The Cadet in Black Ballistic The Cadet in Black Ballistic with a Island (bright blue with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. The Cadet in Nebulous Grey Ballistic The Cadet in Nebulous Grey Ballistic with a Island (bright blue with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. The Cadet in Nebulous Grey Ballistic with a Island (bright blue with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. The Cadet in Black Ballistic The Cadet in Black Ballistic with a Northwest Sky 200 Halcyon (light grey with white grid) interior. The Cadet in Aubergine (purple) Ballistic The Cadet in Aubergine (purple) 525 Ballistic with a Cloud (light grey) 210 Ballistic interior. The Cadet in Burnt Orange Ballistic The Cadet in Burnt Orange 525 Ballistic with a Cloud (light grey) 210 Ballistic interior. The Cadet in Mars Red 525 Ballistic The Cadet in Mars Red 525 Ballistic The Cadet in Coyote (brown) Ballistic The Cadet in Coyote (light brown) 525 Ballistic with a Cloud (light grey) 210 Ballistic interior. The Cadet in Ursa (dark brown) Ballistic The Cadet in Ursa (dark brown) 525 Ballistic with a Cloud (light grey) 210 Ballistic interior. The Cadet in Wilderness (forest green) 525 Ballistic The Cadet in Deep Blue (dark blue) Ballistic The Cadet in Deep Blue (dark blue) 525 Ballistic with a Northwest Sky (light grey with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. The Cadet in Wilderness (forest green) 525 Ballistic with a Cloud (light grey) 210 Ballistic interior.
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$186.00


Color: Black Ballistic/Island 200 Halcyon

In Stock

Available Color options

Everyday carry laptop briefcase. Checkpoint friendly.

14 liters / 825 cu. in.


Add a Cache
$50.00 - 10A (10.5" 2021 iPad/ iPad Air/Pro)
visible variant TB03310A TB03310B TB03311A TB03312A TB03313A TB03313B TB03313C TB03313D TB03313E TB03315A TB03315B TB03315C TB03315D TB03316A TB03317B^^A Cache on the Horizontal side.

TLDR

The Cadet is a minimalist, everyday-carry briefcase designed to fit your laptop, a few files or magazines, power supplies, pens, notebooks, and other small accessories.

  • Main compartment that fits a 16" laptop with a large open-top interior pocket and 2 O-rings
  • 3 exterior-access compartments with 2 O-rings
  • 6 interior organizer pockets in the
  • 1 exterior quick-access pocket on the back
  • Optional rolling luggage handle pass-through when quick-access pocket is unzipped
  • Padded front, back, and bottom between the exterior and lining to provide some protection for an unprotected laptop
  • Left and right shoulder strap attachment points
  • Comfortable padded handles

Full Description

The Cadet is what we like to describe as the strong, silent type of briefcase: straightforward and good-looking with lots of features inside. If you want a thinner briefcase that will still keep your stuff protected, then the Cadet is for you.

Main Compartment

The main compartment of the Cadet can store up to a 16" laptop. Inside the main compartment are two unobtrusive webbing loops to which you can secure the optional Cache.

You can also store your files or magazines in the large open-top pocket or insert a Freudian Slip for extra organization.

Three Exterior-Access Compartments

The Cadet has three exterior-access compartments. The first of the exterior pockets is a small horizontal zippered pocket. Like the other compartments, it has a YKK Racquet-Coil water-repellent zipper.

Behind the small zippered pocket is a contoured zippered compartment that opens to about half of the height of the bag, revealing organizer pockets sized for a Magic Mouse or similar size device, cell phone, passport, plus three pen/pencil pockets. There's plenty of additional room in this compartment for a power supply, phone charger, a small notebook, or snack. There are also two O-rings inside.

Rolling Luggage Handle Pass-Through

The back of the Cadet features a wide, open-top pocket for a magazine or newspaper. If you're using the Cadet for travel, the bottom of this pocket zips open so that you can slide the bag over the handle of a rolling luggage.

Wear The Cadet Three Different Ways

The Cadet can be worn as a messenger (crossbody), shoulder bag, or briefcase. Shoulder strap attachment points are on the left and right sides of the Cadet and feature our exclusive, super-heavy-duty DuPont Delrin® eye-loops, tested to 260 pounds each. Our Standard Shoulder Strap is included with the Cadet. You have the option of upgrading to our Absolute Shoulder Strap. Two comfortable padded handles meet above the bag's center of gravity; when the Cadet is zipped shut, the handles come nicely together so you don't have to fish for them when it's time to grab and go.

Built with Closed Cell Foam

Between the exterior and the lining is .25/6 mm closed cell foam on the front, back, and bottom — this gives the Cadet its shape and provides additional protection for your laptop; if you choose to go au naturel (no Cache), this foam will provide some protection for an unprotected laptop.

What's Included

Standard Shoulder Strap
1.5" / 38 mm nylon webbing strap, includes .25" / 6mm texturized rubber pad and heavy-duty plastic snaphooks.

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.

A Set of Black 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.

3D Clear Organizer Cube
The 3D Clear Organizer Cube is the perfect organizer for your toiletries and is specifically designed to meet the TSA 3-1-1 liquids-program requirements. If you want a faster and smoother security checkpoint experience, use the Cube as your go-to toiletries bag. 

Cache
The Cadet can accommodate a wide range of devices. If you plan on putting a laptop or smaller tablet in the interior open-top pocket, we recommend adding a Cache

The main compartment of the Cadet can store up to a 16" laptop. Inside the main compartment are two unobtrusive webbing loops to which you can secure the optional Cache.

You can also store your files or magazines in the large open-top pocket or insert a Freudian Slip for extra organization.

The Cadet has three exterior-access compartments. The first of the exterior pockets is a small horizontal zippered pocket. Like the other compartments, it has a YKK Racquet-Coil water-repellent zipper.

Behind the small zippered pocket is a contoured zippered compartment that opens to about half of the height of the bag, revealing organizer pockets sized for a Magic Mouse or similar size device, cell phone, passport, plus three pen/pencil pockets. There's plenty of additional room in this compartment for a power supply, phone charger, a small notebook, or snack. There are also two O-rings inside.

The back of the Cadet features a wide, open-top pocket for a magazine or newspaper. If you're using the Cadet for travel, the bottom of this pocket zips open so that you can slide the bag over the handle of a rolling luggage.

The Cadet can be worn as a messenger (crossbody), shoulder bag, or briefcase. Shoulder strap attachment points are on the left and right sides of the Cadet and feature our exclusive, super-heavy-duty DuPont Delrin® eye-loops, tested to 260 pounds each. Our Standard Shoulder Strap is included with the Cadet. You have the option of upgrading to our Absolute Shoulder Strap. Two comfortable padded handles meet above the bag's center of gravity; when the Cadet is zipped shut, the handles come nicely together so you don't have to fish for them when it's time to grab and go.

Between the exterior and the lining is .25/6 mm closed cell foam on the front, back, and bottom — this gives the Cadet its shape and provides additional protection for your laptop; if you choose to go au naturel (no Cache), this foam will provide some protection for an unprotected laptop.

Standard Shoulder Strap
1.5" / 38 mm nylon webbing strap, includes .25" / 6mm texturized rubber pad and heavy-duty plastic snaphooks.

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.

A Set of Black 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.

3D Clear Organizer Cube
The 3D Clear Organizer Cube is the perfect organizer for your toiletries and is specifically designed to meet the TSA 3-1-1 liquids-program requirements. If you want a faster and smoother security checkpoint experience, use the Cube as your go-to toiletries bag. 

Cache
The Cadet can accommodate a wide range of devices. If you plan on putting a laptop or smaller tablet in the interior open-top pocket, we recommend adding a Cache

Materials

Zippers

#10 YKK Racquet coil zipper on main compartment
#8 YKK Racquet water-repellent coil zippers on pockets

Components

Tough Duraflex®, Nexus, and Woojin buckles and related components

Specs

Dimensions

16.1" (w) x 12.6" (h) x 4.5" (d) / 410 (w) x 320 (h) x 115 (d) mm

Weight

1 lb 9 oz / 710 grams

Volume

 14 liters / 825 cu. in. (ASTM Standard Measure)

Total O-rings

4

(2 in the main compartment
2 in the contoured zippered compartment)

4.9
Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars
Based on 57 reviews
98%would recommend this product
57 reviews
  • Nathan D.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Comfortable, Sewn in USA, Good Storage Size, Versatile
    1 year ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Comfortable, Sewn in USA, Good Storage Size, Versatile
    Rated 4 out of 5 stars
    Good bag but overpriced

    This is a good bag but I don't feel it's worth the price. Also after a couple weeks of use I've noticed a few tiny threads sticking out of seams-I used scissors and cut them off but this is disappointing for a bag that cost almost $200. The handle is a little flimsy without any rubber and doesn't have a solid feel but I mostly use it with the upgraded shoulder strap(a nice upgrade but should really be standard. Overall it is well made and has great zippers. It's a good bag but I probably would not buy it again unless it was considerably cheaper.

  • James B.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Compact, Good Storage Size, High Quality Craftsmanship, Thoughtful Design
    1 year ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Compact, Good Storage Size, High Quality Craftsmanship, Thoughtful Design
    Rated 4 out of 5 stars
    Great bag

    Really like this bag. Perfect sized for day to day commuting with a Mac Air. My Pilot is great but too big for the daily grind.

    I have one minor(ish) gripe about the Cadet. The handles are too thin and not particularly comfortable when not carrying the bag with a shoulder strap. The handles on the Pilot were lightly cushioned and it made for a more comfortable carry. Upgrade the handles in a future model and it would be a 5 star.

  • Mark K.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Easily Adjustable, Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship
    1 year ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Easily Adjustable, Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Great side bag for my needs

    I'm one of those weirdos who wears a cloak as a winter coat. It doesn't exactly work well with my backpack, so I needed another bag and this one was perfect. Same high quality as my backpack without making me look stranger than I already am

    If I'm headed to work I can clip in my laptop in it's cache, or I can leave it out and have more room for anything I pick up along the way.

    This is made as a briefcase-alike so is mostly good for storing things that would fit/go in a briefcase. But in a pinch I can fit two frozen pizzas in it, so who could ask for more?

  • Jared P.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Good Storage Size, Great Gift, Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, Durable
    7 months ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Good Storage Size, Great Gift, Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, Durable
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    The Briefcase for your Brick of a Work Laptop

    My employer was gracious enough to grace me with a giant Lenovo laptop that would require a Cache larger than would fit into any of TB's briefcases. I've been using a Western Flyer for a while, but was looking for something smaller when I realized the Cadet had some built in padding. Closed, my computer's physical dimensions are approx. 9.85" X 14.56 " and it works well in here without a Cache. The Cache that would fit that computer is likely too big for this bag, so I appreciate having an option that I can carry Cache-less.

    Absolutely love the Admin panel in the front pouch; has a lovely ability to fold down a bit to assist with loading and unloading it. I do wish this bag had some of the more fun Halcyon interiors, but I understand why it doesn't. It's a great excuse to get some Cubelets and VPCs, etc in your preferred color to use as further interior storage. The Burnt Orange is a fun lovely color Ballistic, while still being dark enough to not appear unprofessional.

  • Kathy D.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts High Quality Craftsmanship, Good Storage Size, Versatile, Thoughtful Design, Durable
    1 year ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts High Quality Craftsmanship, Good Storage Size, Versatile, Thoughtful Design, Durable
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    The Cadet Bag is Wonderful!

    The Cadet bag is all I hoped it would be. This bag holds not only my laptop but my lunch and water bottle. I’m so happy to carry only one bag now.

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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.

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