TOM BIHN Bags Blog

Have a great Independence Day weekend! (plus pictures from maverick)

darcy — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:19:35 -0700

All of us at TOM BIHN wish you a happy, fun, and safe Independence Day weekend. Below are just two of the 20+ pictures taken by maverick of his trip to San Francisco with his Tri-Star. Click here to see more.

Next week should bring news of the Synapse, Camera Insert, Kindle/Netbook Ristretto, and Ultrasuede shoulder strap wrap. Stay tuned!

NYTimes: Cutting Those Carry-Ons Down to Size

darcy — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:48:03 -0700

ON THE ROAD
Cutting Those Carry-Ons Down to Size

By JOE SHARKEY Published: June 29, 2009

"THE law of unforeseen consequences came to mind the other day as I was reading through a bill recently introduced in Congress that addresses the problem of too many oversize carry-on bags. The bill would standardize the size of carry-on items and require the Transportation Security Administration to enforce limits by measuring the bags at its checkpoints." Read the entire article @ the NYTimes.

Read the full text of the bill - Securing Cabin Baggage Act - here. Then, post your thoughts in the TOM BIHN Forums.

Our Aeronaut, Tri-Star, Checkpoint Flyer and Western Flyer carry-on travel bags meet the size requirements outlined in the bill.

Above: The Aeronaut also meets Heathrow requirements.

In stock: Zephyr, Ristretto

darcy — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:53:52 -0700

The Zephyr briefcase is in-stock in all colors, including Black/Indigo/Steel.

The new Ristretto is also in-stock in all colors, including Olive/Cayenne.

TOM BIHN Forums: Great advice for a trip to Seattle

darcy — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 10:46:41 -0700

BPritchard asked:
"My wife and I are planning a trip to the Seattle area next year. We are thinking that the end of June and first week of July would be a good time. We want to avoid any park closures due to late snow."

Just a short excerpt of timothy's reply:
"June / July: excellent time to visit, esp. if you're put off by the though that Seattle is a rainy place. It does rain (less than many other cities, blah blah blah, a gentle soothing mist, blah blah blah ), but seldom in the summer -- most summers are about like this one has been, mostly glorious blue skies, sun glinting on water, good weather for biking, picnicking, walking around, admiring flowers.
It's a good town for food -- I think it's great, in fact! (I'm a fairly low-brow eater -- once in a while, I like to get great sushi, though; my favorite place -- with great vegan options, if that matters to you -- is Mashiko, on California Street in West Seattle. A slight pain to reach from the rest of Seattle, but also the home of the quite nice little in-city Alki Beach.) The Bihn factory is between West Seattle and the downtown, if you're there one of the days open to the public. If you are an omnivore, I recommend Pho (Vietnamese soup) as being a local favorite -- Than Bros. is my favorite, and they have several locations. The "large" bowl is nearly impossible for one human to comfortably finish. Vietnamese coffee is a thing unto itself -- sweet, strong, electrifying. Plus, Than Bros. serves you a cream puff as a sort of micro-dessert. "

Read timothy's entire reply - with a lot of great Seattle tips - in the TOM BIHN Forums.

In stock: The Aeronaut (All Colors)

darcy — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:59:17 -0700

The Aeronaut is now in-stock and ships within one business day in all colors: Steel/Steel, Steel/Solar, Indigo/Steel, Black/Steel, and Crimson/Steel. If you know the Aeronaut, you know that it sells out pretty quickly - if you need one for a trip within the next 2-1/2 months, we'd recommend ordering ASAP.

Above: Pictures from the Building Bridges review of the Aeronaut.

New Swift Pictures: Navy/Storm, Linen/Olive, Punch/Navy + More

darcy — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:19:33 -0700

We've added new pictures of our Swift knitting bag in Indigo/Indigo, Linen/Olive, Plum/Black, Punch/Cocoa, Punch/Navy, and Navy/Storm to the Swift page.

In stock: Tri-Star in Indigo/Solar

darcy — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 09:55:12 -0700

The Tri-Star is now in-stock in all colors, including Indigo/Solar. However, there are only a small quantity of Indigo/Solar bags left - and more will not be completed by our Seattle factory until mid-late August. If you are interested in an Indigo/Solar Tri-Star, we recommend ordering now.

Shannon Hurst Lane: Best Travel Backpack (the Smart Alec)

darcy — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:38:09 -0700

"Yes, as the person who was quoted in Glamour Magazine for my "organized chaos", the Vertical Freudian Slip has help me keep papers in order on one side, and extra pens and my Crackberry on the other."

Read the full review @ Shannon Hurst Lane's blog.

Pictures: Europe 2009 on 17lbs (Packing the Tri-Star)

darcy — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 10:38:37 -0700

View the slideshow above then read the thread in the TOM BIHN Forums.

The New Ristretto Messenger

darcy — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:22:00 -0700

Tom's second shot on the Ristretto is the upgrade for which you've all been waiting. The new Ristretto has the same basic form-factor as the first version - it's still a vertical way to carry a MacBook Air, 13" MacBook/Pro or similar sized computer.

Design changes include:

Main compartment is 3/8" (10mm) is thicker

Front pouch now has 1" (25mm) of depth

Organizer pockets are now in the front pouch instead of in the main compartment

Flap is now edged with contrasting black trim

Instead of adjustable toothed slides to attach the shoulder strap, the Ristretto now features the same steel eyelets as the Empire Builder and Aeronaut which allows the use of a wider variety of shoulder straps and allows the strap to pivot. A version of our Standard Shoulder Strap with metal d-rings is included with the Ristretto. For an additional $10, one can upgrade to the TerraGrip; for $15, the Q-AM (yes, with d-rings); and for $20, the Absolute.

More pictures and information coming soon. The new Ristretto - available for pre-order now - will be in-stock and shipping by July 8th.

The Smart Alec in Steel/Solar [Flickr]

tombihninc — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 12:14:10 PST

tombihninc posted a photo: