A good bag carries what matters – and for most of us, that includes a water bottle. Maybe even two, and if you’re like us, a can of something caffeinated.
Whether you’re headed to work, class, the airport, or just out for the day, it helps to know your favorite bottle will fit comfortably alongside the rest of your essentials. So, when looking for your first (or latest) TOM BIHN bag, it’s important to make sure your liquids will fit in. In this guide, we’ll walk through some of our most popular bags and the water bottles they fit best.
Let’s get into it!
Synik 30
The water bottle pocket on the Synik 30 is featured front and center, keeping the heaviest item center-balanced. It’s also easy to remove, since the pocket doesn’t extend to the bottom of the bag. The pocket itself is (roughly) 10.5” x 8” x 4.25”. With that in mind, you can fit…
Synik 30
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32 oz Nalgene
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32 oz Wide Mouth Hydro Flask with Flex Straw Cap
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30 oz Owala FreeSip Sway
One of the things I like to point out to folks is that the chin pocket of the Synik is a great spot for a larger water bottle, or if you need to carry two beverages. The chin pocket is about 12” x 5.5” x 5.5”, and keeps the weight center balanced!
Synapse 19
The Synapse 19 is the original of this style, and while we’ve only gone bigger, it remains a great size for an everyday carry! With just enough space for what you need, you don’t sacrifice too much in terms of a water bottle pocket, which is roughly 10.25” x 7” x 2.5”.
Synapse 19
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32 oz Nalgene
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22 oz Ello Cooper
Paradigm
Lightweight, sturdy, just enough room for everything; The Paradigm remains popular for being more than enough room for a phone, wallet, keys, and then some. Essentially a scaled-down version of the Paramour, it has an identical padded device pocket and, of course, 3D water bottle pocket that is roughly 9” x 4” x 3.25, to fit a bottle as compact as your bag.
Paradigm
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300 ml Hydro Flask Micro Hydro
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16 oz Nalgene Wide Mouth
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A standard can of Monster Energy
Smart Alec 2.0
The newly improved Smart Alec 2.0 is going to have one of the larger water bottle options of our backpack lineup. The left exterior pocket is going to be (roughly) 12” x 6” x 5.5”. This means it can fit oversized water bottles like…
Smart Alec 2.0
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46 oz Yeti Rambler - 12.4” x 4”
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40 oz Hydro Flask Wide Mouth with Flex Straw Cap - 11.7” x 3.6”
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Plus, you know, the normal-sized bottles we mentioned previously.
Pilot
One of the cooler features of the Pilot is a center-loaded water bottle pocket. While you can always just toss a water bottle into a crossbody, having a designated space is very cool. There’s even a drainage hole at the bottom, in case of spills. The Pilot water bottle pocket is about 11.5” x 3.25” x 3.25”.
Pilot
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32 oz Nalgene
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30 oz Owala FreeSip Sway
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22 oz Ello Cooper
Marathon Messenger
While we’re talking about crossbody bags, the Marathon Messenger has two pockets on either end of the main compartment that are ideal for a lot of accessories, but notably a water bottle. They’re both about 4.25” x 5.25” x 5”. Please note they’re open-topped, but the elastic helps keep taller bottles in place.
Marathon Messenger
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32 oz Nalgene
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40 oz Hydro Flask Wide Mouth
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30 oz Owala FreeSip Sway
Brain Bag
Honorable mention to the Brain Bag; external triangle clip means you can attach just about any water bottle, like the Takeya 64oz. The same goes for any of the Guide’s Editions. Just add a Carabiner, and you’re good to go!
Whether you’re carrying a giant insulated bottle, a trusty travel mug, or a can of something caffeinated, we hope this guide has helped you find the right fit for your daily carry.
Of course, there are plenty more bag and bottle combinations out there. Have one you’d like us to test next? Let us know – we’re always curious what liquids are tagging along in your bag.
