Bear Flag Blog

...makes the best bags in the world. I purchased my Tom Bihn backpack from his store in Santa Cruz in 1997 or so, and I still use it on a near-daily basis. It saw me through graduate school; I took it to Mongolia. It has never had a zipper break, never had a stitch fray, has acquired no holes either through abrasion or piercing or any other means. It looks, as it sits on the desk return behind me, almost like new.

At any rate, I expect much the same from my new Tom Bihn messenger bag, which my lovely wife gave me for Christmas. It looks smart and is chock full of pockets, holds not just one but two laptops in safety, and is just all-around well-made. All the zippers have sturdy rubberized tabs; it even has an external water-bottle holder (currently used to hold my eyeglass case).

Made in the USA - Seattle to be precise, whence Tom decamped after Santa Cruz. So if you are looking for a bag, satchel or backpack, hit up his website. They're not cheap, but in my experience they last for well over a decade (so far!), whereas my previous messenger bag (company swag) lasted for a little over two years before the generalized fraying developed into serious holes.