There's over 10 ways to configure your Hero's Journey travel backpack (www.tombihn.com/products/hero...) This video demonstrates the options and shows how each option looks on two people of different heights.
Planning an extended trip to Europe with a 3 week journey around Germany and this pack looks phenomenal!!! I've got a Kelty Redwing in my Amazon cart ready to buy; but really wish I could afford the whole deal on this gear! Unfortunately, I'm on a college student budget :( Excellent video and relaxing background music makes a fun watch :)
Fabulous. I'm just hoping that you'll produce a smaller one i.e. Total 40-45l 33l main & 12l as opposed to this one which is 60l -45l + 15l. Alternatively please just make a bigger Synapse e.g. 40l (that would be ideal for a two week minimal packing trip)
I'm a big guy and finding a good sized travel pack can be a challenge. Either too big, or too small. I'd love to own a 40-45 lt. Backpack. Like a synapse, but not a synapse. Great video!
* I think it’s amazing that Tom Bihn designed a backpack 🎒 with an extra bag that could be used as a hip-pack or a smaller day-pack! This Backpack Looks So Classically Elegant! Love ❤️, Love the inside light Grey with white grid lines! I guess I really love the fact that his backpack is well engineered!!!* ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜💘 *I’m So Sad At How Much It Costs, OUCH...I Wish I’d Known About It When I Was Able To Work; I Firmly Believe That This Backpack Would Be Worth The Price Of $480.00!*
Excellent looking pack, and you went the extra mile on the video! Though, as nice as the bag is, all I want to know is the name of the band playing the background music.
Hi I really want to start a hero's journey but I have some questions which are possibly also interesting for others: How good does a Macbook pro retina 13 inch (with sleeve) fit in the top bag / daypack? Why is the top bag / daypack not lockable and could you maybe add lockable zippers? Is it possible to fix the side pockets on the top bag / daypack if I need more space for the small one but don't want to use the big one? Is there an opportunity to add straps in to the main bag to fix stuff next to the internal frame? How is the ventilation of the main bag in comparison to backpacks with air flow systems?
Good questions. :) Answers below! Re: the 13” MacBook Pro - see here: forums.tombihn.com/general-bag-discussion/11515-official-thread-heros-journey-17.html#247 We chose a #8 zipper slider for the Top Pack because a #10 zipper slider would feel too big/heavy for it. And #8 zippers aren’t currently available in a lockable version in our style of zipper pull. It’s not possible to fix the Side Pockets on the Top Pack. No opportunity to strap stuff next to the internal frame in the main compartment that we can think of. Have you considered using Packing Cubes and Stuff Sacks to organize/segregate gear? Our Drylex AeroSpacer Mesh back panel doesn't compete with a truly suspended modern mesh back panel or as you'd find on an old-school external frame pack. The rub with either of those systems is that they suck up a substantial amount of volume to create the airspace between the user and the pack; we've concluded that for the intended use of the Hero's Journey it's not worth that sacrifice. That said, we’ve done extensive testing (see: blog.tombihn.com/a-brief-history-of-backpack-back-panel-fabrics) and the Drylex AeroSpacer Mesh we use does help cool and dissipate sweat build-up. In our use traveling and hiking, it’s very comfortable.
anyone else know of good travel bags for around the 300 privet point? I just want something small enough for carry on that could hold my camera, laptop and a few travel items
That's got to be the coolest pack I've ever seen. Well thought out design. The materials look top notch as well. Unfortunately I can't afford to pay that for a pack. :(
The Hero's Journey is available through our website (see: www.tombihn.com/products/heros-journey-travel-backpack) via worldwide shipping or at our Seattle Factory Showroom. Hope this helps! Let us know if you have any other questions.
Durability wise, how does this bag stack up against the GoRuck GR2? I'm looking for a Travel Carry On Bag, and its between this and the GoRuck GR2. Thanks.
We looked up the GR2 and it looks to be made out of 1000d Cordura; our Hero’s Journey is made out of our own 400d Halcyon ripstop fabric. We use 1000d Cordura for other designs, and I’d recommend reading entries in our Materials Glossary for both 1000d Cordura (www.tombihn.com/pages/materials#cordura1000) and 400D Halcyon (www.tombihn.com/pages/materials#oghalcyon). We choose to make The Hero’s Journey with an exterior of 400d Halcyon because it offers a great balance of abrasion-resistance and weight savings, the latter of which we feel is important in a travel bag of this size. Quoting from our Materials Glossary entry on 400d Halcyon: made for us in Japan, it's a ripstop fabric woven of 420 denier nylon (base fabric) with a square grid of 400 denier UHMWPE (ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene) yarns every .25" / 6mm. UHMWPE is one of the strongest fibers known to man, and is almost impossible to tear. Note that at the end of the day, the base fabric of our 400d Halcyon is only about one-half the thickness of our 1050d ballistic nylon (the fabric we use for our other travel bags: 1050d Ballistic has a higher tear strength than 1000d Cordura though both share virtually the same level of abrasion resistance), and you'll need to treat your Halcyon 400d bag with a bit of respect: no kicking your bag along the floor at the airport, or tossing it from a moving vehicle. That said, the ripstop grid of UHMWPE makes it very difficult to cut or tear, and will tend to foil most attempts at slash-and-run theft. And as far as construction: the Hero’s Journey is made right here in our Seattle factory by our incredibly talented and brilliant sewing crew. The GR2 and The Hero’s Journey are two pretty different bags, especially in terms of capacity (40 liters vs a possible total 55). That difference in capacity could be a determining factor for you either way. And if durability is the primary concern (more than weight) a bag with an exterior of 1000d Cordura or 1050d ballistic nylon could be a better choice for you. Hope this helps a bit. :)
***** Wow such a well detailed, response. What is the options I would have if I happen to tear the product while camping for example? With a lifetime guarantee does that include repairs when sent to the Seattle Factory? If not what kind of process should I expect.
Our Lifetime Guarantee covers defects in materials and workmanship which are uncommon and almost always evident while the bag is new. Basically, if something goes wrong and it's our fault, we'll fix it, no charge. If something goes wrong and it's not our fault (say, your puppy chews the bag, or you put the bag on the top of your car and drive off, or the knife on your multi-tool cuts a hole in the fabric) the crew at our Seattle factory will do everything they can to repair it, if it is indeed repairable, and at a reasonable price.
Awesome. The only issue I've had with Bihn backpacks is the back panel mesh. If that mesh comes in contact with any hook and loop (Velcro) from any other gear, it gets shredded. Wish an alternative material was used there. Otherwise, top notch bags.
Interesting! We’ve never had that problem, but it might be because we don’t have gear on that has hook and loop that comes into contact with the back panels. What are you carrying or wearing that has done this?
TOM BIHN it was Velcro ties around other gear that came in contact. Took me awhile to figure out what was causing the damage. It was surprising how the Velcro liked to stick to the back mesh and chew it up. I've not encountered another material that was attracted to the Velcro and caused similar damage.
Thanks for the response. We've never seen this in our use and I can't remember hearing about this from anyone else, so we're going to test it here in the factory -- different types of "Velcro" have different amounts of grab/different shapes of the tiny hooks. So, it's not necessarily that it'd be all types of Velcro that do this. Will let you know what we figure out!
The Hero’s Journey is relatively trim pack (front to back), and with the side compression straps, it can be a very tidy load. "Load lifters" are an attempt to keep a pack from falling away from the user's center-of-gravity, pulling them over backwards. None of us in our testing have experienced anything akin to that effect using the Hero’s Journey. Because the internal frame stops at about shoulder height and the top pocket is therefor unstructured, load lifters would simply distort the top of the bag and accomplish nothing in terms of weight distribution.
