How do you approximate a bag's size before you order it?

[jujigatame]

I have been giving serious consideration to getting a small Cafe Bag. It has less room than my Co-Pilot but since the weather has turned and a hat, gloves and jacket won't be daily requirements I don't need to stuff as much in my bag right now. Still, it's hard to figure actual space in just two dimensions like this.


box bag 10 by jjgtme, on Flickr

So with a little free time and a spare box from a past TB shipment I figured I would try a 3D mock-up of the small Cafe Bag in order to get a better idea of its size.


box bag 1 by jjgtme, on Flickr


box bag 2 by jjgtme, on Flickr


box bag 3 by jjgtme, on Flickr


The shoulder strap is probably not as robust as a real Cafe Bag but let's just keep that between ourselves.


box bag 4 by jjgtme, on Flickr

On the other hand, the primary material used for the body is top notch.


box bag 5 by jjgtme, on Flickr

The flap closure is relatively secure but the use of a carpet tack rather than an SRB does increase the risk of puncture wounds and bleeding. So for convenience and safety SRB is the best choice. But if you like your bag flaps with a dash of danger and risk of tetanus then it's old carpet tacks all the way.


box bag 6 by jjgtme, on Flickr

The iPad fits, minus its protective sleeve.


box bag 7 by jjgtme, on Flickr

The water bottle is a close fit but it works.


box bag 8 by jjgtme, on Flickr

On the shoulder and ready for adventure.


box bag 9 by jjgtme, on Flickr

Taking into account the dissimilar nature of cardboard as compared to nylon the mock-up presented still a larger bag than I had envisioned beforehand. I think the small Cafe Bag could work for me. And even if it doesn't I'll know I have a future as bag fabricator...for people who don't need bags.

[taminca]

Absolutely LOVE LOVE this! @jujigatame, you are very creative and have an awesome sense of humor. Thanks for sharing.

[backpack]

Absolutely LOVE LOVE this! @jujigatame, you are very creative and have an awesome sense of humor. Thanks for sharing.

I second that!

[tpnl]

I think we have next year's April 1st TB bag release :)
Love it!!

Cheers!

[marytattoo]

I have been giving serious consideration to getting a small Cafe Bag. It has less room than my Co-Pilot but since the weather has turned and a hat, gloves and jacket won't be daily requirements I don't need to stuff as much in my bag right now. Still, it's hard to figure actual space in just two dimensions like this.


box bag 10 by jjgtme, on Flickr

So with a little free time and a spare box from a past TB shipment I figured I would try a 3D mock-up of the small Cafe Bag in order to get a better idea of its size.


box bag 1 by jjgtme, on Flickr


box bag 2 by jjgtme, on Flickr


box bag 3 by jjgtme, on Flickr


The shoulder strap is probably not as robust as a real Cafe Bag but let's just keep that between ourselves.


box bag 4 by jjgtme, on Flickr

On the other hand, the primary material used for the body is top notch.


box bag 5 by jjgtme, on Flickr

The flap closure is relatively secure but the use of a carpet tack rather than an SRB does increase the risk of puncture wounds and bleeding. So for convenience and safety SRB is the best choice. But if you like your bag flaps with a dash of danger and risk of tetanus then it's old carpet tacks all the way.


box bag 6 by jjgtme, on Flickr

The iPad fits, minus its protective sleeve.


box bag 7 by jjgtme, on Flickr

The water bottle is a close fit but it works.


box bag 8 by jjgtme, on Flickr

On the shoulder and ready for adventure.


box bag 9 by jjgtme, on Flickr

Taking into account the dissimilar nature of cardboard as compared to nylon the mock-up presented still a larger bag than I had envisioned beforehand. I think the small Cafe Bag could work for me. And even if it doesn't I'll know I have a future as bag fabricator...for people who don't need bags.

Hmmmm. Great job. I'd have just ordered the bag and decided whether to keep it after it arrived. Never thought how "easy" this way would have been!

[AlaskaGirl]

Awesome! Your 1000D corrugated is just brilliant! This makes me realize that the small cafe bag is much larger than I imagined. I'll have to try this for the Tristar and the A30, as I'm probably only going to get one more bag this year.

A great big Thank You for the demonstration and the humor, too! elisa

[bchaplin]

Very cute idea. Though I feel that the box must overestimate the dimensions compared to an item made of fabric :)

[Ilkyway]

Next: printout a dyneemma-pattern of your liking, glue it on and off you go into the sunset.

So very cool!
Ilkyway

[bchaplin]

I should add that I want to make something like that as an insert for my dyneema Pilot. I've been using it the last few days to carry some papers that won't fit in my Co-Pilot, but I absolutely hate the way it collapses. Your post made me think again about the idea of a rectangular "box" for the back compartment that would give it some shape.

[brucep]

Still, it's hard to figure actual space in just two dimensions like this.

Great post! I've done this sort of thing before for other items, but not a bag.

Actually, when I ordered my SCB, I used the paper method you showed in your first picture.

[kkintea]

While the 1000d corrugated may slightly overestimate, I think it is fair to say the 'small' cafe bag is bigger than you'd think. I would love a 'mini' option.

Very cool post!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jujigatame]

Thank you for all of the comments. I did not think my Home Improvement style creation would resonate that much. ;)

Despite the amount of fudge factor, so to speak, that one must take into account the mock-up was quite helpful for illustrating real space versus what your mind conceptualizes on its own. Laying a tablet or water bottle down on a piece of paper is good for estimates but having the enclosed depth front to back gives a much better sense of what will or won't go.

The fact that the water bottle took up pretty much all of the 3" front to back depth meant one of two things. Either I would have to get pretty selective about what I'd carry in the bag or I'd need to come up with something for carrying the bottle outside the bag. I thought about moving up to the medium size Cafe Bag, which is pretty much a match for my CP in terms of height and width in the opposite orientation, but I don't want another bag of essentially the same size. I'm aiming for something closer to the size of my Kifaru pouch but with more structure and on board organization.

For anyone that has a small Cafe Bag there is one particular detail that I'd like to know. How far up are the waistbelt attachment loops from the bottom of the bag?

[brucep]

For anyone that has a small Cafe Bag there is one particular detail that I'd like to know. How far up are the waistbelt attachment loops from the bottom of the bag?

Slight variation on mine: between 2" and 2 1/2".

[Pokilani]

What a fun post!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jujigatame]

Slight variation on mine: between 2" and 2 1/2".

Thanks. That'll help for thinking up an external water bottle carry setup.