Tom Bihn’s Le Petit Derrière

I have appreciated Tom Bihn’s company philosophy, its smaller stature in the larger bag world, and its design aesthetic for many years now. Because of this I’ve invested a lot of my resources buying their bags because I know they will last for years. Well, that, and their o-rings make me happy. I haven’t left my wallet behind at a store ever since I began attaching it to the bag I’m carrying. So you can definitely say I’m a fan girl. 

Recently I received an advance Le Petit Derrière that was sent to me by the Tom Bihn Company for free in exchange for sharing for my thoughts about the bag. As a happy owner of their larger bag, Le Grand Derrière, I was delighted to be able to see how each bag works and in what capacities. To that end, I’ve tried to be as objective as possible. As of right now, I’ve only had the bag approximately a week, and sometimes it takes me a while to be able to make a full assessment, but these are my initial thoughts.

The bag’s dimensions, at 11” wide, 6.9” tall, and 4.7” deep offers a slimmer although not much smaller appearing bag compared with its larger sibling, the Grand, which is listed at 12.6” wide, 8.2” tall, and 6.2” deep. According to the website, this results in the smaller bag having a carry capacity of about 60% of the larger.

Pictures, though, are worth a thousand words, so here are some photos to help illustrate the difference.

In this photo, you will note that the larger bag has the contrasting striping. I really prefer the subtlety of the black in the Petit version. From the top view, however, they don’t look much different in size.

This shows what I put in this particular bag for its maiden voyage. I was not hiking. I was simply heading to a knit shop about an hour’s drive away for a day of knitting and spinning. In the bag I carried my Nik’s wallet (version 4), a Nock paper and pen case (the brown thing), a Cubelet (in Alphabviolet), a P-style in the black case (I consider this a must own travel device), a Super Mini Ghost Whale in Aubergine, a hand sewn Tom Bihn pattern mask (version 2), hand sanitizer, and lip balm. In the Cubelet I have a hankie, gloves, a buff, and a glasses cleaning cloth stowed. I consider this my bare minimum EDC. Needless to say, the Petit handled it all quite nicely.

I put the lip balm and wallet in the zipper side, and in the buckle side I stowed my phone, which fits just fine and is easily accessed.

I think this top down view shows the bags’ sizing differences much better. The Petit is definitely a slimmer profile, which you may or may not appreciate. Because it is slimmer, it definitely cuts down on all that you can stow in the main compartment.

Sigh. So here I am. I live in Florida, but it’s been cold, so I’m still in my thermals. It’s a weekend; what can I say? I know that this might help a few of you as to what the bag looks like when carried as a fanny pack. By contrast, here is an image of me carrying the Grand a few weeks ago on a family hike.

I don’t think that upon first glance the two bags look all that different. I haven’t grabbed a photo from the side, but again, that is where you would spy the largest differential.

Just as you can carry the Grand a number of ways (hip bag, shoulder bag, and crossbody), you can carry the Petit. Neither bag works well for me in crossbody carry, but I did carry the Petit as a shoulder bag when I went to the yarn store. Overall it looks quite spiffy: it’s compact, stylish (at least in my opinion), and narrow enough that it doesn’t jut out awkwardly like the Grand does.

So in the end, which bag do I prefer? 

Pros of the Petit:

It has the more subtle black trim.

It will carry A5 stuff. I checked. It easily hauled my Kindle Paperwhite and my Hobonichi Cousin.

It looks like a purse when I carry it as a shoulder bag.

I believe as a crossbody it would likely be more comfortable and less obtrusive, but again, I don’t carry that way.

Cons of  the Petit:

It just doesn’t hold nearly as much in my view.

It is more difficult to access the contents because of how narrow the bag is. I think this would be mitigated somewhat if I were to have gotten a Halcyon version.

The rain flap frustrates me, but attaching longer pulls helps this a lot. Truth be told, I still need to do that.

If I could only have one of the bags, ultimately I would go with the Grand. This is because for me the bag serves as a nearly perfect hiking bag. It keeps my back cool (no backpack sweat), provides excellent lumbar support, and carries plenty for me to go on a longer hike. If I were to use the bag as a shoulder bag, however, I would stick with the Petit. So really it all comes down to the job the bag needs to perform in my life. For the present I am enjoying my Side Kick, so I will keep using that in the shoulder bag department although I will continue to pull in the Petit for general carry and perhaps even a short neighborhood hike, when the Grand would be overkill.

I hope this helps you gain a better understand of the bag along with its pros and cons. Let me know if you have any questions about it, and I’ll do my best to answer them.

A View of the Shadow Guide 23 and a Peek at Cerylon in Cobalt

I was very excited to receive a few advance Tom Bihn items and wanted to get a few photos and thoughts about them up in the hopes that it might help others who are looking at these bags and fabrics. I have been a fan of the Tom Bihn company for years. I like the way they treat their employees, the planet, and their customers. I love that their factory is located in the United States. And I really love their aesthetic!

The first bag I want to take a look at is their new Shadow Guide 23. This bag is from their Design Lab, which is a way they can manufacture small runs of products to see how well they are received. The current version (#2) is updated from the first one, a limited edition released a few years back. I bought that first iteration for my son, who still loves it. He took it to London as his one suitcase and was impressed at how well it worked for him. I asked him to share his bag with me so that I can shoot some comparison photos. The version I got is 23 liters, which is smaller than the original. I believe the first iteration has a 33 liter capacity, but I can’t say for sure. 

Additionally I captured a few photos of it compared to my beloved and much used Smart Alec. My Smart Alec has the upper and lower modular pocket, and I kept them on for the photo comparisons. Without further ado, let me show you some photos:

To begin with, I loaded it up with all of my work items. I teach a high school English class once a week and need to carry all of my work materials with me each time. This bag holds it all quite nicely.


Side view of it filled up.

Now for what’s inside each section. The bag is quite simple. It’s got a capacious center “hole” and a nifty overlay pocket that serves dual purpose of providing quick access for smaller items and protecting the bottom section from any moisture. In this pocket I placed three items: my Bihn v. 6 mask (more about that later), my small Snake Charmer containing my electronic cords, and my Nock Brasstown pen roll.



Here are the items more visibly displayed.


In the quick access flat zipper pocket on the underside of the larger overlay pocket, I placed a few pens. There are two such pockets, and in the other I would place my phone.


Now for the main contents. This is everything I placed in the bag. The A4 zipper pouch includes all of my papers to return as well as papers to hand out for upcoming assignments. As such, it’s quite thick. I’m finishing up teaching A Tale of Two Cities, so in addition to the novel, I’ve got the facsimile copies of how it was originally published in the Strand Magazine. These are years old, and I got them thanks to a program done by Stanford University back in 2004. Object lessons are so handy, and I wish the university would have continued the program, but alas, everything is available now in electronic format, which is ever so much more affordable and accessible.

Due to the current health crisis, I also stream my class to any student who may not be able to attend. For that purpose I’m hauling my old, larger laptop, which I am happy to say fits just fine in the handy laptop pocket at the bag of the bag. The original bag did not feature this, and my son is quite jealous (but he still prefers his red straps, so there is that).

Speaking of the first limited edition bag, I managed to capture a few photos of the bags side by side. Ignore the toes. The most obvious difference is the upper pocket. The earlier edition’s zippers are oriented differently. The zipper to the larger pocket is on the underside of the bag versus the current, topside orientation. Also, the earlier bag featured two zipper mesh pockets that are oriented horizontally versus the vertical orientation of the fabric zippers. I like the current orientation much more. It makes items more accessible without needing to unclasp the bag.

Here is a nice, side-by-side comparison. I really love how understated the brown is. In this blog post it photographs much lighter than it actually is. Ursa is a nice, dark chocolatey brown in real life.

Another big difference is the back side of the bag. The newer iteration has the unique back paneling that allows for a more breathable carry experience and it has the more comfortable, edgeless shoulder straps. 

But how does it carry in actuality? To really look at that, I compared it to my Smart Alec, which I have had for several years and still use for longer hiking trips and the occasional air travel.

At first glance they appear similar in carry capacity, especially when one accounts for the modular pockets on the Smart Alec. Without the modular pockets, the Smart Alec came in at 26 liters, three more liters than the Shadow Guide.

Even though the Smart Alec carries more, it doesn’t have the same feel as the Shadow Guide. That being said, I really like both bags and especially love the cheery Wasabi interior of the Smart Alec. It also offers more organization, which can be good or bad, depending upon your preferences.

I loaded up the top modular pocket with the Snake Charmer, which just fit about perfectly.

In the lower Modular Pocket I placed the pen roll and the mask. I didn’t put anything in the side pockets.

In the main pocket I slipped my laptop (no sleeve) and the large items.

It easily handled it all, but the larger interior of the bag felt a bit more squeezed than the Shadow guide. Of course I hadn’t fully loaded it out. There was still a great deal of room in the lower modular pocket and nothing in the mesh or side pockets at all. And there was still plenty of space to pack more items on top of the books had I needed/wanted to.

Taking a look inside at the room left in the Shadow Guide, though, makes it clear that it wasn’t to its full carry capacity, either.

But all of those books and electronics make for a heavy bag, at least for me. And there was a definite winner in the carry capacity.

Here is the Smart Alec with all I’ve loaded into it. 

And here’s a photo taken from the side. While I could carry it, it wasn’t comfortable. I wouldn’t have wanted to run through an airport with it on my back, that’s for sure!

Here’s a photo of the Shadow Guide 23 carrying the same load.

The slimmer profile, the benefit of the frame, and the overall placement of items made this bag feel much more comfortable, and that’s despite not using a more hefty waist belt as I had with the Smart Alec.

In the end, the winner, at least for my work items, is the Shadow Guide 23. I like the cavernous space, the fact that my center of gravity is a bit easier to manage, and the mesh back and frame support. My family commented that it appeared to visually be a better carry bag between the two.

A reader requested I compare the two bags without considering the Smart Alec’s modular pockets. This makes complete sense, given that the bags have a more similar shape and carry capacity in that vein. Here are photos of me wearing the Smart Alec but still keeping the same items packed.

The bag sits a little lower on my back with the Smart Alec. Measuring up from the bottom of the bag to the handle loop, I get 17 inches. When I do the same for the Shadow Guide, I measure 16 inches. The inch impacts it somewhat, but I think the presence of the frame in the Shadow Guide also helps to keep the bag from shifting lower on my torso. By the way, one thing I noted is that the Smart Alec features a lovely Poron handle whereas the Shadow Guide has a simple webbing strap. Given the option, I would choose the Poron.

Here’s a view from the rear. I lost my photographer. He took his sibling out to get a coffee, so I made do with my Apple Watch and propped my phone up on the counter in order to capture these photos. As far as carry comfort went, The Smart Alec definitely improved when I removed the modular pockets. It shifted my center of balance to a more neutral position, similar to the Shadow Guide. The Shadow Guide still edges out its older sibling slightly for comfort, primarily, I suspect, because of the the frame. And of course those newer straps are lovely too.

For reference, this is the laptop I used. It just fit into the laptop sleeve. My current laptop, an HP Spectre, would have zero issues fitting in at all, but I try not to carry it out too much. This laptop serves as my video for my Zoom classes, and it serves its purpose quite nicely. That, and I like still being able to enjoy the stickers I’ve collected on it. My Spectre is still naked. I can’t quite bring myself to put a sticker on it for some reason.

Now let’s take a look at the new Cerylon Ripstop fabric in Cobalt. Here are a few photos to consider:

For your thoughts I’ve gathered my Nordic Halcyon Packing Cube Shoulder Bag, my small Shop Bag in Island, and the new Cerylon Ripstop Packing Cube Shoulder Bag in Cobalt. It’s very difficult to capture the differences in the fabrics. Take a look at the pairings below and see what I mean.

Here is a close up of all three fabrics. The Cerylon is on the right.

Pairing the Cerylon with Island, it appears as if the Cerylon is quite a bit darker. I think that it is true to some extent, but that the white grid of the Island fabric plays mind tricks with us, and it’s really only slightly darker in the end.

When you look at Cerylon next to Nordic, you can see that it now looks much lighter.

And here are three blues: Nordic, Dawn, and Cerylon.

Now for how they carry:

First up is Cerylon. I placed the same items in all three bags and used the strap from my Daylight Briefcase.



Here is the version in Dawn. I do think the attachment points being on the front and rear make the bag less likely to slouch, but then you get into some more difficulties in accessing your items.



And here’s my Nordic one. It is by far the slouchiest of the group. Part of the reason, I believe, is that the bag is old and has been used for many years. Also, there is only one o-ring in the big center (and one in the zipper pocket) versus there being two in the other iterations, so I wasn’t able to hook everything in the same way. Some items hooked into the other bags sat on the floor of the Nordic bag, which may have impacted its carry somewhat. 



Here’s what I had inside the bag.

In the small Zip pouch I keep two masks. In the 3D organizer cube there’s a mishmash of inhaler, crackers, hand sanitizer, lip balm, essential oils, medicines, and other small detritus. 

Hopefully this blog post has answered some of your questions about the bags. As I carry the Shadow Guide over the upcoming weeks, I’ll continue to consider and write about how it works for me. 

Making Masks

Since the arrival and spread of COVID-19, I have been sewing masks. I initially started with one pattern but found it time-consuming to complete. Eventually I tried out a mask from Tom Bihn and found it to be incredibly comfortable. Even better—Tom offered up, for free, the sewing pattern to any who wanted it. Tom Bihn’s cleverly designed pattern is super quick and super easy to sew. But best of all, it’s super comfortable to wear!

Yesterday I had a few minutes to sew up a couple of masks and decided to grab a few photos to show how I sew the pattern. Tom’s videos found at the link above are even better, but this series of photos gives you a quick view of the steps. 

After cutting out the pattern (two pieces), attach the elastic (or in my case, Spandex strips, stretched so that they curl, cut 1/2” wide) to the right side of the fabric. I didn’t mark anything on the fabric. I just lined it up with the paper pattern to eyeball the placement.

Note: These sides are the right sides of the fabric. Have your ear loops tacked down so that the loops sit on top of the fabric.

Next, turn the right sides together and stitch the bottom curved edge all the way across. Note that the elastic is sandwiched in between the two layers of fabric. Be careful to not catch the elastic straps in your seams!

For the next step, fold the fabric side to side, bringing it together, and stitch a short seam, capturing the elastic ends but leaving a small opening in the fabric so that you can turn the right sides out.

This is the weird step that threw me for a second. Bring the sides over to sew so that the seam you just sewed is in the middle.

You can see now that the two colors are going to be split down the center of the mask. My 20-year-old loves all things Iron Man, so I did my best to match his colors.

All that remains after that is to turn the mask right side out, get the corners pushed out, and close up the hole. Yes, you could trim the seams a bit, but I didn’t worry about it. It is not a dress or shirt I’m sewing, after all. I’m trying to keep speed up on these things. Sew a top-stitched seam along the top edge of the mask to close up the hole. Voila! Finis!

The size I sewed for my son is the large one. Standing 6’8”, he’s a tall fellow and has a rather large head. It fit him very comfortably.

I also sewed a mask for myself (regular size, V1), pictured below:

While I never would have imagined myself sewing masks in 2020, I have decided to embrace my creative side and pick some unique fabrics. Might as well enjoy what you wear, right? Here are just a few more of the masks I've completed.

My daughter is heading off to university at the beginning of August and will be required to wear a mask pretty much everywhere except in her dorm room, so needless to say, I’ll continue to be sewing these for quite some time. I am grateful to Tom for sharing his pattern with the world.

For the Unexpected Homeschooler

COVID-19. It's causing all sorts of panic all across the globe, in the United States, and within our families. It feels as if our previously imagined rock-solid institutions are falling like dominoes. Travel is discouraged. Groceries are scarce. Employees are cyber-commuting or worse, laid off. Schools are shuttered.

Many of my friends are now finding themselves in the position of suddenly having to homeschool, perhaps through the rest of the year. Uncertainty abounds. As a lifelong homeschooler, I hope to help you transition as gently as possible if you find you are also in that position. As such, I thought I'd share a few pointers along with hefty doses of love and encouragement. I homeschooled all of my children all the way into college. It's a way of life I have embraced for well over two decades, and while it hasn't always been easy, I wouldn't have traded it for all the tea in China (and believe me, I love tea!).

Without further ado, here are a few of my suggestions.

• Breathe: Remember that you and your children are going through a traumatic event. It is okay to adjust expectations for all of you. It is okay to decompress a bit and adjust to the new normal of working from home, eating in all the time, and not getting together in groups. Take time to play some family games. My family loves Uno, Sorry, and classic board games. We also love to play ping pong on our family dining room table (when my husband isn't using it as his office away from the office, that is). 
• Read Aloud a LOT: Regardless of their ages, read to your children. Become armchair explorers. Read classics that instill your children with sophisticated vocabulary and syntax. Read exciting books that take them outside of their home and into worlds they never imagined. Some of my favorite books are Half Magic, The Eagle of the Ninth, Little Women, The Hobbit, Red Wall, and The Railway Children. Some of these are in the public domain, and you can access them for free at Gutenberg.org. If your local bookseller or library is closed right now, order the hard copy or Kindle version from Amazon. Reading out loud to my children I believe is the single most important thing I did, above science, and yes, even above math. And it was something to do that was fun and relaxing.
• Listen to Audiobooks: I wrote a blog post at IEW on the subject, where I list some of my favorite sources of audiobooks. Some of these sources are even free. And check your local library's website. They may offer Hoopla, which is a great way to listen to a book. 
• You Do You: What I mean by that is don't feel as if you need to replicate what the schools are doing. Schools have to work with a lot of students and cover a lot of ground (hello, testing requirements?). You just have your precious children. School will not need to go a full day. You will not have twenty or more children to manage. In most cases, you should be able to get through what needs to be done in a few hours each day.
• Focus on the 3 R's: If you aren't required to by your online school policies, don't sweat science and history too much. Focus on reading, writing, and math. You can watch science and history videos online, check out juvenile biographies on people of history or on science topics (virology, perhaps?). Talk about what you all have learned over lunch. 
• Encourage Delight-Driven Exploration: Do you have a future chef? Have your child plan and prepare a meal. Bake cookies (there's math in that). Learn about nutrition. Do you have a gamer? Perhaps invest in some classes on programming. My kids enjoyed the Teen Coder books. 
• Explore the Great Outdoors: While keeping in mind the social distancing mandate, get outside and go on a hike, walk around the block, or toss a ball in the back yard. Do some gardening. Collect and press leaves.
• Keep Journals: We are all living through historical times. Everyone can take a bit of time to write about their experiences, thoughts, and emotions. It's a great way to relieve tension and may become a treasured family document someday.
• Listen to Music: I love to listen to a wide range of music, everything from classical guitar to Gregorian chanting, to Country music, to modern worship. Depending upon what I play, music can calm or energize me. Use it to your advantage!
• Strive to Keep the TV Silenced: If you turn it on, much of what you see and hear is about everything that's going wrong. That can certainly increase the angst everyone is feeling. Limit social media as much as possible and encourage other activities in its place. 
• Listen to Your Kids: If you feel helpless, imagine how they feel. Let them talk about their fears and ask their questions. You may not have an answer, but just being a comforting presence in their lives is a blessing.

These are certainly interesting times we live in. I pray that by working together, we will be able to flatten that curve, save lives, and return to our normal harried selves as soon as can be. But until that day comes (and it will eventually come), I hope that you are able to find that precious silver lining thread in the gray clouds of uncertainty. 

Oh! And one more thing before I go. As some of you may know, one of my jobs is working for the Institute for Excellence in Writing. Earlier this week they released a totally free, completely digital three-week English Language Arts curriculum to help teachers, tutors, and "unexpected homeschoolers" bridge the gap. If you know someone who needs a little support in that area, please share the the link with them. The writing instruction is video-taught, which will be a huge help to harried mamas and papas. You can find it by clicking here.

Stay safe. God bless.

Turning the Page to a New Decade

Happy New Year, and welcome to the ‘20s! I pray you have a year filled with love, with light, and with laughter. May it be a year of friends and family filling your home and a year when you are able to fill others up as well. Take time to notice the details. Love the people God has placed in your path. Be bold and try something new. Live your story. 

Enjoy the journey!

Blessings to you.