Question about the Maker's Bag Freudian Slip

[notcras]

Hello everyone, I've been looking at getting a Maker's Bag Freudian slip - seems like it could be what I need for bag organization - but I have got some questions:

1. People say its less stiff than the others. I'm not sure how stiff to imagine it then - is it floppy? Does it still have rigidity?
2. I was thinking of also getting a small zip-top shop bag. I was wondering if I could fit the MB FS inside. Looking at the dimensions, the MB FS is just 0.4" longer, so it could possibly fit if things got stretched. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this, or if it would be floppy enough to curve on the inside of the shop bag.
3. I understand that inside the MB FS zip pockets are little sleeves, but in the pictures that I've seen I don't know how useful they are and I vaguely know their shape. I would think that the upper portion of the zip pocket would get in the way. Thoughts? Would anyone be willing to provide pictures so I can get a better look at the insides of the mesh pockets (thank you in advance!)
4. Are the mesh pockets on the MB FS condusive to office type items (or will it just destroy the mesh)? Can the upper zip pockets fit a small double organizer pouch?
5. On the SCB FS and MCB FS what is the width and depth of the pen slots? I was looking at them as an alternative in case the MB FS didn't work out. I'm trying to see what else I can fit in them.

It seems that of all the Freudian Slips the MB FS is the least talked about, or maybe I'm just looking in the wrong place...

[G42]

Hello everyone, I've been looking at getting a Maker's Bag Freudian slip - seems like it could be what I need for bag organization - but I have got some questions:

Welcome to the Forums @notcras!

Sorry your post was hung up over night, someone has to view & approve that you aren't a SpamBot for your first post.

I don't have a MB, hopefully folks will chime in now that they can see your post.

[moriond]

I’ll try to get back to this post later, but for the meantime, there are some pictures and discussion of the maker’s bag FS in this thread:
https://forums.tombihn.com/photos-vi...t-knitter.html

ETA: in the meantime I hope some other forum members will chime in. @jessmakes has some posts describing how she prefers to use the Medium Cafe Bag FS in her Maker’s Bag. @anna222 did a lot of exploration with different Freudian Slips in different bags, but ultimately settled on other bag combinations for her preferred carry.

Since it’s difficult to answer well, without context, can I ask whether you are planning on using this in an actual Maker’s Bag or Swift (which match the designed width), or whether you plan to transfer the contents of the FS to other bags (and if so, which ones)? How much of the volume of the bag do you plan to use with the Freudian Slip contents? Freudian Slips can be really useful for quick organization (e.g. pens and other stationary items to hand), and also for easy transfer of commonly used items between different bags. But if you are accessing a lot of items on both sides of the FS, its space usage can compete with bag selection criteria that require large contiguous volume (one reason folks might choose a Maker’s Bag). Some people use the MB FS to hold a 13” or smaller laptop of current vintage (this is about the only FS that I would try this with, since the dimensions are closely matched, an you wouldn’t require the foam to simply major structural support.)

Basically, yes you can carry this in a small zip top shop bag, but it will push the sides out, so you don’t have as easy use of the side pockets (unless you turn the bag inside out when you use it). Organizer pouches fit fine in the pockets.

[notcras]

Thank you @G42 for the welcome!

@moriond, thanks for the link. It's got a lot of great shots but none show exactly inside the makers bag FS. I'm happy to
share my use case. I feel like a heathen on here, but I currently am using a Topo Designs Commuter Briefcase as my edc bag. I have some TB items but they are all small: a travel cubelet, a bunch of organizer pouches, that sort of thing. I have a been looking for a way to better organize the bag and the Freudian slips, especially the MB FS, seems to fit perfectly.

Here's what my bag looks like inside currently:



Currently the space isn't utilized that well but its the best that I can do with that I have. I was hoping to put the folder, book, and TB pencil organizer (not in there right now) in the back. I have some smaller stuff I was hoping to put into the front: some small organizer pouches, 2 A5 size notebooks, some snacks, a little non-TB pouch for things like USB sticks, and small in-ear headphones.

I was going to put it against the wall with the folder, with the pouches side of the MB FS facing inwards. That would give me extra room for water bottle and anything else I'll need to slip in.

As for the small zip top shop bag, I use a tote bag already for the gym or as a second bag going to work. I would definitely use the FS as something for easy transfer of items between bags. Another thought I had was to insert a Side Kick in similar style to the Travel Cubelet that is already in the bag.

Thanks!

[moriond]

@notcras,
I’m still at work, so I can’t reply in detail, but take a look at The new Freudian Slip colors thread:

https://forums.tombihn.com/photos-vi...ip-colors.html


I have some pictures there of the maker’s bag FS in cloud, and what fits in there. Some of the Cafe Bag FS options also show up there for comparison (including a picture of the Medium Cafe Bag FS in a Small Black Shop Bag — since it doesn’t stick into the side pockets of the shop bag, you can put a water bottle in one of side pockets and also easily fit in a lunch container, as shown there. A maker’s bag FS would fit inside by stretching the sides out, but it’s extra length would extend into the pockets that carry the water bottle and push them out, and also limit the depth in terms of what else you could stick in — a flatter box with a skinnier sandwich could go in, but not the deeper box that I put inside)

You can also see the range of pens, wider highlighters, and markers that fit into the two Cafe Bag FS shown there. @anna2222 uses her Freudian slips for drawing/writing equipment. You could fit A5 notebooks in the mesh pocket (I inserted a Rhodia A4 soft cover notebook). There are other organizational options you can use (like the A5 size Ghost Whale Organizer Pouch). I’m not sure whether you have a tool/pen wrap (retired product) or a pen/pencil pouch. I also use the size2 Knitting Tool Pouch as a shorter Pouch option for storing pens.

[notcras]

@moriond Thank you for pointing me to that thread, it helps! It's so much fun to see how other people organize their stuff.

I have the pen/pencil pouch. Never thought of using the knitting tool pouch as a pen pouch. Might have to pick one up later for that - I never figured out what to do with the section of open space in my pencil pouch.

One of the big things I'm shooting for is to make things as easy to access as possible inside the bag. For a while I was using a medium organizational pouch to hold a lot of my smaller items/pouches, but it was usually pretty full so it was always a hassle getting things out.

My ideal would be to have as few zippers to go through as possible. If I had the MB FS I would leave the zippers open all the time, so maybe that defeats the point of having a MB FS... maybe I'd want to go for a different one... agh, decisions decisions. MCB FS is a tiny bit too tall for my bag so I don't know if its a good option. I really like what you could fit in those pockets though... Going even smaller, the SCB FS doesn't seem to have the organization that I want.

Do you know if anyone uses an SK as an insert to their main bag? Maybe its overkill, but I think that's another option that would work sans the folder.

[moriond]

Hi @notcras,

Here's another possible suggestion, but it may not have quite as much organizational space as the Maker's Bag Freudian Slip: some owners of the Maker's Bag use the LIHIT LAB Bag Insert Organizer with Storage Pockets (Bag-in-Bag) (7.1 x 9.8 inches). There's a picture of one (in orange) inside the Maker's Bag in the first post of @UpToNoGood's Score one for the Maker's Bag (and some recommended mods) thread, and a link to the Amazon page for the Lihit Labs product in post #3. I've also seen references to people using the Lihit Labs Smart Fit Carrying Pouch in other threads for organizing the Little Swift, and in this post about organizing the Luminary 15:

It took me a little bit to get mine to where I love it, but I do now. I've been carrying it as my EDC for the past couple of days. (Mine's Alphaviolet/Dawn.) I put my keys in one side pocket and a Mini Clear Organizer Pouch in the other (lip balm, bandaids, Advil, earbuds). Inside, I have a small Knitting Bag, a Mini Halcyon pouch that holds my Knitting Kit, another that holds my pen accessories (ink cartridges, mainly), and a Lihit Lab Smart Fit Carrying Pouch in A6 that holds my "purse stuff" (wallet/notebook, phone, extra pens). I like that the Lihit Lab Pouch has o-rings on it that allow me to clip it into my bag. In the iPad compartment, I carry an A5 notebook. All of this goes nicely into my Luminary, and it's all organized and tethered in such a way that I can get to it fairly easily.
Maybe consider some different ways of putting your stuff into the bag?

(when I looked up the product, this link at Amazon seemed to show the vertical and horizontal product options; with vertical for the Luminary 15 organization). Most of the other references here are in the pens about notebooks and pens. There are more pictures of this organizer for bags like the (retired) Little Swift on the Ravelry Tom Bihn Knitting Bags forum site, but Ravelry (a site dedicated to the fiber arts) requires separate registration.

With regard to the Size 2 Knitting Tool Pouch as an alternative for pens, I'll point you to my post [04-16-2018, #2220] in the Your Photos are Needed Thread showing an A5 notebook in the (retired) Stowaway Aether Packing Cube:



I've excerpted another user's photos, but they show the Knitting Tool Pouch in the picture. This was a combination I suggested to someone looking for a packing cube for an A5 Notebook and Pens (before the Stowaway Aether Packing Cubes were retired).

HTH

moriond

[Finnabair]

I’ll second the versatility of the Lihit Lab Bag-in-Bags as moriond (and others) have mentioned. I have several of them. I put a notebook or sketchbook in the big zipper compartment that normally would be used to hold an iPad or similar. There are several pockets of varying sizes across the front (where I line up all my drawing and writing implements), and in the larger sizes, a mesh pocket running the length of the organizer. They make one that is 13.4” wide and fits perfectly in the Maker’s Bag. I use the one that’s 10.2” wide in my Co-Pilot. I like the Lihit Lab organizers because I can move my writing/drawing stuff from bag to bag easily. I use them to organize items that have a slim profile and the FS for bulkier items. (I’m pretty new to the forums so I am not sure how to post product links.Sorry!)

[notcras]

@moriond and @finnabair, thanks for the replies!

That lihit lab bag-in-bag organizer that you suggested is such a great find! I had looked at the other versions when I was doing my research and didn't like them. The one you linked is one I hadn't seen before and it seems like it should work well. Thanks for the suggestion! The mesh I think is key for some of my other items. I ordered one and also put in my order for the small zip-top shop bag. I'm exited to get both of them!

That stowaway organizer bag also looks great. The size looks great as a bag insert as well. Too bad its no longer available.

[moriond]

The smaller size Lihit Lab organizers that were in the linked post may be what you need to match your height constraint. You can find their products at JetPens too

https://www.jetpens.com/Lihit-Lab/bd/131