Programs: Skymiles, United, Continental, JBlU, USair, AA
Posts: 131
Redesigned 2010 Tom Bihn Western Flyer
I did a search and this doesn't appear to have been covered. The Bihn Western Flyer bag appears to have been recently redesigned. The drink pocket which many reviews claimed was useless has been replaced with a curved zipper, a la Tri-Star. Also, it appears you now have the option of getting either the standard backpack straps or get a pass-thru zipper/pocket combo with another side pocket.
If I am incorrect and this was an option before, please let me know.
Overall it appears they used some of the better features of the Tri-Star and also differentiated this slightly smaller size by allowing you to delete the backpack straps feature. This allows you to get some extra packing space, I know when the backpack straps are stowed on my ebags convertible, they take up a lot of room. Sounds like an excellent change to me? This has now become a kind of mini Tri-Star, which is itself a mini Aeronaut.
I've been looking into slightly smaller bags since a recent flight where my ebags barely fit into the overhead of a regional jet.
I'm curious: do you end up using the backpack straps often? Is it heavy when fully laden?
Also, how long of trips do you go with this bag?
I do use the backpack straps quite a bit. To be precise, I mostly use it as a backpack because I find it relieves the strain on my shoulders, but I do use it with a sling or with the handle, occasionally. I've taken this bag for week-long domestic trips. For longer ones, or for ones where I really want to carry a lot of stuff like international excursions, I take my Sky Train.
Now when fully laden? The nice thing about having a small bag is, it really never gets that heavy when fully stuffed, except for pathological cases where you're packing it with gold bars or filling it with osmium. I've stuffed it so much that I couldn't squeeze anything else in it, and it still remained relatively easy to carry.
I'm curious: do you end up using the backpack straps often? Is it heavy when fully laden?
Also, how long of trips do you go with this bag?
I have a Tristar and have never used the backpack straps. As long as I have an absolute strap on it I haven't had the need for converting to backpack. In fact if they ever gave the same ordering option with/without backpack straps I may order it again without.
Overall it appears they used some of the better features of the Tri-Star and also differentiated this slightly smaller size by allowing you to delete the backpack straps feature. This allows you to get some extra packing space, I know when the backpack straps are stowed on my ebags convertible, they take up a lot of room. Sounds like an excellent change to me? This has now become a kind of mini Tri-Star,
I have the Tristar and I don't find that the backpack straps take up any space at all. They're not thick, but are wide, and are designed to fit flat in their special pocket. They definitely don't impact on the amount of space in the bag.
Thinking of trading in Air Boss for one of these 2
Thanks for the thread. I recently made a trip with the Air Boss, and found I loaded it too much. So, I'm thinking I'm ready to either get the Western Flyer or the TriStar. This thread was very helpful.
Of course, given the bag was overloaded, it was really my fault. Solution: either a smaller bag to force better packing or one with backpack straps.
The other option I'm considering is the SkyRoll.
Thanks for the thread. I recently made a trip with the Air Boss, and found I loaded it too much. So, I'm thinking I'm ready to either get the Western Flyer or the TriStar. This thread was very helpful.
Of course, given the bag was overloaded, it was really my fault. Solution: either a smaller bag to force better packing or one with backpack straps.
The other option I'm considering is the SkyRoll.
I've found the SkyRoll sort of unwieldy because it's really long and narrow. It also doesn't have much capacity. I only use it when I carry suits around, but recently, I've taken to folding my suits as described here on FT.
I know the Tom Bihn web site doesn't list the Western Flyer as an option for a 17" laptop. But given the outside dimensions of the bag, I was wondering if it would fit. The laptop in question is the MacBook Pro with dimensions of 1"(H) x 15.5"(W) x 11"(D). Has anyone tried? If so, and if it does fit, is there any extra room around the laptop that would allow the laptop to be in a (thin) sleeve? Thanks so much!
Does anyone pack a suit into one of these? Is it feasible to do so on regular basis for short business trips?
Yeah. I do. I've used them to go to weddings and such. If you fold it carefully (following any of the suggested suit folding methods here on FT) and perhaps put it in a dry-cleaners bag, it should come out relatively neat and then hanging in the hotel room upon arrival usually does the trick for me.
The Tri-Star is bigger, but I've been able to fit my suit into a Western Flyer.
