Pls help me pick a bag

[Bag Lady]

Hello everyone
I've been lurking in the Forum since late summer and have learned alot about TB bags. I thought I was the only one going through mental gymnastics over finding the perfect bag for each occasion, so I feel soooo at home reading all of your trials, tribulations, and triumphs.

Right now, I'm a newbie with only a SCB. It worked well during the summer when I wanted something small and unobstrusive when wearing lightweight, minimal warm weather clothing.

A few things have changed to send my SCB to the closet: my daily carry items have changed (my wallet and cell phone have both gotten bigger.) Plus, I'm now working PT in an office and need to transport paperwork (never more than 1/2" thick) back and forth. I walk two blocks from parking space to office. I am small (5' and of slight build) so I can't carry big bags since they look like a piece of luggage on me. I also want something lightweight and no backpacks for me since I am small and don't want to give the impression of an truant schoolgirl!

Currently I am carrying a Timbuk2 XS Messenger because it has a horizontal format and multiple pockets and zippered pouches perfect for me since I like carry a Portable Office: (5 pens in various colors, 2 highliters, tiny stapler + staples, eraser, little scissors, thumb drive) in addition to my small cosmetic bag for girly supplies, chunky wallet, checkbook, filofax, .6 Sigg, iphone + headphones, pack of gum, sometimes a small snack. The paperwork has to be folded in half and crammed in there.

All this gets heavy, and of course the Timbuk2 strap is unyielding, unremovable, and very uncomfortable

I am hesitant on the bigger Cafe Bags because I never quite got the hang of the vertical orientation. Things needed to be stacked and I felt like I was digging around. I want to be able to open up my bag and see everything at a glance.

I would love all your your questions, suggestions, and input.
Thanks in advance!!!

[ex machina]

I think the best solution for you would be the Imago, with Absolute Strap. The Imago is small enough that it will not dwarf your frame, and the Absolute Strap yields and flows like willows in the wind, or the tide on the beach. It absorbs shocks, and disperses the load over a large surface area.

I have both the Large Cafe Bag and the Imago. I have an Absolute Strap on both. I would have suggested the LCB but the vertical orientation seems to not suit you. So, in a horizontal bag, I would suggest the Imago. Here is a pic of a gal who is 5'4", 120 lbs, for reference:


Good luck, Bag Lady (what a great forum name!) With a Tom Bihn bag, there really are no bad choices.

[maverick]

hi bag lady,

welcome to the forum!

i agree that the imago would be a good choice for your needs.

[Bag Lady]

Thank you, ex machina and maverick! I'm delighted to have such a quick response. This community is wonderful indeed. I truly feel at home here.

Your words rang true with my instincts... I've ordered the Black/Black/Wasabi Imago in Ballistic with Absolute Strap. (With two kitties, I found the Cordura to be a bit furry at times!) I hope it's as lightweight as the 100% Cordura!

I also ordered a couple of pouches and I'm excited since I currently do not have any.

I'm grateful for companies like TB, American designed AND American made!!!

[ex machina]

Hi Bag Lady, great choice! I prefer the ballistic steel of my Imago to the cordura of my cafe bags. Both are great, I just like the ballistic more. The pouches are wonderful. I use them all the time. I pouch papers too. In my cafe bags I use a medium pouch and fold letter size papers in half, but I also have the large pouches to carry files and folders. Almost all my pouches have the clear front. It has proven a great feature.

I also would like to encourage you to post pictures of yourself with your bags as a reference for others. The more reference pictures, the easier I think it will be for people to make informed decisions on a choice of bag.

Please do post what you think of the new Absolute Strap. As this is your first one, I think you will be taken aback at how light it makes things feel. Its easy to get spoiled with them.

Congrats on your new bag!

[Bag Lady]

Thanks, ex machina! I sure will post modeling pics of the Imago. Just have to wait a week, because I live in the orange/5-day transit zone and I'm too cheap to pay the extra for quicker shipping!

And yes, I am looking forward to trying the Absolute Strap, esp. since it'll be the new and improved version!

BTW, what does 'ex machina' mean?

[ex machina]

BTW, what does 'ex machina' mean?

Well Bag Lady, that's a good question. Originally I tried to register in the forum as 'deus ex machina', which in Latin means 'the ghost in the machine.' The registration rejected my attempt; too long if I recall correctly. So, I dropped the 'deus' meaning ghost, and figure the rest to be 'in the machine,' but I don't know if that is grammatically correct in Latin, but it is correct for what I did. :P

The concepts of 'deus ex machina', both theatrical and philosophical I find to be very timely in our digital age. We are all ghosts in each others' machines. We can intervene, like a god descending from above in the old Greek plays to change things for people. Don't buy it? See all the kids getting their homework done at Yahoo Answers. I bet some there feel like that (especially around finals.).