More New Bags, More Geeking Out: Pop Tote, Large and Small Shop Bags, and etc.

[NYCWriter]

Just arrived:

Pop Tote in Aubergine 525 Ballistic
Large Zip-Top Shop Bag in Grass 210 Ballistic
Small Zip-Top Shop Bag in Wasabi 200 Halcyon

Ghost Whale Organizer Pouches - Small in Grass, Mini in Burnt Orange

Pocket Pouch that I requested "anything but black" -- that showed up in Coyote/Wasabi.



Initial thoughts:

The Large Zip-Top Shop Bag:

Wasn't quite as oversized as I thought it would be, but it still appears to be the perfect size for my intended purpose (beach bag/summer party bag to take on the train to the Hamptons or Connecticut); my large beach towel fills it up only halfway, so there's plenty of room for a pair of shorts, shirt, light jacket, essentials, and my travel cubelet as my "man purse".

Could also double as a summertime overnight bag.

The Grass 210 Ballistic fabric feels strong and gives the bag just enough structure without sacrificing the ability to easily fold it up for storage or transport.

The Small Zip-Top Shop Bag:

Pleasant surprise: the Wasabi 200 Halcyon is stronger and more substantial than I expected. As a shop bag, properly packed, you could probably just about fit one bag's worth of groceries from Whole Foods. My intended purpose is to use it as an "auxiliary" bag for fashionably carrying the random odd items I pick up along my daily travels: my resoled shoes from the cobbler's ... the pile of mail from my business PO box ... etc.

And -- this is totally a New Yorker's problem, since we don't have cars with trunks in which to store stuff -- those groceries from that quick trip to Whole Foods before going to that late dinner at The Odeon, so that I'm not obviously carrying a bag of groceries into a restaurant.

Plus -- I discovered that the bag, neatly folded, fits perfectly inside a Travel Cubelet:



Pop Tote:

This is going to be my summertime EDC bag; I need something to carry my daily business and personal items (papers, magazines, checkbook, etc.) as well as a sweater as I navigate the sweltering NYC streets and subways and into the hyper-refrigerated television studio in which I work.

I discovered this hack from another user -- slipping my MCB FS just under a flap:



My only complaint -- and I know this is about me, not a fault of the design of the bag itself -- I wish the straps could in some way be at least slightly adjustable. I understand why they're the length they are; you need to be able to carry the bag comfortably, arm fully extended, without having the bag drag on the ground. But it would be nice if there was a way to expand their length just a touch so that guys like me (muscular arms and big chest) could more easily sling them over our shoulder.

Ghost Whale Organizer Pouches:

I got the small size in Grass specifically for my cash stash, and the bills fit perfectly:



Finally, Bihn surprised me with a Pocket Pouch (which I plan to use for business cards) in Coyote. Admittedly, Coyote has never been one of my top color choices, but now that I see it in person I really really like it.

It's even got me rethinking my color choice for my Western Flyer ...

Darn it, Tom Bihn!!!

LOL!!!

[AlaskaGirl]

When will the Ghost Whales filled with $100 bills be back in stock? Inquiring minds need to know. elisa

[BWeaves]

The online photos for Coyote never do it justice. It is absolutely stunning in person. And zip top shop bags are my all time favorite bag.

OK, I have to laugh about you bringing a bag of groceries into a restaurant. In Florida, all groceries go straight home, do not pass go, do not collect $200. Any time out of the fridge or air conditioning is one step closer to spoilage or food poisoning. I remember going to visit my in-laws up north for Christmas, and being horrified that my mother-in-law went grocery shopping and left all her groceries in her trunk while she went to an afternoon party. My husband had to remind me that it was snowing and below freezing and her trunk was probably colder than her fridge. In Florida, the trunk would have been over 100F within one minute on the exact same day.

[robburdtt]

^ I agree. In photos, the Coyote didn't really charm me. When I saw one that is of a friend, I thought it looked lovely.

OP, that is quite a haul.

[G42]

^ I agree. In photos, the Coyote didn't really charm me. When I saw one that is of a friend, I thought it looked lovely.

OP, that is quite a haul.

Welcome to the Forums @robburdtt!

[NYCWriter]

The online photos for Coyote never do it justice. It is absolutely stunning in person. And zip top shop bags are my all time favorite bag.

OK, I have to laugh about you bringing a bag of groceries into a restaurant. In Florida, all groceries go straight home, do not pass go, do not collect $200. Any time out of the fridge or air conditioning is one step closer to spoilage or food poisoning. I remember going to visit my in-laws up north for Christmas, and being horrified that my mother-in-law went grocery shopping and left all her groceries in her trunk while she went to an afternoon party. My husband had to remind me that it was snowing and below freezing and her trunk was probably colder than her fridge. In Florida, the trunk would have been over 100F within one minute on the exact same day.

Oh I'm talking about that "quick" trip the Whole Foods (or Trader Joe's, or Gourmet Garage) for non-refrigerated essentials that we can only find at those premium stores, and not at our crappy local grocery stores: coconut oil ... peanut butter ... apples ... tomato paste ... cashews ... macadamia nuts ... coffee ... charcoal soap or toothpaste ... Quest bars.

Many New Yorkers -- myself included -- don't live anywhere near a Whole Foods, so we have to just incorporate our trips when we can. Even if it's Friday night, 8:00 pm, with 9:00 pm dinner reservations, when we're already downtown and don't have 90 minutes to kill by schlepping the groceries back uptown to our apartments, then turn around and come right back downtown.

[BWeaves]

Yes, I totally understand what you are doing. It makes perfect sense. NY is totally different from Florida. I used to also get a chuckle out of those What Not To Wear type shows, when the New York stylists would tell the lady to buy a little black dress, and after work, just swap out the shoes and the purse to go out for dinner. And I'm thinking, NOPE, in Florida you go home, take your 3rd shower of the day, put on your clean shorts and your rhinestone flipflops, and then go out for dinner.

And yes, the Zip top Shop bags are great for groceries!!!! And for not looking like a grocery bag.

[bluemtn]

Pop Tote:

This is going to be my summertime EDC bag; I need something to carry my daily business and personal items (papers, magazines, checkbook, etc.) as well as a sweater as I navigate the sweltering NYC streets and subways and into the hyper-refrigerated television studio in which I work.

I discovered this hack from another user -- slipping my MCB FS just under a flap:

How’s the MCB FS working out in your Pop Tote? Does it stay in place pretty well when it’s tucked under the flap like that?

I’d like to find some organization for my PT also, but was looking at the SCB FS ... now you have me reconsidering


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tuskegee7294]

Just arrived:

Pop Tote in Aubergine 525 Ballistic
Large Zip-Top Shop Bag in Grass 210 Ballistic
Small Zip-Top Shop Bag in Wasabi 200 Halcyon

Ghost Whale Organizer Pouches - Small in Grass, Mini in Burnt Orange

Pocket Pouch that I requested "anything but black" -- that showed up in Coyote/Wasabi.



Initial thoughts:

The Large Zip-Top Shop Bag:

Wasn't quite as oversized as I thought it would be, but it still appears to be the perfect size for my intended purpose (beach bag/summer party bag to take on the train to the Hamptons or Connecticut); my large beach towel fills it up only halfway, so there's plenty of room for a pair of shorts, shirt, light jacket, essentials, and my travel cubelet as my "man purse".

Could also double as a summertime overnight bag.

The Grass 210 Ballistic fabric feels strong and gives the bag just enough structure without sacrificing the ability to easily fold it up for storage or transport.

The Small Zip-Top Shop Bag:

Pleasant surprise: the Wasabi 200 Halcyon is stronger and more substantial than I expected. As a shop bag, properly packed, you could probably just about fit one bag's worth of groceries from Whole Foods. My intended purpose is to use it as an "auxiliary" bag for fashionably carrying the random odd items I pick up along my daily travels: my resoled shoes from the cobbler's ... the pile of mail from my business PO box ... etc.

And -- this is totally a New Yorker's problem, since we don't have cars with trunks in which to store stuff -- those groceries from that quick trip to Whole Foods before going to that late dinner at The Odeon, so that I'm not obviously carrying a bag of groceries into a restaurant.

Plus -- I discovered that the bag, neatly folded, fits perfectly inside a Travel Cubelet:



Pop Tote:

This is going to be my summertime EDC bag; I need something to carry my daily business and personal items (papers, magazines, checkbook, etc.) as well as a sweater as I navigate the sweltering NYC streets and subways and into the hyper-refrigerated television studio in which I work.

I discovered this hack from another user -- slipping my MCB FS just under a flap:



My only complaint -- and I know this is about me, not a fault of the design of the bag itself -- I wish the straps could in some way be at least slightly adjustable. I understand why they're the length they are; you need to be able to carry the bag comfortably, arm fully extended, without having the bag drag on the ground. But it would be nice if there was a way to expand their length just a touch so that guys like me (muscular arms and big chest) could more easily sling them over our shoulder.

Ghost Whale Organizer Pouches:

I got the small size in Grass specifically for my cash stash, and the bills fit perfectly:



Finally, Bihn surprised me with a Pocket Pouch (which I plan to use for business cards) in Coyote. Admittedly, Coyote has never been one of my top color choices, but now that I see it in person I really really like it.

It's even got me rethinking my color choice for my Western Flyer ...

Darn it, Tom Bihn!!!

LOL!!!

I have a PT and a MCB and was wondering how tight of a fit the slip is in either of these bags (thinking of purchasing a slip today or tomorrow). I wanna be able to carry my Yeti 18 oz bottle in it as well as my Bluetooth headphones. There looks to be some side room in your PT. Does having the slip make the bag any heavier (I have a back injury from an accident)? Any information would be helpful


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Lia]

My only complaint -- and I know this is about me, not a fault of the design of the bag itself -- I wish the straps could in some way be at least slightly adjustable. I understand why they're the length they are; you need to be able to carry the bag comfortably, arm fully extended, without having the bag drag on the ground. But it would be nice if there was a way to expand their length just a touch so that guys like me (muscular arms and big chest) could more easily sling them over our shoulder.

I have found that how I pack my PT (and shop bags) changes how the straps function. Pack it light, straps feel longer, bag top sags and created more space to stick my elbow through, hangs closer to the ground. Fill it up, it pooches out and uses use horizontal space instead of vertical, floating over the ground, leaving less space to swing over my arm.

For me, the best function is half full to full. If a bag is too empty and drags on the ground, I switch to a smaller bag. Too full and stuffed up to the top, I switch to a bigger bag.

This specificity and flexibility is made possible by (too?) many TB totes!

[NYCWriter]

How’s the MCB FS working out in your Pop Tote? Does it stay in place pretty well when it’s tucked under the flap like that?

I’d like to find some organization for my PT also, but was looking at the SCB FS ... now you have me reconsidering


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I LOVE THIS BAG!!!

The MCB FS seems to be working out perfectly. Any smaller and it would be flopping around inside.

A couple more observations:

The utility of one big cavern, as opposed to several compartments, is very helpful for my summertime use of needing a big space to hold my many awkward-sized items (sweater/zippered hoodie, professional-grade headphones, lunch containers, etc.).

Here's how I've mitigated the loss of all those compartments:

The MCB FS keeps all my "business" stuff together: pens, business cards, checkbook, papers, files, and even a couple of magazines.

I use a Travel Cubelet for gum, salt, and spare power bank for my iPhone.

The Mini Q-Kit holds my iPhone charger and nail clippers (and tucks into the Travel Cubelet).

I've been using one of my End Pocket Packing Cubes from my Aeronaut 45 for my Sweater/Hoodie of the Day.

And there's still some room for lunch.

But -- to answer someone else's question -- yes it gets heavy. And this is all WITHOUT carrying a laptop computer!

How heavy is "heavy"? I'm a big guy who does weight training, so -- let's just say it's not "heavy" for me in terms of commuting/running errands. But all that stuff in there would make it really uncomfortable to be dragging around all evening with friends as we leisurely walk about the city after dinner.

After a full week of walking around with this bag, I've also discovered that the straps aren't too short at all for over-the-shoulder, but with a couple of caveats:

-- It's comfortable only if I'm wearing just a shirt, or at most, shirt and sweater/hoodie. Add a blazer or coat -- forget it.

-- Over-the-shoulder also only works if the four snaps are closed, and hence, the bag isn't over-full; this keeps the top of the bag tapered so that it can easily fit under my arm. But if I'm using the full utility of the bag -- snaps unsnapped -- I can't put my arm down once it's slung over my shoulder.

Those snaps really keep me disciplined in not over-filling!

Edit:

I forgot to mention one other thing: Subway etiquette. I'm not used to slinging a tote over my shoulder, and I keep forgetting that it makes my body profile wider/deeper, as opposed to wearing a messenger bag. Like a backpack-wearer, I have to be consciously aware of always removing it before trying to cram into a crowded train. It's easy to forget the bag is there.

Edit 2:

I also cannot overstate the utility of the Cubelets and the Travel Cubelets. If you're ordering a "big" bag through Tom Bihn, you might as well toss a couple of these into your order as well. They really don't add that much to the final price, and -- bonus! -- they're a great way to try out a fabric or color that you're still on the fence over, without making that major commitment sight unseen on a "big" bag like a Tristar or Aeronaut. This is precisely I found out how much I love "coyote" -- and how "Mars Red" was more muted (brick) than exuberant (fiesta).

[bluemtn]

Thanks, I’m sold, will order the MCB FS.
Going to grab a TC too


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[Lia]

All of this is exactly my experience, too! Except the weight lifting.

I ♥️ my PT !

Also, cubelets.

[robburdtt]

Welcome to the Forums @robburdtt!

Thank you for the welcome, @G42!