A woman has a right to change her mind and props to REI

Ooh, Mustlovedogs, now you make me want to go find a new bag! 😂

Seriously, I love the Side Hustle. I do not own it as I have the Side Effect instead, but I do lust over it a lot, and maybe one of these days I will break down and nab one.

In answer to your question about accessories, I get a lot of ideas is by looking through the reviews on the bag page. Tom Bihn actually used to have a message board similar to this one, although they used a different software. It was really nice, and you could get all kinds of ideas and ask questions and so on. Sadly they did away with it about 7-8 years ago (maybe longer). Regardless, it was a while ago and I miss it, but the reviews are the next best thing, because they have lots of good information in there and people post with lots of details (and photos!).

The Tom Bihn forum still exists at this url -

https://forums.tombihn.com/forum/tom-bihn-forums

Hope this helps.

As to accessories, I like the Ghost Whale Pouch and the Cubelet. I use the Ghost Whale Pouch for my pocket knife as it always gets lost in the bottom of the bag. (Of course not while on a flight.) I clip the GWP to one of the straps TB has in the bags. Hubby uses one for a usb thumb drive.

I use a couple of Cubelets, one as a mini first-aid kit and one for various little things like bag clips, corkscrew, bottle stopper, and a small plastic bag of EarthBreeze laundry sheets cut in half. Versatile little cubes and sturdy. Won’t fall apart like a plastic bag.

Hurray, a new convert to the vortex! I’ve got the Side Effect in aubergine with wisteria. I also have a Daylight Briefcase in aubergine that is my personal item when I fly. I think it’s a classy color without being boring. I have found the O rings in the bags are handy and use them to attach different items to make sure they stay in place. I also have a Side Kick for when I occasionally need a larger everyday bag. I use the Side Effect probably 90% of the time. The Hustle is a bit too big for me, I really like keeping things lightweight even on normal day to day errands. Pam just got one though, I’m pretty sure and used it on her last trip to Paris.

”I even cut out paper mockups for size comparison! (Husband walked in on that -he just started shaking head lol)”

That makes perfect sense to me! : ) I made the two Tom Bihn travel trays out of paper & tape to decide which size I wanted. It was easy to determine that the larger one was the best size for me, plus it will smash down flatter to pack with the same quantity of stuff.

I use an ORI crossbody so can’t help with the Side Kick details.

Oh my goodness, now I want that TB Side Hustle purse. The organization inside it looks amazing. I'd have to carry it backwards since I like to use a zipper pocket, but don't want it to be easily accessible to anyone else. It looks like it's the same material as the tray, right? I have the small one of those. I was skeptical, but finally decided to try it after one too many chapsticks rolling off the bedside table in a hotel and I really like it a lot.

KRS, the Side H is in a different fabric than the travel trays. It’s called ballistic and it’s a slightly heavier weight and it’s not foldable, scrunchable fabric like the travel trays.

Question for those who have a Tom Bihn bag: Do they have locking zippers and other security features? I looked at the website photos and videos but I can't determine the security features, if any. When traveling, I use a Pacsafe purse, which I love for the security features, but I've been thinking of a new bag. Thoughts?

Another Tom Bihn fan here....

For my daily small crossbody bag, I like leather (just a personal aesthetic thing) and use the Duluth Lifetime Leather Dual Wallet both at home and when I travel. I've tried using some Tom Bihn bags for just travel, since they don't weigh as much as leather (Side Effect, Side Kick), but it bothered me to have a different bag and I couldn't find anything, even in a very tiny bag, lol. But I did sew a few O-rings into the lining of my Duluth bag!

I use TB accessory pouches all the time, both at home and for travel. Here are my favorites:

Small Organizer Pouch -- perfect size for passports. I can hold mine plus 2 kids' if needed. I leash it to an O-ring in my bag with a keystrap.

Cubelet -- I have a lot of these in different colors. I keep my electronics in one (earbuds, adapters, charging stuff), I keep a snack/coffee supply in another (protein bars, instant coffee sticks, powdered milk). They are a very handy size to group up miscellaneous tiny items, plus the colors are fun!

Ghost Whale Pouch, small and mini sizes -- I used to have lots of these, but my daughter "borrowed" most of them for her outdoor adventure-based travels and now I seem to have one left... time to replenish. I keep coins in the pouch that I have. I've also used them to store chap stick and a few packets of disinfecting wipes for on-the-go, hair ties, random tiny things.

Keystraps -- I use a ton of these. I lash everything important, because I am the person who will get distracted talking to the store clerk and leave my wallet on the counter. So I lash my wallet, my coin purse, my passport, my medication pouch, keys, anything I'm afraid of losing. You get a black one with most bags that you order, but I like having different colors so I can quickly grab the right thing out of my bag. So keys are always on a purple strap, passport is green, medications are red, etc. I especially like the 16" length for my house/hotel/apartment keys so I don't have to unhook them to unlock the door; the keys are always attached.

To answer the question regarding locking zippers -- none of the TB bags that I have come with an actual zipper lock, but I can use a Nite Ize S-Biner to hook both ends of the dual zippers together.

Have fun!

The Tom Bihn forum still exists at this url

Gerry, thanks! I know they got rid of the old one, so they must have created a new one at some point and put it there. Thanks a lot!

To answer the question regarding locking zippers -- none of the TB bags that I have come with an actual zipper lock, but I can use a Nite Ize S-Biner to hook both ends of the dual zippers together.

But they do use YKK zippers; the gold standard of zippers in bag-making!

DebVT thanks for the descriptions of the different accessories and how you use them. Time to go shopping again it see seems! I smiled when you said some of the pouches you had disappeared- that happens with my daughter, too. When she comes home and then leaves, things go “missing” quite often. :) It’s all good, though! I don’t mind!

"I have come with an actual zipper lock, but I can use a Nite Ize S-Biner to hook both ends of the dual zippers together."

Yes....this!!

I got the Side Hustle for my trip to France in April. On the plane I used it as an "insert" in my personal item which was a Kipling Tote. I also was able to put my Everyday Cubelet IN the Side Hustle in the personal item, hahaha.

I was using it also to carry some art supplies around so I used this pouch from Amazon. I can't get TinyURL to work but what I got was the GOX Travel Toiletry Bag, Carry On Small Zipper Pouch, Cosmetic Kit Makeup, Digital Bag, Water Repellent Nylon (Turquoise). It is very lightweight and fit perfectly in the Side Hustle. I use this in my daily purse for toiletry items, etc but for this purpose it held a small sketchbook, pencil, some water brushes, an eraser and a tiny watercolor palette. I could put my toiletry items in the Side Hustle pockets.

The one thing I hated was that the strap started squeaking. I'd seen that mentioned on the TB forum but used it a couple of times at home and there was no problem. HOWEVER....once I got it loaded the way I do for travel after a day or so it started squeaking with every dang step. I doubt it was noticeable to anyone else but it was to me.

I also noticed this week in Yellowstone with my TB Rogue Sacoche. I had my can of bear spray carabinered to the purse which made it way heavier than it normally is and it started squeaking as well. I just moved the bear spray to my belt where I usually wear it and lightened up the load on the Sacoche.

I recommend getting a pretty strap from ETSY or some place. I contacted TB customer service who said yep, that's a known problem and they're working on it. They offered to send another strap but he candidly told me there was no guarantee the next one would not squeak as well. Their CS folks are very nice and realistic. He did tell me I could try a very tiny bit of silicone lubricant on the swivel points and see if that helps. Then the CS guy made me laugh with this email comment:

"And if you do want a replacement strap, just let me know. If someone did point it out, you could just say it was avant-garde performance art, something-something the inevitable decline of western civilization. ;)"

I laughed so hard at that!

I also bought 2 double swivel carabiners at the same time. I'd seen on the TB forum that some use them to clip the Side Hustle to the seat pocket on the airplane. I took them but wound up not doing that, still it was good to have.

Enjoy your purchase!

(AND PS....love REI! I returned some cross country skis after about 3 years because they started de-laminating. I figured they might give me a $50 credit. Well, they refunded the entire price into a store credit and I was beyond thrilled!)

I also bought 2 double swivel carabiners at the same time. I'd seen on the TB forum that some use them to clip the Side Hustle to the seat pocket on the airplane.

That's exactly what I do with my TB 3D Organizer Cube (and yes, I got the idea from the TB boards).

https://www.tombihn.com/products/3d-organizer-cube-clear?srsltid=AfmBOooSolu0lwPTsIRlsy2pLnniojrLyrCKh3jGNQatntTuhOidLU51&view=description

I keep in there things I need (or may need) during the flight : AirFly dongle, chapstick, earplugs, hand sanitizer, face spray, tiny face cream, throat lozenges, eye drops, lavender oil roller, eye mask, sometimes an extra charging pack, gum . . . .

@Kim...that is an excellent use for the 3D. I used it for my 3-1-1 bag but had everything in a ziplock in case I needed to pull it out so it would be very easy to use this on the plane then use the 3-1-1 for my liquids in the hotel bathroom.

I find the Side Kick absolutely perfect for travel. I use a crossbody strap (not from Tom Bihn). I remove that strap at my plane seat and use two double carabiner clips to clip the bag to the seat pocket. Works perfectly!even fits my small tablet. A bonus—it fits in the back pocket of the Pilot when I board. Saw the seat pocket use many years ago on the Bihn Forum, and I love that I can have whatever I need right at hand without rooting in my personal item.

I use a 1/2 size water bottle in that one (from a 6-pack at the grocery store). I don’t usually use disposable bottles, but these are just right for travel, and are not too much water to carry at once.

However. I started using a Side Hustle for every day a few months ago. I love the organization. I use a mini organizer pouch for meds, chapstick, small nail file, gum, etc. That goes in one pocket. I use an Organizer wallet ( no longer made, boo) with a clear front. That wallet is clipped with a 6” strap to an O-ring—my wallet never leaves my bag—and it goes in the other pocket. The Mystery Clear organizer pouch (mini size) is a good substitution. I feel so much better that I cannot leave my wallet anywhere! I also use a small Ghost Whale pouch for misc items. When I’m traveling I use a mini Ghost whale pouch to hold my AirPods. That gets clipped to an O ring in the outside pocket.

I do not like the strap for the Side Hustle. I find most TB straps to be too bulky (such big clips) and quite slippery. But have not found a replacement yet. I like the size very much. Congrats! hope you love it.

I really did go back and forth between the Side Kick and side Hustle size. I can’t wait to get the Side Hustle here to see its size in person. I hope it’s not too big for what I want to use it for. One thing that swayed me was the color choices, too. I didn’t really see any left in the SK that I liked as much as the aubergine. Red Mars and canyon was the only possibility in the SK and I really didn’t see myself with a red bag. I also want to see if it will fit well inside the Roka Canfield. Not sure if I need to take both, but may opt to.

My Side Hustle is Aubergine and Wasabi. I love Aubergine! Yes I bought a second Side Kick in Aubergine, but prefer the Dyneema (now Halcyon) fabric for travel because it’s light and flexible. I think the Side Hustle works better in the more structured Ballistic fabric because of its width—helps keep everything in place. But yes! Color options matter.

I’ve been a TB fan for 15 years (not as long as some folks here). Have been so happy with their products.

This forum is such a bad influence;)

I just checked out the TB Side Kick and Hustle, but decided on the Rogue Sacoche instead, in orange. Looking forward to receiving it!

Hahahha mikliz! I love the Rogue Sacoche and it's my "regular every day" purse. I've got it in the gray but wow, that new emerald color is tempting me! It's very lightweight and a good size for me for every day.

My TB Side Kick is now on its way to me, and pretty soon we'll be getting on a plane for Germany. Thanks for the encouragement/enablement! :)

Pam--My daily purse is a Longchamp Pilage tote. I have it in many colors, I love it so much. I usually take it to Europe as well, but wanted something smaller for our November trip to Austria. Glad to hear you love it!

@mikliz - I have a Longchamp Pliage but have never really liked it. I do better with a cross-body strap as the leather Pliage straps slide off my old-lady shoulders, hahaha! The Sacoche is so much lighter, although much smaller as well. I hope you like it!

Pam--Yes, one of the straps always slides down, but I love the size an sine it is the "big black hole" as I all it, I can shove most anything in it, lol. I have over a dozen, and then my mom had quite a few. When she passed I split hers up between the girls an they were thrilled:)

Ok y’all. Couldn’t resist ordering a Sacoche in moss. ….and that’s why I don’t visit the TB forums very often. :-)