Review- As I prepare to enter middle age, I have recently made a lot of reflections. I noticed that one of the older trends is the tendency to pay more for quality instead of always buying the cheapest functional version of what I need. Example: I may have used it, worn out or broken 4 Backpack Early in my college and career. The average cost is about US$50, which means that US$200 of funds goes to landfills or thrift stores. If I can get something like the Tom Bihn Techonaut 45 backpack, I might still use it today and in the years to come. The old adage “you get what you pay for” has been proven correct in my life time and time again, but will this backpack be the same? Fortunately, I took an unplanned trip during this review, so in addition to the usually artificial tests that must be done when reviewing such things, I have some real-world ideas.
What is it?
The Tom Bihn Techonaut 45 backpack is a lightweight and high-quality travel backpack. It includes a padded laptop storage compartment, a large main compartment that is easy to open, and several other pockets for organization and transportation. It also has a variety of carrying modes, including the traditional backpack mode.
What’s in the box?
- Tom Bihn Techonaut 45 backpack
- 8 inch black webbing buckle / buckle key belt
- 8 pieces of rope zipper pullers with plastic ends
- Removable chest strap
- Removable belt
- 2 x detachable internal tie-down straps
Hardware specifications
- Exterior materials: Bluesign® and OEKO-TEX® certified Ultralight 400d Halcyon/420d nylon ripstop
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bluesign® certified 525 denier high-strength 2×2 ballistic nylon
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1000 denier Cordura nylon
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American high-strength 1050 denier ballistic nylon - Interior materials: Bluesign® and OEKO-TEX® certified 200 denier Halcyon/nylon ripstop
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bluesign® certified 210 denier high-strength 2×2 ballistic nylon - Laptop compartment material: Lightweight ripstop nylon
- zipper：2x #10 YKK Raquet-Coil waterproof zipper with lockable metal slider
4x #8 Raquet-Coil waterproof zipper with metal slider
1x #5 Coil zipper with plastic slider
1x #5 Vislon zipper with plastic slider - Upper back material: Pure Finish Nylon Diamond Mesh (internal closed-cell foam)
- Lower back material: Bluesign® certified 210 denier high-strength 2×2 nylon (with closed-cell foam inside)
- Shoulder strap material: Endless EV50 1/2” / 12mm shoulder strap (EVAZOTE® OEKO-TEX® foam)
- Component material: Duraflex®, Nexus and Woojin buckles and related components
- weight: 400d Halcyon/420d nylon ripstop outer layer: 2 pounds 5.6 ounces/1065 grams
525d ballistic: 2 pounds 14 ounces/1305 grams
1050d ballistic: 3 pounds/1360 grams
1000d Cordura®: 2 lbs, 14.4 oz/1315 grams - aspect: 21.9″ (w) x 14″ (h) x 9.1″ (d) / 555 (w) x 355 (h) x 230 (d) mm
- volume: 2745 cubic inches / 45 liters (ASTM standard measurement)
- Shoulder strap: 0.5″/13mm padded and contoured backpack strap with 0.75″/20mm detachable chest strap, including detachable 1″/25mm waist belt
- Laptop compartment: 0.5″/13mm padded and contoured backpack strap with 0.75″/20mm detachable chest strap, including detachable 1″/25mm waist belt
Design and features
The Tom Bihn Techonaut 45 backpack is available in a variety of materials and colors (from all over the world, designed/assembled/sewn in Seattle). I chose “Night Walk 400 Halcyon/Northwest Sky 200 Halcyon”, which is one of the lightest materials and still has good durability and water resistance. The picture shows a fairly large side pocket that can hold my 40 ounce insulated water bottle (a bit tight, but not annoying).
On the other hand, we have “rimless” padded side handles and a smaller side pocket. This side handle is very comfortable and is by far the softest one-handed option I have used. The size and shape of the side pockets are very suitable for placing mobile phones and passports, or power supplies and cables for mobile phones and laptops.
There are a pair of handles on the top: one is a simple nylon strap that can be pulled out from under the aircraft seat or hung on a hanger, and the other is larger, which looks more durable, and can be carried from the top if needed.
There is also a small pocket for quick access at the top, pre-installed with an 8-inch key strap, but you can remove it if you don’t need it.
Turning to the main compartment, you can see two detachable tie-down straps (used to hold the folded clothes in place to avoid wrinkles). Near the bottom is a zipper that allows you to enter a small compartment-suitable for cash or items you want extra security and burying. There is also a zippered mesh compartment inside the flap.
Below the main compartment is a fairly large bottom compartment with its own zipper. Its size can hold a pair of shoes or similar items.
The laptop compartment is padded and opens wide for easy access. It’s easy to fit a 15-inch Macbook or Windows laptop, I think you can even fit a thicker 17-inch ultra-thin gaming laptop without too much trouble, my 15-inch not too thick gaming ASUS G15 The laptop has free space. Unlike some other laptop travel bags, there is no separate tablet case in this compartment, so if you also travel with your tablet, you must either put the laptop with the laptop here or store it in In the main compartment.
This is the back of the bag, with the chest strap and waist belt installed (mine is pre-installed, but they can all be removed, leaving almost no hardware behind). The mesh upper back area has good air permeability, and its size is suitable for you and can even slide it over most roller bag handles.
The shoulder straps are very comfortable. In my life, I have not used a backpack with a better strap. When I packed the bag to help distribute the load better, the sternum strap was fine. I don’t think a belt is needed, but if you are carrying a lot of weight, reducing the pressure on your upper body may help (if this is a padded belt, you can even buy it if you need it).
The buckles on both straps are made of the highest quality plastic, they feel durable and easy to buckle and unfasten. The shoulder straps and the sternum/waist belt are adjustable and can maintain their adjustment positions well.
YKK metal zippers are one of the best zippers I have ever used. I have zero problems with them. The bag material never seems to be stuck in the zipper. All external zippers are “Raquet-Coil Water-Repellent”, which is good. With the fabric of my choice, I don’t want to risk heavy rain for a long time, but for light rain or short-term rain, I don’t worry too much about water in this bag.
This photo shows the texture of Tom Bihn’s label and fabric. This label will obviously change when their bags leave early production and mature to full production, so if you finally pick up this bag, it may look different.
Installation and setup
The Tom Bihn Techonaut 45 backpack actually requires no installation or setup. If you want, you can add the attached zipper puller, you just need to pass the rope through the metal zipper puller, then through the TB piece, push the end into the end cap, and then pull the TB piece onto the end cap.
I suddenly had an unexpected trip during my review, which provided a great opportunity for a real-world experience, including air travel. I packed my clothes and work/entertainment electronics for 4 days, and I have enough space to make room after packing.
This bag is the simplest bag I have ever carried in airports and public transportation. I can squeeze it under the airline seat in front of me, but chose the overhead luggage so that my long legs and big feet can have more space. The top and side handles make it easy to get in and out of the trash can, and the main compartment on the front allows TSA to quickly check my hot sauce bottle to ensure that it does not pose a threat to national security. For my last bag (all top-loaded except for the small side and front compartments) this will require me to take everything out of the main compartment to get the small hot sauce bottle I brought home.
what do I like
- Very light
- Seems to be durable
- Comfortable and convenient top and side handles
- Multiple colors/fabric options
What will i change
- Tablet storage next to the laptop will be good
- Optional luggage strap included in this price range
Final thoughts
The Tom Bihn Techonaut 45 backpack is very travel-friendly for me. Ample storage space, high-quality materials and construction quality, and thoughtful layout make airport transit a breeze. This bag seems to last a lifetime, and I absolutely hope so at this price. Tom Bihn’s website advertises 60-day returns (as long as there is no visible wear and tear) and a lifetime warranty for any manufacturer’s defects. They have been in business for 30 years, so I hope they can exist for a long time, and they even provide paid maintenance through mail service at a “reasonable fee”. If you are looking for a long-lasting and well-made high-quality bag (if the price does not discourage you), I sincerely recommend this bag.
Price: 370 USD
Where to buy: Tom Bean
source: The sample for this review is made by Tom Bean
