Side Effect
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Lifetime Guarantee
You can expect your TOM BIHN bag to give you years of hard service. Our bags are guaranteed to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for the life of the bag. That means if something goes wrong and it's our fault, we'll fix it at no charge.
Same with your Skookum Dog gear: it'll give you years of hard service and is guaranteed to be free of defects in materials or workmanship. If something goes wrong and it's our fault, we'll fix it at no charge. If your dog chews something up or otherwise damages it, we'll repair it for a reasonable fee if it is repairable.
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Side Effect
Materials:
bluesign® and OEKO-TEX® certified Ultralight 400d Halcyon/420d nylon ripstop exterior — or — bluesign® certified 525 denier High-Tenacity 2x2 Ballistic nylon |
bluesign® and OEKO-TEX® certified 200 denier Halcyon/nylon ripstop fabric lining — or — bluesign® certified210 denier High-Tenacity 2x2 Ballistic fabric lining |
#8 YKK coil zippers |
Shoulder Strap: 5/8" nylon webbing with plastic snaphooks |
Construction:
Made in USA with fabric from Korea / Japan / U.S.A. |
100% finished seams |
Specs:
Dimensions: 8.7" (w) x 5.1" (h) x 2" (d) / 220 (w) x 130 (h) x 50 (d) mm |
Weight: 525d & 1050d high tenacity ballistic nylon: 6.4 oz / 185 grams 400d Halcyon®/nylon ripstop: 5.8 oz / 163 grams Optional Waist Strap: 1.6 oz / 45 grams |
Volume: 90 cubic inches / 1.5 liters (ASTM Standard Measure) |
What's Included: 1x 5/8 Shoulder Strap 1x 8-inch Black Webbing Snaphook/Snaphook Key Strap 1x Black Zipper Pulls w/ Plastic Ends (8-Pack) |
Total O-rings: 5 (4 in the main compartment; 1 in the front zippered pocket) |
The Side Effect is a bag that has evolved directly from user feedback (mostly from folks on our Forums). The original Side Effect was a small waist pack: you guys were cutting off the waist straps, attaching Key Straps, and envisioning new ways to use the bag which we hadn't. Other mods — more
Think of the Side Effect as a deluxe, tricked out, fully organizable 3D Organizer Cube. The main compartment zips with two sliders; inside the main compartment are four O-rings -- two set dead center and two set in lower inside the bag in the side panels. There's also two open-top organizer pockets sized for your phone, a small notebook, or a wallet. The open space in the main compartment can fit larger items: 8-oz water bottle, small camera, sunglasses, power supplies, souvenirs.
On the outside of the bag is a zippered pocket sized specifically for a passport (or multiple passports — in case you're carrying your kid's passport or you are Jason Bourne). That pocket spans the full width of the Side Effect; there's one
Four ways to carry the Side Effect:
Included 5/8" Shoulder Strap
On either side of the Side Effect are O-rings to which you can attach the included 5/8" Shoulder Strap — nylon webbing, adjustable, with plastic snaphooks (no pad). Wear it over your shoulder or cross body, or use the 5/8" Shoulder Strap to hang the Side Effect on a coat hook or doorknob.
Optional Waist Strap
Also on the sides of the bag: unobtrusive webbing loops to which you can attach the optional
Optional Handle Loop
Clip the Handle Loop to one of the O-rings on either side of the Side Effect and carry the whole affair in hand. Laden with heavy objects and swung correctly, the Side Effect becomes a weapon, but we would never suggest this use.
Key Strap
Clip one side of any variety of Key Strap to the Side Effect and then clip the other side of the Key Strap to an O-ring inside one of our larger bags. That way, the Side Effect stays tethered to your bag: convenient and secure. (Hint: the Side Effect fits in most of our bags, but we think it works especially well in the bottom pocket of the Synapse 25, side pocket of the Smart Alec, main compartments of the Small and Medium Cafe Bags, and clipped to the hidden O-rings in the Swift.)
Choosing an Exterior FabricYou like choices and we like to give you choices! That's why the Side Effect 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 400d Halcyon
1050d High Tenacity Ballistic Nylon
525d High Tenacity Ballistic Nylon
*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. |
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your bag already has great built-in organization. that said, you may want to add these optional organizational accessories to further organize and protect what you carry.

Gatekeeper Waist Strap
On the sides of the Side Effect, there are two unobtrusive webbing loops to which you can attach the optional 1" Waist Strap with our now-ubiquitous Gatekeepers. Attach the optional Waist Strap, buckle the bag around your waist or hips, and you've got a sweet waist pack — great for cycling, hiking, or any situation where you need your hands completely free.

Handle Loop
The Handle Loop is a loop of webbing that allows you to add a grab handle or wrist loop to your Side Effect.

Key Straps
A Key Strap is a strip of webbing or fabric with plastic snaphooks or a plastic snaphook and O-ring at each end. An 8” Key Strap in Black is included in most of our larger bags. All the members of the Key Strap family are intended to make locating things in your bag easier and more instinctive. Pulling out a small item or pouch tethered to a strap is easier than rooting around aimlessly in the depths of your pack; you can also rest assured that anything hooked to a strap is much less likely to fall out or otherwise be left behind.
You can expect your TOM BIHN bag to give you years of hard service. Our bags are guaranteed to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for the life of the bag. That means if something goes wrong and it's our fault, we'll fix it at no charge.
Defects in materials or workmanship are uncommon and are most often evident while your bag is still new. Keep in mind that daypacks and briefcases are often subject to serious wear in everyday use. We often see TOM BIHN bags that are still solid and in use after five, ten, fifteen, even twenty or twenty-five years, with minor repairs needed here or there. But remember: only true love lasts forever.