TriStar or Aeronaut?? The decision is making me crazy!!!

[DQBunny]

<3<3<3<3<3 The new Doctor Who series is also absolutely wonderful .

I LOVE the new series, especially the current Doctor. New goal: To get close enough to the TARDIS set one day with one of my Tom Bihn bags to get a picture. If I visit the Doctor Who Experience, I can get away with this! I also carry River Song's sonic in whatever Bihn bag I carry for the day. Darcy even posted a picture of that on the blog a few weeks back!

[Katy]

Doctor Who! I am surprised Google didn't know. At the risk of sounding like a sci-fi junkie (which I am definitely not, although I don't mind the odd William Gibson novel from time to time), Doctor Who is an English sci-fi character who, as one of the Time Lords, travels through time and space in a time machine called a TARDIS. It has chameleon like features that enable it to blend in with its surroundings (in the TV series it appeared as a small old fashioned English police box - think something like a telephone box with no windows) but for present purposes its key feature was that it was much larger on the inside than it appeared from the outside. . Check out the original BBC series - it is delightfully eccentric and clunky (and loved by its fans for being so)!

<3<3<3<3<3 The new Doctor Who series is also absolutely wonderful .

[kmcg]

I love the pop of purple on the interior (life is fun on the inside, even on business trips).

Reminds me of a mullet. Business in the front, rock n roll in the back

[TavaPeak]

dmauder, now that you've made your decision for Aeronaut, I'll chime in about my Tristar. ;-) Took it for a 3-day trip this weekend, and I just LOVE the organization of this bag.

I used the back section (by the backpack straps) for clothing. I'm tall and "well-upholstered," so my clothing is not small. I took enough for 4 days--pants and sweater strapped on left, and 2 Eagle Creek packing cubes (1/3 and 2/3 size) on the right. Bihn packing cubes are on the shopping list, but I'm using what I have for now. I took 2 pairs of sandals (women's size 12) in the front section, and personal items. The middle section was my "office," with room for magazines (on the right, set vertically) and a book, and my Breve on the left (also vertical) with my Ipad 2. The small front pockets are terrific for organizing small stuff and TB pouches.

I think I'd prefer the extra capacity of the Aeronaut, but I just love the organization of the Tristar. It stands up on its own, and I can unzip it completely on that third section when I want to see all my clothes at once. The sections are wider on Tristar than the Aeronaut, and that works better for how I like to pack. I can't believe how much I can get in this bag. The three sections just work so well.

I have a steel/UV Tristar, and I think it looks very professional. The steel is a rich, classy color. I love the pop of purple on the interior (life is fun on the inside, even on business trips). I think the steel would look great in an office setting, as well as the black. Solar would make everything very easy to see.

[gmanedit]

I think you've worked your way to a good place: an Aeronaut with, if necessary, a computer bag that fits in the Aeronaut. Sounds like a plan.

[dmauder]

Doctor Who! I am surprised Google didn't know.

Too funny! I totally didn't make that connection.

Thanks for the advice in your other response, I really do appreciate it. Despite the assurance that a TriStar would probably be fine, I'm still leaning more toward the Aeronaut. I REALLY like that bag... And the more I think about it, I'd be fine carrying a 2nd laptop/tech bag as needed -- maybe a messenger style or briefcase. Was even thinking, when I fly I might be able to fit that in the Aeronaut so I only have to lug one bag through the airport. It would be even more encouragement & reason to pack as light as possible. I drive way more often than I fly, and it's no biggie to throw a separate laptop bag in the car.

[JLE]

Back on topic, I have a Tri-Star and I would say that it is well suited to your needs in a client environment (especially in black). When it is not overpacked it maintains a neat rectilinear shape. Although it is larger than a laptop bag I think most clients would assume that was what it was without giving it a second glance.

[JLE]

Doctor Who! I am surprised Google didn't know. At the risk of sounding like a sci-fi junkie (which I am definitely not, although I don't mind the odd William Gibson novel from time to time), Dr Who is an English sci-fi character who, as one of the Time Lords, travels through time and space in a time machine called a TARDIS. It has chameleon like features that enable it to blend in with its surroundings (in the TV series it appeared as a small old fashioned English police box - think something like a telephone box with no windows) but for present purposes its key feature was that it was much larger on the inside than it appeared from the outside. . Check out the original BBC series - it is delightfully eccentric and clunky (and loved by its fans for being so)!

[dmauder]

It is because all TB bags have a built-in Tardis function as standard!

Hmmm, I even googled that and I'm still not sure what it is.

[tCook]

Regarding this statement: I don't think the Aeronaut seems like a good "briefcase"/tech bag to lug into a business casual situation with a customer.

I don't have the Tri-Star, but do have an Aeronaut. When not completely full, the Aeronaut can look a little floppy, if you will. I agree that the Tri-Star appears to be better for on-site business stuff. I feel like the Tri-Star really just looks like a bigger briefcase, but that the Aeronaut (which I love) will look like luggage no matter how you slice it.

[JLE]

Thanks AVService, your response is definitely helpful. What blows my mind is how much people say the TriStar will actually hold... Why do you think that is?

It is because all TB bags have a built-in Tardis function as standard!

[jmachats]

You might find this review helpful. I link it because, like you, this is a tech guy and he carries electronic equipment as well, and has devised a creative way to organzie it all. Check it out.

The Best Carry-on Luggage is from Tom Bihn - YouTube

[dmauder]

Thanks kmcg -- very interesting thread! I'm still paranoid that I will buy the TS and then find out it doesn't hold everything I need. Of course, then I would be forced to purchase the Aeronaut too!

[dmauder]

Thanks AVService, your response is definitely helpful. What blows my mind is how much people say the TriStar will actually hold... I have a North Face Surge backpack, which is basically the same dimensions as the TS (both are 33 liters), but there is NO WAY I could ever pack 3-4 days worth of clothes and my laptop & tech crap in the Surge. Why do you think that is? Is it just the design and shape differences between the bags? I've tried to use the Surge as my "one bag" on a couple trips, and it just didn't work out. It was so totally overstuffed, and I couldn't even slide my laptop down into the laptop sleeve without feeling like I was going to damage it.

[kmcg]

You may have seen this thread already, but I'll link it because it involves many of the same Tri-Star for business travel considerations: http://forums.tombihn.com/bag-review...-aeronaut.html I don't have both bags, but I can attest to the versatility of the Tri-Star if you need to carry tech stuff and clothes, shoes, etc. It's almost too organized for my taste, but that's because I do mostly leisure travel and never carry a laptop.