Cafe Bags in 210 ballistic

[panda2mama]

I just received the Viridian and the Dawn SCB.

One is going back, but I just can't decide which one! I have Dawn in a lot of TB items and was really thinking I should keep the Viridian, but the Dawn literally rolls up into a ball, it is THAT flexible, I love it!

The Viridian is stiffer material, feels "krinkly" but the color is just WOW.

They both feel like feathers compared to the ballistic 525 versions

So I went searching the forum for the post on "hand" of the 210 ballistic fabrics:

"Most structured hand: Black

Medium structure: Dawn, Viridian, Cloud, Grass, Island

Least structured/most similar to 200d Halcyon: Coyote"

Dawn and Viridian are supposed to be similar in hand.

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[b1gsky]

Finally got my Dawn/Dawn SCB today. Here are me three SCBs:





I packed them all with the same typical SCB load to compare (just forgot the tissues):



That’s a super mini GWOP and a small one btw.

I would say the Original Halcyon and the 210d feel similar in weight. The bags felt more lightweight than the 525d carrying them. My Original Halcyon SCB felt roomier than the others (maybe it is?), but the load was fine in every bag. Full, but not stuffed. Both with the Original Halcyon and the 210d I could feel some of the contents wearing the bag, not so much with the 525d. But the Original Halcyon doesn’t show outlines, similar to the Aubergine SCB. You could see some of the outlines with the 210d. That doesn’t bother me, but it might be a dealbreaker to some people. I usually just throw things like hand cream and floss in the zipped pocket and with the Dawn you could see the round outline of the floss through the fabric. I think it’s also because the fabric reflects so much light, it’s the shiniest by far. The Original Halcyon doesn’t reflect at all in comparison and of course the grid distracts the eye too.

I can’t see myself parting with one, but I definitely have enough Café bags now. And I was right with my suspicion that my preference is for the 525d in bigger bags, I can’t imagine switching my Aubergine MCB for one in 210d or Halcyon.

[anna2222]

In my purchasing experience, colors do matter regarding "hand" when it comes to the 210 fabrics. I have ordered shop bags in Island (not the grid), Viridian and Dawn at the same time, and found that the Island is the most flexible and "soft" if you will. Between the two SCB's I ordered in 210, the Viridian is stiffer than the Dawn, which was consistent with the shop bag purchase. Maybe they all end up feeling the same after prolonged use, but when they are new, this was my observation "in hand", in case it helps someone make a better purchasing decision.

So I went searching the forum for the post on "hand" of the 210 ballistic fabrics:

"Most structured hand: Black

Medium structure: Dawn, Viridian, Cloud, Grass, Island

Least structured/most similar to 200d Halcyon: Coyote"

Dawn and Viridian are supposed to be similar in hand.

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[panda2mama]

It's been 3 months since it launched. Any feedback from those who got the cafe bags? Do you like it or not? Why?

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[b1gsky]

It's been 3 months since it launched. Any feedback from those who got the cafe bags? Do you like it or not? Why?

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I found that I'm mostly using my Aubergine and Original Halcyon SCBs. Why? It's not because I dislike the fabric weight of the 210d, it's because it's a bit too shiny for my taste. Somehow I don't feel that way about my Dawn TC though. Maybe it's the shape of the SCB that makes the fabric reflect more light? I'm not sure. I'm going to gift my Dawn SCB to my sister this Christmas. I didn't want to sell it, but it's too good not to use it. I hope she likes it. It's going to be her first TB item and quality wise so much better than what she has at the moment. I still love Dawn, but I think I will stick to smaller items, accessories and linings for the 210d. For larger lightweight items I like Halcyon better.

[panda2mama]

I found that I'm mostly using my Aubergine and Original Halcyon SCBs. Why? It's not because I dislike the fabric weight of the 210d, it's because it's a bit too shiny for my taste. Somehow I don't feel that way about my Dawn TC though. Maybe it's the shape of the SCB that makes the fabric reflect more light? I'm not sure. I'm going to gift my Dawn SCB to my sister this Christmas. I didn't want to sell it, but it's too good not to use it. I hope she likes it. It's going to be her first TB item and quality wise so much better than what she has at the moment. I still love Dawn, but I think I will stick to smaller items, accessories and linings for the 210d. For larger lightweight items I like Halcyon better.

That's interesting. I have a Grass ZTSB (which I love) and Viridian PCSB (which I rehomed). Shiny? Yes. And I can see it looking lumpy under the right lighting, as opposed to original halcyon with the white grids. I have Mars Red, original halcyon and white grid nordic SCBs. Love my halcyon ones. Thinking whether to add a 210 in maybe coyote.

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[gathiel]

I’m still very much loving mine. The only time I’ve switched from using a 210 is when I needed a black bag and went back to the 525 for a week. I especially like the mcb in the lighter ballistic. I like how it isn’t stiff or boxy at all, it drapes like the halycon. I don’t love the grid of the halycon so the 210 ballistic is fantastic for me. My viridian is definitely “crinklier” than the others but it does soften up with use. The coyote is the most rollable.

I haven’t had any issues using the lighter fabric for edc. I also use the 210 shop bags every day and those are holding up great as well. I find the new recycled fabric icon to have a similar carry to the 210 cafe bags. I doubt these fabrics would be ideal for the big bags but I think they’re a great option for the small ones.

[panda2mama]

I’m still very much loving mine. The only time I’ve switched from using a 210 is when I needed a black bag and went back to the 525 for a week. I especially like the mcb in the lighter ballistic. I like how it isn’t stiff or boxy at all, it drapes like the halycon. I don’t love the grid of the halycon so the 210 ballistic is fantastic for me. My viridian is definitely “crinklier” than the others but it does soften up with use. The coyote is the most rollable.

I haven’t had any issues using the lighter fabric for edc. I also use the 210 shop bags every day and those are holding up great as well. I find the new recycled fabric icon to have a similar carry to the 210 cafe bags. I doubt these fabrics would be ideal for the big bags but I think they’re a great option for the small ones.

My MCB is in Kelly cordura, I don't think I want it any heavier as an EDC. Good to know that it still carries well in 210!

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[backpack]

I didn't even know that a Dawn/Dawn SCB existed!

I want one! Dawn is such a dreamy color that just goes with all my wardrobe, accessories, favorite art and objects' colors and, all my other TB bags.

I love the shine of Dawn, it is like grain of sands glistening under the sun, rivers at dawn and dusk when the sun is so low it lights up the small waves, sun dabbled trees in winter, spectacular sunsets in snowed in mountains and Lake Tahoe.

[moriond]

I didn't even know that a Dawn/Dawn SCB existed!

I want one! Dawn is such a dreamy color that just goes with all my wardrobe, accessories, favorite art and objects' colors and, all my other TB bags.

I love the shine of Dawn, it is like grain of sands glistening under the sun, rivers at dawn and dusk when the sun is so low it lights up the small waves, sun dabbled trees in winter, spectacular sunsets in snowed in mountains and Lake Tahoe.

@backpack,
You’re late to the party,

Hey everyone,

Woohoo! The SCB in 210 ballistic is now available. I am waiting for the MCB in these colors.

Small Cafe Bag, Coyote 210 Ballistic/Coyote 210 Ballistic
Small Cafe Bag, Dawn 210 Ballistic/Dawn 210 Ballistic
Small Cafe Bag, Island 210 Ballistic/Cloud 210 Ballistic
Small Cafe Bag, Viridian 210 Ballistic/Cloud 210 Ballistic

09/05/2019 New Bags and Colors Ready to Order
IRV Edition

Small Cafe Bag, Coyote 210 Ballistic/Coyote 210 Ballistic
Small Cafe Bag, Dawn 210 Ballistic/Dawn 210 Ballistic
Small Cafe Bag, Island 210 Ballistic/Cloud 210 Ballistic
Small Cafe Bag, Viridian 210 Ballistic/Cloud 210 Ballistic

09/09/2019 New Bags and Colors Ready to Order
e-meet Edition

Medium Cafe Bag, Coyote 210 Ballistic/Coyote 210 Ballistic
Medium Cafe Bag, Dawn 210 Ballistic/Dawn 210 Ballistic
Medium Cafe Bag, Island 210 Ballistic/Cloud 210 Ballistic
Medium Cafe Bag, Viridian 210 Ballistic/Cloud 210 Ballistic
Medium Cafe Bag, Nebulous Grey 525 Ballistic/Island 210 Ballistic
Medium Cafe Bag, Aubergine 525 Ballistic/Cloud 210 Ballistic

HTH

moriond

ETA: To be honest, I think the first clue we had was someone spotting a listing of Cafe Bag color combinations in production at the end of August — just a few days before the bags themselves appeared, and it was a low profile comment unless you happened to go and look:

I love to see so many new color combos coming in the cafe bags. Exciting!

[emontanorock]

I can't decide between the small/medium cafe bag. I have an iPad Air and Hydroflash 18oz that I want to be able to fit in it, along with accessories like a charger, AirPods, pens, & chapstick. I'm a minimalist and the smaller the better, but I don't want everything packed in so tight that it all falls out when unpacking. I'll be using this for work when I do home visits. Do you think I can make the small bag work?

[G42]

I can't decide between the small/medium cafe bag.

Welcome to the Forums @emontanorock !
I'm not a Cafe Bag owner but I'm sure the enthusiasts will chime in with help

[threeteez]

https://www.tombihn.com/blogs/main/w...-right-for-you

You may want to review this blog post. It mentions the iPad air is a very snug fit in the SCB & mentions it fits bottles up to 16oz.

TB has a generous return policy in case you decide to order both and return one.

[Titus]

Hi @emontanorock ,

I have both the small and medium cafe bags (in halcyon), an iPad Pro 10.5 inch with Apple keyboard (which I believe is just a tad bigger than the iPad Air), and an 18oz wide mouth hydro flask. I’m guessing your charger and other items will fit in a cubelet and small GW pouch, so i threw those in as well. Here is everything:



Here is everything in the small cafe bag WITH the iPad in a TB cache: its a little snug, but the flap closes just fine and you could cram some more stuff in there if needed (nothing is in the front zipper pocket or internal pockets)




Here’s the small cafe bag without the iPad in a cache: every thing fits easily with plenty of extra room.




The Medium cafe bag has plenty of space with or without the iPad in a cache: and room for a thin coat, umbrella, etc. if needed.




My personal preference would be to use the small cafe bag without the cache, as long as you’re ok with less protection on the iPad.

[b1gsky]

I can't decide between the small/medium cafe bag. I have an iPad Air and Hydroflash 18oz that I want to be able to fit in it, along with accessories like a charger, AirPods, pens, & chapstick. I'm a minimalist and the smaller the better, but I don't want everything packed in so tight that it all falls out when unpacking. I'll be using this for work when I do home visits. Do you think I can make the small bag work?

I also have both Medium and Small Café Bags. I definitely prefer to carry the Medium when I take my iPad with me, even though I don’t have it in a cache. There’s just more room to get things in and out easily. I also think the Café bags carry better when they’re not overstuffed. Since I’ve gotten my MCB it’s my go to bag for work. And it carries very well when it’s underpacked, so I wouldn’t worry about the bag being too big for your items. The only question is scale and how you want your bag to look on you. On me (I’m 5’3”) the two sizes look quite different. The MCB really looks like a messenger bag, the SCB has still more of a handbag vibe. That said, if I were only allowed to keep one, I would go with the MCB. For me it’s just more versatile.