Discussion of New Colors, New Designs

[Darcy]

Darcy Is TB going to be switching to cord pulls a lot?

I'm really not a fan of them, I much prefer the metal pulls because at least those can be changed to a cord pull if you want but not vice versa.

I am not a fan of the new cord pulls either. Seems like more fumbling to grab hold of. In spots where two pulls meet you really can't tell which side you have a hold on. Plus they are just hard to quickly grasp. I use that type of small cord pull on metal and plastic zipper pulls and really like them but without the tab, no.

Feedback on the pulls noted (here of course and in our project management app)

Here's the scoop on this (I remembered we had written about this elsewhere, so I searched our project and voila!)

We like to sew the flat exterior pocket zippers on the Side Effect and Side Kick reverse or upside down. When carried with that pocket against the wearer we figured it might rub against clothing, and while it’s never been an issue that we can recall, we figure that it’s better if that zipper is as smooth as possible to reduce the chance of any kind of abrasion. When we initially made the Side Effect and Side Kick, we also used a slider without a metal pull and added a cord pull for the same reason: minimizing possible wear against your clothing. Then at some point we stopped using the cord pull for we-can’t-remember-now what reason, and that pocket zipper, though still sewn in upside down, got the same slider with metal pull that everything else got.

Fast forward to 2021: the Side Kick and Side Effect are now being made with our YKK Racquet Coil zippers w/water-repellent treatment — this is something of an upgrade for both bags since they didn’t previously use a zipper that water-repellent zipper. And because we can once again use a reverse slider with cord pull, we went back to that.

For the few instances in which we use a reverse #8 RC zipper, we opted to bring in a low-profile cord pull; our thinking is that it’s also less obtrusive when worn against your body and is more in line with the whole intention here. (We don’t actually have a metal pull option for a reverse #8 RC zipper.) It’s perhaps also worth noting that our choice to use the cord pull is actually a little bit more expensive than if we just brought in the standard metal pull.

We don’t have plans to replace our standard metal pulls on other bags or zippers — since there’s folks who prefer metal pulls and folks who prefer cord pulls, our thinking is that it’s best to stick with metal pulls because one can always either add cord pulls to the metal pulls or remove the metal pulls and replace them with cord. So, metal pulls = more options for everyone.

And....

Here's an excerpt from our Zipper Updates blog post that shares the original thinking behind using the cord pull for the Syniks (and then Shadow Guides) ~
"We would also change the laptop compartment zipper of the Synik to be #8 DWR RC and likely sew it in reverse and apply a loop through new style of cord pull — this is an often-used compartment, so makes sense to switch it to RC plus the reverse will provide a softer entry for the laptop, the actual opening for the laptop will be even a little bigger, and the new pull will tone down the noise and the overall look will be more minimal."

Hope this all helps a bit to share our thinking behind these choices.

[Surrealle]

My favorite setup with the Side Effect was when they still had the black anodized zippers but attached cord pulls directly to the zippers. This was just before they introduced the gun metal grey zippers in February 2014, and was first shown in @taminca’s Something's Different on the Side Effect thread. My solar 200d Halcyon Side Effect from late 2013 has this type of pull

moriond

I thought about suggesting that (attaching the cord pulls to the zipper) so that people can remove the metal tab and still use the cord if they want. But without knowing the reason for the zipper tab change in the first place I wasn't sure if that would solve the problem.

[moriond]

Yeah, and to be honest they kinda cheapen the look and feel of the bag. I don't mind cord pulls in general but I could buy this particular style (or something VERY similar at least) in a pack of 20 for $5 on Amazon. It's just not what I'd expect from TB, it feels like a step down in quality compared to a nice solid metal tab.

My favorite setup with the Side Effect was when they still had the black anodized zippers but attached cord pulls directly to the zippers. This was just before they introduced the gun metal grey zippers in February 2014, and was first shown in @taminca’s Something's Different on the Side Effect thread. My solar 200d Halcyon Side Effect from late 2013 has this type of pull

moriond

[Surrealle]

I am not a fan of the new cord pulls either. Seems like more fumbling to grab hold of. In spots where two pulls meet you really can't tell which side you have a hold on. Plus they are just hard to quickly grasp.

Yeah, and to be honest they kinda cheapen the look and feel of the bag. I don't mind cord pulls in general but I could buy this particular style (or something VERY similar at least) in a pack of 20 for $5 on Amazon. It's just not what I'd expect from TB, it feels like a step down in quality compared to a nice solid metal tab.

[etain]

I am not a fan of the new cord pulls either. Seems like more fumbling to grab hold of. In spots where two pulls meet you really can't tell which side you have a hold on. Plus they are just hard to quickly grasp. I use that type of small cord pull on metal and plastic zipper pulls and really like them but without the tab, no.

[Surrealle]

Darcy Is TB going to be switching to cord pulls a lot?

I'm really not a fan of them, I much prefer the metal pulls because at least those can be changed to a cord pull if you want but not vice versa.

[Darcy]

Whew! A (happily) busy restock day for everyone at the factory.

Wanted to share a heads-up that a kind (and observant) person pointed out to us that some of the Side Effect photos showed the bag with its front exterior pocket w/the metal pull and not the current cord pull. We've removed those photos and have already taken/uploaded some quick photos to replace them (official studio photos will follow in the next several weeks... it's a bit busy in the studio as we're photographing the new items for our last debut of the year!)

Darcy Hello, any chance the Daylight Backpack with the contour straps will be available this year?

I'm working on a blog post with various updates this week and... unfortunately, we don't think the Daylight Backpack with Contour straps will be available this year as we had hoped: same goes for the updated Maker's Bag. It's just been super busy on the production floor here at the factory! New estimate is early 2022l; perhaps February-March.

[epeterson]

I'd love to see some of the nice bold colors (mars red, aubergine, seapine) available in 210 ballistic, as shop bags

[Boaz]

I would love to see a co-pilot in halcyon or 1050

[luisdent]

i miss bright interior colors. that awesome yellow gold color you used to have was amazing...

wasabi. that's what i was thinking of. best interior ever.

is there any reason to wait for more pilot/co-pilot/makers bag colors to pop up? or are they pretty much what you see now for a while?

[John1970]

Darcy Hello, any chance the Daylight Backpack with the contour straps will be available this year?

[Darcy]

Looks like Cubelets are now in tomorrow's restock

Yes! And here's a blog post with notes about each item in tomorrow's restock:
https://www.tombihn.com/blogs/main/1027restock

[G42]

Looks like Cubelets are now in tomorrow's restock

[luisdent]

i miss bright interior colors. that awesome yellow gold color you used to have was amazing...

[moriond]

It happens. I'm just sorry I didn't grab more Tidal when I had the chance!

They did have some of those low-stock shop bags in Tidal Halcyon available for a while, but let me point out that the Packing Cube Shoulder Bag in Tidal is currently available, and also there is the Trucksana in Black Ballistic Nylon with the Blackout label but with a Tidal lining. In the case of the various size Trucks, I generally find the all black interior rather stark to use. Having the Tidal Halcyon lining in the Trucksana design is a nice touch.

moriond