Front Pocket Organizer...

[brantroz Forum Member Find all posts View Profile Close brantroz]

EDIT: Darcy--meant to put this in the product suggestions forum. Could you please move for me? Sorry!
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While I wait for Tom to make my ultimate bag (reference Vertical Messenger / Cafe Bag mashup post)... I have recently turned my thoughts back to my first love, the Medium Cafe Bag.

While this bag gets me through most of my daily/weekly excursion needs (sans carrying my widescreen laptop)... I find that it is conspicuously missing an accessory that would really help "batten down the hatches" on small items traveling and colliding in some of the larger pocket spaces.

For reference, I recently added the new "Kit" to my bag (which is a great fit, I might add) to hold some of my regular airplane items... digital camera, hand sanitizer, gameboy micro, etc. Additionally, the internal organizer pockets that are woven into the front side of the bag are excellent for holding any DAP of your choice, plus a cell phone and a few pens--while the large open pocket in the back of the bag is perfect for holding a magazine, boarding pass or travel itenerary (exactly as designed, no doubt.) See reference:


That leaves the front, zippered pocket shown here: For those unfortunate souls who do not yet have a Medium Cafe Bag (my sympathies... but no tears, there is time for you to go and procure one) this pocket is a large open space. I like this versitility... for the occasions that I need to move my moleskine to another large pocket and make room for larger items inside the bag... or perhaps a small book. But there are times when I need additional "fitted" spaces for items such as flash drives, work badge, additional pens/markers... and while I love the internal organizer pouches that can be added to almost all of Tom's bags, this front pocket largely goes unused by me.

Ok, so what am I actually suggesting?? Well, my proposal is for an organizer "card"... somewhat like the folder insert that goes into other TB bags... but which would uniquely fit the 3 Cafe Bag models. It would have a stiff back (since anything purely fabric would bunch up in the pocket, and since there are no attachment hooks within this pocket) and the front would have multiple stitched pockets for various accessories. Perhaps you could do a 2x2 combination of the same sized pockets, perhaps you could split it vertically and have 2 same-sized pockets stacked on one side, with additional long pouches on the other for pens/markers. Or, perhaps you could have different models for different uses. I would undoubtedly purchase several for all my variously sized cafe bags.

Side note--perhaps this could be a fixed/stitched modification to future cafe bags? I know I'd pay $10 more for this option... and the great thing about fabric organizers is that they don't take up space you aren't using... if you shove a book in there, it will just press that fabric closed.

Just a thought!

-B

[Darcy TOM BIHN Crew (we work here) Find all posts View Profile Close Darcy]

Tom has been thinking of making an accessory for the Medium and Large Cafe bags similar to the one you're describing.

His question is: should it be the same size for both the Medium and Large Bags? Or different sizes for each?

[maverick Volunteer ********* Find all posts View Profile Close maverick]

sounds like a great idea! i'd like a common size for use in the medium or large cafe bag, or other bags. i've always wanted an insert that could go into different bags to hold the essentials. right now, i have some items duplicated between my buzz and my large cafe bags (the two bags i use regularly right now) for convenience. it would be nice to have an insert to hold these items that i always carry with me and move that insert into the bag that i'm carrying that day.

[dakegra Forum Member Find all posts View Profile Close dakegra]

sounds like a great idea. I think it'd be better with a custom fit for medium large.

If you need an beta testers, let me know. :-)

[timarelay Forum Member Find all posts View Profile Close timarelay]

I don't really use my large cafe bag anymore, now that I have my Imago, but from my experiences when I did use it, this idea would've been really helpful =) Stuff gets lost in there so easily! I usually just didn't even bother to use the front zipper pocket.

[Heidi Jill Forum Member Find all posts View Profile Close Heidi Jill]

I have the medium cafe bag, and the organizer sounds like a great idea! Especially if I could just take it out and plunk it into other bags!

[pmuellr Registered User Find all posts View Profile Close pmuellr]

sounds good

I have a medium bag; recently, I've been carrying my camera, which is a slightly boxy model, in my bag. If I use a case for the camera, then it's too bulky for the bag, but I'm not happy having the camera float around in their naked. So I've been wondering about how to fix that; perhaps something like this might do the trick.

[pretzelb Forum Member Find all posts View Profile Close pretzelb]

If this is for the front zipper then I assume it needs to be flat otherwise it would bulge into the main compartment. Also if the idea is to quick change this insert with other bags it would need to store items you use all the time. I'd need to know more about what items may be stored in it before I could come up with more ideas. It sounds like a good idea.

[brantroz Forum Member Find all posts View Profile Close brantroz]

Wow... I really didn't expect such a response! Thanks for sharing this idea on the blog page, Darcy!!

To your question of one-size-fits-all or custom per each bag:

I think each bag would benefit greatly by its own sized insert. (I'm assuming that we are still talking about the front zippered pocket.)

My reasoning? If the insert is stiff-backed as I described above, (bear with me here)... it could be customized to slide down into the front pocket, and the very small lip created by the area above the zipper that creates sort of an "overhang flap" could be used to "pop-in" the insert, supporting it by the existing Cafe Bag design.

In this way, the insert would remain stable when inserting or removing objects from the pocket, and would help to prevent the insert from just sliding around on you (which I think would be innevitable with a common insert small enough to fit the medium placed in the large bag.)

Thanks again!!

Oh--and if you are in need of beta testers (as someone else mentioned above)--I would love to volunteer as well.

[backpack Forum Member Find all posts View Profile Close backpack]

Sounds like a terrific idea!

I would love to see a prototype

[JoyR Forum Member Find all posts View Profile Close JoyR]

I carry my medium Cafe Bag about 98% of the time, and think this would be a good idea.

What I'd also like to see in future model is a zipper or some sort of security feature for the large back pocket.

[Heidi Jill Forum Member Find all posts View Profile Close Heidi Jill]

I agree! I hardly ever use the pocket because I'm afraid that anything I'd put in there would fall out! If it zippped, then those who like an open pocket could just ignore the zipper, while those of us who like more security could close it.

[Darcy TOM BIHN Crew (we work here) Find all posts View Profile Close Darcy]

What I'd also like to see in future model is a zipper or some sort of security feature for the large back pocket.

The argument against this is that the flat back pocket (you mean the slanted pocket on the back exterior of the bag, right?) is left open at the top because some people use that pocket to store tall things like file folders or magazines or newspapers. If that pocket had a zipper closure, it'd be a lot more difficult to put those things in that pocket. What do you think?

[brantroz Forum Member Find all posts View Profile Close brantroz]

The argument against this is that the flat back pocket (you mean the slanted pocket on the back exterior of the bag, right?) is left open at the top because some people use that pocket to store tall things like file folders or magazines or newspapers. If that pocket had a zipper closure, it'd be a lot more difficult to put those things in that pocket. What do you think?

So, we are talking about 2 modifications at this point?

1. Front Pocket Organizer
2. Some are advocates of a way to secure the open back pocket??

To suggestion #2--I think a way to "secure" the pocket is a good idea, though I agree with Darcy's comments against a zipper. What about a top snap closure? Or, what about multiple snap closures (at the top only) to allow a modify-able open extension for large items?

[Darcy TOM BIHN Crew (we work here) Find all posts View Profile Close Darcy]

I think we're talking an accessory (the organizer) and a modification (the back pocket), but a modification of that pocket is unlikely (though you never know!)

Any kind of closure on that back pocket might have the tendency to sit funny or feel funny because that's the part of the bag that sits at your hip.

Don't get me wrong: I understand why one would want that pocket to close. But maybe the extra organization that an insert would provide would replace the need for that?