Laptop news from TB

Release from Tom Bihn:

Seattle, WA - TOM BIHN, a designer, manufacturer, and retailer of laptop bags, backpacks, travel bags, and briefcases, has introduced sizes of their Checkpoint Flyer “checkpoint friendly” laptop briefcase and Brain Cell laptop case specifically for the new 15.4” MacBook Pro.

// The Checkpoint Flyer //

The Checkpoint Flyer Briefcase is the first airport security “checkpoint friendly” bag designed specifically for Mac laptops. Available in custom sizes for all Mac laptops, the Checkpoint Flyer’s laptop insert is removable and interchangeable with other sizes. When one buys a new laptop, they won’t need to buy an entirely new Checkpoint Flyer: just a new laptop insert sized to fit their new laptop.

The Checkpoint Flyer is made out of the high-quality materials TOM BIHN is known for: U.S. made 1050 denier ballistic nylon, Japanese Dyneema rip-stop fabric, YKK splash-proof zippers, and Poron foam-padded handles. The laptop insert of the Checkpoint Flyer protects the laptop from all sides with thermo-molded foam.

The Checkpoint Flyer is $220 USD (including laptop insert.) Available for pre-order from the TOM BIHN website; ships by late November. Made in Seattle.

The Checkpoint Flyer:
http://www.tombihn.com/page/001/PROD/300/TB1701

VIDEO - Watch the Checkpoint Flyer go through airport security:
http://www.tombihn.com/cflyervideo.html

// The Brain Cell //

TOM BIHN customers have been using the Brain Cell laptop case to protect their Mac laptops everywhere from Iraq to Antarctica for over 10 years, giving the Brain Cell its word-of-mouth reputation as providing some of the best protection one can get for their laptop. Now the Brain Cell is available in a size specifically designed to carry the New 15.4” MacBook Pro: Size 4Z.

The Brain Cell is designed to clip securely inside a variety of TOM BIHN messenger bags, briefcases, and backpacks - including the Empire Builder, Super Ego, Brain Bag, and Western Flyer.

Among the protective materials that make the Brain Cell are 8mm thick soft foam padding, 4mm hard corrugated plastic, cross-linked closed-cell polyethylene foam, and 12mm thick premium memory foam.

The Brain Cell Size 4Z is $60 USD. Available for pre-order from the TOM BIHN website; ships by late November. Available in two formats: Horizontal for use in messenger bags or briefcases and Vertical for use in backpacks. Made in Seattle.

Update on October 30, 2008 by Brad

Here’s a video of a checkpoint-friiendly TB bag in the real world.

13 pounds of happiness

Lani at Travelite is all smiles after a lightweight Euro trek. Lots of good information and tips to be found in her account. An excerpt:

Weighing every item, and taking only what I planned to use – I had to make some tough decisions about my wardrobe. In hindsight, I wish I’d gone with two short-sleeve shirts and a long-sleeve instead of three of the latter, but I really didn’t expect weather in the high-70s all week in Rome. That said, I still chose the most lightweight of my shirts; they were even lighter than cotton T-shirts. Every liquid toiletry item was carefully scrutinized. Did I need a full ounce, or could I manage with half an ounce?

Using the smallest version of everything – Instead of large and clunky AC adapters, we took a USB-to-AC adapter that was as small as a film canister. A laptop was out of the question, but the iPod Touch gave us the option to send email in wi-fi hotspots (including a free one in a small part behind the Notre Dame in Paris!).

Backpack straps for Tom Bihn's Flyer

The Tom Bihn Western Flyer - a nifty and versatile less-than-max-sized carryon - is now available with traditional backpack straps. It is still also available in its original mono sling strap configuration. More to come.

Photos courtesy of Tom Bihn

Update on October 22, 2008 by Brad

I’ll be receiving a WF with backpack straps in a week or two for a hands-on trial. Darcy at TB says the the backpack straps are all new and are very comfortable. My original review of the Western Flyer is here.

Sheets to the wind

Graham is no fan of Travelon’s carry-on friendly shaving sheets:

“All in all this is a terrible product. However, if you hate your face or legs, enjoy frustration and like to bleed then you should definitely track down this product. I did see the whole line of Travelon soap sheets at Bed Bath and Beyond on clearance for $2 so you can save a little money and maybe even start a new blog called The Frugal Masochist; wouldn’t that be fun.

Just so you know that it isn’t all doom and gloom in the travel shaving world I can wholeheartedly recommend Mama Bear’s Soap Shave Stick. It may not be as lightweight and compact as the shaving soap sheets but it gets the job done in a way that the shaving sheets can’t touch.”

And of course there’s always shaving oil in half-ounce bottles which is simply terrific.

Update on October 16, 2008 by Brad

And here’s OBOWer Buzz’s review of yet another shaving system:

“I saw the Avid4 shaving system mentioned on another blog and was interetested due to its compact size and weight. (Rather than try to explain how it works, I suggest you go to the company’s website and see the video demonstration.)

http://www.avid4.co.uk

Intrigued, I tried to find it only to be told it is no longer available in the U.S. but can be ordered from the UK.  So, I did.

The package with a few shaving kits as well as their Skinglider shaving lotion arrived in the U.S. four days after ordering (amazing.)

I’m normally a shaving oil person but decided to try it with shaving oil, Skinglider and shaving soap. I also usually use Gillette Good News disposable razors.

The results were the same. I was not impressed. The shaves were no where near as easy or close as my regular disposable razor. I could feel the Avid4 drag along my face. And while they say you can use each blade up to 10 times, I found that I needed to change blades after about five shaves.

The Skinglider lotion—not really oil but a water based lotion—wasn’t impressive either.

I’ll continue to use this system for long trips until they are used up. At home, I went back to my regular disposables.

It’s too bad as the small size and light weight made this perfect for one bag travel.”

Nuts for Cocona fabric

A weekend trip left me a solid believer in the virtues of Cocona fabric.  It’s made from from activated carbon from recycled coconuts and blended with other fabrics. My Savane pants (supposedly golf pants) pass as dress or casual khakis and I wore them for two days straight - almost wrinkle and odor free. Watch for this fabric. It seems ideal for travel. It’s touted as very fast-drying but I haven’t tested it yet in that respect. Pants (for men) are the hardest piece of the travel wardrobe to select. Polyester and microfber pants can get smelly in hurry in warm weather. Cocona may be the answer. This fabric will go with me next June for a warm-weather southern European trip. Stay tuned for more on Cocona. 

Lovely little Lenovo

Wired says the little Lenovo S10 is the best netbook (sub-3 pound notebook) they’ve yet seen. It weighs a half pound more than the wispiest in its class.

Update on October 14, 2008 by Brad

They’re cheaper than reported above and apparently in stock! 

Maybe you need a Buddy

The Notebook Buddy is a ridiculously simple alternative to heavy USB-powered notebook computer cooling pads. Check out the Gadling review or see the company page. 

Unless you enjoy strip searches...

…don’t try techno artist Evan Roth’s method of “security theater” statement making. Laser-cut steel sheets inserted in carry-on luggage raise eyebrows and - I’ll bet - threat levels as they shout their message on scanner screens.

  

Update on October 8, 2008 by Brad

The long-suffering folks that run the offical TSA blog claim to be amused by this, but they make it clear that any traveler that decides to send this type of message will not be amused by what follows:

As some of you might have seen on other blogs, Evan Roth is an artist who is designing personalized messages you can send to TSA security officers. He laser cuts the letters out of a sheet of stainless steel. The sheet is designed to be placed inside of a passenger’s bag so they can send personal messages to the officer. Have to give the guy credit, he’s creative. Even we got a laugh out of it.

This may seem like a clever gag, but actually the joke is on whoever decides to use one of these plates. Based on the preliminary examples shown on Mr. Roth’s web page, the metal plate will get the passenger’s bag searched every time. And no, it’s not because of what the plate says, it’s because the metal plate acts as a shield and conceals items below it. If an officer can’t get a good look at what’s in the bag, it’s “bag check” time. Fair warning: there are detailed procedures on how to search this type of bag and it’s not one of our quicker searches.

Will TSA let the liquids flow in '09?

There’s a different take on this issue every month, but this one is straight from the horse’s mouth:

The Transportation Security Administration will likely relax the restrictions on carrying liquids through airport security screening checkpoints in a year, TSA Chief Kip Hawley said in an interview.

“I think realistically in one year we, the TSA and foreign colleagues, will be a position” to relax liquids restrictions,” Hawley told the Middle Seat Thursday. “We are within a year of having the ability to differentiate threat liquids through the screening process.”

TSA has been testing X-ray machines that can detect liquid materials used in bomb-making and the technology is close to be ready for widespread use. The X-ray machines themselves are already widely deployed in the U.S., but the software necessary for the liquids detection and evaluation is still being tested.

from the WSJ’s The Middle Seat Terminal blog

Seeing the future

Air travel expert Rick Seaney throws out “14 Air Travel Trends: 2010” and, not surprisingly, one of them is the necessity for lightness:

“10. Travel Light: bag fees are not going to disappear

• Pack as though everything must fit in a 16 oz mug - carry-on, and save
• The technology exists to improve baggage handling, but it’s still too expensive to implement”  

A 16-oz. mug - my luggage ideal! Seriously, learning to keep your weight under 16 pounds or so would be a good idea. Check out our carry-on luggage weight poll and you’ll see that 16 pounds is pretty close to the norm for OBOW readers.