I have a large cafe bag which I use for work (and love), which was also intended to be my all purpose cross body bag for traveling. I have a progressive muscle disease that makes it increasingly difficult to carry much weight around for long periods, especially if I’m walking uphill or climbing stairs. After my last trip to Edinburgh, I knew I had to find a better day to day alternative.
Tom Bihn is my go to source for most of my “ carrying stuff around” needs, so I visited the website, and immediately found my answer in the small version of the cafe bag. I’d thought I should go with a bag made entirely of the lighter weight Halcyon fabric, but there weren’t any available, and I needed a bag sooner than later. The model I chose, with a ballistic exterior and Halcyon lining, arrived quickly and revealed itself to be perfect for me. It easily holds all the stuff I need to carry around on a daily basis, and can accommodate a small iPad and very light wind breaker. It has just enough internal organization options to keep my smaller stuff easily assessable, but not so much that things get lost in endless pockets. It could hold a narrow steel water bottle if I needed it to, but I rarely do because that weight seems to tip the scale to too heavy. The shoulder strap and pad are wide and comfortable and easy to adjust when I need to shorten the strap to hang it over an arm rest at a restaurant or performance. I use my larger bag’s waist strap when I’m riding my bike, but…
Small Cafe Bag
Medium Cafe Bag
Maker's Bag
