My Tom Bihn Brain Bag Backpack

Mar

25th

2008

I’ve been looking for a new backpack for the past couple of weeks as I have a long summer of travel ahead. As a software engineer, I have to lug around my laptop, multiple cables, power supplies, notebooks, and other equipment, and a good bag is a must. I also wanted something that will hold all that gear, a 17″ laptop, and my DSLR camera, so my old bag, which I’ve had for almost 10 years, is in need of an upgrade.

In doing my mandatory research, I came across the Tom Bihn Brain Bag. I’ve read almost their entire website, done multiple Google searches for reviews, and even had a buddy who lives in the Seattle area drop by to take a gander at their setup. One thing is for sure, there aren’t very many bad comments out on the web about Tom Bihn’s products.

Mine arrived today. I ordered the Brain Bag (in navy) and a 2S Brain Cell (a sleeve for the laptop) to hold my Dell. All of my research was right on target…I love it.

As an engineer, I like it because it’s built well, good looking, and just plain simple. No fancy stuff…just room for whatever you want and a comfortable, attractive way to carry it.

The pros:

It’s light and comfortable. It seems to “hug” my back and has a great padded feel to it. Although I haven’t weighed it, it feels several pounds lighter than my previous backpack.
It’s HUGE inside. The Brain Cell takes up the majority of one of the two main compartments, but can still hold more stuff. The other compartment will hold my camera, equipment, and two 3-ring binders.
There aren’t a lot of small compartments. I consider this a positive as it will keep my “clutter” to a minimum. The front two pockets have some room for some pens and other small items, but there aren’t as many spaces for my stuff to sink to the bottom and be forgotten.
The waist strap is removable and it comes off without much effort.
A lifetime warranty.

The cons:

The cost. Tom is proud of it, but at this point I’d say it was money well spent. A lot of reviews I’ve read said that the owners have had their bags for 5+ years and it still looks like new. And, it seems that once you’re a Tom Bihn customer, you’re hooked on their bags.

I look forward to putting the bag through a few more “tests” and showing it off a bit. It’s a good looking bag that seems to be quite functional, as well. It certainly meets my requirements of carrying more stuff than my previous backpack, and has the potential to be a “one bag solution” to both my work and personal needs. That’s not to say I won’t order a different style of bag from Tom in the future.

Comments

One Response to “My Tom Bihn Brain Bag Backpack”

caroline on April 11th, 2008 6:46 pm

Hey, so can you lock the brain bag’s compartments at all?
do u think it’s enough to travel light across asia?
The thing is i think it’s slightly more rugged and more geared towards adventure travel than the aeronaut, wouldn’t you say?
please let me know what you think!
Caroline

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