Tri-Star with Freudian Slip for Brain Bag?

[goretsky]

Hello,

I am thinking about purchasing a Tri-Star for full-time use in the backpack configuration as the Brain Bag is currently unavailable. I have a couple of questions about it though:

1. Will the Freudian Slip for the Brain Bag work with it? Since I plan on using it in "portrait" mode, the "landscape" version of the Freudian Slip is of less interest to me.
2. The laptop I am purchasing is 375.4 × 252.3 × 24.5-31.45 mm (14.24 × 9.67 × 0.96-1.24 inches) in size. Is the 16A Cache the best version to get for this size?

I bought a Brain Bag with similar accessories for a 17" laptop about three years ago, and its working well for that purpose (so well, that I am looking for another Tom Bihn bag for this new laptop).

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

[G42]

Welcome to the Forums goretsky !


That laptop sounds a bit too large for the 16A - take a look at this chart https://www.tombihn.com/pages/dimensions-specs

You can also always talk to the fine folks in Customer Service about your specific device


The FS for BB should theoretically fit in portrait mode, but I don't have either bag to confirm. Hopefully someone chimes in or again, the CS folks can check the inside dimensions.

Brain Bag/Smart Alec Freudian Slip: Dimensions - 11.8" (w) x 16.9" (h) x 1” (d)
https://www.tombihn.com/products/fre...aterials-specs

TriStar Dimensions: 18.9" (w) x 13" (h) x 8.1" (d)
https://www.tombihn.com/collections/...aterials-specs

[moriond]

Hello,

I am thinking about purchasing a Tri-Star for full-time use in the backpack configuration as the Brain Bag is currently unavailable. I have a couple of questions about it though:

1. Will the Freudian Slip for the Brain Bag work with it? Since I plan on using it in "portrait" mode, the "landscape" version of the Freudian Slip is of less interest to me.
2. The laptop I am purchasing is 375.4 × 252.3 × 24.5-31.45 mm (14.24 × 9.67 × 0.96-1.24 inches) in size. Is the 16A Cache the best version to get for this size?

I bought a Brain Bag with similar accessories for a 17" laptop about three years ago, and its working well for that purpose (so well, that I am looking for another Tom Bihn bag for this new laptop).

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

Welcome to the forums goretsky You can fit a Freudian Slip for the Brain Bag into the Tri-Star, but I’m not sure how you envision working with this. Perhaps the easiest way to give you a sense of the visual dimensions relative to the Tri-Star is to show you some images of the Freudian Slip for the Brain Bag inside the Packing Cube Backpack for TriStar/Western Flyer, which is one of the packing cubes that can be used with the Tri-Star, and which can also be carried as a minimalist backpack in "portrait" mode, but which I’ve not seen made as an accessory in over a year.

bunchgrass posted a picture of the Freudian Slip for Brain Bag in this PCBP/TS-WF in the Vertical freudian slip with Aeronaut 45 packing cube backpack?thread where there are a number of photos explaining the differences in structure and size between Packing Cube Backpacks designed for the Tri-Star/Western Flyer and for the Aeronaut 45, along with various Freudian Slips. This combination can be carried inside a Smart Alec Backpack — one of the original backpacks (Brain Bag and Smart Alec) for which the (Vertical) Freudian Slip (now named Freudian Slip for Brain Bag) was designed.


The other pictures in that linked thread, which include both vertical and horizontal Freudian Slips, allow you to visually compare their sizes (e.g., a picture of a horizontal FS turned on end inside the PCBP /Aeronaut45 can be measured against how far a vertical FS sticks out above that model accessory). There is also a picture of the PCBP/TS-WF that let’s you see the front of this accessory (diagonal zippered pocket), zippers all the way down the sides, and light webbing Backpack straps:
To get an impression of how this is sized and fits in the Tri-Star, take a look at the video made by Chase Reeves. This is an older review, but I’m using this because in his display comparison of the TriStar and Western Flyer he shows how the PCBP/ TriStar can go into the back compartment of either Tri-Star or Western Flyer, leaving the difference in the (smaller) width of the central laptop compartment
Tom Bihn Tristar vs Red Oxx Mini Boss (1 Bag Travel Briefcase/Backpacks)

The Brain Bag Freudian Slip does fit in the Tri-Star, but it’s often used for bulky items, so you need to ask yourself whether that is your intended use in the Tri-Star, too, and whether you would be sharing space that you would also pack with clothing, etc. that would likely be in that back pocket. (I actually pack most of my clothing in the medium packing Cube in the front compartment and don’t take up a lot of the space in back, which is for slacks or dress clothing, so I can stow papers there,too, but I’m just under 5’4”/161 cm and petite build) In a Brain Bag the FS would simply sit in the bag without needing to be secured. Are you going to make much use of the depth of the FS?

I’d check with Customer Support for the optimal size cache — my guess would be that you have something like one of the new Lenovo 15.6” laptops — maybe a ThinkPad P15 Gen 2 — you can ask the group mind in the forums, but it is more likely that you will need a size 15B or 15C cache depending on how tight the fits are running.

HTH

moriond

P.S. They might still do some low quantity restocks of returned Brain Bags, so ask about that, too.

[goretsky]

Hello,

Thank you very much for the warm welcome and detailed replies, G42 and moriond!

Hmm… from looking at the Laptop Fit Guide, I'm thinking the 15A Cache might be a better choice. I can follow up with customer support on that (plus look into another Brain Bag).

Just to be clear, the laptop and related electronics (chargers, cables, tablets, papers, gear, etc.) go into the backpack in discrete pouches. Clothes, etc., would go into my checked baggage. I might pack a change of underclothes if I begin traveling internationally again, but I can usually squeeze that down into a gallon-sized freezer bag with room to spare. On backpacks, I typically clip on something like the 3D Organizer Cube and a headphone case to the outside using a paracord wrist band around a handle and carabiners.

As far as internal organization goes, my thought was to put the laptop in the Cache in the center section where it could make use of the rails to slide out (Hello, TSA!), and the Freudian Slip into the section below the front/zipper side. I would then be opening it from the "top" side when in backpack mode/portrait orientation.

Oh, and yes, it is a ThinkPad P15 Gen 2 I've got on order. Nice catch, there!

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky

[goretsky]

Hello,

Just to follow up on my own post, I ended up going with a BrainBag with Freudian Slip and the 15B Cache. It's a bit more snug than the 15A would have been, but works well with the laptop. I also added some various straps and the smallest Q-kit to keep the unused ones in, plus the 15D Cache for transporting a second 14" laptop (just in case).

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky