Trinity

[Chris D.]

I’m hoping for a 2020 appearance of the Trinity...I really need some good news at this point.

[gqb]

I was so close to pulling the tigger on a Western Flyer, mostly because it’s 18cm depth means it should be a pretty slim bag. The slightly larger dimensions of the Trinity and the note about the three really useful pockets has me really eager to see this bag.

I read that it is better suited to flat packing styles; so how much past the 20cm mark will the bag expand out?

I ask because the reason I didn’t consider the TriStar in that once packed it gets far too deep to be a carry-on bag on many European airlines. This is my experience with the Synik 30 too (although I can get away with it most of the time).

Is there any update on when we might get to see this new bag?

Thanks,
Paul

I have the WF and my husband has the Tri star.
Fully packed using packing cubes my WF has never exceeded 20cm depth - I pack carefully to avoid bulging and never overstuff the bag. It fits well under airline seats and is the perfect size for European airlines in my experience. I have never wanted the extra 1 inch on the width/length that you get with the tri star as then it wouldn't fit so well under the seat and would be too long for some budget airlines.
His tri star on the other hand is usually chaotically packed, always well over 20cm,and he gets away with the extra depth because he's tall, so proportionally it looks smaller on him. He never puts it under the seat and I doubt it would fit, too deep.

Sent from my SM-T713 using Tapatalk

[Darcy]

Trinity update: given that many folks travel plans are delayed, Tom's taken that as an opportunity to spend a little more time refining the design. At this point, my guess is it'll debut late this year, or early next.

[Skirata44]

I'm a little disappointed, but I had a feeling something like this would happen. If it results in a better bag though, I definitely have no complaints about that. Thanks for the update, @Darcy !

[Waterlogged]

Trinity update: given that many folks travel plans are delayed, Tom's taken that as an opportunity to spend a little more time refining the design. At this point, my guess is it'll debut late this year, or early next.

Totally understandable, but now I really have to decide whether I want to just get a Western Flyer this year (assuming I start traveling work again) or keep waiting for the Trinity.
Which is where I was a year ago.

P.S. Deep blue w/Solaris might push more over the edge for the Western Flyer.

[WineCountry]

Trinity update: given that many folks travel plans are delayed, Tom's taken that as an opportunity to spend a little more time refining the design. At this point, my guess is it'll debut late this year, or early next.

Thank you for the update. I was wondering if things were still moving forward. I totally understand the need to slow down. I can only imagine how much your world has changed. A company that was at least partially tied to travel is a tough place to be. I feel like you are doing all the right things. Minimizing your inventory, designs, retiring products and slowing down on new releases will hopefully give you the ability to ride this thing out and be ready when things get moving again. I was surprised to hear the amount of travel that has begun. I think this week we averaged something like 500,000 passengers flying per day. Not a big number but a step.

Be well.

[yvandermeer]

Totally understandable, but now I really have to decide whether I want to just get a Western Flyer this year (assuming I start traveling work again) or keep waiting for the Trinity.
Which is where I was a year ago.

P.S. Deep blue w/Solaris might push more over the edge for the Western Flyer.

There'll always be a "new and improved" version on the horizon of whatever you're planning to purchase, whether it's a computer, phone, camera or a bag. Reality is, the next version won't make today's version any less functional. If it meets your needs right now, why not just get it and stop worrying about it? I mean that in a positive and encouraging way, of course.

I purchased a Western Flyer last month because it seemed like the perfect one-bag travel bag for when I will be traveling again, whether that's this year or later still.

No one knows where we'll be a year from now, but even if I'll never travel again (being overly dramatic of course), I'm confident that my TB bags will at least have a good resale value.

[Traveltech]

Trinity update: given that many folks travel plans are delayed, Tom's taken that as an opportunity to spend a little more time refining the design. At this point, my guess is it'll debut late this year, or early next.

Good call. There’s no need to rush a new travel bag into production with most of us putting off travel. But it’d sure be nice to get a glimpse at the prototype. Something to look forward to!

[Darcy]

Good call. There’s no need to rush a new travel bag into production with most of us putting off travel. But it’d sure be nice to get a glimpse at the prototype. Something to look forward to!

Agreed. Not sure when we'll be able to show off a Trinity prototype, but I am working on an Upcoming Releases page that will feature at least some details and photos about the Shadow Guide V2 and other new designs that will be offered in the next 1-5 months.

[Mulligan]

I fully understand the reasons for the delay of the Trinity bag, although I share the disappointment of my fellow TB forum members.

From a marketing standpoint, I would suggest that introducing a new design during a lull in travel is not necessarily a bad thing. The bag would initially be purchased by many loyal TB fans, positive reviews would be written and posted on this website and other travel blogs, a nice buzz would be generated, etc. And then when travel is (hopefully) back to something approaching normalcy, many people who are looking for a new bag will have a number of user reviews to help guide them.

At any rate, I'm hoping for a photo (or at least a sketch) to tide us over.

[WineCountry]

I fully understand the reasons for the delay of the Trinity bag, although I share the disappointment of my fellow TB forum members.

From a marketing standpoint, I would suggest that introducing a new design during a lull in travel is not necessarily a bad thing. The bag would initially be purchased by many loyal TB fans, positive reviews would be written and posted on this website and other travel blogs, a nice buzz would be generated, etc. And then when travel is (hopefully) back to something approaching normalcy, many people who are looking for a new bag will have a number of user reviews to help guide them.

At any rate, I'm hoping for a photo (or at least a sketch) to tide us over.

You make some great points. I think the uncertainty in the overall business climate, and especially related to travel, probably has TB being very conservative and it is hard to argue with that strategy. Let's see what they can share coming up and hopefully it will keep some positive momentum going until the release of the bag.

[Surrealle]

From a marketing standpoint, I would suggest that introducing a new design during a lull in travel is not necessarily a bad thing. The bag would initially be purchased by many loyal TB fans, positive reviews would be written and posted on this website and other travel blogs, a nice buzz would be generated, etc. And then when travel is (hopefully) back to something approaching normalcy, many people who are looking for a new bag will have a number of user reviews to help guide them.

I agree with you in a general sense, but I think in this particular case “lull” is describing the last few months rather mildly. They might have been hit hard enough that releasing a new bag isn’t actually feasible.

Just speculation of course, but given the degree of upheaval to their business I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised.

[Darcy]

I fully understand the reasons for the delay of the Trinity bag, although I share the disappointment of my fellow TB forum members.

From a marketing standpoint, I would suggest that introducing a new design during a lull in travel is not necessarily a bad thing. The bag would initially be purchased by many loyal TB fans, positive reviews would be written and posted on this website and other travel blogs, a nice buzz would be generated, etc. And then when travel is (hopefully) back to something approaching normalcy, many people who are looking for a new bag will have a number of user reviews to help guide them.

At any rate, I'm hoping for a photo (or at least a sketch) to tide us over.

You make some great points. I think the uncertainty in the overall business climate, and especially related to travel, probably has TB being very conservative and it is hard to argue with that strategy. Let's see what they can share coming up and hopefully it will keep some positive momentum going until the release of the bag.

I agree with you in a general sense, but I think in this particular case “lull” is describing the last few months rather mildly. They might have been hit hard enough that releasing a new bag isn’t actually feasible.

Just speculation of course, but given the degree of upheaval to their business I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised.

We're actually working on debuting 3-4 bag new bag designs within the next 4-6 weeks; some of these designs (like the Shadow Guide V2 backpack) could be used for travel as well as every day and others are likely better suited to every day use (Truckāsana). Those design debuts are keeping us plenty busy right now as we begin the pre-production batch processes for each of them.

That said, the main reason the Trinity is being delayed is because Tom wants more time to work on and refine the design. This is actually something that happens fairly often: we think a design is done and ready to be manufactured, and then Tom has further inspiration or gets some valuable feedback from someone testing a design and manufacturing is delayed/postponed pending some further design work. (See: Update on the Luminary backpacks for an example of this.)

I'll keep checking in with Tom on where he's at with the Trinity to see if we can get a preview photo in the coming months

[Buffalonian]

We're actually working on debuting 3-4 bag new bag designs within the next 4-6 weeks; some of these designs (like the Shadow Guide V2 backpack) could be used for travel as well as every day ....

Ooooooo! The Shadow Guide V2 for travel? Last year, I used my Shadow Guide V1 for two trips and *loved* it: eight days in Peru (with a Sidekick), and three weeks in Colombia (with a Daylight briefcase). With my clothes rolled neatly into PCSBs, and everything else in stuff sacks or other organizers, I'm quite happy with a top-loading pack for travel -- any inconvenience is minor.

I sold my SG *only* because I knew the next run would have the edgeless shoulder straps. I'm dying to see what else Nik has done with the design. (Some way to easily strap a travel yoga mat to the outside would be grand but isn't essential.)

I'm betting that the SG and the smaller Trinity would be an awesome combination for the way I like to travel, with the Trinity serving as a personal item in flight and an EDC on arrival.

[BowTrek]

OOOO, Darcy, the Medium Trinity sounds like the type of bag I've been hoping for. Aubergine ballistic with the new solar interior would put the icing on the cake.

I'd buy that!

I'll second everyone who says that this sounds like my ideal bag, or at least one that I'll definitely be buying. These colors also work well!

I have a question though - has anyone ever checked the western flyer / tri-star type bags? I typically use bags this size as carry-ons only, and the luggage that I've checked in the past (I've checked 2 bags in the last... 15 years! - I hate checking bags). I don't have a good sense of how well bags like these work as checked luggage. I'd worry if they might come unzipped or rip/tear if not the 1050D, etc.