Dyneema shop bags: what TB does well. My two cents.

[MelissaL]

I own a few TB bags and feel very strongly that although they are well made bags and attractive, I can easily find something cheaper and with similar quality elsewhere. But one thing I must mention that (and not sure if anyone agrees with me), is out of all the TB bags I own, I think the shop bags are superior to any other bag in the line. I feel that the shop bags are an item that cannot be found elsewhere and has no duplicate anywhere. I think if TB wants to grow they should exploit (offer variations of) the shop bag in multiple combinations (open, with zipper, pockets) and focus on Dyneema over cordura. The Cordura TB bags are my favorite and make up the most of my collection but again, I can spend far less somewhere else.

The dyneema products are just amazing. Not saying I would carry a dyneema backpack but I would purchase for other things. I do have the travel tray (which I adore) but to me the shop bags are the most used, the strongest, most attractive, most comfortable, most versatile and most unique product I have purchased. I already own the small and large but I'd put my money on variations of other ones if they ever get released.

[Bijouxandbeads]

you know what my favorite thing is about the small shop bag? that it actually fits into a small Q-kit!!!

[lefty]

I recently bought my first shop bag and I also have a Dyneema Synapse that I have used daily (until last week) for the past 2-3 years. I agree that the Dyneema products are excellent. The shop bag has been great in the limited time I have used. I especially love being able to fold up the bag flat in to its own pocket. Great idea!

I like TB products very much – not just the quality of manufacture, but also the practical and simple design of the bags. I think I bought my first TB bag well over a decade ago. If I remember right, it was a simple laptop bag with a suspended layer inside to prevent the computer from hitting the bottom. I don't remember the name of the bag now. I think that design took a hiatus for brief period and came back as Brain Cell. At that time, at least in my mind, there was a clear value that justified the extra 10-30% that the TB bags cost me compared to other manufacturers.

But over the years, the TB prices have gone up (despite my income remaining about the same and I now have kids :-), which has made me more of a window shopper at TB than a frequent buyer. I still buy at TB, but more often than not, I come, browse, and don't buy because of the price.

This is not a knock on TB or a complaint. Just a lament from a long-term customer wishing for TB bags to be less expensive so I don't have to go elsewhere to buy bags. I quite understand what it takes to run a small business in the US (especially in expensive places such as Seattle) and why TB bags end up being expensive. But I can still whine, can't I? :-)

[timothy]

Expecting my first Shop Bag this Friday; for years, I've seen them and not gotten the appeal, but after reading some of the accounts here have decided it's worth it as an experiment. Padded handles are a big draw; *non* padded handles can make for some agony.

This is one of the several products that make me wish that Dyneema came in Kelly green (or something close to French Blue).

[BJ Nemeth]

you know what my favorite thing is about the small shop bag? that it actually fits into a small Q-kit!!!

Really? Can you upload a photo of that? I might just add a Small Shop Bag and another Q-Kit to my next order. (I already have two Large Shop Bags and I love them dearly.)

[GoStanford]

Expecting my first Shop Bag this Friday; for years, I've seen them and not gotten the appeal, but after reading some of the accounts here have decided it's worth it as an experiment.

Timothy, you are a big fan of the NFTD, right? I think the Shop Bag complements the NFTD; as structured as the NFTD is, the Shop Bag is flexible and unstructured. There are a lot of comments on how people use their Shop Bags. We dedicate one to swim gear (Nordic blue = water, easy to remember) and I am so impressed at how it has held up despite containing chlorine-soaked gear, being tossed into lockers, etc. I like the darker colors as they hide the contents nicely, but the bright colors are refreshing too.

I think there are interesting uses whether you dedicate the Bag to a certain purpose or use it as a catch-all.

[timothy]

Yes, you're right about that -- the Night Flight is near the top of my list. One reason I've finally ordered a shop bag is a photo I saw (yours maybe?) that shows how it fits nicely into the bottom of the Night Flight. I have been carrying a Chico bag attached to my Night Flight by carabiner, which is fine, too -- and since it's orange, it helps as a flag.

[moriond]

Really? Can you upload a photo of that? I might just add a Small Shop Bag and another Q-Kit to my next order. (I already have two Large Shop Bags and I love them dearly.)

@BJ Nemeth, I'll embed a couple of pictures of the Sapphire Small Shop Bag rolled up in a Burnt Orange Small Q-KIt from my post (#21) in the So what did you order? March 10th releases thread.






Take a look at post #37 in that thread to see pictures of @NWHikergal's small wasabi shop bag in a Verde Small Q-Kit



The posts themselves have a bit more description of the rolling process.

HTH moriond

[GoStanford]

One reason I've finally ordered a shop bag is a photo I saw (yours maybe?) that shows how it fits nicely into the bottom of the Night Flight.

Not me, I'm notoriously bad about posting photos and when I post, the lighting tends to be bad. Your point about the bright color as a flare is very good. Makes me wish solar shop bags could make a return!

[BJ Nemeth]

@BJ Nemeth, I'll embed a couple of pictures of the Sapphire Small Shop Bag rolled up in a Burnt Orange Small Q-KIt from my post (#21) in the So what did you order? March 10th releases thread.

Thanks so much! I've been thinking of keeping a spare Shop Bag in my car for unplanned shopping when I'm out and about, but haven't found a good place to keep one. Storing a Small Shop Bag in a Small Q-Kit in the glovebox seems like just the solution that I'm looking for!

[moriond]

Thanks so much! I've been thinking of keeping a spare Shop Bag in my car for unplanned shopping when I'm out and about, but haven't found a good place to keep one. Storing a Small Shop Bag in a Small Q-Kit in the glovebox seems like just the solution that I'm looking for!

@BJ Nemeth, You know that you can also fold the Shop Bag into its own pocket, don't you? Here's a video by maverick that demonstrates one way to do this:


You can also see what the folded shop bags look like if you view some of the pictures in this post in the Tom Bihn bags as art thread. However, my comment there is correct: I rarely bother to fold up my Tom Bihn shop bags any more, since they're so frequently in use., and I'd have to constantly unfold them.

The rolling technique I use to insert the small shop bag into a Small Q-Kit is similar to the way I described rolling a Shop Bag for storage in one of the frount side pockets of my Synapse: I drop the handles inside the upright shop bag, and fold the sides down. (For the Small Q-Kit, I need to make this fold much further down than I would for the rolling the bag to fit the Synapse pocket -- nearly half-way down). Then I roll the (now-half-height) bag to fit into the Small Q-Kit.

HTH

moriond