A TB bag for pilots?

[usafmd]

Hi all,

I am a private pilot and I'm thinking about using a TB bag for my flight bag. I typically carry two headsets, two iPads (reg and mini), emergency handheld radio, GPS receiver, spare batteries, fuel tester, cables, odds and ends. I wonder if either Synapse (19/25) or Brain Bag is up to the task. Or is there another TB bag which will work better? Unfortunately many dedicated bags sold as flight bags are of crummy construction and, because they are an aviation-related product, overpriced.

Thanks for any help.


Michael

[G42]

I would think a Brain Bag or S25 would make the most sense, depending on the actual size of some of those items and whether they are 'just in case' or if you need to quickly access them. A Pilot (punny!) or Western Flier may also work - again, depending on sizes/depths....but I'd think that a backpack first style would probably be more useful unless you're sporting formal duds as a private pilot.

[haraya]

If you have a picture of the size of your load (or an estimate of how much volume it occupies), then folks might be able to do a test pack for you and show how that carry would look in various bags.

(On a side note I enjoyed seeing this thread, since Tom Bihn's dad was a pilot and the reason for the little red plane on the logo! Surely there must be more pilots among the ranks of Bihnions, who can weigh in and talk about their favorite TB flight bag??)

[bouncing]

Not to be too cheeky, but would the Pilot work? Its briefcase aesthetic might be better and the organization is superb.

Having said that, I don't see why you couldn't order both sizes of Synapse and send back the one you don't think is the right size.

[AVService]

There are Headsets and then there are Headsets so without seeing the versions that you have it is tough to give meaningful suggestions?

On the other hand I can not imagine that 2 Clark or Telex old school headsets along with everything else would not be perfect in either Synapse really.

I have seen a lot of bags designed for this use and they seem about Synapse 19 size to me?

Ironic maybe but I can not picture a Pilot being big enough unless the Headsets are tiny modern jobs with big cable adapters?

[haraya]

I don't know anything about flying - by "flight bag" do you mean that this bag sits next to you and you reach into it periodically to grab some equipment? If so - I would say that among the TB backpacks, the Smart Alec is the best at "sitting" on the floor, and it has a big open top so that you can look down and grab what you need. Or if you want more horizontal space, then maybe one of the Aeronauts (still usable as a backpack) or the duffles (Doggienaut 36, one of the Yeomans) perhaps?

Or, if you prefer to keep different (smaller) items in their own pockets, then one of the Synapses (probably ballistic, and maybe even the old-school 1000d rather than the new 525 ballistic, so that it has more structure) would be better at that, though I'm not sure any headset would fit into any of the Synapse pockets. Maybe the bottom pocket of the S25. The Synapses do excel at keeping items isolated so that you can reach into the exact pocket without looking.

[moriond]

Hi Michael (@usafmd),

It would help to know the volume of the load you envision carrying. For the record, the Brain Bag got its name from Pilot usage: Tom' father was a Pilot for Pan Am (see the 2008 thread, Brain Bag - Amusing name:

I almost bought the Brain Bag because of the name. I'm an airline pilot and we still call our pubs bag a brain bag.

That's exactly where the name 'Brain Bag' came from. Tom's father was a pilot for Pan Am.

Glad to hear that you're enjoying your bags.

A more recent (2017) thread is Airline Pilot Kitbag

The author of that thread showed a sample packup for the Pilot:

Here's pretty much everything I carry in my flight bag. The only thing I forgot was my Contigo which would fit in the Pilot center pocket based on a Youtube I watched. I also just heard from Kat at TB, and for those that are curious, the side pockets on the Pilot are approximately 12" x 6" x 2.5-3".

(Top) Small Document Folder, Spiral Notebook, Enroute Charts, iPad Air 2, Bose QC25
(Center) Headset, 11" Macbook Air, Aircraft QRH (9"x6.5"x2")
(Bottom) Glasses, Flashlight, Pens, Logbook, Hyperjuice Battery & cable

Cheers!

Close..

Might have to upgrade to the Empire...

Packed to the gills but no room for my headset...

You might consider the Empire Builder, unless you specifically want a backpack.

Pilot Volume: 800 cubic inches / 13 liters

Empire Builder Volume: 1375 cubic inches / 22.5 liters

Brain Bag Volume: 2200 cubic inches / 36 liters

HTH

moriond

[haraya]

ah moriond, so glad you joined the thread! Whew! Your brain is just such an invaluable resource. I would pack you up in my emergency bag, if wildfire ever threatened! <3

[usafmd]

Thanks to all for your input.