Hello from "new addict"

[one2many]

Hi everyone. Glad to be here!

Like we all. I've been using lots of different travel gear over the years - suitcases, bags, packs, etc. you name it. However, since recent interest in Tom Bihn bags and coming from my leather addiction to SBL, I must say I was intrigued by what Tom Bihn's products really are and how they compare to my other travel companions.
So I started with pre-ordering the Synik30 with couple of organization items (notably the one I liked the most was the Laundry Stuff Sack) and Daylight Briefcase to be used on daily basis once I arrived to my destination.

While doing my orders I contacted TB support and they were excellent (and special THANKS to Kat, who found exact version of the Laundry sack I wanted).
Then after a short wait the package has been delivered to my door today. Tom Bihn's crew beat the schedule they committed to me on my pre-order of Synik30 too!

I came from work and was met by a nice box with all the items inside.

Delivered today from Tom Bihn- Synik30 and Daylight Briefcase plus other organization items. Very happy with everything. The pack is very roomy and well done, while the bag is as light as expected and will serve as a perfect sleeve/out to town bag combo. The Synik30's luggage handle opening is perfect size for my roller.

Sorry for low quality phone picture as it is quite late in the eve.

My larger pack is Eberlestock Battleship V90 which I love too.


However, Synik30 with Daylight inside will replace my usual travel gear for my business trips and very well may become my permanent companion.
Happy camper here and a probable new addict

[bartleby]

Hi one2many, and welcome to the forum! Enjoy your new bags, great choices!

[goblin]

Hello and welcome! I love the all black look. It's so sleek and cool. I hope you'll enjoy many great years with these. I've suddenly become very into adding other colors into my bag assortment since getting into Tom Bihn. Otherwise I would absolutely have all black also.

[one2many]

Thanks. To me black is the right choice for business trips. I may decide to color it up a bit with red paracord zipper pools though

[GrussGott]

Welcome, I did the same thing a few years back with one difference, I had started exploring eliminating rollerbags for business trips as I realized the wheels and handle were just wasting packing room and adding weight to a bag I frequently carried anyway.

Back 20 years ago I used fancy leather stuff culminating in some custom-made leather bags from a shop in Florence - well, as I got older I decided no need to be fancy (plus I didn't want to use leather anymore), but those designs were handy and roomy for carry only ... I tried similar styles from TB2, Mission Workshop, Tortuga, etc and ultimately stumbled on TB. I'll be honest, I had avoided TB because of the look, but then continuing to be not perfectly happy with my experiments I got an S25 and A45 in black Halcyon which worked well enough in the looks department to go for it and ... they were great to use, holy moly! (I've since gotten many of my co-workers into TB )

Of course the A45 was too big so I got the Western Flyer and the Pilot and BOOM! What a business travel setup: Western Flyer for core clothes bag - I can fit suits for a week if needed! - and S25 for my flight bag, which holds a packing cube shoulder bag that has my flight diddy bag and headphones (RIP old PCSB style ), and the rolled up empty pilot which serves as my work briefcase once i get to my location. I also carry portable office stuff in the S25 so once I get to the hotel, that all gets unpacked and set up, and the laptop and electronics doodads go into the Pilot for briefcase use, including the absolute strap from the WF which is switched to the Pilot. It's such a great setup and has worked for years now, able to fit me carry-on into the smallest commuter jets and I never worry about overhead space. Even on microflights when the FAs come through for bags going into checked luggage the WF never NEVER is taken - it's the ultimate carry-on bag.

As I said above, I've gotten many co-workers into the TB crew because they see me at hotels or in airports with a small load and ask "is that it? but you're not repeating clothes ..." then I tell them about the bags and how I pack, and the next thing you know, they're switching from Tumi to TB

I think next year I'm going to add the Tri-star and Synik 30 - I don't truly need the space as the WF/S25 keep me tight and light, but ... it might be nice, plus I've started using the WF for personal trips now in place of the A45 and if I had just a stitch more room it'd be perfect, thus I'm going to give it a shot once I can get black halcyon/island or northwest. I'll probably wait until after the holidays.

Anyway, glad to have you and looking forward to hearing more about your setup!

PCSB with in-flight stuff which gets hooked onto the seat-back


Kangaroo-style S25 and Pilot, switching to Briefcase mode (I prefer the Pilot as a briefcase):



Western Flyer perfectly fits an Eagle Creek packing folder for shirts / pants (I usually combine with the roll method):


Here's the full set, with a comparison of the WF and A45:


And, BTW, the DLBP perfectly fits the WF as a packing cube! nice!


Because of that, I'll usually use the DLBP as a packing cube to hold rolled suit coats and/or pant in the front pocket of the WF, with the folder (with shirts, t-shirts, undies, socks) and my laptop going into the back compartment. That's my 5 day with suits mode, which means my S25 carries the rolled up Pilot, a full size UE bluetooth speaker!, my dobb kit, and my PCSB with the in-flight goodies including tablet, phones, cables, batteries, diddy kit, and full-size headphones.

If I get the Tri-star, I would have a bit more room to move some of that S25 stuff into the Tri-star for the overhead.

I'd use the Synik for personal trips where I can take advantage of the laptop sleeve and extra room for swimming stuff, etc. Usually on personal trips both bags go into the overhead, but the PCSB and a book come out for in-flight goodness

[one2many]

Thanks GrussGott for a warm welcome and more so for sharing your experience and set-up. It is useful, as I learned a thing or two
I have high hopes that TB Synik 30 with the DLBC inside will become my fav for certain type of trips (my thinking is most of my short-term business trips and perhaps as a carry on for my vacations).

Due to my traumatic back issue (which I am recovering from for a few years now) I usually pack my push scooter with me in my check-in for my longer vacation trips. I do not think TB has this size of a bag for me. Here it is packed for my trip to Australia






and there:




Other times I go with my Micro carry-on scooter, which is very nice if you need to rush to a distant terminal for a connecting flight. I love it




For a year or so I was really dependent on my scooter for anything longer than a mile or so walk. I carry one in my frunk


and I walk my dogs on a scooter all the time


However, with much improvement in my disc condition I am now back to walking few miles with no issue. This opens a possibility to use TB set-up and I hope I will be a huge fan.

I like the quality and smart design of TB products. I am sure I will buy more. It is just way to many travel gear sitting around already. So for now it is this set-up for me and we will see how it goes.

As for leather addiction, I still like quality leather very much. However with new TB bug developing , I think my SBL leather bags will be limited to seeing life in my cars mostly.

[one2many]

Ordered a Large Yeoman Duffel bag and it was delivered today, only 2 days shipping. Thank you TB's crew!
The bag is flawless and is everything I was hoping for. Extremely well built. I have no doubts that the 1050 Ballistic will withstand all the abuse I may through on it.

I am sure this bag will see many duties, but the first one will be serving as a "get it all" bag in my front trunk aka frunk.

My car has a frunk, which due to certain suspension features up front, has somewhat smaller cavity at the bottom. I did my measurements and, as expected, this LYD bag fits perfectly.
Now I have all my stuff from tire kit to tools to clothes well organized and easily accessible / removable. And larger items will comfortably go on top of the bag.





And 1050 Coyote fits well to my leather seats too!


Came back from work late today, sorry for the night-time pics again.

[logella]

That looks nice.

What's the scooter in the last pic with the dog? Looks interesting.

[one2many]

That looks nice.

What's the scooter in the last pic with the dog? Looks interesting.

Thanks for asking.
The one in the pic with my dog is my Diggler Alpha Disk mountain scooter. Over time I bought couple of them from Diggler directly, but not sure if they still around and/or selling this model. Here is a link to Alpine outfitters who are the best IMO for dog harnesses and related products. They sell lots of gear for mushing. No affiliations.
https://alpineoutfitters.net/scripts...a.asp?extra=20

That alpha disk is the largest one I have with the strongest brakes to comfortably stop it from a full speed in a few short feet on a mountain slope or while pulled by a large and powerful dog or few dogs in a ganglined team.


The smallest I have and like the most among the small ones is my Micro with 2 sets of wheels - hard and inflatable tires.


Here it is with a Razor.


It travels with me often


The most comfortable to scoot I have is my kid's Mongoose scooter I modified to put a wider adult-sized board on it.


Time to move this thread to Not about bags ?

[one2many]

OK, spiced the S30 with commonly used red zip pulls. I think they go well with the TB's logo.
On DLBC I used black ones.

[one2many]

Old and new. These two have something in common