Best Bag Quest Leads To Tom Bihn

Back in January, I posted two pieces on man-bags and everyday carry. My quest is near complete; I think I’ve found the best bags I’m looking for! From a company all about bags and made right here in America: Tom Bihn.

File this under Mobile Computing: Accessories. Why? Because I’ve got two bags now that I plan to buy. One big enough for my phablet. The other big enough for a tablet. And that’s just for starters.

Tom Bihn

I’ve been kind of obsessing over Tom Bihn bags lately. I looked at them before with interest yet kept my quest broad. But now I’m settling on Bihn bags. It’s not just the bags, it’s the company.

The website is done super well. It’s very informative, not just about the bags they sell, but about the materials and individual components that go into making their bags. It utilizes text and a host of polished, fun videos that educate customers and bag enthusiasts.

Yes. One can be enthusiastic about bags.

The site goes even further, like on the Tom Bihn blog. You can learn about the bag design process itself there. Tom Bihn is an expert bag maker and has a passion for quality craftsmanship and bags in general.

More than that, he and his company show care for their customers (and their employees) as people who need or want good bags. While that sounds like it shouldn’t be surprising, I find it refreshing and genuine. Just check out the Company Philosophy page. And the footer of every site page boldly lists a “Lifetime Guarantee.”

I don’t want to buy “just a bag”. I want to buy into a company I can trust and rely on for quality. While Tom Bihn’s website conveys these traits, a good outside source to learn about the best bags is Carryology. In one article, they list the 10 best buy-it-for-life bag brands. And yes, Tom Bihn is one of them.

Also, there’s another cool thing: Tom Bihn bags are made in the USA! I totally support that.

The Bags

Now let me talk about another aspect of Tom Bihn. Without hyperbole, the bags they make are sort of like rare treasures. It’s the simple law of economics: supply and demand.

Tom Bihn being a small company making bags for a huge number of people means supply is small and demand is huge. Pre-orders sell out quick. They have a limited rotation of bags in stock at any given time.

Meanwhile, only particular bags are in production for a certain time, waiting to be snapped up by willing buyers as soon as the bags are available. And it’s not just the bags, but the specific colors you might want. They’re all limited.

This makes the bags harder to come by. And that raises their value: scarcity. I like this. It happens to help my bank account too because, otherwise, I may hit the “buy” button too often and too quickly.

A slower paced, limited release schedule imparts quality. At Tom Bihn, they take time to make great bags. I appreciate that.

So I’ve signed up to be notified when certain bags become available! It’s kind of like a wait-list. The downside is that I could really use an EDC bag now; I must keep stuffing my pockets a bit longer with my daily gear.

I’ve got 6 essential items: phone, keys, wallet, Airpods, mask, sunglasses.

I carry these (plus a folding knife that stays clipped to my pocket) everywhere I go everyday, and I just don’t have enough pockets, or patience, to keep up with them. I need one place where they all can live. So when I gotta go, I just grab the EDC bag and all my stuff goes with me.

For the essentials, I’ve chosen the Everyday Cubelet. At one point, I had decided on grey; it’s neutral and works with business casual. But now I so want the burnt orange. It’s my favorite!

The other bag I plan to buy is the Small Cafe bag. It looks cool, and it’s just big enough to carry a 10″ tablet plus EDC gear. #takemymoney.

Besides these, I’m eager to order a Ghost Whale Organizer Pouch (small) to store my sunglasses safely and securely inside a TB bag. I’ve been in need of one and learned Tom Bihn has a nice solution.

None of these Tom Bihn bags are available now – bummer – but I did make my first purchases anyways! I bought the Clear Organizer Pouch – mini plus Handle Loop w/O-Ring. And I grabbed a Ghost Whale Organizer Pouch – super-mini (for my AirPods).

I’ll get a first-hand taste of Tom Bihn craftsmanship. I plan to check out the stitching, seams, material color and feel, and of course the O-Ring and snap-hook pieces. Also, the pouches will fit nicely as accessories into the bags I get in the near future.

This is another reason why I’m excited about Tom Bihn bags: their modular organization system. The bags are made to work together. Little organizer pouches snap into the bags. And small bags can attach neatly onto or into bigger bags. The system relies on simple hooks and O-Rings, among other things. It’s thoughtful design.

To help me wait for my first purchases to arrive and for the bags on my wish-list to become available, I’ve joined the Forums at the Tom Bihn site. It’s a good place to learn more about the bags and share in the obsession enthusiasm over them.

Quest Near Complete

So this is where I’m at in my quest for the best bag.

I think I’ve landed at the right spot with Tom Bihn. At first, I wanted a Sling Bag. Then a Messenger Bag. Then my want changed to a small cross-body bag. Tom Bihn has many great options for all the above; I’m buying in.

I just can’t wait until the Everday Cubelet and Small Cafe bag are available.

Call me a Bihnatic.