Personal item to use with Western Flyer

[LizEsq]

Haha, I haven't taken any pictures (yet), but I received both bags yesterday and did a test pack. I crammed everything into the Pilot and thought there was no way it would all fit into the Co-Pilot, but it did! However, it was a tight squeeze and I don't think I want to deal with Tetris-ing everything into place every time I pack it up on my trip, so I decided to give myself a little more wiggle room and kept the Pilot. It's a great bag! I was surprised that my 32 oz Nalgene fits in the water bottle pocket (it actually fit in the Co-Pilot, too, but stole a little room from the side pockets). Thanks again for all your advice!

[G42]

I’m excited to try them both! I did a practice pack; filled my WF and left out everything I'm hoping to put in the Pilot or Co-Pilot. All that stuff weighs just under 10 pounds (it includes all my toiletries and electronics). The WF weighs about 12.

How I pack my toiletries will depend on which bag I keep. Currently they’re in an eBags “Pack It Flat” bag, which I think will fit in the main compartment of the Pilot. If I go with the Co-Pilot, I’ll move all that stuff into my Sea to Summit toiletries bag or one of the Tom Bihn organizers I ordered, and hopefully one of those will fit into one of the pockets in the Co-Pilot.

Pictuuuuurrresssss, we love pictures!


Just sayin'!

[LizEsq]

I’m excited to try them both! I did a practice pack; filled my WF and left out everything I'm hoping to put in the Pilot or Co-Pilot. All that stuff weighs just under 10 pounds (it includes all my toiletries and electronics). The WF weighs about 12.

How I pack my toiletries will depend on which bag I keep. Currently they’re in an eBags “Pack It Flat” bag, which I think will fit in the main compartment of the Pilot. If I go with the Co-Pilot, I’ll move all that stuff into my Sea to Summit toiletries bag or one of the Tom Bihn organizers I ordered, and hopefully one of those will fit into one of the pockets in the Co-Pilot.

[Walker]

Cannot go wrong with either the Pilot or the Co-Pilot. Nothing beats the organization they provide. The water bottle (or umbrella) pocket is the best ever.

Note that either bags can get heavy easily. Ask me how I know .

[LizEsq]

Great, thank you!

[moriond]

Hi LizEsq You’ll be able to check for yourself which bags works better for you. But I agree with Chicagoan that if you don’t need the extra space I like the way the Co-Pilot carries closer to my body compared to the Pilot, especially if I want to access contents while wearing the bag. But it’s really a question of what you need to carry that will determine things for you. I’ll just mention that the Small Western Flyer Packing Cube works as a packing cube for the back compartment of the Co-Pilot.

There’s a very old thread from 2014 where I showed this Packing Cubes for Co-Pilot

https://forums.tombihn.com/forum/tom...s-for-co-pilot

[LizEsq]

Well, I ordered both a Pilot and Co-Pilot today so that I can load them up and see which one I prefer, with plans to return the other. PLEASE HOLD ME ACCOUNTABLE AND MAKE SURE I RETURN THE OTHER! Lol.

[Chicagoan]

Thank you kindly, LizEsq!

FYI, I did review the Co-Pilot in a separate forum post:

Chicagoan Reviews His Favorite Bag: The Co-Pilot - TOM BIHN Forums

The CP is easily my favorite bag Tom Bihn makes, and the one I've used most often for EDC (every day carry).

[LizEsq]

Thank you! I could read this type of blog post all day long, and your analysis is super helpful.

[Chicagoan]

Deep Blue/NW Sky!

I have the exact same color WF.

Ultra super mega shameless plug, but I'm going to include this link to a blog I wrote about the 3 bag system I use for most my trips:

Portable Culture Portrait: Three Favorites with Eric Widuger (tombihn.com)

The blog post specifically mentions the TS, SK and SZTSB, but it mostly explains the idea of carrying a backpack, crossbody and tote as a 3 bag "system" for plane travel. I like it because you can choke down to fit everything in the TS when you don't need/want to carry the crossbody and tote, and when you need everything, the TS will stash in the overhead and you can fit the SK and SZTSB under the seat - the combined carrying capacity of all 3 bags is more than the largest bags TB makes (the A45 and T45).

The CP and WF were the 2 bags I used for years of plane travel and probably have the most experience with, but occasionally I size down on the crossbody (to an SK) and size up on the carry on (to a TS).

If you plan to use the WF for flying, assume backpack mode, which frees you up to carry a crossbody personal item.

Whatever small stuff you need quick and easy access to, keep worn on your front side in the CP.

Anything you aren't touching until you unpack at the hotel, stuff it in the WF, worn on your back.

I prefer the CP over the Pilot. The placement of the main compartment's interior pockets allows you to load the bag in a way that keeps it self supporting and able to stand up on its own without tipping over.

For me (a six foot tall, average build male) the Pilot is too rectangular and wide a bag. The CP is a nice square shape and will tuck under the seat in front of you stood upright - meaning you can still put your feet on both sides of it to stretch out while having easy top side access to the bag while seated.

My vote would be the CP worn crossbody and the WF worn as a backpack - I has also used a Side Kick in lieu of the CP when flying basic economy so I can fit everything into the WF and it still qualifies as a "personal item."

Ever try squeezing into an airport bathroom stall with a big carry on worn over the shoulder and resting on your hip? Super awkward. Backpack mode makes it much easier to squeeze through crowds (and bathroom stall doors!) at the airport.

[LizEsq]

Excellent advice, I'll do that! Thank you.

[bchaplin]

You might try loading up the Western Flyer and taking a walk with it, to decide if you will carry it more often on your back or on your shoulder. This might help you decide about the carrying mode of your personal item. To simulate a Pilot, try a heavyish purse or bag and do some walking around with both. I definitely think the Pilot and Co-Pilot are great at-seat bags, because they pretty much always fit underneath.

[LizEsq]

That's true; I can make sure there's room to squish it down if slightly oversized. I've heard horror stories of how strict they are and was trying to make sure there was no question that I'm compliant with the baggage allowance.

Your comment that the Pilot won't look/act the same as the WF makes me feel better. For the sake of $20, I feel like I should go with the Pilot instead of the Co-Pilot, as it's still within the stated dimensions. I just didn't want to be wasting money on 2 super similar bags that may be awkward to carry at the same time!

[G42]

You can always underpack... But if it's too out of your comfort zone, then I'd go for the Pilot

[LizEsq]

Just checked out the Pop Tote and I love it, except the dimensions exceed the Icelandair personal item allowance (15.7 x 11.8 x 5.9), which I'll be flying on in a few weeks (and am using as a justification to buy new bags).