Four and half years ago, Brad, the founder of this site, did a review of the Aeronaut. You can find it here:
OBOW Review of the Tom Bihn Aeronaut.
Please read that review because much of what I would say was already said in that review.
Go ahead. Read it. You will be tested.
Okay, now that you’ve read it….You did read it?……No…..go back and read it. I’ll wait…………
All right, I’ll take your word that you read it. (But I know some of you are cheating.)
I agree with just about everything Brad said. (Oh, you’ll note that it seems like I respond in the comment section. That’s not me, that’s Brad. When I took over the site all of the webmaster postings were changed from “Brad” to “Frank@OBOW.” It’s a technical problem with no fix from Squarespace. Sorry.)
First, let me update a few changes to the bag since that review:
—there are the famous Tom Bihn “O” rings in every compartment of the bag including the mesh pocket on the main compartment flap. (The pocket on the inside of the main compartment flap is now mesh.)
—the Breve is no longer available. (There is a “Breve” but it’s not a junior Aeronaut. The name is now used for a streamlined Ipad case.)
—prices on everything have gone up. The Aeronaut is now $240.
—two compression straps have been added to the main compartment.
—-some colors have changed.
—an optional waist strap is available.
I, too, give the Aeronaut 5 stars. To be honest, I’ve wanted this bag for a long time. And even though the good folks at Tom Bihn have sent lots of items to review, I paid my own, hard-earned, much coveted, personal money for the Aeronaut, associated packing cubes, and a few other pieces of “Tom Bihn bling.”
I haven’t regretted spending one cent.
I own eight carry-on bags. (While that seems like a lot, when you run a website like this one, lots of “light travel” products seem to arrive at my door.)
But this will soon change. At least half of those bags will be sold. Why bother keeping them to collect dust? With the Aeronaut, I can’t imagine too many scenarios when I will need anything else.
The Tom Bihn Aeronaut is now my number one go-to bag. It is the King of my carry-ons.
Need I say anything else?
Okay, I will say something else. Unless you are restrained, it is possible to put so much stuff in this bag it will weigh as much as a baby elephant. I don’t know if Tom took a weekend course at Hogwarts or something, but this bag just continues to take more and more stuff. And to some that’s dangerous. Especially to those whose packing philosophy is to keep going until the bag is full.
But on the bright side, if you don’t pack it to the gills, and leave a little “breathing room,” the bag can be “molded” to fit almost any airline sizer or overhead compartment. (With the square main section, I find rolling clothes to work better than folding.)
I should mention, since receiving the Aeronaut, my Tri-Star has been giving me the cold shoulder now that it has been relegated to second place. I don’t own a Western Flyer—well, at least not yet. Or a Co-Pilot, or a ……oh, no, here we go again. Some people collect stamps, others snow globes, I collect travel gear.
I admit it, I’m a travelgearaholic.