Parental Unit in Deep Blue (dark blue) 525 Ballistic. Parental Unit in Deep Blue (dark blue) 525 Ballistic with Moss (green with light grey interior) 210 Cerylon interior. Parental Unit in Aubergine (dark purple) 525 Ballistic. Parental Unit in Aubergine (dark purple) 525 Ballistic with Northwest Sky (light grey) 200 Halcyon interior. Parental Unit in Aubergine (dark purple) 630 Ballistic with Moss (green) 210 Cerylon interior. Parental Unit in Black Ballistic. Parental Unit in Black 525d Ballistic Nylon with Marigold (yellow with light yellow grid) 210 Cerylon interior. Parental Unit in Black 525d Ballistic Nylon/Island Blue 200d Halcyon Parental Unit in Black 525 Ballistic. Parental Unit in Black 525 Ballistic with a Mountain Grey interior.. Parental Unit in Black 525 Ballistic with a Mountain Grey interior.. Parental Unit in Nebulous Grey (medium grey) 525 Ballistic. Parental Unit in Nebulous Grey (medium grey) 525 Ballistic with Island (yellow with light yellow grid) 210 Cerylon. Parental Unit in Nebulous Grey Ballistic Sakura 200 Halcyon Parental Unit in Nebulous Grey (medium grey) 525 Ballistic with Island (blue with white grid) 200 Halcyon. Parental Unit in Ursa (brown-grey) Ballistic The Parental Unit in Ursa Ballistic/Zest 200 Halcyon. Parental Unit in Ursa (brown-grey) 525 Ballistic with Moss (green with light green grid) 210 Cerylon. The Parental Unit in Constellation (light blue) Ballistic. The Parental Unit in Constellation (light blue) Ballistic with Marigold (yellow with light yellow grid) 210 Cerylon interior. The Parental Unit in Wilderness (forest green) Ballistic. The Parental Unit in Wilderness (forest green) Ballistic with Island 200 Halycon interior. Parental Unit with Coyote (tan) 1050 Ballistic. Parental Unit with Coyote (tan) 1050 Ballistic with Northwest Sky 200 Halcyon. Parental Unit with Coyote (tan) 1050 Ballistic with Zest 200 Halcyon. Parental Unit in Navy 1050 Ballistic. Parental Unit in Navy 1050 Ballistic with an Acai 200 Halcyon interior. Parental Unit in Black 1050 Ballistic. Parental Unit in Black 1050 Ballistic with an Moss 210 Cerylon interior. Parental Unit with Burnt Orange 1050 Ballistic. Parental Unit with Burnt Orange 1050 Ballistic with Northwest Sky (light grey with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. Parental Unit with Burnt Orange 1050 Ballistic with Northwest Sky (blue-grey with light grey grid) 210 Cerylon interior.
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Color:

In Stock

Available Color options

Cool bag; holds diapers, if you want.

13 liters / 825 cu. in.


Description

Our design mission was this: a brilliantly useful diaper bag that could be used even beyond the diaper stage.

The Parental Unit is the result of Tom's resolve to build a "diaper bag" that does more than just assist parents with changing diapers: it'll help organize and mobilize any parent or parents that participate in the modern world with their young kids. Unless you're just letting them go feral out on the back 40, you're likely to appreciate how the P.U. can make trips to the store, to the in-laws, daycare and even the museum less stressful and perhaps just as much fun as they should be. Plus you won't look like a dork with some huge encumbrance slung over your shoulder, whacking nice people in the face as you navigate the narrow aisles of public transit or cozy restaurants. We particularly eschewed goofy printed fabrics: if you want a bag that screams "I'm a parent!", you'll have to look elsewhere. The Parental Unit was designed to be as svelte as possible, and equally stylish for all genders: long after the kids are out of diapers and on their way to college, the P.U. might still be your favorite go-to bag for everyday carry.

The P.U. is a shoulder bag, intended to be carried over one shoulder or with the strap cross-body, like a bike messenger bag. It comes with the Standard Shoulder Strap, but you can upgrade to the Absolute Shoulder Strap

In terms of organization, the Parental Unit has it in spades. It is symmetrical front-to-back: both faces have gently curved zippers that open to generous, but not excessive, organizer compartments. Both of these are further divided into three vertical sub-compartments; the dividers themselves are more generous at their tops so that the wearer can easily see down into the sub-compartments. The center of the three is sized to fit most diapers, wipe dispensers (travel or home size both fit) and/or a changing pad; the spaces on either side are good for baby bottles, water bottles, or snacks. Most parents tend to divide the utilization of the bag by putting food and drink on one face and diaper changing accoutrements on the other. Both front and back have smallish zippered pockets that are nonetheless more than adequate for big phones or even phablets, a wallet, keys, etc.

And while we’re on the topic of organization: inside The Parental Unit are 10 O-rings — small, round, plastic rings to which you can secure Key StrapsOrganizer Pouches, and other accessories for custom organization. We've included one 8” Key Strap in Black.

The center compartment opens with a top zipper with two zipper sliders. We assume you'll leave that unzipped most of the time for fast access to a toy or a spit-up cloth, but you can zip it shut in bad weather or if you need to stow it during travel. Two billowy open-top pouches are sewn front and back inside this main compartment—you can choose to leave them empty and just take advantage of the large space, or you can use them to further organize changes of clothes and more diapers, or stash food, wipes, rags, etc. The outer surfaces of these pouches have zippers that allow you to join them together, dividing that one big space into four smaller separate ones (we know that's hard to picture—see the images above). You might find that our Travel Stuff Sacks keep changes of clothes better organized, but of course zip-lock type bags are fine too.

Two simple 1” / 25mm webbing handles can be found inside the zipper of the main compartment. These two handles give you an easy way to grab and move or carry the Parental Unit while its main compartment is zipped open. This is mostly to use while loading the Parental Unit: say, moving it from the kitchen to the nursery, for example. Because the handles are sewn inside, they politely disappear when you zip the bag shut.

Outside, near the top on the back, is a 1" / 25mm flat triangular snaphook: if you require fast access to your keys you'll appreciate this, but Junior would probably prefer you put a small teddy bear or binky there instead.

We make the Parental Unit in three shell fabrics: 1050d ballistic, 400d Halcyon, and our lighter weight ballistic nylon; and two lining fabrics: 200d Halcyon, and 210d Cerylon. All exterior zippers are #8 YKK Racquet Coil, and there is one #5 YKK Vislon Molded Tooth zipper on the inside. 

Interior

bluesign® and OEKO-TEX® certified 200 denier Halcyon/nylon ripstop
— or —
bluesign® certified 210 denier Cerylon 6,6 Ripstop nylon

Zippers

Exterior Zippers: 5x #8 YKK Racquet-Coil Water-Repellant Zippers

Interior Divider Zipper: #5 YKK Vislon Molded Tooth Zippers

Components

Duraflex®, Nexus, and Woojin buckles and related components

Specs

Dimensions

16.1” (w) x 9.6” (h) x 7.9” (d) / 410 (w) x 245 (h) x 200 (d) mm

Weight

Ballistic: 1 lb 3.8 oz / 560 grams
400d Halcyon®/420d nylon ripstop: 15.3 oz / 433 grams

Volume

13.5 liters, 825 cubic inches (ASTM Standard Measure)

Choosing an Exterior Fabric

You like choices and we like to give you choices! That's why the Parental Unit is typically available* in three different exterior fabrics. Our Materials Glossary explains each fabric in great detail, but here are some quick facts that may help you decide which to choose. And we're always here if you have questions: emailus@tombihn.com

1050d High Tenacity Ballistic Nylon

Weave:
2x2 “ballistic” weave
Fibers:
1050 denier type 6,6 (high tenacity) filament nylon
Coating:
medium urethane
Made in:
U.S.A.

Choose this fabric if

  • You want a super-tough fabric – originally designed for use in bullet-proof vests.
  • The weight of your bag isn’t a huge concern (though it’s worth noting that 1050d Ballistic is still lighter than cotton canvas or leather).
  • You want a smooth surface that won’t collect pet hair or sweater fuzz, slides easily into and out of the overhead bin, and fits in whether you're traveling for work or leisure.

High Tenacity Ballistic Nylon

Weave:
2x2 “ballistic” weave
Fibers:
Type 6,6 (high tenacity) filament nylon, twisted
Coating:
heavy urethane
Made in:
South Korea with Canadian Yarn

Choose this fabric if

  • You want your bag to be soft and supple yet tough as nails.
  • You want a fabric that's stately enough to be at home at work, the mountains, or a nice hotel.
  • You don't want your bag to collect pet hair or abrade your clothing.
*There may be times when one of the exterior fabrics mentioned here isn't available. Even with our best efforts, the demand for our bags occasionally outpaces our production capabilities: at times, some products, color combinations, or fabrics might be temporarily unavailable or "In Production." See the In Production color combinations as a guide to what our factory crew is making and what will be available next.
4.9
Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars
Based on 41 reviews
100%would recommend this product
41 reviews
  • Laura C.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Good Storage Size, Durable, Unique, Thoughtful Design, Sewn in USA
    1 hour ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Good Storage Size, Durable, Unique, Thoughtful Design, Sewn in USA
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Awesome bag and not just for diapers!

    This is a great everyday bag with pockets galore. Perfect for day trips. Also to make it more personalized looking, it’s easy to find colorful straps to change out the one that it comes with.

  • Thomas O.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    5 days ago
    Bought For Myself
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Great for travel

    Perfect as a carry on for our trip to South Africa.

  • Stephanie S.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship, Versatile, Sewn in USA
    6 days ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship, Versatile, Sewn in USA
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Great Bag

    The Parental Unit is so much more than a diaper bag. I can definitely see how it would be great to use as a diaper bag but I have no need for a diaper bag. I purchased the bag to use as an everyday bag for work to hold my computer, gym clothes, water bottle etc. and it fits everything I need with great organization. I also plan to use it as a personal item for plane travel and a camera bag while on vacation. It fits my needs perfectly. Previously I was using a backpack that was top opening and everything would fall to the bottom and I would have to dig around to find anything. This bags layout is great because everything has a place.

  • CONG Q.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship, Good Storage Size, Compact
    1 week ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship, Good Storage Size, Compact
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Great bag for the little one!

    I am a new parent and really wanted a bag that wasn't too big and obvious as "diaper" bag that was also comfortable. This ticks all my boxes of being very slick looking, doesn't look like a diaper bag, and super comfy to use. I've already gotten many compliments and questions about it whenever I go out with it.

    It's definitely expensive for such a bag but I also think with the thoughtful design of allowing you to customize the size of the dividers will allow me to use this as my child grows for various things. The only ding I would give is it did feel kind of expensive but after receiving it and using it, I wouldn't buy anything else. If you are looking to splurge on a diaper bag, this is the one to get!

  • Marie H.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Unique, Good Storage Size, Versatile, Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship
    1 month ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Unique, Good Storage Size, Versatile, Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Perfect for organizing maniacs or parents

    Lots of pockets and dividers with large main compartment that also can be divided. Each pocket, except for the 2 thin ones (in which I use for phone and tickets etc), opens large so things are easy to retrieve despite of the deepness. There are no tiny pockets like pen slots, but you can easily use a pen case or something. Very lightweight so I do recommend this product....Except for the people with tiny frame; the normal shoulder strap won't shorten enough (at least for me) for the bag to be sitting comfortably high enough. I have the absolute strap from another purchase so it worked out, but for some people it may sit too low for their liking. Other than this, this is a great bag. I sincerely love the Sakura coloring and am happy to have this.

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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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