My wife and I will take a two week overseas trip this spring, very long multi-leg flight overseas and back, then at our destination be part of a group touring by bus, probably several stops a day over twelve days. Clearly on the bus my basic carry-on bag will have to be stowed below, as the overhead space in even more spacious buses is quite limited. I am considering the Tom Bihn Co-Pilot for day use while on and then, off the bus. On board, I think it should be fine.

BUT, might anyone who has used it as a walk-around day bag care to comment as to whether the TBCP is too large for that role? Also I'd be interested in any comments on the Dyneema nylon version of the bag as opposed to the original ballistic nylon one. I'll be carrying the usual, medium-sized digital camera, small flash, extra camera battery, small pair of binoculars, sunglasses, water bottle, pens and notepad, and possibly my iPad, at least during the plane trip.

The Co-Pilot should hold everything you listed and more easily - it really can hold an amazing amount. The organization of the pockets is handy. There should be no issues putting it overhead on the bus. With a good strap (TB's absolute strap?), it makes a great day bag as the capacity is limited to preclude too much weight - unless of course you are carrying gold bars! I cannot speak to the Dyneema version as I have one of the original ones from when it was first released. The Dyneema will save a number of ounces

Looking carefully at what I'd be carrying, after generating an initial list, the problematic item would be a pair of Bose QC15, mainly due to their bulk. Worst case scenario would be that during air travel, I'll carry the 10 x 28 binoculars in my main carry-on bag, as they're not much use aboard the plane, then reverse that, stowing the Bose in the main bag during the bus segments, when I'll be listening to the guide, talking with fellow passengers, looking out the window using the binoculars, etc., though I'll still take a pair of much more compact earphones, for music and the like on the bus.

Just curious. I know you're quite fond of your Osprey Porter 46. Have you ruled out the companion Daylite backpack that can be mounted to the Porter, and if so, why? You're very thorough in your deliberations on these matters.

I love my Porter but have been dragging my feet on getting the Daylite. There's no where to actually look at one here prior to purchase.

Enjoy your tour.

I actually do have the:

<<companion Daylite backpack>>

nice bag, well made, but it lacks the compartmentalization of the Co-Pilot, and for what I need to carry and access, I think that the Tom Bihn bag would be better in the expected tight quarters, both on the tour bus, and during the further trip legs, which at last count includes a four hour bus trip to a major airport, a brief overnight stay, one transcontinental flight, a shorter domestic flight, an eleven hour transoceanic flight, then on the return another transoceanic leg, a transcontinental flight then back home via a four hour bus ride. In particular, the Co-Pilot has a zippable rear sleeve that allows it to carried over the handle of the Antler small roller I plan to use as my main bag.

Were the trip to a destination where I anticipated doing a lot of hiking, Montana or Wyoming, however, the Daylite would be a better choice.

Thank you. You've given me good food for thought, as always.

Have you considered noise isolating ear buds instead of the Bose? I made this switch about a year ago and have found it works really well for me.

<<Have you considered noise isolating ear buds instead of the Bose? I made this switch about a year ago and have found it works really well for me.>>

Actually I have TWO pair of such, one from Westone, very good, and another pair from Velodyne, similarly fine earphones, either one a fraction of the weight and bulk of the Bose QC15, and either one costs a third of the Bose. Originally I was going to just buy one pair of the Bose for my wife, made an error, ended up with TWO paiir, decided to keep both.

That will, sigh, provide me the opportunity to compare and contrast such on two LONG airplane trips coming and going, April and May. Stay tuned for my assessment!

I've taken my Tom Bihn Co-Pilot on two coach tours, 1) London-Paris-Venice-Rome, and 2) Canadian Rockies, and one train tour, San Diego-Santa Barbara. I found the Co-Pilot to be a very handy, useful bag, particularly on the airplanes and coaches as a seat bag. I did not often take the bag off the coach unless there was an extended side trip, so can't comment on "walking-around day bag" use. A strap would be essential for that use, and a Tom Bihn Absolute Strap might be overkill, but worthwhile. In regard to the Dyneema version, I (perhaps wrongly) thought that the regular version would be more rigid and less prone to "spreading out" as stuff is added to the bag. I carried an iPad in a slim leather case, wrapped in a folded piece of corrugated cardboard, in the main compartment along with maps, papers, etc. without incident. The center 'bottle' compartment is good for a compact umbrella and a couple of those 7-day compartmented pill holders. The open-top zipper-bottom backside pocket is great for newspapers, magazines, and/or a folded wind jacket.

The Tom Bihn website indicates that a slightly larger (about 13x11x6, and called surprisingly enough, the Pilot) is nearing production. Perhaps they will make that in their new 400d Dyneema/nylon material.

"...on two coach tours, I found the Co-Pilot to be a very handy, useful bag, particularly on the airplanes and coaches as a seat bag."

Thanks for that sort of direct, trip-specific feedback. I am holding off ordering one for the moment, mainly due to that Dyneema versus ballistic nylon choice, with color choices in the latter limited for the moment, a more complete choice promised by late March, As to whether a version with 43% greater volume would be worthwhile I am unsure, particularly for use as a walk-around bag, where compactness is a virtue.

A check of the Tom Bihn website seems to indicate that the back-order status of the Co-Pilot in the several colors of the ballistic nylon has been resolved. I had decided to go with the heavier fabric, rather than the Dyneema,, to maximize the use of the bag for around-town usage, so I'll probably place my order in a few days. I plan to get the iPad horizonal Cache as well.

Beyond that, might anyone have any comments about the relative utility of the various internal bags and pouches? If I get any, clearly I'd want to order them at the same time.

I don't have a Co-Pilot so can't comment on how the pouches might work with that bag, but I can offer these thoughts:

1. The 3D organiser cubes are an excellent size and come in a variety of different materials now. I particularly like the Dyneema 3D cubes. I find they are perfect for "dry" toiletries, larger first aid kits , "other essentials" kits (shoelaces, clothesline, tissues, etc). The mesh 3D cube is great for cables and adaptors (assuming you don't carry a huge load in this department). For example, I typically fit an Apple mobile device charger with a couple of different plugs, two apple charger cables, a second charger and USB-mini USB cable and my ear buds inside their case - these fit in a 3D mesh cube with room to spare. Laptop cables/adaptors go in a separate cube.
2. I find the medium organiser cube (I have Dyneema) is a really handy size inside a bag (I use one in my TB Imago) - tethered to an O-ring, git gives slightly enhanced security, improves the internal organisation of the bag and stops things disappearing in a heap at the bottom of the bag.
3. I also like the small organiser pouches although I find they are sometimes just a bit too small for want I need. I keep a small daily first aid kit in one for travel.
4. I have a Clear Quarter Packing Cube as well, but I find the smaller individual 3D cubes give me more packing flexibility.

HTH

My Co-Pilot in the Steel ballistic, Ultraviolet Dyneema interior, arrived today. Likely I will end using it as my everyday bag, rather than just for travel, that being one reason I opted for the ballistic over the Dyneema on the exterior fabric. Contrasting with my Ristretto for iPad, virtually the same price once one adds the Cache to the Co-Pilot, I find that I can easily insert a sheaf of 8.5 x 11 papers into the new bag, relevant for the various meetings I attend.

The other small items I was carrying in the Ristretto immediately and easily fit. These include the Velodyne Pulse earphones, and the iPad charger and cord...and a reflex hammer. Hopefully my Apple keyboard will fit as well. Of course I really want to make sure that it will hold my Bose noise-cancelling headphones (or my 10 x 28 binoculars.) I am certain that my new Nikon Coolpix P7700 will fit into the left front pocket (so I can dispense with a separate case for that.) The Co-Pilot is as large a bag as I'd take with me for a hospital consult. Similarly I don't think I'd want anything larger for urban walk-around touring.