New Website Debuts March 16th! What You Need To Know....

[Kaz]

. Don't worry about wish lists. It will be so much fun to redo them with the right colours!

+1. And with the help of those nifty pictures!

[knitmoresocks]

New Website Debuts March 16th! What You Need To Know....

I'm a sorta long time TB addict (my first bag was the Swift, that I patiently waited to come back in stock for what seemed like forever at the time!), shorter time forum lurker and this is my second post. Part of my job the past 7 years has involved migrating customer data from one platform to another as my company consolidated from 8 systems down to 1. I know how complicated it is and how some stuff just doesn't make it. I give you guys huge kudos for being able to migrate any of our data that you can, especially since you just started 3 months ago! I have never created a wish list because it would include nearly every item but I may have to start if I get to show my wished-for color!


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[John]

I have never created a wish list because it would include nearly every item but I may have to start if I get to show my wished-for color!

Maybe the new website should have an option to have a "not wished list" to save time for those who want to buy nearly everything (except for those which they already have)!

[Darcy]

Heads-up! The current website will be taken offline at 9:00am PT on Wednesday as we prepare to launch the new website; that process will take only minutes, but it may take up to an hour for everyone all over the world to see the new website load instead of the old website. (A page will be up in the place of the old website with links to the Forum and Blog, both of which will be online as usual.)

Here's a few more things that will be changing on the new website:

• Something we're working on for Phase 2: an actual "coming soon" product page. On that page, we will post hints/information about the upcoming design and there will be a place in which you can enter your email address to receive email updates as well. See, we listen! :P
  
  
• Not really newsy, but I am sooo excited for you guys to see the Materials Glossary (Tom authored all of the entries) and the History page!
  
  
• Let's say you add a Brain Bag with the optional Brain Cell, Freudian Slip, and Padded Hip Belt (all from the Brain Bag page) to your Wish List. Each item will add to your Wish List as a separate item, which we think is pretty cool because it allows you to more easily remove or increase the quantity of specific items.
  
  
• Pretty much everyone buys their Cache with the optional rail clips; to simplify things, we've decided to include rail clips with the Cache, which means the new price of the Cache is $35. (Sizes of Cache that can't use the rail clips/rail system, such as the iPad Mini size, won't get clips and will remain $$25-30.) Also: all sizes/varieties of Caches will be grouped together on one product page.
  
  
• Packing Cubes will each have their own product pages. Example: Aeronaut 30 Packing Cubes will have their very own page instead of being grouped with all other Packing Cubes on one page. This will allow us to add Packing Cubes as an optional accessory on the Aeronaut 30 page.
  
  
• Shoulder Straps will be grouped together on one product page.
  
  
• Both Packing Cube Backpacks will be grouped together on one product page.
  
  
• All Freudian Slips will be grouped together on one product page.
  
  
• All Brain Cells will be grouped together on one product page.
  
  
• The Q-AM Shoulder Strap will no longer be an option because as of Wednesday, March 16th, the Parental Unit will only be offered with d-ring attachment points (which necessitate a shoulder strap with snaphooks). We're thinking up a way that we could offer the Q-AM Strap with snaphooks and still have it work as a quick-adjust strap; stay tuned on that one!

[Darcy]

Update on gift certificates: for the time being, you won't be able to send gift certificates directly to the intended recipient through our new website. Instead, you'll place an order for the gift certificate and receive a link to the gift certificate code/redemption options which you can then forward to the recipient.

What's really exciting is that we think that in the not-so-distant future we'll be able to offer a gift certificate system that allows you to specify the amount of the gift certificate (!!!) and send the gift certificate directly to the recipient through our website with a customized email featuring some of our favorite customer photos or one of Dan Bransfield's watercolors. So, stay tuned for that.

[moriond]

[*]The Q-AM Shoulder Strap will no longer be an option because as of Wednesday, March 16th, the Parental Unit will only be offered with d-ring attachment points (which necessitate a shoulder strap with snaphooks). We're thinking up a way that we could offer the Q-AM Strap with snaphooks and still have it work as a quick-adjust strap; stay tuned on that one![/LIST]

I have to say that I'm glad I have the older version of the Parental Unit with the toothed slides for the Q-AM straps, and that I've also stocked up on the Q-AM strap.

First, @Ditmo's recent post on the comfort of the Parental Unit used with Q-AM strap (once broken in) from her Parental Unit review thread mirrored my experience of finding that the most comfortable strap to use (provided that I transferred one of the well-used straps from my Imago over to this bag, and put the new Q-AM strap on my Imago):

@moriond thanks so much for the welcome, and your earlier post nailed it exactly about the Q-AM strap! It's interesting to me that my husband could break it in carrying a much lighter load than I do (he doesn't carry water bottles, for example). It does seem to matter the size of the person doing the breaking-in.

I will say though, now that the strap has softened up, I'm a big fan of it. I hope the stiffness hasn't turned anyone off - it's really a perfect strap for a great bag. Worth the break-in period.

Secondly, for @tpnl and all you bag hackers, here's a quote from my recent post answering questions in a thread about Gatekeeper clips, with bolding added:

Interesting that there is now a drop down menu with size option for the 1" Cafe/Ristretto Messenger Stabilizer product page that you linked (even though the only option is the 1" size that matches the name of the page).

The stabilizer attachment for Cafe Bags and Ristretto(s) was a late development added to the product line for people who had seen the Quick-Adjust Messenger Strap (Q-AM Shoulder Strap) for bags like the Imago, Large Cafe Bag, ID Bag, Ego, or Super Ego, and wanted a similar option to stabilize the bags carried messenger style on a bicycle for the smaller Cafe bags and Ristrettos. (At this point, the Imago, ID Bag, Ego, and Super Ego have all either been retired, or are slated for retirement. The only remaining bags for which the Q-AM strap is an option are the Large Cafe Bag, Ristretto (which is now only being made in the 13" laptop size), and the Parental Unit). Further, the Parental Unit doesn't have a waist strap to which a stabilizer strap can be attached, so receiving a stabilizer strap is not an option when you buy that bag unless you insert a comment with your order for Q-AM strap and they happen to have the other part in stock. Also, the ID Bag design (before they sold out of these and the Ego, and retired these in November 2015, a couple of weeks before the new product debuts) changed from using a 1" wide waist strap (original design) to a 1.5" wide waist strap (some years ago when they changed the pocket arrangements and added rail loops), so the Q-AM strap (stabilizer width) that you order(ed) depended on which model bag you had.

Sadly, I'd have to wonder whether these strap options will continue to be offered on a longer term basis. I would stock up on these parts while they are available!

HTH

moriond

ETA: For now, the Q-AM strap link is still there, but I guess it won't survive the transition to the new web site.

[Meglet]

Here's a few more things that will be changing on the new website:

• The Q-AM Shoulder Strap will no longer be an option because as of Wednesday, March 16th, the Parental Unit will only be offered with d-ring attachment points (which necessitate a shoulder strap with snaphooks). We're thinking up a way that we could offer the Q-AM Strap with snaphooks and still have it work as a quick-adjust strap; stay tuned on that one!

Oooh, I like this! I ended up doing some creative modification for my Parental Unit to get d-rings so I can use my Absolute Shoulder strap with it, because I like that strap best on the PU.

(Of course, shortly after completing that mod I finally got my hands on an Aubergine Maker's Bag and that has been my shoulder bag of choice since, but still. . . . . I can't give up my PU because of the lovely Steel/UV color combo which I adore.)

[Ditmo]

I have to say that I'm glad I have the older version of the Parental Unit with the toothed slides for the Q-AM straps, and that I've also stocked up on the Q-AM strap mirrored my experience of finding that the most comfortable strap to use (provided that I transferred one of the well-used straps from my Imago over to this bag, and put the new Q-AM strap on my Imago)

Whoa, what timing on my post referencing the Q-AM strap! Agreed - I'm glad I have the old version of the PU, because it truly makes it seamless and very comfortable for my husband and I to share the bag, which we do (rather than transferring or duplicating the contents). But I'm curious what innovation will maintain this functionality with D rings, as @Darcy mentioned.


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[moriond]

Whoa, what timing on my post referencing the Q-AM strap! Agreed - I'm glad I have the old version of the PU, because it truly makes it seamless and very comfortable for my husband and I to share the bag, which we do (rather than transferring or duplicating the contents). But I'm curious what innovation will maintain this functionality with D rings, as @Darcy mentioned.

Hi @Ditmo, At one time they apparently sold Q-AM straps with snap hooks at the end. @tpnl referenced one of these early threads in his post (#2) in the Can the Q-AM strap work for a Ristretto for 13" MB? thread. The second of his referenced links points to an old thread from 2010, titled Anyone interested in selling a Q-AM?. In that old thread, Darcy commented:

I think Kev is looking for the version of Q-AM strap with the plastic snaphooks so that it can clip onto d-rings. We don't make that version anymore.

There's been some interest on the forums about using the Q-AM strap as an alternative way to carry other bags that were not originally designed to be worn with the Q-AM strap -- like the Pilot. @tpnl has mentioned several ways of hacking this, but the most recent forms look like this (quoted from the Q-AM (Quick-Adjust Messenger) strap thread):

@weirdguy, I did find a solution to use the Q-AM shoulder strap with the Pilot (or any other bag that has the "eye-loop" attachment points -Cadet, EB, CP, DLBC, etc).

Just like how the Absolute Shoulder Strap has the snap hook attached, I did the same thing with the Q-AM. Essentially, you just need two 1.5" snap hooks and two 1.5" Tri-glides - both of which you can get from the TB Accessory Parts page.

Essentially, it looks like this:





Close-up (sorry, not a great pic)


In use, you can cinch it higher up if that is how you want it. This is my preferred way to wear my Pilot - it is so comfortable! YMMV but loosening and tightening is easy for me - once you understand how any messenger strap works. Essentially, to loosen the strap, just pull up on the end of the middle buckle with one hand. To tighten, just pull on the loose strap end. If your bag is heavy, you may also need to support the bag with your other hand to make it easier to tighten. This is how all the other messenger straps work that I know of. They may show one-handed tightening, but, IMHO it would only be doable for a lightly loaded bag.

I looked at the Mission Workshop Shoulder Strap a while back and you could do the same thing to get it to work with the Pilot attachment point. I have to say it does look very cool and I was of the same mind as you (great minds think alike?). However, it uses 2" wide webbing for the strap and, IMHO, may be disproportionately wide for the size of the Pilot. If I recall, only the largest TB bags used 2" wide webbing and only in the early version (e.g. Super Ego). Even for those bags, they later switched to the 1.5" wide webbing.

Hope this helps
Cheers!

I can hack the Q-AM strap for use with the Pilot (and other bags) this way, but it takes some adjusting, and I think it is a little harder to do well for people with smaller frames. And the problem is that with a stiffer strap, the flex point is where the snap hook attachments join to the bag -- because you no longer have that straight, continuous line for the strap through where it joins to the bag (through the toothed slide).

In case anyone who saw my post of an Aubergine Imago and an Aubergine Maker's Bag cosying up to a Kohlrabi Ibex tee shirt (hey! nothing wrong with color coordinating your clothing with your bags!) in the Merino wool for short people? thread, and wondered why there was no strap attached to my Aubergine/Hemp/Steel Imago, while my Aubergine Maker's Bag was sporting an unusual looking strap (that was the Q-AM strap with metal snap hooks attached), I was experimenting with how the Q-AM strap with snap hook endings worked with other bags. (It isn't as comfortable in many cases -- but the hack may work better if you're considerably bigger than me in both height (just under 5'4" or 1.6 m) or body build.

Sorry for the digressions!

HTH

moriond

[Darcy]

A couple more things....

• The comments box -- in which you add requests for box art, note the date by which you need to receive an order, say Hi to us, let us know how you found us, or add any special requests or anything else you can think of -- will be on the basket page of the new website (it used to be part of the checkout process).
• We're looking into adding quantity controls for the wish list on the new website.

If you have any questions about the new site once it debuts later this morning (yay!!), post them here or [email protected].

[DeBru]

It looks great... Thanks @Darcy and TB Crew. Already got my account reset, now I just have to cultivate the patience needed for the next product debut.

[Darcy]

It looks great... Thanks @Darcy and TB Crew. Already got my account reset, now I just have to cultivate the patience needed for the next product debut.

Yay! Thank you for posting this: you're the first person to tell us they've seen the new site and that the account process went ok... and we're so glad to hear that.

Everyone else will begin to see the new site (if you aren't already) within the next hour or so.

And as soon as all looks to be good, we'll get back to work on that upcoming debut!

[moriond]

Darcy, The new site looks good. Am I correct that order histories didn't migrate with accounts? (I think that's what my prompt said, although my address information came over.) I screen captured all the old ordering information from my account yesterday, just to be on the safe side.

moriond

ETA: You didn't tell us there would be new bag color combinations up on the new site that I didn't see yesterday evening! (like the Maker's Bag in Navy/Wasabi). Still checking things out.

ETA2: The Pen/Tool Wraps in Steel also weren't available for order yesterday evening, in my recollection.

ETA3: Nor was the Citizen Canine in Coyote an option yesterday in my recollection. Sheesh! You guys have been holding out on us. Though I see you're still out of the medium Cafe FS, and no new Modular pocket color options for the Smart Alec have magically appeared since yesterday.

ETA 4: There seem to be more color options for supporting both Steel and Northwest Sky in the accessories. For example, The Travel Stuff Sacks appear available in both color options, whereas yesterday night, only the size 3 and size 4 were still offered in Steel -- all others were listed as Northwest Sky only. he Travel Laundry Stuff Sack option is now Steel (which I think looks better), where before it was only Northwest Sky. Keystraps are now available in both Steel and Northwest Sky (hadn't noticed the latter). Last time I checked the Deluxe Spiff Kits were still out of stock, and now they're listed. Admittedly, I probably don't read everything. And there also appear to be Shop Bag options for Steel, Northwest Sky, and Black Halcyon.

[automaticsoap]

Loving the new wishlist with photos!

[Darcy]

Darcy, The new site looks good. Am I correct that order histories didn't migrate with accounts? (I think that's what my prompt said, although my address information came over.) I screen captured all the old ordering information from my account yesterday, just to be on the safe side.

moriond

ETA: You didn't tell us there would be new bag color combinations up on the new site that I didn't see yesterday evening! (like the Maker's Bag in Navy/Wasabi). Still checking things out.

That's correct, moriond. We were able to migrate some—but not all, including order history—user website account information to the new website. We were only able to migrate the billing address, name, and email address. Sorry about that. We had hoped to migrate order history but it just wasn't possible.

How did the process of updating your account to work on the new website work for you?

Expect a big "New Bags and Colors Ready To Order" post later today!