There’s wear on the zipper pulls. That’s it.

My Brain Bag has seen much less use but seems built to the same level and I anticipate it will last indefinitely as well. Tom Bihn bags fall into my category of: “Buy the best and only cry once when you write the check.” But as always, YMMV

Hai, I agree that the bag probably isn’t ideal for a daily commute — but it appears to me to be as close as possible to perfect for the frequent business traveler looking to reduce time at a security checkpoint.

I agree, that bag is a keeper! I still think it should come with a strap though ;o)

It does seem odd at first to not receive a strap, but only at first. I simply re-purposed the strap from the Tom Bihn Super Ego I reviewed for The Gadgeteer (it is still my daily driver), and was ready to go.

Without question this is the best travel purchase I have ever made, and look forward to leaving a big chunk of my security hassles at home from now on. Tom Bihn makes the best bags!

[Edited at November 12, 2008 06:09:00 AM.]

[Edited at November 12, 2008 06:09:40 AM.]

[Edited at November 12, 2008 06:09:51 AM.]

Kevin Smith -
I’m glad to hear that you are enjoying your new bags – I will share your comments with our staff. That is exactly what makes us feel good about what we do.

Additionally, the layout of this thing is great – lots of pockets all perfectly sized for travel items. This is the only case I’ve had where one of the easily accessible internal pockets actually fits my Bose headset case! If you get one – get the Absolute Strap – it is worth every penny. It is made of a neoprene-type material and has some bounce to it which effectively reduces the apparent weight of the bag.

Finally – the company – these guys a re great to work with. I had questions after my order, called up, and received a call back from Tom Bihn himself! Very responsive, very helpful.

For me – this bag was worth every penny. It should say something that upon receiving the Checkpoint Flyer, I immediately turned around and order another TB product – the Aeronaut (also awesome). Highly recommended for people who travel frequently and want a well-designed, super high quality laptop case.

[Edited at November 09, 2008 12:49:47 PM.]

Darcy: I agree with you in the quality department: most of my shirts last 10+ years, whereas my light jacket is more than 20 year-old. For that, I will see the bags in person before making haste comments.

I did not know that Tom Bihn is in Seattle, 3 miles from my work place (Cisco systems, near the Space Needle). I will probably give the Tom Bihn Factory Outlet Store a visit some day as I am looking to replace my current bag. Thank you Darcy & Julie.

[Edited at November 07, 2008 23:24:40 PM.]

Our bags are carefully constructed of the best materials and
components in our own Seattle factory. They’d be less expensive if we
had them produced in China or Vietnam, but then we’d lose control over the quality of the finished product and the quality of the jobs we create.

We could use cheaper materials, but we’ve been making bags for a long time and plan to make them for a lot longer still: we don’t want folks complaining about a part breaking or wearing out prematurely. That would be bad for you, the customer, and it would make us feel bad, too. There are plenty of less expensive products on the market: it’s up to you, the consumer, to decide if the quality of our products justify their expense.

We specifically designed the Checkpoint Flyer so that the highly
protective laptop insert is removable, so that, when you purchased a new
laptop every year or two or three, you would only have to buy a new
insert – and not an entirely new bag. Why? The Checkpoint Flyer will
last 10+ years for the average person. We figured that the customer shouldn’t be forced to buy a whole new bag simply because they bought a new laptop.

This bag is an investment that you can count on: “buy the best and cry once”. Instead of buying a cheaper bag every year or do, you can choose to buy a bag that’ll last (almost) forever.

Regarding the shoulder strap not being included in the price of the bag – I asked Tom to elaborate on our blog post that addressed the question. Tom said: “I look at it this way: we could give you a some rudimentary strap and raise the price of the bag $5 or $10 – then people would complain about the strap not being padded enough or whatever. Or, we could include a strap with the comfort, durability and reputation of the Absolute Strap and raise the price $30. I’m sure some people would be OK with that, but others don’t want a strap at all or already have either an Absolute Strap (many of our customers own several of our bags and most of our bags can use the Absolute) or some other strap that they prefer – those folks would probably complain at being charged an extra $30 for something they don’t want because they already have it.” In the end, we offer the strap as an option so that people can decide for themselves.

I agree with all of your cons except for the first one. There are multiple layers of material on both sides of the laptop to protect it, not to mention that the actual laptop sleeve has padding on all sides.

• It looks good
• I like the separate laptop compartment to make the TSA guys happy
• The material is of high quality (at least from the photos)

However, I also don’t like:

• Most bags places your laptop near the back (near your body) for added protection. On the contrary, this bag places the laptop near the front, where it is likely to absorb bumps.
• Access to the the laptop is cumbersome for daily commute: you need to un-latch the clips, flip out the laptop compartment, then unzip the 3-side zipper. For that, I think this bag is fine for short trips, but not daily commute.
• The high price. I am sure that there are bags out there that rival its quality and design for less.
• The costly extras: $30 for the slip, $20-30 for the strap

[Edited at November 07, 2008 11:07:28 AM.]

You can still carry wires, adapters, etc. in the other part of the bag. It’s just the laptop section that should only have the laptop in it and nothing else.

You’re right, the officers have the final say and it’s not a good idea to argue with them, unless you want a cavity search ;o)