Posts Tagged Tom Bihn
Practical Travel Gear Rewind (September 2010)
We review a lot of travel gadgets, travel clothing, shoes, and accessories on this blog but sometimes they go by pretty fast—as in a new review going up every weekday. We try to put things through some tough tests, but there’s no substitute for using something for months or years and seeing how it really holds up. Here are a few “rest of the story” comments on how items I’ve tried out have fared over the long term.
Still Impressive Gear
I’ve raved enough about the almost supernatural long-term quality of clothing from ExOfficio and the Columbia shirts I’ve been wearing a lot are faring very well also. In the luggage department, I have yet to encounter any problems with suitcases from Eagle Creek and all three of us continue to be impressed by bags from Tom Bihn. The Tom Bihn Aeronaut bag has been my carry-on of choice on a dozen trips now and probably will be for years and years to come.
I’ve had these Keen Sayulita shoes since April of 2009, I brought them with me to Mexico, and I’m still wearing them every week. ‘Nuff said.
I never thought the Travelon Travel Scale I got for a Christmas gift in 2008 would get such a workout. But my aversion to paying any overweight baggage charges for my wife has meant that I’ve used this a LOT. It still works great.
I thought these U Hydration Tablets were kind of silly when I got the samples in the mail. But then I used them, and kept using them, and even brought some with me to Mexico—useful when I finally got a bout of Montezuma’s revenge and needed vitamins+hydration.
My daughter and I keep fighting over who gets to use this iHome IHM7 mini speaker. It sounds far better than the pair of lightweight laptop speakers I bought in a computer store a couple months ago.
Travel Gear That Could Be Better
Over time I have developed a love/hate relationship with my HP dv3 laptop. Overall it’s a good machine that does most of what I need without taking up a lot of space or weighing me down. Lots of little quirks get on my nerves though. There’s a faulty sound driver that ends up taking 50% of the CPU resources sometimes even when there’s no sound on, so the fan will run high when it shouldn’t have to. At odd times a volume bar will pop up on the screen for no reason. And there’s some kind of function on the touch pad that can’t be turned off that makes the screen zoom in and out with just the slightest flick in the wrong place—a place I still can’t seem to pin down.
I really like my Kodak super-zoom camera and it was a great value for the money. It pisses me off though that when you shoot video it gets saved in Apple’s .MOV format instead of something the other 90% of the population uses. Editing requires conversion first, which is a pain in the rear.
I thought the Callpod Fueltank Charger was pretty cool, but then I hardly ever packed it, partly because it seems too large. So I guess I didn’t find it indispensable. I do usually carry their Chargepod product, but if I’m going to carry an energy storage device I’ll carry the Brunton Restore solar charger instead—and I do.
After occasional use over a few years, my compact Western Digital hard drive just plain died one day. The company said they would be glad to restore the data—for “probably around $800.” Um, how many years could you use Sugarsync for that amount of money instead…?
Posted by Tim L. in Business Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on September 13th, 2010
Sized Right: Tom Bihn Co-Pilot Personal Carry-On Travel Bag
When it comes to bags, bigger isn’t always better. And Tom Bihn’s new Co-Pilot bag is perfectly sized for those quick day trips when you need to keep things close at hand but don’t want to lug around a larger case.
The Co-Pilot is smaller than a typical laptop bag. But on a recent day trip, it was the perfect size for carrying my sunglasses case, a bottle of water, pill bottle, a GPS, extra shirt, papers and more. It’s still large enough, though, to carry a netbook or even my 12″ laptop.
The Co-Pilot features one main, zippered compartment with two open pouches, making it easy to organize gear and other necessities and keep them close at hand.
There are three zippered compartments on the front. One has a soft Ultrasuede-lined pocket that’s made for an iPhone or other cell phone, with room for a small toiletry kit, as well. Another front compartment will hold a small water bottle or a compact folding umbrella. And a third includes pen pockets and an o-ring to attach a key strap.
An open-top pocket on the back of the bag will carry a newspaper, magazine or book and still easily slip under an airline seat. The outside of the bag is made of abrasion-resistant ballistic nylon. All Tom Bihn bags are manufactured in Seattle.
The Co-Pilot sells for $110 in a choice of five colors and includes a standard shoulder strap. The optional Absolute Shoulder Strap ($30) has some extra “give” for carrying heavier items, with a patented control-stretch system.
Other Tom Bihn bags I’ve reviewed, including the checkpoint-friendly Checkpoint Flyer and the Tri-Star Travel Bag, have impressed me with their design and quality. The Co-Pilot carries on that tradition.
Posted by JohnG in Business Gear, General Gear on August 2nd, 2010
Best and Worst Travel Gear of 2009
We’ve been cranking out first-person reviews of travel gear on a daily basis and trying out lots of things as we hike, backpack, explore new cities, and navigate airports. Some items disappoint, some thrill, some defy expectations, so here’s a list of what worked and what didn’t in 2009.
Kara Williams
Item I used on the most trips this year
These Lucy capris are comfortable and stylish—they can go from the hiking trail to the dinner table. I wore them on the top of the Continental Divide in Colorado, to Maya ruins in Belize, to an ecological preserve in Mexico, and eating lobster in New Hampshire.
Worst piece of crap I gave up on
This battery-operated mosquito repellent is a travel-gear don’t. The blue plastic fan looks like a toy, so it’s dangerous to young children. Plus, it’s dorky and doesn’t work.
Most useful item for $20 or less
The Flip & Tumble bag. A reusable shopping bag that compacts into a tiny, squishy, 3-inch ball is a must-have for any traveler. Use it to tote items to the pool, buy groceries at the local market, or protect packed clothing from dirty shoes on the return trip.
John Gordon
Item I now cannot live without
It took a long time, but I’ve finally found a Bluetooth headset I can love. Motorola’s Endeavor HX1 (pictured at the top) offers excellent audio quality for normal conversations and true bone-conduction technology, like special forces use, to knock out extreme noise. Voice prompts make it easy to use.
Worst “Do we really need this?” item
Some things I just don’t understand, like Planesheets for covering airline seats. Besides the dubious claims of cleanliness, I’d just feel a little weird being the only passenger on the plane sitting in a zebra-stripe seat.
Most questionable travel app
iPhone and iPod users are familiar with the marketing line, “There’s an app for that.” Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Without Fear app is supposed to calm white-knuckled flyers. There’s a screen that says, “This is natural. We know you’re scared. You’re going to be OK.” Like that’s going to help.
Never leave home without it
My AT&T Tilt 2 smartphone (same as the HTC Touch Pro2) lets me keep in touch with friends and clients whether I’m at the neighborhood store or in another part of the world. Sure, AT&T sells a lot more iPhones than this model. When the iPhone gets a real keyboard, can tether to my laptop and lets me swap out the battery, I’ll consider it.
Tim Leffel
Worst Case of Greenwashing
There was plenty of greenwashing to go around this year and the “green gear” tag keeps making its way onto things that really aren’t. I debunked plenty of these, but the most obvious one was this Altus Lumen LED light that burns through four AA batteries in an hour. Decent product otherwise, but the bombastic claim of being “the world’s first sustainable portable LED light” turned out to be based on one factor: the shell is 75% recyclable—provided you pry it all apart and separate the pieces when the thing dies.
What I used the most this year
There were plenty of items I tried out and then put on a shelf. The new things I tried that became a permanent part of my ensemble included the Tom Bihn Aeronaut carry-on bag (pictured at the top), my Teva Omnium sandal shoes, and pretty much everything I put on from ExOfficio—including their underwear. And I almost never pack my bags without a pair of Tifosi Optics sunglasses and some kind of Keen Footwear shoes.
Item that caused the most mixed feelings
I have to admit the Starbucks Via instant coffee tastes ten times better than Sanka or Folgers, but at $1 a serving, it sure better! If you already like the over-roasted, burnt taste of Starbucks, you’ll like this stuff. Even if you don’t, instant coffee that’s drinkable would be worth packing on a camping trip or when staying any place where hot water is more readily available than real coffee.
Honorable Mention – Past year’s standout that keeps coming back:
Travel gear item I would gladly do infomercials for
Only real travelers who have used it believe this $99 SteriPEN Traveler is for real. It looks fishy, I’ll admit: you stick this in the water you’re going to drink, the light kills everything, then you can drink away. But I, my wife, and my daughter have used this daily in 9, 6, and 4 countries respectively without getting sick. ‘Nuff said.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, Business Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on January 1st, 2010
Checkpoint-Friendly: Tom Bihn Checkpoint Flyer
I’m all in favor of anything that gets me through airport checkpoints easier and faster. So after looking through the field of checkpoint-friendly laptop bags, I was eager to try out Tom Bihn’s new Checkpoint Flyer. And soon I was flying through security.
With the Checkpoint Flyer, I don’t have to take my laptop out of the case as it goes through x-ray screening. And since I carry a laptop on almost every trip, that makes a big difference.
Look, I’m already fumbling around enough getting out my boarding pass and ID, taking off my shoes and jacket, emptying my pockets, stowing the cell phone and taking out the liquids. Besides saving time, this bag gives an extra measure of protection to my laptop. That’s important, since I had a hard drive that never worked again after a rough ride through the x-ray machine.
Tom Bihn came up with an ingenious design for the Checkpoint Flyer. The laptop, by itself, slides into a foam-padded, weather-resistant case. For normal carrying, the case fits between a front flap with two pockets and a separate, zippered compartment that includes plenty of room and pockets for carrying and organizing cables, chargers, music players, sunglasses and other things I like to keep handy on a flight.
The magic happens when two straps are unbuckled—it only takes a few seconds. Then the laptop case can lie flat on the x-ray belt and go through alongside the rest of the bag. See how it works with Tom Bihn’s animated pictures here.
The laptop sleeve meets TSA requirements because it gives the x-ray screener an unobstructed view. Just remember to put cords and everything else in the other part of the bag. Only the laptop goes in the padded case.
Four different sizes are available to fit popular models of laptops. You can even buy the Checkpoint Flyer Laptop Case separately if you carry different computers. Any size of the laptop case will clip to the rest of the bag.
The bag fits easily under the seat on the plane, so it can be carried on as a personal item in addition to a larger bag for the overhead bin.
The Checkpoint Flyer looks great, too. It’s available in four colors and sells for $220. There are cheaper checkpoint-friendly bags on the market. But Tom Bihn has a reputation for quality and the bags are meticulously made in Seattle. Consider it an investment that will last a long time.
Some optional accessories I’d recommend include the Absolute Shoulder Strap ($30)—easy on the shoulder, with just the right amount of “give” for comfortable carrying. The strap has an internal control-stretch system which Tom Bihn has patented.
If you’re carrying lots of papers, pens and other accessories, the Horizontal Freudian Slip ($35) will keep things organized.
I’ve carried Tom Bihn’s Checkpoint Flyer all over the country recently and it sailed through the x-ray machine every time. In Nashville, I even felt a twinge of sympathy for a guy in the next lane who was fumbling around with wire spaghetti as he removed his laptop from the case. He needed one of these.
See all our Tom Bihn gear reviews
Posted by JohnG in Travel Light on December 14th, 2009
Where Do You Pack All Those Gadgets and Cables?
As the number of gadgets and electronic devices in our travel bags has grown, so has the number of accompanying cords for connecting and charging. Even if you get around the manufacturers’ love of proprietary connectors with something like the Chargepod Callpod or the Kensington Power Adapter, you’re still left with a gaggle of USB thumb drives, memory cards, Skype devices, music earbuds, battery rechargers, and who knows what else.
On my recent two-month trip abroad, I managed to keep all this madness in check with the Snake Charmer from Tom Bihn. It’s basically a $25 elongated packing cube with two compartments, two zippers, and mesh on each side. Nothing fancy, but it does what it’s supposed to do: keep all your gadget accessories where you can find them.
I kept all my items with cords in one compartment and all the other items in the other. In the old days I would be brought to the brink of throwing things through windows when I couldn’t find that one particular accessory I needed in various pockets around my laptop bag/backpack, but this time I was a Zen master when it came time to locate what I needed. Everything was in one place and I could see through the mesh where it was.
This Tom Bihn item isn’t the be all and end all item of course: you could easily adapt a small toiletry kit or other two-compartment packing cube to accomplish the same thing. But this Snake Charmer seemed to be just the right size to hold everything and still fit easily in any open corner of my bag. It comes in four colors and is made in the USA.
It can only be ordered direct from the manufacturer, so click here for details and how to get yours.
Posted by Tim L. in Travel Light on August 26th, 2009
