As usual, the answer has to be prefaced with … it depends; on how much you put in it. I nearly always have my Brain Bag packed up to the max. I took delivery of my Tom Bihn camera insert outsert a few weeks back, and I use this to carry some audio gear safely in the outer compartment of the brain bag. There is a macbook pro in brain cell in the inner compartment, as well as vertical freudian slip. I think I could fit this into the undersea, but I would never do so in reality. It would be painful to have no foot room.

If there was nothing in the outer compartment, and the pack was cinched up tight it would be fine for the under seat space.

As to getting stuff in and out, again, depends. Small stuff would be in the outer pockets maybe, and that would be OK. If you wanted to access your laptop you would probably have to pull the whole bag out of the under seat space a bit.

Best,

Mike

Late to the conversation. Great review. I too am looking for a replacement for an old Spire bag (I think a Volt). Main zipper is failing.

I’m thinking hard about a Brain Bag – can’t find anything else that feels/looks right – but am concerned about size and in particular depth. You noted that it “sticks out in the back more than the Spire”. I travel a lot, and despite being over 6′ prefer a bag under my feet. I am constantly pulling something out – ear buds, snacks, shifting from my computer during the flight to a book for landing, tylenol…
Two questions if you are still following this thread:
1. Does the depth make sliding it under a seat a problem? Does it fit?
2. Is it possible to get at stuff with it under the seat? I use the Spire organizer compartment (very useful for me – main space is big and holds my charger, spare battery, snacks, can throw lunch or a small book in on top)
I’m really struggling with a replacement that feels right.
John

As to the 3/1/1 thing … I just had a look at my wash bag, which is usually hanging behind the bathroom door. First thing I’ve noticed is that my partner (who is off on a girls photography trip to Paris this weekend) has nicked my toothpaste. In the bag my liquid toiletries are:
(usually) 20ml tube of Sensodyne toothpaste
55ml GoToob of Shower gel
55ml GoToob of hair gel
15ml King of Shaves shave oil

These fit neatly into a small, cheap clear plastic bag, which in turn nests in the main pocket of the LifeVenture wash bag. When I go through security, this 3/1/1 bag is in my coat pocket, or somewhere in my travel bag where I can grab it quickly. I go through security, then, put it back into the wash bag, and in turn put that away in the travel bag.

To be honest, I could probably get away without these. If you fly business you usually get a nice pack of toiletries that last for w/e. Hotels have all the soap and shampoo etc. However, I have often been stuck on a stopover, weather diversion etc, and I’m glad the I can freshen up. Also, having standard patterns of behaviour is helpful. It means you don’t forget things in a rush. My partner takes a week to pack for even a short trip, but because I take the same standard items I can pack in an hour or so.

As to the stuff to access in flight issue, NOW, I use the Ristretto for most flights. I can put enough toys in there to keep me sane, do a bit of work on the iPad etc. On short haul I tuck the ristretto inside my Brain back for check in, and pull it out before stowing Brain Bag in overhear. THEN (when I wrote the review) I would pull out the brain cell and sometimes the fruedian slip (hang it on the seat back – looks geeky, but works).

The answer to this one also depends on class of travel. For example, every now and then I do a bit of training for an investment bank in New York. They fly me out from UK business class, and from Birmingham which is a smaller airport in the Midlands. I practically have the front of the jet to myself, so I can do what I like. By contrast, if I fly to a conference in s. France or maybe Italy, I generally use RyanAir, BMI etc, and I just have my iPad in my hand for entertainment, plus maybe a bottle of water.

Best,

Mike

So, you put your small toiletry bag just to the side of the Brain Cell in that space? Cool. Was that bag also your 3/1/1 bag? I’m assuming you had liquids of some kind like shampoo and toothpaste, unless you just got those at your destination.

One question I have is where I’d put a 3/1/1 bag for easy access during the security process, and then where I’d put the rest of my toiletries (and in what). Since getting my Brain Bag and becoming Bihn-fected, I’m now re-evaluating my entire travel strategy. In the post-9/11 era with the new carry on rules, I just said “screw it, I’ll check a bag” and then since I had so much space, I just threw a ton of stuff in there. Now I’m trying to lean things up.

And I do have one other question if I may: what did you do once you took your seat on a plane? Did you keep some kind of bag within the Tri-Star that you could easily pull out with the things you’d want to access in-flight? One of my concerns migrating to a 1-bag travel style is exactly this. Once I get to my seat while boarding I want to stow my gear and get out of the way as quickly as possible so I don’t delay other boarders. I don’t want to have to get to my seat, open my bag, pull out the 4 things I want in flight and then close it up and stow it. Just curious how you manage that process.

I’ve read a number of luggage reviews in the last few weeks, this one on the Tri-Star is one of the best, you did just a great job on this.

Anyway, if you look in the review for the series of pics showing the gear compartment, the first of these shows the brain cell shut, and just to the left of it is a small gap. This occurs because the laptop compartment is designed to take some big laptops. For example, the size one brian cell for the 17″ macbook pro will fit in there. My laptop is a 15″ mbpro in the appropriate brain cell, so there is a gap. The bayonet clips in the centre compartment are placed so that when fastened in place, the brain cell is itself centred in the compartment. If you don’t attach the brain cell to the clips, then you can push it to one side and create a nice space just right for a 3d organiser cube, and a small wash bag. I suppose there is small risk of the braincell falling out should you forget its not attached, but its not really anything to worry about.

Thanks for pointing out the omission – good spot. I do wash, honest!

Do you think there would be room in the center compartment for a brain cell, a freudian slip, and then one of Tom Bihn’s Clear Quarter Packing Cubes?

Yes, I use it on my mac and iPhone. Just terrific. And while I’ve managed to significantly reduce paper, I can’t eliminate it. For example, I’ve got to send in my auto registration renewal and this time I can’t just do it online, gotta include a copy of my insurance card. So that’s in my action support folder. Paper receipts from travel just get filed. Faster than scanning them, etc…

I don’t use much paper, but enough to make the Freudian slip a nice accessory for me.

And I just bought one of the glass bottles that Tom Bihn sells. Planning on attaching the water bottle the way you describe to see how that works. Only thing I can see is not enjoying messing with the carabiner and the straps every time I want to take a sip. Would be easier just to pull it out of the exterior pocket and slide it back. Oh well.

** You need all of that expensive equipment to do a podcast? I thought quality podcasts could be done relatively inexpensively? That’s some impressive gear.

Mmmm? Well, if push came to shove I could do a podcast, or screencast with just my iPhone. Would I want to though?

** Re the Brain Bag, … and the small accessory detail in the two side pockets? Close to worthless. How many pens does one need to take?

Agreed. Bag makers generally seem to be obsessed with pen pockets. I teach course in innovation and design. Last year I got my students to design a better student bag. The students did some pretty good market research. One finding was overwhelming, that most bags have too many pen pockets!

** Also, the water bottle pocket on the side isn’t particularly useful if one has that side pocket fairly full.

If you mean the mesh pocket, I guess you are right. I never think of that one as a water bottle pocket. I have a small umbrella in there. I clip my water bottle to the carabiner and cinch it up with the two straps below it.

** Interesting comment re the Vertical Freudian Slip. I don’t haul many pieces of paper around, but it happens enough that I do need that kind of organizational structure. … Seems like the two large elastic pockets on the back side would work well for portable hard drives, etc…

Kind of, but they are in the wrong part of the Freudian Slip. The bottom of the bag is going to ‘bell out’ anyway, and having storage pockets up high would help to counter that. Also, I really don’t want delicate hardware at the very bottom of the bag. One thing I really like about the brain cell is that it ‘hangs’ the laptop, and keeps it from banging on the deck.

**I use David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” methodology, so I ALWAYS have certain files with me: Inbox, Action Support, To Home, To Office, and To Read. I love that with the Slip I can open up the compartment and see all the files at a glance, I don’t have to rummage for them.

Understood, I am GTD-type too, but omnifocus does it for me. I try to avoid paper, and most of my work colleagues have got the message now. If someone insists on giving me paper I photograph or scan it and discretely bin the original.

Best,

Mike

You need all of that expensive equipment to do a podcast? I thought quality podcasts could be done relatively inexpensively? That’s some impressive gear.

Re the luggage, a few thoughts.

I agree about putting stuff under the seat in front. I’m 6′. I like having that space, but can live without it. What I’m probably going to do on my next flight is put both bags in the overhead, then put the basics I’d need on a relatively short (3 hour give or take) flight in the Tom Bihn Side Effect (food bar, iPhone, Etymotic ear buds, etc…), grab a book out of one of the pockets and then put it all up.

Re the Brain Bag, the one complaint I have is that they could’ve built in much more organizational structure into the bag without compromisng the bag’s vision. I understand he wants it, without any of the accessories in it, to be a big old somewhat plain pack. But he could’ve easily sewn some slim pockets into the liner that separates the two compartments, for example. And the small accessory detail in the two side pockets? Close to worthless. How many pens does one need to take? Give me 2-3 pen pockets on one side, and then make the other side useful. Am thinking about taking the bag to a seamstress to see if they can rip out the seams on some of these pen loops to make one bigger pocket. Also, the water bottle pocket on the side isn’t particularly useful if one has that side pocket fairly full.

But all that said, those are minor quibbles with what is otherwise a great piece of gear. The materials and construction are just a step above everything else I demoed, save for the Briggs & Riley, and that was just an entirely different kind of bag. I bought (and subsequently returned) the Verb Live. There was much to like about it, and MUCH better organizational detail than the Brain Bag, but it’s the kind of bag you’d want to be careful with, it’s a ‘pretty’ bag. Also doesn’t have the sheer volume the Brain Bag has.

Interesting comment re the Vertical Freudian Slip. I don’t haul many pieces of paper around, but it happens enough that I do need that kind of organizational structure. Seems like the two large elastic pockets on the back side would work well for portable hard drives, etc… One thing I really like about its basic design is how well it uses vertical space and preserves horizontal space, something most bags do a poor job of. I use David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” methodology, so I ALWAYS have certain files with me: Inbox, Action Support, To Home, To Office, and To Read. I love that with the Slip I can open up the compartment and see all the files at a glance, I don’t have to rummage for them. But I could absolutely see the value in Tom offering a ‘digitized’ version of the Slip. Less file structure, more ‘stuff’ structure.

Thanks again for the response, it’s much appreciated. The Tri Star is just a beautiful bag. Not sure I can justify the expense (close to $400 with all the packing cubes and shoulder strap) at this point, but someday.

As daily work bag: Brain cell in laptop compartment nearest back, with 15″ MB Pro. Vertical freudian slip after that (in same compartment). In outer compartment I put my ristretto (iPad size) which contains iPad2 and small metrosexual stuff. (Its my first ever man-bag and I am struggling to come to terms with it.) Outer compartment also has lunch in tupperware-type box.

So, I get into work, connect up laptop to office peripherals, remove Ristretto and hang on coat rack for later use at lunch, meetings etc.

Some days I want to take my podcasting kit home. If students are driving me nuts and I need peace and quiet I go work on kitchen table. So, I have some Eagle Creek Pack-It Protect-It Cubes. I can fit two Medium cubes vertically in the outer pocket of my brain bag, and then two small Protect-It Cubes horizontally above these. The fit is perfect. I’ve been waiting for Tom Bihn to make his damn photo insert for the brain bag, but the heat death of the universe will come first I think. Anyway, my mobile studio in the form of Heil PR40, M-Audio interface box, Two LED light panels, loads of Joby Gorillapods to hold things, XLR cables … etc all fits neatly and safely in the outer compartment of the brain bag. I have a ‘tube’ bag to hold my mic stand and green screen and this is strapped to the water bottle holder straps on the outside of the brain bag. Obviously the Ristretto has to come out and go on my shoulder in this mode.

Finally, if I am doing a couple or three overnight stays (sans podcast studio) I use my Tom Bihn packing cube backpack which fits neatly into the outer compartment, and carry the Ristretto on my shoulder. The packing cube will take two or three shirts, one trousers, underwear etc.

Any trip for longer I would probably, as you say, take a big bag alongside the brain bag. It would not be the Aeronaut or Tri Star though. In Europe I would have to check the extra bag, and both are too nice for checked baggage. I would probably just put a load of clothes in a cheap duffle, then check that.

In USA or Canada, as you suggest, you could probably get away with both Brain Bag and Aeronaut as carry ons. I would not put the brain bag under the seat in front of me though. I’m a tall guy, and I need wiggle room for my feet.

Other thoughts:

I should probably to a comprehensive review of the new Brain Bag, it really is a gem. Not perfect, but as is usual with Tom Bihn, the design trade-offs are managed with care and attention to detail. My Brain Bag is black though, and I probably could not get good enough pics for a review. Will experiment over the w/e. If I can get the details to show up in pics then I will do the review.

The vertical freudian slip was designed for a time when we used to carry paper around. I think TB needs to re-design this thing for modern accessories. It could do with some portable hard drive pockets high up for example. I’ve bought all the materials, and if I can get the time am going to have a go at making a 2012 freudian slip just for me!
That’s it.
Thanks for the comments and questions Rick.
Best,
Mike

How are you liking the Brain Bag compared to your old Spire? I just concluded an intensive search for a new laptop backpack. Tried a bunch of different models, final choice was the Brain Bag and I love it. I wish it had just a bit more organizational features, but this is a great bag.

Still debating about Tri-Star vs Aeronaut. I’m thinking for 5-7 days trips, the Brain Bag along with the Tri-Star could be perfect. Put the Tri-Star in the overhead compartment, Brain Bag under the seat in front. Do you ever travel with both?

Mike

In 2001 I traveled around Europe for two months with a proper travel backpack. I couldn’t imagine trying to roll around a piece of luggage all over Europe. These bags certainly do have their limits. But in my current situation, where my luggage travel is limited to: from car to plane to car to hotel, and the most I’ll have to bear the brunt of its additional heft is when lifting the bag five feet into the overhead bin, is the rolling bag really such a bad a choice?

Let me also fill in a few more blanks: I’m based out of Los Angeles, and since I’m only doing short hauls, I’ll rarely, if ever, have a stop over. I’ll also be traveling primarily on JetBlue and Southwest Airlines, both of which have lenient carry-on policies. 

Although I used Costco as a hypothetical, I will buy my luggage there. And since they have an absurdly lenient return policy, I’m not too worried about the longevity of such a bag — if a wheel breaks in 5 years, I can just bring it back and they’ll give me something brand new. 

Is my logic off target? What am I missing? Thanks!

I use my old Spire Volt XL as my main bag for work. I don’t think Spire do that one anymore, the latest incarnation is the Torque – about the same size as the Volt XL, but with two compartments. My Volt XL is a bit tatty now, but perfectly functional. I have a vertical Tom Bihn Brain Cell inside the Volt as the Spire sleeve (the Boot) does not offer much protection. I also have a Tom Bihn Freudian Slip to organise things and keep the contents from flopping at the bottom of the Volt.

This said, its all change at the moment. “Her indoors” was complaining that my Volt looked too scruffy and also that I carried too much stuff in my pockets. So, after resisting for many years, I have finally got a “man bag.” I have just taken delivery of a Tom Bihn Ristretto for iPad in black and wasabi. Its Fab, and stops my gadgets from pulling my trousers down. I also ordered one of the new brain bags in black, but it has not arrived yet. Not sure what’s going on at TB, but its been a while now. Will have to chase.
Anyway, I decided on this combination because I work in two places, at home, and at my office in my university. I have to lug 15″ macbook pro, podcasting kit, sports kit etc back and forth. So I needed a big backpack. However, when at either place I might have to go to meeting, or give a lecture with just ipad, wallet, phone etc. Did not want to carry the whole setup around; hence the Ristretto. The idea is that the Ristretto and gym kit goes in the front of the Brain Bag, with the brain cell and other bits in the back.

I have a Spire Meta, but its too big and floppy / unstructured. I considered buying the Spire Torque, but it looked a bit too small. The Tom Bihn Brain bag looks just about right – gives me just the few litres of extra space that I need. We will see. I hope to take delivery of the Brain Bag soon.

As to your questions on the Aeronaut v Tristar for a beach trip – either will do, but I would think beyond the one trip unless you are loaded. Get the back that serves most of your travel needs – the Tristar is a bit more structured, and better for shorter business trips when you have laptop plus gadgets. The Aeronaut is better for more casual things (beach trips for example) where you can just squash stuff in there. For me, the Tristar has the edge, but when I travel its mostly business-related.

Hope this helps.

Best,

Mike

You mentioned that you used to have the Brain Bag by Tom Bihn. Do you like the Spire Volt more or did you get rid of the Brain Bag for some other reason?

Also, did you notice a big difference in what you could carry between the Aeronaut and Tristar? I’m taking a 7 day trip to the beach and was unsure which of the two to get (a few bathing suits, about 5 pairs of shorts/polo shirts).

Thanks for your incredibly helpful reviews. They are gold!

The thing about the Tom Bihn Tristar cubes is that they fit PERFECTLY into the Tristar. Also, they are very inexpensive. I would say get them. I have some Eagle Creek packing gear, and its very good, but its not going to fit so well. Also, remember that the TriStar has tie downs to keep whatever is in the main compartment flat.

Very spooky this you know. Last night I was looking at my gadget bags and I decided to replace my old and tatty, but very functional Spire Volt XL with a new Brain Bag from Tom Bihn. I ordered the black one, and its coming at the end of the month. I think I will be able to fit my TriStar packing cubes into the Brain Bag and so it might make a good bag for overnights / long weekends. I also ordered the Tom Bihn Ristretto for iPad a couple of weeks back (ordered wrong colour, but that’s another story) and the Ristretto carries quite a lot of gear, so my backpack / travelbag does not need to be so big.

If it all works out, and I can get my gear in there I will probably sell my Tri Star. Need to have a clearout anyway, as missus is starting to kick up about so many bags around the house.

Anyway, the Tri Star is fab, just make sure you get a darker coloured one as the loud ones are dirt magnets.

Best,

Mike

The clincher though, is that “Her indoors” will beat me up if I come home with things all messy and creased!

Best,

M

This is the bit that bugs me. At the end of a vacation, I’m sometimes lazy enough to just stuff the dirty clothes into my suitcase willy nilly. Just be done and go home. This rigid organization prevents my normal stuffing.

If you don’t like bulging pockets etc., then I’d forget about the Air Boss. The Air Boss is unstructured. As you asked the question, I just now went upstairs and tried packing two suits into the TriStar. I used the biggest of the packing cubes (the TriStar large). I inverted one of the sleeves on each jacket and folded one half of the jacket into the other. I then folded the result in half. The trousers had two folds and were laid on top. It all fit into the Tristar no problem. It was snug, and there would likely be some creases after a trip across the pond, but it works. These suits were modern and lightweight (Rohan and Digel) and so they tend to resist creasing. A wool suit might not fare so well.

The Aeronaut will take two suits easily. My recommendation here would be to buy a couple of cheap, thin suit covers (Ikea for example). Put the suit jackets in the covers with the buttons done up, then do two horizontal folds. The result just about fits into the main compartment of the Aeronaut (as long as you don’t have too much in the end pockets). Make sure the two suits go in so that their necks are “opposed” – evens out the bulk. The slipperiness of the suit covers tends to prevent creasing. The Aeronaut is less structured than the TriStar, but nowhere near as floppy as the AirBoss.

I seem to remember Tom Bihn saying a while back that he was going to make some suit packing “thing” – just looked on their website and there is nothing there yet.

I’m talking about large mens suits here, so for women’s suits its going to be way easier.

If you want compactness and structure, go with the TriStar. Make sure you get the packing cubes though – these things make a big difference. If it was not for the horrendous import taxes, weakness of the pound and the sky high shipping, I would order two each of every packing cube and accessory pouch that Tom Bihn makes – these things are amazingly useful. Also get a Freudian slip – sooo useful, if a bit geeky on long flights! Just hang it on the seat-back. The Freudian also slip keeps things from slipping to the bottom of the bag and so prevents bulging. I’m going to order a vertical one for my backpack – I’m using my old Spire Volt for work at the moment, but it needs some internal organisation.

Anyway, sorry – going down a rathole here. Hope this helps, if not post another question. Best, Mike

I was wondering on your thoughts comparing the tri-star, aeronaut and the air boss. I fly frequently to europe and need to be able to pack two suits in the bag, I am currently using an old version of the victorinox weekender which I like for the garment section and expandability, but hate the bulging side pouch (also have been forced to check it a few times). Any thought on which of the three bags would be best for me?

Thanks

Drew

So it looks like we are agreed on colour choice . I think I had better bite the bullet – sell this one and order another in black.

As to your questions Chris:

Don’t worry about the water bottle thing – its not a huge issue. My review comments were more a critique on the (assumed) design logic rather than a reflection of any great problems in use. I suppose it would be an issue if you carried big and bulky shoes in that area, in which case BTW you would not fit them into the packing cube. They would have to be loose in the front compartment.

As to Aeronaut v. Tristar. Sure – greater flexibility in packing is plus point for the Aeronaut, but in all other respects the Tri-Star wins it I think. As long as you are reasonably disciplined in packing, go for the Tri-Star.

Rohan are a really good, but annoying company. They make some fantastic products, but they run out of the good stuff way to early in the season. You have to be quick. I’ll maybe do a review of the suit one day, but it might not be much use to readers unless they bring the line back into stock. Suffice to say, that you can trust what Rohan say in their brochure about easy wash, creases dropping out, very light weight. The cut of Rohan gear tends to suit a slimmer shape, which is a problem for me as I’ve just gained a bit of weight. The shirts they make are awesome – especially the “expedition.”

Best,

Mike

Second, you mention using the Aeronaut, and since I’m trying to decide between the two bags could you say why you felt your experience with the Tri-star was better? I like the format of the Tri-star better, but it seems like the open compartment of the Aeronaut would lend itself better to a wider range of packing tasks.

Finally, I’d love to hear more about your experience with your Rohan suit. I visited their website, but it looks like they have only one option (sold as separate jacket and pants).

Thanks again for your great review, and for the indirect validation. I just bought the Western Flyer and after much deliberation decided to go with black.