Will there ever be integrated strap management??

[Surrealle]

I discovered Tom Bihn earlier this year and have since accumulated 2 BBs, an S30, S22, SG33, DLBP, A30PCBP, WF, four Makers Bags, 2 Parental Units, 2 EBs, an L15, Icon, MCB, large & small Zip Top Shop Bag, SE, SK, 2 EDCs, 3 HLTs, and at least 10 trucks of various sizes. Plus an assortment of accessories.

So, to put it mildly, I'm a fan.

However, after spending over an hour last night adding excess strap management to said collection, I am rather frustrated that a company as innovative and thoughtful as Tom Bihn has not built that feature into any of their bags besides the Icon (that I know of). I know I could buy pairs of strap keepers for $5, but considering it would take 35 sets to tidy everything up, it's not really a viable solution for me.

Please, please, Tom Bihn, consider implementing something to manage the excess straps on your bags! Having so many (and such lengthy) dangling bits really detracts from the look of your otherwise premium designs. (And while I recognize that not everyone is bothered by them, I have never heard of someone NOT buying a bag because of its lack of loose ends. So, if executed properly--especially in an optional or semi-permanent way--this would be a neutral change at worst rather than a drawback if people aren't interested.) It would certainly be a plus for me and many others, judging by reviews I've seen and my thread searches here.

[biaxid3nt]

Agree 100%. Most other travel brands have now included some sort of strap management. Minaal, etc.

[Surrealle]

Yep. It's a surprisingly big plus for a relatively small thing when I see that a company has specifically made a "no-dangle" bag. It just looks way more polished and professional--and aesthetics aside, getting hit with loose ends when you walk or having them stepped on, caught in car doors, conveyor belts, etc. is a nuisance.

[haraya]

One solution I have seen and used (on a baby carrier) is a simple elastic loop on the end of a strap. You just fold the strap and then flip the loop inside-out, over the folded length. (You do have to position the end of the strap to be in the middle of the bundle, so that when you turn it over, it encloses the center of the bundle.)

I don't have that carrier any more, so I don't have pictures - but basically it's as if you had a Strap Keeper permanently sewn on to the end of a dangling strap. (without the metal hooks) I don't know if that would fit the TB aesthetic or if it makes manufacturing more complicated. But it's simple to use, always attached, and doesn't catch on anything.

[Surrealle]

I get what you're saying (it sounds like how we had to roll our sleeves in the Air Force, lol) and personally I'd be perfectly happy with something small/simple like that. I'm not trying to ask for anything drastic.

I hope they'll consider it, or something like it

[b1gsky]

I shortened the straps of my first DLBP myself (cut the excess strap length off). Not the tidiest sewing job, but if you don’t know where to look you don’t see it. I use tri glides on my current DLBP, which help a lot too. But I agree, it would be great to have a solution that comes with the bag.

[sunzi61]

Couldn’t agree more. I got a code of bell bag the other day and every single strap had some sort of Managment system and I can’t emphasize how much I appreciate this. Lots of them were very simple but effective.


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[proximal]

I know I could buy pairs of strap keepers for $5, but considering it would take 35 sets to tidy everything up, it's not really a viable solution for me.

Before strap keepers were a thing, I used Ranger Bands to wrap up and hold excess straps. They work really well and are much more cost effective if you need a large amount.

[Surrealle]

I appreciate the suggestion; I'm already using double-sided velcro strips which do the job (though I'm considering switching to something less bulky like an elastic). I just wish they would design the bags to address this in the first place, like so many other companies do, because I'm sure they can come up with something that looks and functions better than anything I could easily add. (For one thing, I can't unthread the backpack straps to add an elastic to those without using a seam ripper and then sewing it back together.)

[proximal]

(For one thing, I can't unthread the backpack straps to add an elastic to those without using a seam ripper and then sewing it back together.)

At least for the Synapse (I don't have your other bags so can't verify), you can undo the strap, put the band on, and then rethread the strap through the keepers. Although you don't even need to do that; rolling up the loose part of the strap and putting a band around just the rolled up part keeps everything out of the way.

[Darcy]

I discovered Tom Bihn earlier this year and have since accumulated 2 BBs, an S30, S22, SG33, DLBP, A30PCBP, WF, four Makers Bags, 2 Parental Units, 2 EBs, an L15, Icon, MCB, large & small Zip Top Shop Bag, SE, SK, 2 EDCs, 3 HLTs, and at least 10 trucks of various sizes. Plus an assortment of accessories.

So, to put it mildly, I'm a fan.

However, after spending over an hour last night adding excess strap management to said collection, I am rather frustrated that a company as innovative and thoughtful as Tom Bihn has not built that feature into any of their bags besides the Icon (that I know of). I know I could buy pairs of strap keepers for $5, but considering it would take 35 sets to tidy everything up, it's not really a viable solution for me.

Please, please, Tom Bihn, consider implementing something to manage the excess straps on your bags! Having so many (and such lengthy) dangling bits really detracts from the look of your otherwise premium designs. (And while I recognize that not everyone is bothered by them, I have never heard of someone NOT buying a bag because of its lack of loose ends. So, if executed properly--especially in an optional or semi-permanent way--this would be a neutral change at worst rather than a drawback if people aren't interested.) It would certainly be a plus for me and many others, judging by reviews I've seen and my thread searches here.

Thanks for the feedback! I understand where you're coming from on this... 35 sets of Strap Keepers! Whew.

We designed our Strap Keepers because 1) we wanted to offer a strap management solution that could be used with any of our bags, whether newly purchased or 10, 15, 20 years old and 2) we're not fans of any of the built-in strap management solutions we've experimented with because they typically add some bulk or extra dangly or make a dangly ball or just don't work as well as we'd like. That's not to say we won't come up with a built-in strap management solution that's as low-profile as the Strap Keepers at some point, but we haven't come up with it yet.

We don't include a pack of Strap Keepers with every bag because not everyone would use them and they might just end up in someone's drawer unused. We'd need to adjust the price of bags to include them, and, again, not everyone might feel it's worth it.

So that's where we're at right now. As I said above, maybe we'll come up with a built-in solution that we (and you guys!) like

[Surrealle]

Darcy

Thank you for your response, and your very kind PM on the subject as well. Personally I'd be happy even with just a loop of elastic, like a strap keeper without the clip, on the backpack straps and waist bands (something that's easy to remove if it isn't needed--far easier than the zipper tabs people sometimes cut off, even). I can't speak for everyone, of course, but I'd be happy to pay a little extra to have those on the bag to start with.

As it is, I might just break out the sewing machine and make my own. (The velcro straps are better than nothing, but I'm not really a fan of them otherwise, heh.)

[terayon]

I still really like the tri-glides on the strap system. They aren’t perfect but once installed are pretty fuss-free. And if they could be installed at the factory, before the strap ends are folded over and sewn, installation would, I assume, be quick and easy.

[Surrealle]

I still really like the tri-glides on the strap system. They aren’t perfect but once installed are pretty fuss-free. And if they could be installed at the factory, before the strap ends are folded over and sewn, installation would, I assume, be quick and easy.

Yeah, I was thinking of something like that too, since I know one of the more common "hacks" for the absolute strap is to thread the strap backwards through it so the loose end is tucked away.