How to: Attach pouches inside an Empire Builder.

[phreaker]

So I've read the complaint many times: You can't attach pouches to the inside of an Empire Builder.

You can, it just requires not using a brain cell. This is not a big deal if you use a sleeve to protect your laptop, like I do.

Needed: 1, TB keystrap, you may find 2-3 handy, depending on what you are doing. (I use 2.)

There are 2 clips on the inside of a modern Empire Builder. If you press their tips together, you can open them. The hinge is such that the clip opens facing up. Take one of the keystraps, lay it across the inside of the clip. You'll know the right location because there's some raised ridges on the clip. Close the clip. Now the keystrap should be secured in place.

With the ends of the keystrap, you can now a pouch or another keystrap or whatever else you think works well on the end of the strap.

There are 2 of these clips inside the Empire Builder, so you should be able to have plenty of attachment points for pouches.

[Walker]

Why did I not think of that? One can use your idea on every bag with annex clips.

[daisy]

So I've read the complaint many times: You can't attach pouches to the inside of an Empire Builder.

You can, it just requires not using a brain cell. This is not a big deal if you use a sleeve to protect your laptop, like I do.

If you DO use the brain cell, keystraps can be connected to the shoulder strap attachment points on either end of the brain cell. If you use the long ones, the attached pouches can be removed from the bag and left hanging out for easy access but remain attached so they don't get left behind when it's time to fold the office up.

[ChrisG]

Another option I just thought of the other day is to add a MOLLE T-ring adapter like the one shown below through the annex clip loop. The annex clips are sized to fit on MOLLE webbing, so the T-rings fit very well and the TB clips fit on the ring just fine (though a bit more snugly). In fact, since these are significantly wider than an O-ring, you can clip several more pouches to them than you could on an O-ring.



Because of the fact the ring is slightly wider than the webbing (you have to rotate the ring 90 degrees to slip it though), you can put these either up or down through the annex clip loop and it will stay secure. The annex clip loops in my Empire Builder have enough give that you can actually fit the loop through behind the annex clip when it is in place, and I'd guess that's true on most other bags that are setup to receive a Brain Cell.

Lots of different versions of these on the market: just Google "MOLLE t-ring" and you can find them pretty easily (even on Amazon). They're usually around $4.

[TavaPeak]

For my last trip, I removed the annex clips from my Zephyr and used a small caribiner in the loop. I attached a strap to my 3D clear organizer pouch for my 311 bag. That worked great for going through security.

Next trip, I'll add a clip to the other remaining annex loop and add more pouches. Then I'll use one of the nifty plastic dividers up against the pouches, to keep them from getting caught on other things in the Zephyr.

I had to smoosh the top of the Zephyr to get it to fit under my United seat (cringed as I did this on all 4 flights), but it was a terrific personal item for what I needed. I wish the Zephyr were just a bit shorter in height, for this reason.

[savoyard]

A lot of ingenuity here which would have been unnecessary if Tom would just put a couple of o-rings inside the EB main compartment. Customers have been requesting this since back before I bought mine in '09.

[lotuseater]

I had to smoosh the top of the Zephyr to get it to fit under my United seat (cringed as I did this on all 4 flights), but it was a terrific personal item for what I needed. I wish the Zephyr were just a bit shorter in height, for this reason.

That's exactly why I retired my Empire Builder for business trips, which is larger in every dimension than the Zephyr. It took some discipline to pare down my laptop bag packing list, but now I use the Cadet and it works exceedingly well for me. I have yet to try one-bagging with clothes and laptop in my Western Flyer, but next time I have an overnight trip I'll be testing that out.