Small Packing Cubes of the A30

[Plip]

I'm the proud owner of a brand new Aeronaut 30, my first Tom Bihn bag, which I already love. I'll be taking it on its inaugural mini-trip this weekend, and then on a longer trip in a couple of weeks.

I want to get some small packing cubes, which would be great to have for this weekend, but are really essential for the longer trip in two weeks. And I would really prefer the Tom Bihn cubes (in either Halcyon or Aether, both of which are out of stock right now). If it's likely that either one will be in restocked within the next two weeks, I'll hold off and do without this weekend. But if it's unlikely that they'll be restocked that quickly, I guess I'll pull the trigger on another brand now so I can use them for this trip.

It looks like "2 to 12 weeks" is the standard restocking time, at least that's what it says. That's quite a range. For long-term, Bihnions, has your experience generally been toward the longer or shorter end of that range? Or does it really just depend on things we have no way of knowing?

Also, I first looked at the A30 cubes about two weeks ago, and they were out of stock then. But I don't know if it's been significantly longer than that. Has anyone been watching for these longer and is able to give me a better idea of how long they've been out of stock? I guess, if they haven't been available for more than a couple of months (and if the 2-12 weeks is accurate) that would indicate that they should be restocked soon.

Being brand new here, I'm not quite sure what to expect, so I'm looking to you veterans for some insights. Thanks!

[anna2222]

In my experience knowing and ordering TB products, which is less than a year, there were quite a few times I had to wait until things came back in stock, and funnily enough, I do remember the small aether cubes for the A30 being one of those things I had to wait on.

For just about everything I waited for, which includes table trays, sidekicks, side effects and a number of bags, I found that it never hit 12 weeks for anything (maybe I was just lucky?), and for those items I kept track of, it took a month or less, from what I remember. Still, those weeks sure FELT like a lot longer!

And just an FYI, those AETHER SMALL A30 cubes are WORTH the wait! I love them and use them not just in my A30, but in all my other TB large bags. The dimensions are just right to fit several bags, sort of a universal size, in my opinion. I also like that they have the clamshell top, the zipper at the top instead of in the middle. It allows me to take my cubes out of my A30, fold back the top, and stick them on a shelf or in a drawer. And packing up is a cinch!

[bchaplin]

I agree with anna2222, the aether small Aeronaut 30 cubes are great! They are sized well and add a lot to the functionality of the A30. But if you need them for an upcoming trip, I would recommend calling Tom Bihn customer service (or emailing) to get an estimate of the timing. If they won't be available soon, you might consider the Eagle Creek Pack-It Specter cubes as an alternative, which a lot of Tom Bihn owners seem to have because they work well in a lot of different bags, and are super-light. I've ended up using the medium sized ones (particularly the compressible versions) quite a bit--not so much in the A30, to be honest, but in my Night Flight Travel Duffel and even in my regular suitcase when I take that. So my point is, if you end up getting a few to tide you over, you may find alternative uses for them, and you could still purchase the A30 packing cubes later if you decide to.

[Plip]

Thanks anna2222 and bchaplin! Your recommendation confirm for me that I really do want the Aeronaut 30 specific cubes, and you've sold me on the aether ones (before reading your replies, I would probably have just gone with whichever was available first between the aether and the halcyon). I may shoot an email off to customer service, but either way I'll get the aethers when they're available. And if it comes down to it, I'll pick up some cheap, off-brand cubes as a stop-gap while I wait. Thanks again!

[AlaskaGirl]

Greetings,
The Packing Cube Shoulder Bag works well in my Aeronaut 30. For the end pockets, I don't stuff the PCSB fullto the top. Several fit very well in the center compartment, too. The PCSB is made of Halcyon, which is still a lightweight alternative.

I've not had the opportunity to use my aether end pocket cubes yet. The fabric seems to be comparable in weight to the Eagle Creek Specter fabric. elisa

[Katcalls]

I'm waiting on the A30 Aether small packing cubes as well. I rang customer service about 2 1/2 weeks ago to inquire how long it would be and Kat said at that point it would be another few weeks (I was hoping to bundle them with some other purchases). So it may not be long now that they will be released. Give them a call and update us if you can!

[Plip]

I rang customer service about 2 1/2 weeks ago to inquire how long it would be and Kat said at that point it would be another few weeks (I was hoping to bundle them with some other purchases). So it may not be long now that they will be released. Give them a call and update us if you can!

I gave them a call this morning, and I talked to Kat, too. She checked the production schedule and said that there are other packing cubes on the schedule before the A30s. Based on that, she estimated that they're still two to four weeks out. But she added that sometimes they surprise her and things make it out sooner. So she encouraged me to sign up for the email notification on the product page, which she said usually goes out pretty quickly once they're back in stock.

Anyway, she was very helpful, and I now have a better idea of what to expect and can plan accordingly.