a slender Aeronaut....an Aeronette?

[binje]

Heh -- it's funny to see how far back this thread goes now ... slowly but surely I wish the new one were slightly less than the old one (Hey, it's smaller!), but very glad to see it finally emerge.

It will be less soon enough - the price of the Aeronaut 45 is slated to go up somewhat. As with so many things, it's the labor that drives the price more than the materials and a 30 probably takes at least as long to cut and stitch. The 30 is very exciting, though, isn't it? I wish I traveled enough to need a bag that size.

[timothy]

Heh -- it's funny to see how far back this thread goes now ... slowly but surely I wish the new one were slightly less than the old one (Hey, it's smaller!), but very glad to see it finally emerge.

[moriond]

To be fair, it's really Tom's "soon". From past experience, many times a product under development has come to the point where it has "almost" been ready, but then been torn apart and redesigned again. External events, such as the recent actions limiting carryon luggage size, have a way of providing extra incentives to bring things to fruition.

[thorn]

Darcy's "soon" is about equivalent to a friend I had's "two minutes".

[ilikepie]

It was August 2008 when Darcy said, "I'm certain you'll see a bag similar to what's being asked for in this thread sometime soon!" Yes, it's been some time.

[foozler]

Hello Darcy, It has been a while, but the new Aeronaut 30 truly fits the bill. When I started this thread over six years ago, I had hoped that others would agree that there was a need, and indeed they did. My dilemma now, having already retired my old Aeronaut, is deciding whether to also retire my Western Flyer in favor of the new kid on the block. Thanks to Tom for giving us another so worthy choice. Regards, Foozler

[eWalker]

Hey Darcy, at least tell us the size. Based on that I will be able to decide if I wait or not.

I plan to buy 3 new bags from Tom Bihn and I must buy then together because I will pay $100 to mail one Side Effect or three Aeronauts!

So I will buy bags, packing cubes, lights, pockets & pouches, all on a single run!

Sent from Samsung Note III using Tapatalk

[Vecturist]

Please? Pretty please with sugar on top? My S19 keeps saying it needs a friend - love to have to decide between a pilot and the Aeronaut junior.

[TavaPeak]

Darcy, Darcy, Darcy.

[eWalker]

It's real! I'm looking at one right now. And we hope to debut it soon: just a few small details need to be worked out and we'll need fabric to make them…

Please, please, please... can´t you tell us something? Maybe, show some pictures?

[Darcy]

Almost seven years since the debate over a smaller version of Aeronaut started!

Anyone what is the status of this?

It's real! I'm looking at one right now. And we hope to debut it soon: just a few small details need to be worked out and we'll need fabric to make them…

[eWalker]

Almost seven years since the debate over a smaller version of Aeronaut started!

Anyone what is the status of this?

[travelwkid]

I may be a minority voice on this one, but here's a plea for 7 inches deep rather than 8 or more.

I like the idea of the 7 inch bag too. That way it can bulge out a little (do Bihn bags bulge? Unfortunately with the dreadful exchange rate with the Australian dollar, I don't have one) without going over any limits.

For me, I'd just rather not have a maximum size carry on if I can go a little smaller. And that would help with those airlines who have slightly smaller carryon limits. I therefore second Cpau's comments about Virgin Blue having a length limit of 48cm. That's really short, but something that I have to contend with most of the time when I travel domestically within Australia.

I have been thinking a great deal about my ideal bag. I love the format and structure of the Aeronaut. I can see great value in the separate end compartments.

I have been pondering the idea of the compartment dividing walls being zip down so that you can add on the size one or both ends to the main compartment when necessary. I'm thinking how I often travel with a long roll of fabric that would fit by zipping down all or part of the compartment walls, but would not fit in the main compartment itself. Its something I have to travel with, so I have to consider it.

I also wondered about the idea of having one end compactible so that it expands out when needed, but can be compacted when not needed. Maybe Bihn fabrics are too stiff for that. 1050 denier is a very heavy weight fabric after all!

All that said, I think that Tom Bihn bags are amazingly thoughtful and cutting edge in their designs.

Count me in for testing out the new in-between size!!

[Darcy]

Tom is working on three new travel bags for the first part of this year: a bag between the Western Flyer and Aeronaut in size is one of them.

[timothy]

I hope that the "Starlite" (or, IMO, even Starlight) name is not bound up in trademark law or something -- I keep coming back to it as my favorite. One of these in black with a bright-colored lining is what I want to go around the world

timothy