It's been over a week, my thoughts on my Co-Pilot, FJN, Cork Kindle Pouch and CQPCs

[dorayme]

thanks Moriond, I guess for now I will be content and happy with my Absolute Strap. :)

[deazinn]

Hey everyone, I'm new to Tom Bihn, but I'm a Raveler also......feel free to friend me!! Same username.....

[moriond]

I would love to get my hands on the Terra grip strap. I had read about them, but recently, I can't remember where, I saw one in a picture and it looked like it would be a great strap for me. It had a sheath on it and it was thin at the ends and had a larger padded section where it would contact your shoulder. Unfortunately, it's no longer available.

Hi dorayme,

I'm going to point you to the Practical Hacks "Shoulder strap comparo – 4 contenders for “best bag strap”. The Terra Grip strap is the same or very similar to the strap that Red Oxx markets as "The Claw". Both are made by Quake Industries in Montana, just as the Absolute Strap is made by Op/Tech in the USA. (I don't know of any other company that has the customized design of the Absolute Strap, though.) Kevin's Practical Hacks article has a link to "The Claw", but I would check with Katy or one of the others at Tom Bihn about whether they still carry the Terra Grip strap:


HTH.

moriond

[backpack]

A 3D Clear Organizer Cube, in Steel, was one of my first purchases. I bought it as an extra organizer pocket for my first Large Cafe Bag.

Just as Dorayme, I find that little things are easier to locate quickly if in organized in Pouches.
But my o-rings are already full with things attached via lanyards.

Color coding and placing Small Pouches inside the 3D Clear Organizer Cube makes things easier to find and grab in a hurry.

However, the 3D Clear Organizer Cube make things tight in the Large Cafe Bag if the FJN is added.

Nevertheless, I got another one in UV, the 3D Clear Organizer Cube is a perfect addition to the Synapse and I suspect they will be the perfect bags within bags inside the Little Swifts.

I don't know if Swifts owners know that the Packing Cube Shoulder Bags fit perfectly inside the Swifts and work like a charm to add two inner zippered pocket.
I do not find it necessary, but the Packing Cube Shoulder Bags rings match the rings inside the main pocket of the Swifts easily linked together with a short Key Strap for each side.

[dorayme]

@Katy, yeah, that would have been a great idea huh? We were enjoying talking, show and tell, and eating way too much!

[Katy]

@Katy did you see the links to Flickr photos in this post by Janine?


moriond

Oh yes! They're quite adorable! I was hoping someone took a group shot of two of my favorite people + cute babies. ;)

[moriond]

WHAAAAATTTT!!!!!!!! Someone send me pictures! I know they exist! I'm so jealous!

@Katy did you see the links to Flickr photos in this post by Janine?

As threatened:

Oscar

Kindle

moriond

[dorayme]

Sorry Katy, I didn't take any pics all weekend long! Teh bebbies will forever be stamped in my mind with their cherubic faces and little grins!

[Katy]

Well I'm back! And I got to hold Janine's babies! zomg they are SO FREAKIN' CUTE!!!!! She's so lucky to have her handsome little men :)

WHAAAAATTTT!!!!!!!! Someone send me pictures! I know they exist! I'm so jealous!

[dorayme]

Well I'm back! And I got to hold Janine's babies! zomg they are SO FREAKIN' CUTE!!!!! She's so lucky to have her handsome little men :)
I went for the smallest possible package, and though my Co-Pilot kept my FJN contained nicely, for the sessions of my conference I carried my FJN and a Medium Stuff Sack with my knitting WIP.
I folded any handouts that were standard letter sized into half and placed them into the rear pocket for easy access. My bible remained in the front pocket. There was room for a small pack of facial tissues and my iPhone inside or in the back slip pocket. I felt very light and carefree to have my nano briefcase. Plus my notes are all where I want them, in my notebook that I carry daily for easy reference. Thanks TB for the FJN, it's awesome for other journaling, not just Field Journaling.

Other favorites from my trip:
I loved how the CQPC carried the smaller items I needed to keep up with, unmentionables, hair items, some pill form medication and shawl pin. I hate putting this stuff with my toiletries because if anything spills it's nasty. They needed a three dimensional container though, They wouldn't work well in an OP. The CQPC is definitely a winner.

Oh and WhiteStar, on the way home I shuffled some things around and ended up sliding my Co-Pilot inside of my once empty Synapse to have fewer bags to carry. (I brought the Synapse empty for show and tell). It fit, but kind of squished inward. Once I pulled my FJN out to find something I had to put it into the Co-Pilot on it's side. It no longer wanted to slide completely down while in the Synapse. After having actually tried it, it really just worked for what I was describing, a way to carry both bags at once with less fussyness. To actually use the bags like this would be a pain.
The Packing Cube Shoulder Bag would fit nicely into the Synapse though and would be squishable, unless stuffed to capacity to fit within the bag IMHO. I hth.

[Shiva]

snowbot: i agree with a lot of what you have said here about the co-pilot. I think it is one of the only TB bags that I have a love-hate relationship with! I agree with you entirely about the O-rings....I would appreciate it a great deal if I understood why they are placed where they are in various bags. I assume some of it has to do with the seam binding and where that comes. But it is an inconvenience in the Imago where it forces all the pouches to hang inside of the open pockets awkwardly. I find it the best in the Synapse; in the Smart Alec; and Medium Cafe bag. With the co-pilot that i use as a "handbag" since I hate big handbags too, I like it ok; but lots of times, I am equally annoyed :) LOL.

[snowbot]

Snowbot - is that Leibbert snowflake photo for your avatar? ;-)
That Co-pilot is way roomier than I was imagining.

TavaPeak, it is a Libbrecht photo from the CalTech library at SnowCrystals.com.
Regarding Co-pilot roominess, I haven't had all of the listed items in the bag at the same time. I did manage a large folder of papers and a textbook at the same time, but I don't think that i had the ipad in there.

[lauragayle]

Warning! I just "friended" a bunch of you all on Ravelry! I'm lauragayle on Rav.

[TavaPeak]

Snowbot - is that Leibbert snowflake photo for your avatar? ;-)

That Co-pilot is way roomier than I was imagining.

[snowbot]

Like dorayme, I wanted a steel and ultraviolet co-pilot. Unlike dorayme, I didn't think to call and ask if there were any left in stock.
I've had my cardinal co-pilot for a couple of weeks. I love the color, but am somewhat concerned that my husband won't use it which would be a shame since I decided to buy it after I sort of panicked when he left for a carrying a book in his hand. Lest you think I frequently panic at silly things like that, it was 4:30 in the morning.

I've been taking my co-pilot to work with me. Before it arrived, my medium cafe bag was my to-work bag. I'd planned on putting together a photo packing list, but it just hasn't happened yet.

Things that I really like:
I can fit my coffee transfer container in the water bottle pocket. Each of the thermal mugs I've tried fit in there, including a rather tall 16 oz Nissan vacuum container.
My ipad and its vertical cache fit in the main pocket. (I usually carry it on its side.)
I can carry a file folder filled to the brim with 8.5"x11" papers to grade.
I can carry a textbook.
An 8oz mason jar will fit in one of the main pouch pockets. I usually have a pair of fingerless gloves in there, too. That keeps the yogurt in the mason jar by preventing the jar from tipping over.
I can easily transfer my Tom Bihn pouches and cell-phone between the medium cafe bag and the co-pilot.
The co-pilot looks both professional and modest. I'm not a fan of the current trend in giant purses with huge buckles and bling.

Things I'm not so fond of:
The placement of the o-rings.
In each pocket, the o-ring is on the middle, rather than the side. In the main pocket, the means that my medium clear pouch that I use to keep track of receipts and other pieces of paper doesn't hang without getting bent.
In the front pockets, the o-ring is on the inward (next to center of the bag) side of the inside of the pocket, rather than the outward side. Together with the center of pocket placement, this means that anything you clip to the o-ring is going to hang over the interior cell-phone or pen pockets. For me, this makes getting my cell-phone in and out of the ultrasuede pocket annoying and, if my hands are cold, difficult.