Tom Bihn's Checkpoint Flyer laptop bag in the wild, reviewed

We could tell from the press shot that this here laptop bag was far and away the most beautiful of the TSA-approved bunch, and a recent review over at Gadling confirms it. Put simply, the Tom Bihn Checkpoint Flyer is "fantastic," and even the reviewer found himself startled at just how much he dug it. The build quality was remarkable, the ease of use was commendable and the design itself was obviously worthy of praise. The only real rub is the bloated sticker; the price of admission is a stiff $220, and that's before you add in any useful straps or extra packing cubes. 'Course, you're probably wondering how this thing fared in real-world use, and we're happy to report that no cavity searches were required when passing through security on a flight from Chicago to Amsterdam. Check the full writeup and a hands-on gallery in the read link.

[JOSE @ Oct 7th 2008 10:18PM]

a total waste of money.....

[Crack Head DooFuss @ Oct 7th 2008 10:45PM]

i,ll say thumbs up ,i like the colors they should someday have some
LED on them to make it easy to use n find in the dark,with a rechargeable
batty pack ,i always put a small hole in mine to run the chargers wire through the bag
it seems to always be convenient to charge the laptop in the bag
it saves on the hassle of always finding a place to lay the laptop when i,m traveling
in the car or at places where i don,t want to remove the computer from the bag but
need a charge,makes it easier to smoke my crack when i don,t have to worry about
some cracker eyeballing my computer.

[YpoCaramel @ Oct 7th 2008 10:48PM]

I'm personally not so enamored with the design; at least it doesn't have anything that's currently hot in fashion. Build quality is a different thing, though. I'm sure $220 isn't too bad if the quality is as you describe though.

[Samurai Jack @ Oct 7th 2008 10:55PM]

The $220 is typical of most larger Tom Bihn bags. It's the price you pay for American produced goods. Since the factory is in Seattle you're going to pay American laborers to make them--and for a number of reasons (not least of which is the high quality) they are worth it.

[phanbouy @ Oct 7th 2008 11:31PM]

is that so? well i have a Chevrolet Cobalt i'd like to sell you for $40 grand

[Samurai Jack @ Oct 8th 2008 1:01AM]

@phanbuoy... I think the Cobalt fails the quality test. I have a Tom Bihn bag, although not this one. I use it every day. It was worth the price to me, and I'm glad I was able to keep my money here at home.

[David @ Oct 7th 2008 11:05PM]

Uh, yeah, the critic did in fact take the product through customs:

"Of course, the real test happens at the airport, and I am happy to report that things actually went smooth; on a flight from Chicago to Amsterdam the bag unfolded and went through the X-Ray machine without any TSA agents yelling and screaming."

[bdfeder @ Oct 7th 2008 11:08PM]

I still think that this will get you 1 free full cavity seach from TSA because you are "hiding" your laptop. And for $220 what a rip off. 'Nuf said.

[phanbouy @ Oct 7th 2008 11:15PM]

"SIR! I don't care what bag that is, remove your laptop now or I will have you strip searched"

wouldn't it be the ultimate bitter irony if part of this inflated cost was paying off TSA for some stupid logo that their mouth breather employees won't give a shit about?

[phanbouy @ Oct 7th 2008 11:15PM]

ever hear the saying "past results are no guarantee of future performance"?

[ThatOneKid @ Oct 7th 2008 11:17PM]

Imagine if the TSA approves a lead laptop sleave....

[Surfaced @ Oct 7th 2008 11:23PM]

Booq.

[Ian @ Oct 7th 2008 11:35PM]

This thing is ugly as sin.

And yes......Booq looks nicer, and probably offers the same protection.

[zorg @ Oct 8th 2008 12:31AM]

Booq suqs. Tom Bihn rules. Also, Waterfield Designs rules.

[Richard @ Oct 8th 2008 11:33AM]

Chrome!

www.chromebags.com

[h8n_s8n @ Oct 8th 2008 2:39PM]

Booq sucks? Why? I'm considering purchasing one.

[enki @ Oct 8th 2008 12:42AM]

Call me stupid for not knowing, but what makes these 'TSA Approved' bags any different then a non approved one? Besides the TSA sticker of course.

[Anand D @ Oct 8th 2008 12:40AM]

C'mon, this thing is ugly!

[nikster @ Oct 8th 2008 2:17AM]

What's that large pink thing on the photo? Or is that part of the bag?

I wouldn't be caught dead carrying that thing around...

[Lowest Ranked @ Oct 8th 2008 12:22PM]

That would be your graphics card creating artifacts.

[lanosian @ Oct 8th 2008 3:16AM]

LOL @ worthy of praise design
this is one of the ugliest laptop bags ive seen

[MM @ Oct 9th 2008 11:17AM]

You do realize red isn't the only color right? If you want to be a drone it does come in black. But other than the color it has a handle, a shoulder strap, pockets and zippers on the side ... seems like common features to all bags of this type.

[Stewart Fleming @ Oct 8th 2008 3:49AM]

Now if you were going from Amsterdam to Chicago without a search, that would be a feat.

[Richard @ Oct 8th 2008 11:34AM]

Exactly my first thought!

It is RETURNING from Amsterdam where the potential for trouble is - um - high. Why does anyone actually go to Amsterdam?

[allen @ Oct 8th 2008 3:52AM]

After 25+ years, it's great to see one of my mom's creation on the web. She originally worked at Trager, but Trager was bought out by Tom Bihn 2 years ago (actually Tom Bihn bailed them out). I can assure you that Tom Bihn's / Tragers bag are excrutiatingly durable. The buckles, zippers, frabric and thread they use can be called military grade. Look at the buckles and the zippers on that bag!

I still have my first bag that was made in 1984. The only problem is that they would go out of style in about 4 years. Other issue I have is that my mom constantly buys me new ones every year (talk about being wasteful). If you don't care about going out of style in 5 years, these bags will last you a lifetime.

[The_WB @ Oct 8th 2008 7:50AM]

And how much of the price is kicked back?

All the TSA regulations have made air travel so much less desirable that I rarely do it. When I do, to endure the TSA restrictions is intolerable.

[mikecism @ Oct 8th 2008 10:11AM]

If am going to drop $200, I'll get a Booq Foleo II. (Yes, they were using the name well before Palm's ill-fated companion was created.) This is the best bag on the market; compare next to anything from Bihn or Waterfield, and Booq wins in terms of form, comfort, and function. I've had Bihns and been disappointed, and Waterfields are even worse (bad design and material/workmanship). Obviously, it's not TSA approved, but to me that whole thing is overrated - I'd rather have a better bag for the 90% of time I am not in an airport. Seriously, check out the Foleo II, and you will be surprised how much you like it.

Obviously, bag are a very subjective issue. I find that given that the better bags are available mostly online, people tend to be unaware of what is out there. I'm tried dozens of bags of the year, looking for the "perfect one". Still looking, but the Foleo II is as close as I've come.

[mikecism @ Oct 8th 2008 12:52PM]

Okay, I am an idiot. No coffee yet...(always the creative excuse of lamer).

It's Folee II, not Foleo. I am dumb, but the bag is smart.

[Darcy @ Oct 8th 2008 1:49PM]

Full disclosure: I work at TOM BIHN.

It's great to see all of the feedback on the Checkpoint Flyer. I know I'm biased, but this is truly one of the best bags that Tom has ever designed. And great to hear from Allen who's mom works for our crew. Our factory crew is amazing: their #1 goal is perfection, and they deliver. Sometimes people email or call and ask us if we have "factory seconds" - we pretty much don't because our factory gets it right every time. They must have about 100 years of bag making experience between them: we're very lucky.

mikecism - If you've purchased one of our bags and you are unhappy with it, please email me with your order information (email address is my first name @ tombihn.com). If it's not the right bag for you, we don't want you to be stuck with it.

I'm surprised to hear about quality problems with Waterfield bags. Some of our customers are also Waterfield customers and the quality of their stuff has always seemed very nice to us.

[h8n_s8n @ Oct 8th 2008 2:12PM]

I'm a bag fanatic, the two places I look first when considering a new bag is
1. The bottom, where it is going to sit on the ground. If there are no feet, or good protection, the bag isn't going to last past 2-3 years. Unfortunately, most bags have minimal (if any) protection, and it is extremely rare to find pictures of this part of the bag on any manufacturers web sites.
2. The top, the handle that I'm gong to hold on to for countless hours going through lines at the airport, to and from school, and anywhere else I go. Again, most handles consist of a pair of nylon straps with some plastic or leather around them. This is one place the Booq bag excels.

[Darcy @ Oct 8th 2008 3:19PM]

Regarding feet on the bottom of a bag: Take three or four quarters (or loonies or what-have-you), stack them up, then stand up from your chair and then sit back down on them. Now imagine that your bottom is the bottom of the bag, and the stack of coins is one of those little feet things they put on luggage. See? Even on a bag with semi-hard base, the feet ultimately just leave dents in the bottom of the bag, and except for the very specific area where the feet are attached, they do little to protect the bottom of the bag. If you have a bag made of good quality U.S. made 1050 denier ballistic nylon (and not cheap 1680 ballistic nylon) the bottom shouldn't wear out, unless you're dragging your bag around on the ground wishing it had wheels when it doesn't. :) This is what we've found - if feet on bags works best for you, more power to you!

In our experience, the best foam for handles in the world is Poron (http://www.rogerscorp.com/). It never, ever loses its cush. It's really cool stuff. It's what the handles on the Checkpoint Flyer are made with.