create a 100% nylon fabric like Cerylon. While recycling isn’t feasible for us just yet, Cerylon represents a step toward that goal.

100 Denier Piscine

Dobby-woven and South Korean-made, this 100 denier fabric is similar in weight to Aether. The geometric pattern that is a signature of the dobby weave (which is literally a weave that repeats small, simple geometric patterns and textures by controlling the logitudinal, or warp, threads of a weave) reminded of fish scales and thus we declared it Piscine!

Piscine is made of high tenacity nylon with a ripstop pattern and is coated, like most of our fabrics, with urethane on one side and C6 durable water repellant on the other for weather resistance.

As with Aether, it's a very light fabric that's great for lining smaller bags while saving on weight. It has a soft, flexible hand and is nice and sturdy.

Buckles/Parts

In the latter part of the 20th century, injection-molded plastic buckles and fasteners replaced most of the components of bags and backpacks that had been previously made of metal. Plastic parts are lighter weight and won't corrode, and are more pleasant to the touch, especially when it's cold.

Many of the plastic parts used on modern bags are one-for-one copies of the old metal parts, one exception being "side release" buckles (often still called Fastex buckles, after the original company that introduced the design). The precision of the injection molding process, and the careful formulation of the plastics themselves, allowed engineers to build these now ubiquitous buckles so that they're flexible enough snap together, and rigid enough to stay snapped. The basic concept of the over-centering, interlocking prongs is now used by buckle makers around the world to offer a myriad of side-release and similar fasteners.

Most of these plastic parts are molded of either nylon or acetal: both materials have advantages and disadvantages. Nylon is a bit softer than acetal—this especially of note when used in the above-mentioned side-release buckles: nylon parts don't snap together with the same crispness that acetal parts do, making the nylon quieter and less likely to pinch your fingers in use. However, unlike acetal, nylon can absorb a small amount of atmospheric moisture and when the temperature drops below 32F/0C, this tiny amount of moisture can freeze and cause the buckle to become brittle and break.

Metal parts can still offer the greatest strength and durability in certain applications; for example, die-cast zinc is used in swivel snap-hooks for shoulder straps, and brass in grommets and snaps. However, whether it's plated or painted, the surface coating on metal parts can scratch and wear over time, revealing the base metal beneath.

We'll use plastic and metal hardware on our bags, whichever provides the best utility and durability for a specific application. For plastic components, both nylon and acetal are utilized: for the side-release buckle closure on a bag's flap, for example, we use an acetal female half and a nylon male half—this combination leverages the best performance from both materials. Our metal snap-hooks are electrostatically plated black twice, just to be sure.

Coatings

Most of our fabrics utilize two treatments to make them as weatherproof as possible:

The exterior surface of the fabric gets a treatment of DWR (“Durable Water Repellant”), which is more or less what ScotchGard® is. This chemical is applied to the face of the fabric, encouraging water to bead up and run off rather than soaking into the yarns and through the weave of the cloth. DWRs are the first line of defense against moisture getting into your bag.

Unfortunately, the chemicals used for DWRs do not bond permanently to the fabric's surface. This means that from time to time, you may need to renew the treatment to maintain your bag or pack's weatherproofness (see below). DWRs' non-permanence is also bad for the planet because after departing from the fabric, these chemicals tend to persist in the environment and are not good for people or other life forms. For decades the chemical of choice was originally an eight carbon chain PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid). Like the rest of the industry, we’ve now moved to a zero-chain, PFAS-free finish. As we move forward, we will continue remain on the cutting edge of environmentally-friendly DWRs.

As noted above, you may need to renew the surface water repellency of your pack or bag as it ages. We recommend NikWax Tent and Gear Solarproof: we’ve found it’s easy to apply and works well. Nikwax assures us that their product is environmentally safe.

On the backside of most of our fabrics is a coating of urethane, which is more or less waterproof. That said, water that has saturated the weave of the fabric itself will eventually soak through even this coating, which highlights the need for DWR on the front side. While the urethane coating is more durable than the external DWR, over time it can decay from abrasion, oxidation, mildew, and extensive flexing of the base fabric.

In fact, urethane coatings are one of the shortest-lived of all components in our bags—and those of other manufacturers. Because the amount and type of urethane coating can greatly impact the base fabric's tear resistance, a thoughtful choice must be made to balance the competing (or even conflicting) demands on the fabric and the finished bag. A thicker coating can give longer-lasting waterproofing, but can also make the fabric more brittle and subject to tearing; additionally, a thicker coating can have enough inherent tensile strength to make it peel away from the fabric. In our opinion, the coatings we've chosen offer a balance of durability in terms of both waterproofness and fabric strength.

Urethane coating can sometimes become slightly opaque or white over time. We've found this can be a result of the climate in which a bag is used and/or stored (particularly high humidity climates), or to chemical reactions to certain soaps or cosmetics that are either carried in the bag or used to clean it. Generally, this clouding of the urethane coating is purely cosmetic.

As a bag ages, some peeling or degradation of the urethane coating can be expected, especially where the fabric is subjected to excessive flexing (around zipper openings, for example), or excessive internal abrasion (like from the corner of a laptop or tablet). Though this can have a minor effect on a bag's waterproofness, we consider it within the realm of "normal wear and tear.”

There are a few things you can do to prolong the life of your bag's urethane coating. Most important is to make sure to dry out the inside of your bag after it has become wet, whether from something having been spilled inside or from weather soaking through. This is important if you’re storing the bag for any extended period, particularly in high-humidity climates. The urethane can actually get mildewed: you’ll know this is happening because it looks bad (and smells bad, too). To protect the coating from abrasion, you can avoid carrying items that have sharp corners that will poke/wear on the inside of the bag.

The urethane coating on our Halcyon fabrics is not quite as thick as on other fabrics. This is because the UHMWPE yarns cannot survive the heat curing that all-nylon fabrics get when they are coated. Our mill in Japan has developed a proprietary “dry coating” technique that does allow them to apply a coating, but it’s not as thick as standard heat-set urethane coatings. It’s a compromise.

Note that while our fabrics are very weatherproof, they are generally not entirely waterproof. Additionally, our bags are sewn rather than welded or glued together, and are therefore not submersible.

Colors

Modern dyes allow synthetic fabrics to attain (and hold) almost any color we humans can imagine. With such a myriad of choices from which to make outdoor and travel equipment, perhaps restraint is all that we as designers lack. Indeed, some colors and color combinations seem in hindsight to have been such bad ideas that we ought now blush.

When choosing the exterior color for a bag or backpack, it's worth considering whether you need your bag to stand out or blend in. Depending on where and how you travel, this could go either way.

For years, the wisdom in outdoor equipment was to go for bright colors so that you can be found in emergency situations. But when the backcountry started getting more visitors, and the landscape became decorated with red and orange hikers and their gear, colors that blended in became de rigueur. Greens and browns blend well in many outdoor situations, while black and grays might be effective camouflage in urban settings; blues can stand out but still not be visually irritating.

It's good to keep in mind that if other people can't see your bag, maybe you can't either, and you may be more likely to lose it or leave it behind, or be unable to distinguish it from a pile of everyone else's bags. Perhaps choosing a less common color that is yet somewhat subdued can be a compromise. You might be looking at your bag for some time, so if the color makes you smile, all the better.

The interior of a bag is likely to be seen only by you, the user, so you needn't feel so constrained in your color choices. Note that lining a bag with black fabric is a great way to turn it into a prop for a magic show: put clothing and gear into the bag and presto!—they disappear. Light or bright colors allow you to better see the contents of your bag, and a bright interior color can be a fun way to personalize your bag without being too colorful (not that there's anything wrong with that!)

A few backpack and bag fabrics are available to manufacturers "off the shelf" in stock colors. However, if a specific color is desired, you must purchase a "dye lot" of that color, ranging from several hundred to a few thousand yards, depending on the fabric and mill.

At TOM BIHN, we are known for our colors and color combinations (what the industry calls "colorways"). Most of our fabrics are dyed to our specifications and are uniquely ours: our fabric suppliers are regularly "dipping" new swatches based on color samples we submit to them to match. Over the years, we've sent them packets of spices, flower petals, paint chips, and snippets of textiles from other industries. The majority of colors don't make it past this initial stage, but we do like to offer new choices every year. We take more chances with interior colors, though you will see new exterior fabric colors as well. We do not subscribe to any of the fashion or trend services that "predict" (and then end up dictating) next year's colors and styles: as with most other aspects of the TOM BIHN business, we do our own thing, listening to our customers a bit, and mostly following our own sense of aesthetics.

Foams

A large variety of cellular foams are used in making bags and backpacks: some provide cushioning to the user (shoulder straps and handles), some provide protection for items carried (laptops, etc.), and some give a bag body or rigidity.

The density of foam is generally described in pounds per cubic foot (pcf). Density range is anywhere from 1.5 pcf to 20 pcf; lower densities tend to be somewhat soft, and higher densities firmer or more rigid. Foam's properties are further determined by its base material (and various additives), and whether it is open- or closed-cell.

Polyethylene is the base material most commonly used for the foams used by the outdoor and travel goods industries. Linear-linked polyethylene foam is generally used for packaging materials and is not very durable, though sometimes very inexpensive bags will use it. Cross-linking the polyethylene molecules enhances tear and tensile strength and creates a finer cell structure, making cross-linked foams more resilient and durable. Adding a small percentage (8-15%) of EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate) to cross-linked polyethylene foam gives it a more supple, rubber-like feel; without the EVA, polyethylene foam can be somewhat stiff and boardy, which can be just what is required in certain applications.

With closed-cell foam, the "cells" are discrete bubbles of gas, completely sealed inside the base material: water and air cannot pass through or circulate within the foam. In open-cell foam, the cells are interconnecting bubbles which can allow water or air in: the sponge in your sink is a good example of an open-celled foam. Closed cell foams won't compress as much as open-cell foams because the air cannot escape the base material; even the softest closed-cell foams are firmer than open cell foams. The use of open-cell foams in areas that might get exposed to water, either from perspiration or the weather, is problematic: even when encased with "water-proof" fabric, open-cell foams can be hydrophilic and actually draw moisture in from the environment.

Poron® is an exception to many of the rules: it is a poured urethane foam that is very dense and yet very soft; though it is open-cell, it absorbs very little moisture. Poron® is generally too heavy for extensive use on a bag, but wrapped in fabric it makes a great handle. Cushy and inviting to the touch, it has phenomenal resilience and won't break down or go flat over time.

Meshes and Knits

There's a huge variety of knit fabrics and meshes used in the bag and backpack industry. Open- and closed-cell foam can be laminated to stable warp knits and stretchy Raschel knits of polyester, nylon, and nylon/lycra blends to create composite materials with unique properties.

Brushed polyester tricot laminated to soft open-cell foam provides good protection for electronics with very little weight.

Polyester and nylon meshes lend visibility to a bag's pockets and breathability to surfaces that make contact with the user: 3D Spacer Mesh is a polyester/nylon blend that can help transport moisture and heat away from the contact areas on the panel against your back.

Thread

Nylon thread stretches with nylon fabric, and that's a good thing for final assembly seams and high stress areas. However, nylon thread requires an added binding agent (typically synthetic wax) to make it sewable. This wax often oxidizes (whitens) as it ages, which makes the thread stand out against the fabric, especially black thread on black fabric.

Polyester thread is excellent for exterior stitching because it fares better than nylon when exposed to sunlight, and produces a slightly neater stitch. Lacking the binding agent that nylon thread requires, its color remains stable over time.

Both nylon and polyester thread are available in different nominal sizes or weight; the bigger the number, the thicker the thread. In general, two rows of thinner thread are better than a single row of thicker thread, as one row can fail and the seam will still remain intact and functional.

We use different weights depending on the needed strength: nominally Tex 40 (pre-assembly over-lock); Tex 60 (labels, zippers and exterior top-stitching); Tex 70 and Tex 80 (final assembly, bar-tacking, etc.).

Our thread is made both in the U.S.A and in Germany. Like all of our components, we buy the best regardless of price.

Finally, seam failure in our bags is almost unheard of: properly stitched, the actual sewing is stronger than the fabric, the zippers and the buckles. If any thread or stitching on your TOM BIHN bag ever fails, we've almost certainly done something wrong, and we will fix it or replace it free of charge.

Organic Cotton

We are introducing a number of our bags made in cotton fabric — a more natural alternative to our usual nylon fabrics. Cotton canvas was the go-to fabric for bags and backpacks for decades prior to the introduction of nylon fabrics by the military in the early 1940s. Though synthetics fabrics are definitely longer lived materials (sometimes to the detriment of the environment), cotton has a certain aesthetic charm unmatched by synthetic materials.

Broadly speaking, we are using two different cotton fabrics: lighter cotton twills or ripstops similar to what the U.S. military uses in clothing/pants; and a heavier canvas, woven in the U.S. of organically grown cotton from Texas.

The lighter cotton is a good choice if you’re looking for a tote bag that can be folded or rolled into the smallest space — to be carried along in your car or luggage, ready for use. The heavier cotton has more body: it doesn’t compress as small as the ripstop fabric will, but it will stand up at the grocery checkout or your kitchen counter. While the heavier cotton canvas will last longer than the lighter ripstop, you can expect both of them to wear out sooner than our nylon bags. By no means is a TOM BIHN tote bag made of cotton a single-use, disposable product: you can still expect years and years of use from it, though perhaps not decades.