Community
The History of Portable Culture
From 1990 until 1999, my business was my retail store/workshop in downtown Santa Cruz, California. For not quite ten years, I walked or rode my bike to work everyday (I only drove...
Carry Guides
Which Sports Bag is Right for You?
What makes a good sports bag? Depends who you ask. A cyclist might want a backpack that stays put. A soccer player might need room for cleats, clothes, and enough equipment to get them through the match. Someone going straight from...
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The BIHN Bulletin
Guides, gear insights, and stories for carrying well.
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Company
Labels 1975 - 2017
A brief history of TOM BIHN logo labels over the years. See also: History of Portable Culture
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Bags
Design Update: Aeronaut 45
You know us: we can't leave good enough alone. Our Aeronaut 45 maximum carry-on travel bag has been updated with a couple of new features and a few materials updates. All Aeronaut...
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Bags
Design Update: Parental Unit
Tom has made several design updates to our Parental Unit diaper bag inspired by feedback posted on our Forums, shared with us by friends and family who use the P.U., and Tom’s...
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Community
Tom's Grandfather's Table
When I began making outdoor gear, in about 1972, I used the back side of a ping pong table on saw horses, out in the garage, as a cutting surface. At some...
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Photos
Part Two: Jenn's Road Trip on Highway 1
Be sure to read Part One of Jenn's trip report, which details how and what she packed. After finding out my husband would be in southern California for work, we decided to take...
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Photos
Part One: How Jenn Packed For Her Road Trip
Light packing has always been a bit of a stretch or wishful thinking for me. I used to lean towards a "more = better prepared" philosophy instead of "planning = better prepared."...
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Dogs
Remembering Lily
I adopted Lily when she was two and a half years old. I chose Lily after seeing her profile on PetFinder—before I had volunteered at my local Humane Society and met many dogs,...
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Design
A Brief History of Padded Hip Belts
Early backpacks just had simple, unpadded shoulder straps made from webbing (woven strap material) or leather, and no waist or hip belt. Initially it was a big deal to add padding to...
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Company Updates
New: Padded Hip Belt for Smart Alec and Synapse Backpacks
Due to popular request, we’ve come up with a 1” Padded Hip Belt designed to work with the Synapse 19, Synapse 25, and Smart Alec backpacks -- three of our most popular...
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Community
Games for the Road
Travel can be fun, but in some instances it can be long and monotonous, whether we're talking about a 45-hour cross-country train ride, a 10-hour international plane ride, a 5-hour bus trip,...
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Bags
Introducing The Hero's Journey Travel Backpack
It's here! The Hero's Journey is in-stock and ready to ship in colors Black Halcyon/Northwest Sky and Nordic Halcyon/Northwest Sky. Colors Black Halcyon/Iberian and Nordic Halcyon/Wasabi are in production with an estimated...
