Introduction
I posted on the forums a couple months ago asking for opinions on using the Brain bag for swimming, in particular for lap swimming (https://forums.tombihn.com/forum/tom...r-lap-swimming). I wanted to replace an old duffel bag I’d been using and gotten increasing frustrated with the lack of organization and having to dig around for things in the bag. The consensus was inconclusive and some recommended a yeoman. I took a chance and bought a used Brain bag on the FB group. It's been a great success, and I’ve tinkered with the contents/setup and have more or less settled on what is in the bag and how it’s packed, for now. Hopefully others with similar use cases that don’t have a Brain bag yet can make a more informed decision of whether the bag is right for them.
An important caveat is that this is an old bag (it’s made of cordura). The internal organization and maybe even the size may not be the same as the current version, but the pockets in general look to be similar (from what I can tell on the website), so hopefully this is still a useful guide.
First, here is a picture of the bag packed with everything:
It’s pretty full, but not packed to the brim. It could fit more, but it may be a tight fit and uncomfortable to actually wear.
Top compartment
The contents inside mine:
This is pictured below (not including phone, which is used for the picture taking). The phone is the largest item, and even still, there is plenty of space in the top compartment to fit a larger phone.
Water bottle
The water bottle is a 32 oz Gatorade squeeze water bottle, measuring 3 in diameter and 9 in tall (not including the spout). The bottle fits fine in the mesh pocket if the pocket behind it is lightly packed (mine is). Otherwise, you will probably need to downsize. As is, there is still a process to putting the water bottle in the pocket: 1. unzip the pocket behind it 2. put the water bottle in the mesh pocket 3. finally zip up the behind pocket again.
Left front pocket
This is the front pocket behind the water bottle.
Here is a picture of the internal organization of the pocket:
There are 2 pen slots, one small front pocket, and one large back pocket.
The contents inside mine:
I put the 2 moisturizers in the big back pocket, the squeeze bottle and Vit C powder in the small front pocket, and the pen a pen pocket.
Here is a picture of what it looks like packed:
Right front pocket
This is the front pocket not behind the water bottle.
Here is a picture of the internal organization of the pocket:
There are 4 pen slots and one large back pocket
The contents inside mine:
The contents that go just in the front area are: one of the swim caps (the one I use) and the 2 goggles:
Here is what it looks like packed:
Front main compartment
The front main compartment (closest to the outside pockets) contains my “dry” stuff, i.e. stuff that stays on land
The way it’s pictured is how it slides into the bag, vertically.
Back main compartment
The back main compartment contains the “wet” stuff, i.e. stuff that goes in the water
The way it’s pictured is how it slides into the bag, vertically. I put the kickboard in first, which fits perfectly against the back panel, then put the fins in at the bottom in the alternating shoebox type pattern, and then set the pull buoy on top.
Use/Conclusions
The bag has everything packed in it when I go to the pool, except for the clothes. I wear my clothes over the swimsuit (except for underwear). So, the packing cube just has underwear in it. Once I strip down into just the suit, I put all the other stuff inside the packing cube. So the bag is actually only completely full on the walk from the pool to the locker room (since I change into clothes after showering, except maybe an outer layer because of the cool morning).
The bag works really well, haven’t had any major issues with fitting things in it. I’ve only ever used a duffel bag for swimming before, and it is pretty inconvenient, as all the stuff is there and you have to dig around in the main compartment to find it (especially keys, phone, wallet). Also my bag was getting pretty old, so I wanted to update to a more long term solution.
I was most concerned about the kickboard/fins/buoy, but they fit almost magically in the back compartment.
The 2 main compartments are great, because it separates the wet stuff from the dry stuff. The packing cube further protects the change of clothes. The organization of the front pockets helps deal with all the little knick knacks I bring along.
With the size water bottle I have, the contents of the 2 front pockets cannot be interchanged, since the one the goggles/caps would be too full to fit the water bottle on top. Though I think for most this really should not be an issue, my water bottle is abnormally large.
I looked at all the Tom Bihn accessories for other organization ideas, and the only one I seriously considered was the swivel double carabiner: https://www.tombihn.com/collections/...31890920341567. The use for this would be to hang the goggles from: clip one end onto one of the o-rings, and then hang the goggles from. But I think it just adds unnecessary complications to just stuffing them in the bag.
I have not tried one of those actual speedo/tyr swim bags that kids at my high school swim team would always lug around, I wanted a bag that could be used in other contexts and not look out of place. And also one that perhaps had more internal organization (not sure how much organization those speedo/tyr bags have).
I think for a gym bag for other purposes this should also work, with gear in one of the main compartments, and a change of clothes in the other one, and random knick knacks in the front pockets.
When I got the bag, it wasn’t that waterproof, so I used Nikwax Tent & Gear Solarproof, as recommended by Tom Bihn. Note that you should apply it when the bag is still wet. It works pretty well, the bag repels water sufficiently.
I posted on the forums a couple months ago asking for opinions on using the Brain bag for swimming, in particular for lap swimming (https://forums.tombihn.com/forum/tom...r-lap-swimming). I wanted to replace an old duffel bag I’d been using and gotten increasing frustrated with the lack of organization and having to dig around for things in the bag. The consensus was inconclusive and some recommended a yeoman. I took a chance and bought a used Brain bag on the FB group. It's been a great success, and I’ve tinkered with the contents/setup and have more or less settled on what is in the bag and how it’s packed, for now. Hopefully others with similar use cases that don’t have a Brain bag yet can make a more informed decision of whether the bag is right for them.
An important caveat is that this is an old bag (it’s made of cordura). The internal organization and maybe even the size may not be the same as the current version, but the pockets in general look to be similar (from what I can tell on the website), so hopefully this is still a useful guide.
First, here is a picture of the bag packed with everything:
It’s pretty full, but not packed to the brim. It could fit more, but it may be a tight fit and uncomfortable to actually wear.
Top compartment
The contents inside mine:
- Keys
- Swim ID
- Hand sanitizer
- Phone (iPhone 11 Pro Max)
This is pictured below (not including phone, which is used for the picture taking). The phone is the largest item, and even still, there is plenty of space in the top compartment to fit a larger phone.
Water bottle
The water bottle is a 32 oz Gatorade squeeze water bottle, measuring 3 in diameter and 9 in tall (not including the spout). The bottle fits fine in the mesh pocket if the pocket behind it is lightly packed (mine is). Otherwise, you will probably need to downsize. As is, there is still a process to putting the water bottle in the pocket: 1. unzip the pocket behind it 2. put the water bottle in the mesh pocket 3. finally zip up the behind pocket again.
Left front pocket
This is the front pocket behind the water bottle.
Here is a picture of the internal organization of the pocket:
There are 2 pen slots, one small front pocket, and one large back pocket.
The contents inside mine:
- Moisturizers (travel size, hand/face)
- Pen
- Squeeze bottle with 50/50 alcohol/vinegar to get water out of ear after swimming
- Small baggie with Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) powder to neutralize chlorine during shower (mix it with water in the water bottle, pour over self)
I put the 2 moisturizers in the big back pocket, the squeeze bottle and Vit C powder in the small front pocket, and the pen a pen pocket.
Here is a picture of what it looks like packed:
Right front pocket
This is the front pocket not behind the water bottle.
Here is a picture of the internal organization of the pocket:
There are 4 pen slots and one large back pocket
The contents inside mine:
- 2 swim caps (one that I use and an unused one, in case of breakage)
- 2 goggles (1 mirrored, 1 smoke, for different lighting conditions for the outdoor pool)
- 1 watch (Timex ironman)
- 1 tempo trainer
The contents that go just in the front area are: one of the swim caps (the one I use) and the 2 goggles:
Here is what it looks like packed:
Front main compartment
The front main compartment (closest to the outside pockets) contains my “dry” stuff, i.e. stuff that stays on land
- Eagle creek medium packing cube (10" x 14") containing clothes
- Towel
- Mask in plastic bag
The way it’s pictured is how it slides into the bag, vertically.
Back main compartment
The back main compartment contains the “wet” stuff, i.e. stuff that goes in the water
- Kickboard (19” x 12”)
- Fins (12” x 9” x 2.5”)
- Pull buoy (9.5” x 4” x 6”)
The way it’s pictured is how it slides into the bag, vertically. I put the kickboard in first, which fits perfectly against the back panel, then put the fins in at the bottom in the alternating shoebox type pattern, and then set the pull buoy on top.
Use/Conclusions
The bag has everything packed in it when I go to the pool, except for the clothes. I wear my clothes over the swimsuit (except for underwear). So, the packing cube just has underwear in it. Once I strip down into just the suit, I put all the other stuff inside the packing cube. So the bag is actually only completely full on the walk from the pool to the locker room (since I change into clothes after showering, except maybe an outer layer because of the cool morning).
The bag works really well, haven’t had any major issues with fitting things in it. I’ve only ever used a duffel bag for swimming before, and it is pretty inconvenient, as all the stuff is there and you have to dig around in the main compartment to find it (especially keys, phone, wallet). Also my bag was getting pretty old, so I wanted to update to a more long term solution.
I was most concerned about the kickboard/fins/buoy, but they fit almost magically in the back compartment.
The 2 main compartments are great, because it separates the wet stuff from the dry stuff. The packing cube further protects the change of clothes. The organization of the front pockets helps deal with all the little knick knacks I bring along.
With the size water bottle I have, the contents of the 2 front pockets cannot be interchanged, since the one the goggles/caps would be too full to fit the water bottle on top. Though I think for most this really should not be an issue, my water bottle is abnormally large.
I looked at all the Tom Bihn accessories for other organization ideas, and the only one I seriously considered was the swivel double carabiner: https://www.tombihn.com/collections/...31890920341567. The use for this would be to hang the goggles from: clip one end onto one of the o-rings, and then hang the goggles from. But I think it just adds unnecessary complications to just stuffing them in the bag.
I have not tried one of those actual speedo/tyr swim bags that kids at my high school swim team would always lug around, I wanted a bag that could be used in other contexts and not look out of place. And also one that perhaps had more internal organization (not sure how much organization those speedo/tyr bags have).
I think for a gym bag for other purposes this should also work, with gear in one of the main compartments, and a change of clothes in the other one, and random knick knacks in the front pockets.
When I got the bag, it wasn’t that waterproof, so I used Nikwax Tent & Gear Solarproof, as recommended by Tom Bihn. Note that you should apply it when the bag is still wet. It works pretty well, the bag repels water sufficiently.
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