Cafe Bag - Small VS Medium, which bag was the original size?

[Ladyrixx]

I was using a MCB for a couple years as my purse, but it's just too small. I have a Switch lite, eReader, first aid pouch, and some misc stuff in it. I could never fit my headphones or planner in there too. I snagged one of the LCBs in the last order. I still can't fit my headphones in, and I hate the colour, but it's a better size. I'll probably get the Maker's Bag when it comes out in alphaviolet.

[G42]

I was using a MCB for a couple years as my purse, but it's just too small. I have a Switch lite, eReader, first aid pouch, and some misc stuff in it. I could never fit my headphones or planner in there too. I snagged one of the LCBs in the last order. I still can't fit my headphones in, and I hate the colour, but it's a better size. I'll probably get the Maker's Bag when it comes out in alphaviolet.

what colour is it that you hate?

[theswiftbiker]

What! Darcy no photo!? 😲 😊

G42 there's a photo in this blog post

https://www.tombihn.com/blogs/main/d...-tom-cafe-bags

[G42]

G42 there's a photo in this blog post

https://www.tombihn.com/blogs/main/d...-tom-cafe-bags

Thanks! I'd forgotten that!

[Darcy]

I took a quick pic of the Mini Cafe that's in our conference room...

[Cooner]

I took a quick pic of the Mini Cafe that's in our conference room...

That is ADORABLE … What's the size of it? It looks sorta like an Everyday Cubelet but with Cafe Bag aesthetics.

I know you're unlikely to ever produce them again but I would totally buy a Burnt Orange mini to match my other bags if you ever made one. XD

[Ladyrixx]

what colour is it that you hate?

Aubergine. I love purple, but it's too red. I prefer my purples to be on the bluer side.

[latchford]

That’s so stinking cute!!!

I took a quick pic of the Mini Cafe that's in our conference room...

[moriond]

Darcy, Looking through old posts about the Cafe Bag led me to find the source of a statement about the Cafe Straps made at that time (October 2007), that I remembered but couldn't source.

Here's another new picture. This picture really shows off the quality of the webbing that we use for the shoulder strap. We get our webbing from the Czech Republic because they make the best webbing that we've seen or felt.

The original post was from a 10-09-2007 thread titled Accent Colors where you posted pictures of the Medium Cafe Bag in Pine/Wasabi. (Sadly, I don't think there are any pictures of this color combination around, since at the time it never appeared on the Cafe Bag product page, and they weren't preserved on any of the forum pages (even many years ago). From memory, Pine was a darker green with fewer blue tones than in the picture above (which looks like Conifer Cordura with perhaps a Cayenne lining). Then forum-moderator Just was considering buying another Medium Cafe Bag in this color combination when, in another forum thread (The Synapse backpack: Q & A from 12-06-2007), where forum member bobster mentioned stopping by the showroom to buy a few Tom Bihn, and gave special thanks to you and Tom for staying open a bit later so that he could make his purchases, you posted:

Hey bobster!! I didn't know that was you.

Thanks for coming by. If you can, come by on a weekday between 9am - 2:00pm: we'll give you a tour of the factory in action.

P.S. bobster has the last Pine/Wasabi Cafe bag. There is no more Pine: sorry!

(That last P.S. blighted the hopes of Just, who had posted about possibly getting that color combination earlier in the thread).


moriond

ETA: I did like the webbing that was used for bags around that time a lot. I actually thought it was nicer than the varieties that I discussed in the Did they change the material of their standard shoulder strap? thread from December 2018. I also thought there was a brief time early on when both sides of the Cafe Bag straps weren't directly sewn to the sides of the bag, but this was only an impression.

ETA2:

Cooner , it's not the same material obviously, but CBs in Linen cordura were made. IIRC, Linen was the color of a sandy beach; much more tan than off-white and people were pleasantly surprised it didn't show stains. Here's a blog post showing a MCB in Linen: tombihn.com/blogs/main/stock-brain-bag-snake-charmer-ego

SCBs and I'm pretty sure LCBs were also made in Linen and I'm pretty sure the color combos were Linen/Olive and Linen/Navy, but there *may* have been a Linen/Steel combo as well. You may find a used Linen CB on Ebay or query the FB group if you visit that site.

Aeon, during the time that they used Parapack to line the Cafe Bags, they made CBs in Linen Cordura with Olive, Steel, and Navy Parapack interiors in all sizes. The Olive and Steel interior options were only offered earlier on. The most common color combinations later on were Linen/Navy, because Navy Parapack was being used to line the Moveable Feast (in all colors), and also used for the Guide's Pack at that time.

ETA3: They also had the 500d Cordura lining combinations in Olive and Steel for the Linen Cafe Bags, before the Parapack interiors were used. BTW, Linen is one of the instances where having a sample organizer pouch still didn’t convey how nice the color was for actual bags (Cafe Bag and Daylight Briefcase).

ETA4: When I stated “I also thought there was a brief time early on when both sides of the Cafe Bag straps weren't directly sewn to the sides of the bag, but this was only an impression.” in the first ETA, I think it was based on seeing the straps on the Small Cafe Bag photo uploaded by then moderator Just in the Café Bag strap musings
thread from 05-07-2007. Here’s her posted picture of a Small Cafe Bag:

You can see that there are toothed slide connectors on each side similar to the design of the models of the Imago (after the initial version), and also similar to the Ristretto and the Large Cafe Bag of that period. (Color information was not posted there, but it looks to me like Steel Cordura with a Cayenne lining). I’m really not the best person to check with on detailed Cafe Bag early history since I bought two Imagos and a Ristretto before I bought my first Cafe Bag. We have lots of forum members who have been buying Cafe Bags for years, and that, combined with TB Staff, should be more reliable than my memories of what I read in the forums from 14+ years ago.

[spindlitis]

I have a medium cafe bag (the one with the "we didn't vote for him" in French tag). I believe that was the only Cafe bag available. You can actually look up the old website on archive.org. And I want that bag in the picture! I came onto the forum to ask why all the small bags have to be long horizontal style. I've found the Everyday Cubelet works for a belt bag, but would really like something with a buckle style.

[spindlitis]

Just checked. archive.org only goes back to 1996 and shows all three sizes. Hmmm, I'm sure I've seen older versions of the website out there somewhere.

[moriond]

Just checked. archive.org only goes back to 1996 and shows all three sizes. Hmmm, I'm sure I've seen older versions of the website out there somewhere.

The hosting website and its url prefix changed around then. It depends on what you are using for your source addresses and where you want to check (product pages? Forums? Blog posts?) I have links to external reviews with pictures of bags going back to 2003 and 2004 from other countries, and those links still work to bring up the pictures.

moriond

[Mistfrog]

Does anyone remember the Ristretto?

[dirkhaun]

Does anyone remember the Ristretto?

Of course. My first Tom Bihn bag (Ristretto for iPad). I was using that bag every day for I don't know how many years. Still have it, still looking good. Doesn't get a lot of use these days, though, sadly.

[Mistfrog]

Of course. My first Tom Bihn bag (Ristretto for iPad). I was using that bag every day for I don't know how many years. Still have it, still looking good. Doesn't get a lot of use these days, though, sadly.

Many iPads later, I am still using my Ristretto. Although it is still in great condition, I'm just waiting for delivery of a new medium Cafe Bag (Logic Blue 630 Recycled/Cloud 210 Ballistic) to replace it. It will do double service as a dog walking rig, accommodating a small pack of poo bags and treats and water bottle.