Brain Bag review

[seamus]

I bought a brain bag to replace two bags that I had been using; a rucksack with a fleece, books and other odds and ends and a specialist laptop rucksack for my mbp.



When the brain bag arrived I was very impressed at the compact nature of the rucksack. While you can fit a lot of stuff into the brain bag it is not a large bag. The compression straps really compact the brain bag!

The brain bag on the left with the other two bags;





The brain bag is the same height as the laptop bag (which is on the right), but it allows met to carry so much more and it distributes the weight so well that the load that used to be in the other two bags feels far lighter when in the brain bag. A touch of magic from Tom Bihn :p

The brain bag;




Brain bag with vertical brain cell in rear compartment;



I like to take a dslr with me when I go for walks / hikes and a camera body with one lens, spare battery, cf cards, etc fit into a lowepro 75aw.

The 75aw in the front compartment of the brain bag;



There is enough room for a second lens in a lowepro case in the front compartment, along with a rain jacket (I live in Ireland and we are having a very wet summer )


I also ordered a snake charmer and it is a brilliant idea. It holds all the cables, two hard drives (one for superduper back up and one for movies and picture library) and fits into a corner of the back compartment with the mbp.








I now have a rucksack that allows me to bring everything I need for work and for a walk/hike.

I visited New York in 2006 and didn't bring the mbp with me. I didn't own a bag at the time which would allow me to carry a laptop and books, jacket, camera, etc in one rucksack. I won't have that problem the next time I visit

I must also mention Darcy. She was extremely helpful when I was ordering the brain bag. We are quick to condemn bad customer service and I must say that I was delighted with the help I received from this company.

[seamus]

I changed my smugmug a/c and the pictures in the first post are gone. I couldn't edit the first post so I posted again.


I bought a brain bag to replace two bags that I brought to work, a rucksack with a fleece, books and other odds and ends and a specialist laptop rucksack for my mbp.

When the brain bag arrived I was very impressed at the relatively compact nature of the rucksack. While you can fit a lot of stuff into the brain bag it is not an excessively large bag.

The brain bag;



Brain bag with vertical brain cell in rear compartment;



I like to take a dslr with me when I go for walks / hikes and a camera body with one lens, spare battery, cf cards, etc fit into a lowepro 75aw.

The 75aw in the front compartment of the brain bag;



There is enough room for a second lens in a lowepro case in the front compartment, along with a rain jacket (I live in Ireland and we are having a very wet summer :)

I ride a motorbike and have a givi top box on the motorbike. The brain bag fits into the top box;



I also have a horizontal brain cell, which I use in the top box, and that gives plenty of protection to the mbp.

I had been using a laptop bag to carry my mbp and a second rucksack for other odds and ends. The brain bag replaces both:





and the snake charmer is brilliant for organising hard drives, usb keys, mouse, powerbrick, etcl

[pretzelb]

I'm glad you reposted the pictures. I have been trying to decide if I would be better off with a Brain Bag vs the Smart Alec I just got. Seems like the Brain Bag is pretty big imo from the pictures. Especially if you can fit a DSLR and laptop like you did. For me, putting the laptop in the back and my water and coffee containers in the front might be a good setup for me.

[bezuhin]

What do you do with the waist straps when you don't want to use them?

[seamus]

I'm glad you reposted the pictures. I have been trying to decide if I would be better off with a Brain Bag vs the Smart Alec I just got. Seems like the Brain Bag is pretty big imo from the pictures. Especially if you can fit a DSLR and laptop like you did. For me, putting the laptop in the back and my water and coffee containers in the front might be a good setup for me.

I'm glad the photos helped. I find that the Brain Bag isn't a huge rucksack. If you look at the pictures, it's around the same height and width as the laptop bag I had used previously. It is deeper tho' and that suits me.

This photo shows the depth of the brain bag, on the left, compared to the other rucksacks I own.


I keep the mbp in the back compartment with the snake charmer and power brick. The front compartment has more than enough room for a fleece, books, files and whatever else I need. It can also take a dslr in the front compartment which is brilliant for me. I went to New York in 2006 and didn't bring a laptop because I didn't have a bag that could hold a mbp, camera, books, ipod, and other assorted sundries. Now I can!!

Also, if I don't have a heavy load I can use the compression straps to reduce the depth of the brain bag and make it more compact.

I can't tell you if the brain bag would suit you but it definitely suits me. I am delighted with it.

I hope this helps,

shay.

[seamus]

What do you do with the waist straps when you don't want to use them?

I never use the waist straps, I tighten them against the back of the brain bag and tuck the loose ends in behind them. I will take a photo later to show what I mean. I have only ever used waist straps with very heavy loads, for my normal, day to day, usage I don't need them.

Shay.

[BJ Nemeth]

I never use the waist straps, I tighten them against the back of the brain bag and tuck the loose ends in behind them. I will take a photo later to show what I mean. I have only ever used waist straps with very heavy loads, for my normal, day to day, usage I don't need them.

The same thing applies to me; I leave the waist strap tightened up against the back of the brain bag.

I have used the waist strap perhaps half a dozen times. If you have a *very* heavy load on your back and have to make a long trek (for me, that's in a big airport or a cavernous casino), it makes a huge difference.

[Darcy]

Also: the waist strap on the Brain Bag is now removable. I'm not sure if seamus has a Brain Bag with a removable waist strap. Any new Brain Bag ordered as of now will have the removable waist strap.

[bezuhin]

Also: the waist strap on the Brain Bag is now removable. I'm not sure if seamus has a Brain Bag with a removable waist strap. Any new Brain Bag ordered as of now will have the removable waist strap.

I have an older Brain Bag. Do you guys offer a retrofit on the waist straps?

[seamus]

Also: the waist strap on the Brain Bag is now removable. I'm not sure if seamus has a Brain Bag with a removable waist strap. Any new Brain Bag ordered as of now will have the removable waist strap.

D'oh !!! The waist straps are now removed !!


The catch pops open and the straps can be removed

[Darcy]

I have an older Brain Bag. Do you guys offer a retrofit on the waist straps?

This is one of the few times we can actually do a retrofit. The price would be $30 which includes return UPS Ground shipping. Note: any bag sent back for repair or retrofit must.be.clean. AKA free of sand, dirt, and strong odors.

Send your Brain Bag to us at:

TOM BIHN
Attn: Brain Bag Waist Strap Retrofit/JUNE
2203 1st Ave S.
Ste #200
Seattle WA 98134

Please include a note explaining that you'd like the waist strap retrofit and provide us with the address we should send your bag back to once the retrofit is completed. The retrofit should take 1-2 business days to complete.

[brjndr]

Is the removable waist strap retrofit still available? I have a Brain bag I bought in 2001, and I'd like to make the waist strap removable.

Can the clip also be attached to the outside of the bag (between the two pockets) for a water bottle? My older bag also doesn't have this feature.

[tpnl]

@brjndr

I believe your Brain Bag has a 2" wide waist strap. Note that the current model Brain Bags use a smaller 1.5" wide waist strap. I believe that, with the retrofit, you would get the smaller waist strap in return.

I still wanted to keep the 2" waist strap so I found two solutions to add the removability and keep the 2" wide straps

1) Buy 2 rectangular carabiners (I found one with a screw on and off opening mechanism) from a hardware store in a size that you can thread the full 2" width of nylon webbing of the waist strap through . Then, get a tailor to cut the waist strap about an inch from where it attaches to the back. Then, for both open ends, wrap the webbing back on itself and sew it together to create a loop. Now you can feed the looped ends through the carabiners you bought in the same fashion you would have put the gatekeeper clips.

or

2) Buy 2 2" toothed slides (like the ones used on the strap attachment points for the Ego / Super Ego. A store that sells backpack parts (MEC in Canada, perhaps REI in the US) should have it. Then, get a tailor to cut the waist strap about an inch from where it attaches to the back. For the open end attached to the bag, thread the webbing through the middle of the toothed slide and back onto itself and then sew it together to create a loop. Then all you need to do it thread the waist strap through the toothed slide and back again through the buckle to secure it.

Note that, once you cut your webbing, you will need to melt the ends to make sure they do not unravel. I use a not clothing iron to do this.

I did option 2 and it is great - very cheap to do as well - cheaper than the shipping to send my Brain Bag back.

Hope this helps

Cheers!

[theandy]

Curious what everyone else's experience of the small inner front pocket toward the bottom of the pack is like. For me, it is one of the pack's only downsides. If I have anything in it, like my mac's power cord, it pushes into the area where papers and 'everything' else goes and things land on top of it vs smoothing right down next to everything else in there cleanly (especially if you have to stuff it in really quickly). Makes for a less than stellar way to go. Its a small thing, but I have to admit to it driving me a little crazy.

I wonder if I can just remove it. Hmmm.

EDIT: my bad; I have the Smart Alec, not the Brain Bag. Nevermind.

[weirdguy]

Also: the waist strap on the Brain Bag is now removable. I'm not sure if seamus has a Brain Bag with a removable waist strap. Any new Brain Bag ordered as of now will have the removable waist strap.

Does that mean the current new Brain Bag has been revised with many additional tweaks that you mentioned before?

The updated Brain Bag will be in the works soon, but it's not yet available for pre-order and likely won't be for at least another month or two, and our current system won't let us hold an order for in stock items so that pre-order items could be added at a later date. Sorry. :/