something discontinued

[melonpan]

something is going to be no longer made and i spent about 20 minutes searching the forums last night using "discontinued" and "discontinue" but i couldnt find out the item i thought it was. does anyone know if the caches or any of the many freudian slips are not going to be made anymore? im not one to start rumors but i really couldnt find the post i thought i read...

or am i totally off base and its going to be some bag and not the bag in a bag type thing. just for EXAMPLE this year is the last year they are going to produce the parental unit or the brain bag bc they are coming up with something new?

but i swore i saw something about the cache or the freudian slips. i just cant find it. can someone help me?

[jess]

I think I remember something about the Brain Cells being discontinued but I don't remember where exactly. I think it may have been mixed in the new release info?

[Pokilani]

Yes, brain cells discontinued, but caches are staying. Nothing mentioned about the FS so I presume that's going to stick around, esp since they have made so many new sizes.


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[melonpan]

many many thanks! i was going nuts. i try not to ask questions that can be answered with a simple search!

[moriond]

something is going to be no longer made and i spent about 20 minutes searching the forums last night using "discontinued" and "discontinue" but i couldnt find out the item i thought it was. does anyone know if the caches or any of the many freudian slips are not going to be made anymore? im not one to start rumors but i really couldnt find the post i thought i read...

or am i totally off base and its going to be some bag and not the bag in a bag type thing. just for EXAMPLE this year is the last year they are going to produce the parental unit or the brain bag bc they are coming up with something new?

but i swore i saw something about the cache or the freudian slips. i just cant find it. can someone help me?

Hi @melonpan,

As others have mentioned, I believe you're thinking about the Brain Cell being discontinued. I think that @Darcy hasn't made this announcement yet outside of the early alert heads up post under Just for registered members section of the forum, but I think I can quote it here:

Bags To Be Retired

Now, on to some sad but necessary news. Below is the list of bags that we anticipate we will retire in 2016. We have to make way for all of the new stuff in the works, and retiring current designs is the only way to do that.

Camera I-O (what we have now is all we'll ever have; no more batches will be made)
Tripod - Lighting Kit Quivers (same as above)
Horizontal Brain Cell (same)
Vertical Brain Cell (same)

Sorry for being slow to respond, but I was trying to do a complete search to check that there wasn't already a notice up in the section of the forums that everyone can read. A few of the other items that aren't being restocked (like the sell-out of the glow wire for the Smart Alec, or the Skookum Dog Bat toy), were only commented on once someone posted a picture of a purchase, or made a query about not finding the item.)

Some discontinued items -- like the fact that they are no longer showing Q-AM straps on the product pages, and that henceforth all Parental Units have been updated with hooks for easy transfer to Absolute Straps, but now lack the ability to use Q-AM straps -- were posted in the thread about the New Web Site Updates.

Darcy might want to put up a more general alert about Brain Cells and the Camera I-O accessories being discontinued somewhere that everyone can read.

HTH

moriond

ETA: I'll just quote my last linked post to highlight some product line changes that were announced and summarize them:
• Caches purchases by themselves are now sold with Rail Clips added (this used to be a separate purchase)
• Q-AM straps will no longer show up on the product pages, and the Parental Units on the product pages post March 16, 2016 have been fitted with the attachment points for transferring Straps with snap hook ends -- this also means you cannot use the Q-AM strap with these bags. (I think you can still buy the straps and older Parental Units with the set of their available colors if you contact Customer Support directly.)

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!

[AVService]

Wow,thats sad to me.

The Brain Cell is why I got into Bihn in the first place.

[tpnl]

I'm with you @AVService!! The Brain Cell is what brought me to Tom Bihn in the first place as well.
I will cherish all the Brain Cells I have left ... ;(

Cheers ... to the soon to be departed Brain Cell!

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[imagineez]

Wow,thats sad to me.

The Brain Cell is why I got into Bihn in the first place.

Agreed. The Brain Cell was my first Bihn piece and the reason why I came on board.

[davys]

I recently purchased a used ID and I'm desperately hoping that the Brain Cell won't disappear before I get round to ordering one -I'm waiting to see what the MacBook Pro updates will bring before ordering one. I currently have a 09 15" MacBook Pro but when the updates arrive I'll be going for the new 13".

I'm guessing whatever the upgrade bring, the new 13" will still fit the Brain Cell so I suppose I should just go ahead and order the brain cell just now.

ETA: does anyone know if the 13" cache with rails fits the ID? This is also an option if the Brain Cel disappears too soon.

[catherder]

Speak to me of the benefits of brain cells. They are a lot more weight and bulk than a cache, and in a Western Flyer a horizontal brain cell is in the wrong orientation when carried in backpack mode. However, in an otherwise empty bag they are much more protective, and the harder sides give more peace of mind. Am I missing something?

[davys]

Speak to me of the benefits of brain cells. They are a lot more weight and bulk than a cache, and in a Western Flyer a horizontal brain cell is in the wrong orientation when carried in backpack mode. However, in an otherwise empty bag they are much more protective, and the harder sides give more peace of mind. Am I missing something?

Hmmm that's something I never thought of, the extra weight one Brain Cell over the Cache - thanks for the heads up!I didn't see any mention of weight in the item descriptions so I may check with customer support to see the difference before I order. Must admit I'm thinking that I'd be OK with the cache, just need to know that the slide rails will fit the ID.

ETA: Just seen on the website that the Cache is 8oz lighter!

[tpnl]

Oh - don't get me started

The Brain Cell was one of the original "Bag in Bag" TB items. You could pull it out of your Brain Bag / Smart Alec backpack or Empire Builder / Zephyr / Ego briefcases and it would become an ultralight briefcase with the webbing handles. As you mentioned, it also was an integral part of the Western Flyer / Tri-Star series of travel bags.

To further the ultralight briefcase idea, the elastic side pockets were good to carry a power supply, pens or a small note pad.

Protection-wise, it was one of the best items. It was the only soft sided case (ie - not hard PVC type plastic like the Pelican models) that had the level of protection I wanted. The sling design, good internal padding, corrugated plastic sides and Cordura (now Parapack type) outer cover all added up. Brenthaven came close but the outer covering was not as nice and did not have the versatility of the pockets. Waterfield had heavy neoprene and leather which, while very beautiful, really will not protect from a true fall and Thinktank even has something but I doubt it would survive a true fall. I know that the sling is in the wrong orientation when the Western Flyer is carried in backpack mode but that fact that it is firmly attached to the bag via the Annex Clip probably mitigates some of the loss of sling protection.

I have used it as my personal item when flying and it does go through the TSA scans without needing the laptop removed from my experience. I also posted about adding Side Effects and even an SA-Lower Module Pocket to make it an even more versatile minimalist bag.

I know that it is bulkier but I am ok with that if I can get the protection. Despite being in IT, I do not change my electronics as often (4-5 years) so I want my stuff protected against (my) constant human clumsiness

Hopefully TB will make something similar - I actually saw an early TB briefcase that I would like to see again - basically instead of the elastic pockets, it had a flap.

Cheers!

[AVService]

Oh - don't get me started

The Brain Cell was one of the original "Bag in Bag" TB items. You could pull it out of your Brain Bag / Smart Alec backpack or Empire Builder / Zephyr / Ego briefcases and it would become an ultralight briefcase with the webbing handles. As you mentioned, it also was an integral part of the Western Flyer / Tri-Star series of travel bags.

To further the ultralight briefcase idea, the elastic side pockets were good to carry a power supply, pens or a small note pad.

Protection-wise, it was one of the best items. It was the only soft sided case (ie - not hard PVC type plastic like the Pelican models) that had the level of protection I wanted. The sling design, good internal padding, corrugated plastic sides and Cordura (now Parapack type) outer cover all added up. Brenthaven came close but the outer covering was not as nice and did not have the versatility of the pockets. Waterfield had heavy neoprene and leather which, while very beautiful, really will not protect from a true fall and Thinktank even has something but I doubt it would survive a true fall. I know that the sling is in the wrong orientation when the Western Flyer is carried in backpack mode but that fact that it is firmly attached to the bag via the Annex Clip probably mitigates some of the loss of sling protection.

I have used it as my personal item when flying and it does go through the TSA scans without needing the laptop removed from my experience. I also posted about adding Side Effects and even an SA-Lower Module Pocket to make it an even more versatile minimalist bag.

I know that it is bulkier but I am ok with that if I can get the protection. Despite being in IT, I do not change my electronics as often (4-5 years) so I want my stuff protected against (my) constant human clumsiness

Hopefully TB will make something similar - I actually saw an early TB briefcase that I would like to see again - basically instead of the elastic pockets, it had a flap.

Cheers!

In fact Waterfield did make a bag with the exact same protection design as the BC.
The Racer-X has a sling and it is adjustable too like in the BC,I have 2 of these bags.
One is for the 12" Powerbook which I loved dearly and is still a useful size for me sometimes and the other was for the 15" Macbook which I also still use.
These are also great,sturdy well built and thought out bags so of course they too are discontinued!

The Racer-X is more than just a computer sleeve though as it has a few sections and organization and is a briefcase all by itself.
My favorite feature is the mountain bike handle as the bag handle,just a great bag and fresh design.

I also have no Cache at all but several of the Waterfield Sleeves which I still use all the time,if its not broke why fix it?

There are also a lot of bags that have a pocket for the computer that does not touch the bag bottom at all to provide the same basic protection and the oath Face bags use stretchy Neoprene for the pocket which does give some of the same dynamic protection as the BC.

[David Prescott]

I will be very interested to see what's next. Just the same, I bought a BC today because (as many others have observed) it's what got me into TB as well.

The more I have sought the perfect balance of portability and accessibility (and the more I've watched airline pilots -- who need both -- in action) the more I appreciate bags like the Tri-Star and Western Flyer.

More importantly, though, I've come to see space and durability as values alongside economy of space, if that makes any sense. I have been perfectly happy to trust my laptop (which basically holds my life and everything I need at my destination) to the overhead bin knowing that it was in a BC inside a TB bag, even if it took up more space than was minimally necessary.

Again, I am very interested to see next steps, but for me the cache has never quite brought about psychological comfort when traveling on something like an A-380, which can land with enough force to make it seem that the pilot was landing an apartment building and not an airplane. I love the built-in cache of the Founder's bag for everyday travel, but still....

[Alicia]

Does anyone know if the large padded organizer pouch was discontinued?

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