For over 30 years, I’ve relied on a Made in USA Libaire® leather tote bag. That bag has gone everywhere with me — from road trips and client meetings to trade shows and even New Zealand.
While the bag has held up incredibly well through constant use, it was tired, so when it came time to order a new MacBook earlier this year, I also ordered a new Maker’s Bag from Tom Bihn.
I discovered Tom Bihn several years ago when looking for a laptop bag to give as a gift. At the time, messenger bags were the rage; finding a good, well-constructed, and Made in USA bag that was large enough for a laptop and other gear was tough.
I spent several hours searching and finally found Tom Bihn. When the bag arrived, I thought, “Oooooh, I want one. Maybe I should keep this and find a different gift?” haha
My new Maker’s Bag has lots of pockets for all the things I bring to client meetings: wallet, bottles of water, my laptop and plug, phone, notebooks, pens, folders, snacks, a branded HIM t-shirt as a gift for the client, etc.
I love the bag, that it’s made in the U.S., and the company start-up story.
When he was 10 years old, Tom B. asked his parents for outdoor gear. They told him to either get a job to pay for what he wanted or learn how to make it himself. He chose the latter.
His entire family helped: His brother got his grandmother’s old Singer machine up and running, Tom’s mother taught him how to sew, and his dad “provided the foundations of the necessary engineering.”
Tom grew the company from a one-person shop in Santa Cruz, CA to a thriving team now located in Seattle, WA.
What I look for in bags: Construction!
Having worked for a small contract sewing company, I learned quite a bit about material types and their properties and how to construct industrial sewn products to withstand constant stress, environmental conditions, etc.
Many backpacks, laptop bags, etc. are usually made of nylon. Back in the day, we worked with coated nylon called Cordura. An exceptionally strong and flexible material, Cordura is used for outdoor and marine applications. Because it’s coated, it repels water.
My Tom Bihn bag is constructed of 630 denier, high-tenacity 2×3 ballistic nylon which is woven and finished in South Korea with yarns from Canada. (The company is upfront about using globally sourced materials.) It’s also coated with extra-heavy urethane coating — making it waterproof.
The seams are heavily reinforced (I believe they used a welted seam); the nylon webbing holding the buckles and other items in place also has reinforced stitching.
One problem with woven fabrics is that you have to bind the seams — otherwise, they’ll begin to fray and pull apart if constantly stressed.
Binding seams is an extra manufacturing process that adds to the cost of a bag (or any sewn item); for a bag like this, it requires nylon webbing be used to bind the seams, plus the additional labor and time.
If you’ve ever had a backpack come apart at the seams, that’s why. They weren’t bound. My college backpack, for example, fell apart at the seams due to stress of carrying heavy textbooks.
You can see the inside pockets of my Maker’s Bag are nicely finished. I love that they’re finished with elastic — which means they stretch to accommodate whatever you’re putting into the pockets.
The company specializes in high-quality backpacks, travel bags, crossbody bags, tote bags, organizers, and other travel accessories. Everything is designed and hand-crafted in the Seattle workshop using top-grade materials.
The other thing I love about the company is the amount of detail they provide for each bag — which makes it super easy to compare with other Tom Bihn bags: materials, specs, pockets, straps, devices the bag will hold, accessories, and reviews — and videos too!
If you still have a question, you can call or email. And speaking of which, I love that the company phone number is right there on the label!
Links
www.tombihn.com — Official Tom Bihn website
Full Disclosure
I’m not paid nor asked to write about products or the companies that make them. All links in this piece are FREE — meaning, they’re not sponsored or paid for. I buy products, use them, and if I like them, I tell everyone about them.
I do this because my mission is to keep manufacturing jobs stateside. This mission is my way of giving back. We like to think our “small” choices, such as buying a bag made by American workers, won’t make a difference. They do.
