Tom Bihn Brain Bag Laptop Backpack

Features of the Tom Bihn Brain Bag Laptop Backpack

Compartments

Places for your gear abound with the Brain Bag. The main compartment of the backpack is divided into to separate zippered areas. One is intended to hold the optional laptop protective case and one is for other gear and accessories.

Notice I said optional laptop protective sleeve. The Brain Bag doesn't come by itself ready to protect your laptop. You will need to add either the Tom Bihn Monolith or the Tom Bihn Brain Cell to protect your laptop. Inside the rear compartment there are special hoops designed to latch onto the laptop cases to give a superb amount of protection. In my review I used the Monolith bag and it fit very nicely.

Even with the Monolith inside the bag, I was still able to get more gear in the same compartment. I was able to also get the Logitech diNovo Media Desktop Laser system inside the compartment. The forward compartment of the Brain Bag is a great place to store the wires and power supplies that go along with a laptop. There is ample room there for may more things from enough clothes for a weekend trip to all the cables you could need for work on the road. Should you be so inclined, you can also carry two laptops inside the Brain Bag.

In addition to the two main area compartments there are two zippered pockets on the front of the Tom Bihn Brain Bag Laptop Backpack that are large enough to store more hardware such as phones or PDAs. So large are the two front pockets that you can fit two large bottles of water inside them as well. Inside both pockets are organizers for pens, pencils business cards and other assorted items you need during the work day.

A mesh pocket is also located on the left side of the bag to allow you quick access to more durable items that don't need to be inside of the Brain Bag. Also on the front of the bag is a smaller zippered area that is a good place to stash your wallet and has a built in snap lock for your car keys. Between the two front pockets are a pair of lash straps that you can use for your umbrella or roll up rain coat. I personally found it to be a good place to secure my camera tripod.

Straps and Comfort

The shoulder straps that Tom Bihn used on the Brain Bag are very comfortable. Even with the bag fully loaded, it is still comfortable to carry thanks to the wide, padded shoulder straps. Anyone that has ever carried a heavy backpack can tell you about the pain in the back it can be when the bag bounces as you walk. To address this Tom Bihn gave the Brain Bag both a waist strap that is about 2" wide an secures with a strong buckle and an adjustable chest strap. These straps and the super padded shoulder straps make the Brain Bag very comfortable.

The back of the bad is also well padded and covered with a mesh backing to help keep you cool and comfortable. The padding on the back of the Brain Bag is for personal comfort and not meant to protect your laptop, you will need the Monolith or similar bag to keep your laptop safe. The interior and exterior of the Brain Bag are treated to make them water resistant to help protect your equipment during wet weather. You can also buy the spray to replenish the water protectant coating as it wears over time.

Tom Bihn Brain Bag Laptop Backpack in Use

I used the Brain Bag exclusively as my only laptop bag for several weeks with my Acer TravelMate 4404 WLMi laptop. The bag is so well laid out I could separate my gear into different compartments to keep it safe and secure with no issue. Once I had all my gear in the bag it was quite heavy. It reminded me of my college days lugging around ten textbooks. However, unlike my college back pack, the Tom Bihn Brain Bag Laptop Backpack is exceptionally well padded.

When fully loaded the Brain Bag was very comfortable to wear, and the wide padded straps didn't dig into my shoulders at all. I used the bag both with and without the chest and waist straps during my time with it. When using the straps the bag is much more stable and doesn't move around at all. However, I found myself using it more without the straps for ease of use and still had no real issues keeping the bag on my back and in place.