11/29 Debut & Restock Thread

[nsh]

Can I also say that I love the 3 Ways to Wrap Gifts with the Shepherd's Wool Utility Cloths! - YouTube vidéo?

I loved this too! Last year we switched away from wrapping gifts in paper and used a variety of handkerchiefs and scarves I picked out at the thrift store that we will reuse this year. Using a shepherd’s wool cloth would be a really special treat for an extra “nice” person on Santa’s list

For what it’s worth TB crew, I really love your bag labels. They are unique, well crafted, and beautifully sewn. They always make me smile.

[Surrealle]

Darcy Can I put in a request for another round of the Steel/Island combo on the Carry All the next time it's restocked? I missed it this time around but hope I didn't miss out forever.

[moriond]

Darcy Can I put in a request for another round of the Steel/Island combo on the Carry All the next time it's restocked? I missed it this time around but hope I didn't miss out forever.

Interesting, all the 1050d Ballistic Nylon versions of the OSCA have sold out.

[del]

I’m wondering about the wisdom of putting a curved zipper on the side pockets of the OSCA bag. I notice that the original version of the bag had a straight zipper. I suppose the curve is not that great, but it seems like that could mean extra strain on the zipper, no?

[bchaplin]

Interesting, all the 1050d Ballistic Nylon versions of the OSCA have sold out.

I haven't handled the other versions, but it's a pretty nice bag in the 1050. Though I could see choosing it in Halcyon if I was primarily using it for the gym.

[Boaz]

Interesting, all the 1050d Ballistic Nylon versions of the OSCA have sold out.

I didn’t order one this time, but the ones I had to talk myself out of were all in the 1050. I probably wouldn’t have been able to resist getting one in verde if it were available.

[Darcy]

Darcy Can I put in a request for another round of the Steel/Island combo on the Carry All the next time it's restocked? I missed it this time around but hope I didn't miss out forever.

Request noted in our project app.

I’m wondering about the wisdom of putting a curved zipper on the side pockets of the OSCA bag. I notice that the original version of the bag had a straight zipper. I suppose the curve is not that great, but it seems like that could mean extra strain on the zipper, no?

Tom says: To the contrary, the zipper naturally lays a just such an arc if you lay it out. There was no particularly good reason that the front pocket zipper was absolutely straight: we've found that giving a zipper in that orientation a gentle curve actually makes it easier to open and close, as the motion of doing so more closely mimics the sweep of a natural movement from the elbow.

Thank you for including so much info about new products and timelines for both new and old items! It’s really helpful to know what is coming up, so that I can budget and plan appropriately.

When will the Side Kick in Night Walk/Tidal be available? And the S25 in Seapine Green?

It would also be great to have an update about the new Smart Alec - an estimate on when it will be available, colorways, changes to the design, etc. Darcy, are you able to share anything about that?

S25s will be done either next week or by the middle of this month. Side Kicks *might* be done around the middle of this month: if not then, later this month or early next.

Re: the Smart Alec - it's a priority for us, though I don't have estimates yet on any of those details. Walking that fine line between sharing too much too soon (stuff that might be subject to change) and not sharing anything at all, and right now, seems best to wait to share until we've got more details nailed down.

[Surrealle]

Request noted in our project app.

Just out of curiosity (and apologies for bugging you with a follow-up), but what does that mean? Is it a sure thing or just a possibility based on how many other similar requests you get?

[del]

Tom says: To the contrary, the zipper naturally lays a just such an arc if you lay it out. There was no particularly good reason that the front pocket zipper was absolutely straight: we've found that giving a zipper in that orientation a gentle curve actually makes it easier to open and close, as the motion of doing so more closely mimics the sweep of a natural movement from the elbow.

Thank you, Darcy. But surely the natural sweep of the arm traces a downward curve. The bag’s zipper has an upward curve. So that part of the explanation doesn’t make sense.

However, if you say it makes no difference to the life of the zipper, I’ll take your word for it.

[John1970]

Darcy, thanks for the update on the Smart Alec. And speaking of updates, are there any plans to update the Brain Bag? It was one of my first TB bags, many years ago, and I'd love to see a newer version with an updated back panel, etc.

[Darcy]

Just out of curiosity (and apologies for bugging you with a follow-up), but what does that mean? Is it a sure thing or just a possibility based on how many other similar requests you get?

It's impossible to bug me (although I may take forever to respond if things are busy, or if I forget, in which case bug again!) Always feel free to ask follow-ups.

Not a sure thing. We have several lists in our project management app where we post various kinds of feedback: that way, all of us get to see it, and that way, it's there, saved, so we can refer back to it. So, if we get color requests in email, chat, here on the Forums, or on social media, we'll usually (usually = if it's crazy busy we might not have time to stop and do that but mostly we still do) post them in that thread. We don't tally the requests, so it's somewhat up to fate: if we receive a request, we're about to order that bag and we have the fabric/we agree it'd be a great color/we think it'd be popular, we'll include it in the order. Or, if we're placing orders for bags, we might look through the list to see if there's any colors that jump out at us that we might not have otherwise included.

[Darcy]

Thank you, Darcy. But surely the natural sweep of the arm traces a downward curve. The bag’s zipper has an upward curve. So that part of the explanation doesn’t make sense.

However, if you say it makes no difference to the life of the zipper, I’ll take your word for it.

*trying to figure out how to explain this movement in words*

Are you thinking about this like the bag is hanging vertically? I think Tom was (and I am) thinking of it sitting on a table.

[Darcy]

Darcy, thanks for the update on the Smart Alec. And speaking of updates, are there any plans to update the Brain Bag? It was one of my first TB bags, many years ago, and I'd love to see a newer version with an updated back panel, etc.

It's possible for sure. It's not actively being worked on right now, but theoretically possible. If that helps any (I'm not sure it does!)

[moriond]

Request noted in our project app.

Tom says: To the contrary, the zipper naturally lays a just such an arc if you lay it out. There was no particularly good reason that the front pocket zipper was absolutely straight: we've found that giving a zipper in that orientation a gentle curve actually makes it easier to open and close, as the motion of doing so more closely mimics the sweep of a natural movement from the elbow.

On the statement about the curved zipper design, I'd like to note that there have been several recent (and popular) bag designs where a curved zipper has been used: I'll just name the Parental Unit which, despite being retired, was brought back for an end of August 2021 preorder due to demand from forum members, and also the Icon (which I see is down to only 2 remaining colors).And if you look at classic designs like the Synapse, the zipper on that front bottom pocket has always been slightly curves — not a straight zipper.

In practice, if the curved zipper ends were sewn into a rectangular form or piping, so that pulling the zipper open and shut stressed the attached seam by pulling it at an unnatural angle, then it is possible such a zipper design might shorten the life of the zipper, but if you examine all the bag cases that I’ve mentioned, you’ll note that the seams etc. at the ends of the zipper are also correspondingly angled.

The slight zipper curvature makes it easier to insert wider objects into the zipper opening without having to “rock” or maneuver them in. It’s also easier to zip and unzip the bag while I’m shoulder carrying it. (@G42 recently asked for a comparison of the new Parental Unit she received with the Pilot, and this was one of the comments that I made — unzipping/zipping follow the curve of the Parental Unit was an easier motion to perform while wearing the bag on my shoulder than zipping/unzipping around the rectangular corners of the front pockets of the Pilot, which also used beefier zippers, but the rectangular design of the Pilot allows you to pack boxy items better and maximize height).

@Darcy’s comments about an arc being more natural for wider bag zipper usage is correct: assuming that you are shoulder carrying the bag, and not putting it down every time you need to access contents, it’s not a natural motion to move your hand in a long horizontal motion parallel to the ground. For short zippers on the Cafe Bags, Side Effects or Side Kicks, the straight zipper is fine. But how often do you move your hand by the side in a long line that is parallel to the ground? Normally, if you have to reach back fairly far, you’ll drop your hand (e.g., to reach a back pocket), and pull it up slightly as you move past your waist. In detail, it depends on the height of the zipper relative to your side, but for long motions, a slight “pick up and put down” motion (like picking fruit) is more natural.

I’m a big fan of the Daylight Briefcase, and when it debuted and I was asked how it differed from the Pilot, my statement was that if I didn’t need the larger size or ability to hold large, chunky contents (e.g. camera lenses, etc) that the Pilot could handle, that I liked the fact that it was much easier to for me to carry this bag close to my side, and also access content on the fly because of the lighter zippers. (And yes, those are straight zippers on this bag, which is not as long as the Pilot, OSCA, etc., and the diagonal straight zipper lets me easily access items like a flight itinerary, etc,)

It’s all a question of usage, what you prioritize, but I wanted to expand on @Darcy’s answer about the zipper usage experience.

HTH

moriond

[marbenais]

After having some unexpected canine help taking photos of those two, I'm glad to say that I am now the permanent owner of one of each! Photos don't do them justice, and they're warmer wraps than one might expect.

Would you share those photos with the canine assistance? How much does fur get embedded?