Gah!! I have to stop reading packing reports. Just ordered a Tom Bihn bag I didn't need. And an Anker Nano because my other Anker power bank is so heavy. And looking at the smaller Travelpro Maxlite 5.
Hahahaha, welcome to the club! Almost impossible to resist. Hmmmmm, an Anker Nano sounds like a very good idea so I'm looking at it now....
Ha ha ha, indeed! Now you can feel my pain—I swear I've spent a fortune based on recommendations from others here!
But I have have to know this: what Tom Bihn bag did you order?
Also, FYI, I love my Travelpro Maxlite 5 (I have the 21" carry-on spinner). It's so light and easy to maneuver, plus durable. I had my Maxlite 4 for years, and finally gave it to my daughter so I could upgrade to the 5. It's been on 4 European and at least 5-6 US trips in the past 3 years and is still going strong.
Mardee
Actually, not exactly a bag. I ordered the small travel tray.
Also, I have a Travelpro Maxlite 5 25". It's worked out fine the last two UK trips. But I really want to go smaller.
Katie
For what its worth that Tom Bihn small travel tray has been the best travel item I've bought in the last year. Such a great little tool!
I have 2/3 and will admit that I have thought of getting the third.
Interestingly, I had a Tom Bihn bag 40 years ago. They weren't so expensive then lol. He started here in my town in a small shop and I think he did all the sewing himself. When the shop disappeared, I didn't think to wonder where he'd gone. Fun being reintroduced to Tom Bihn products all these years later.
”Just ordered a Tom Bihn bag I didn't need.”. LOL! And soon you won’t be able to travel without it!
I have the larger version of the Tom Bihn travel tray that I’ve been using a lot. Even getting my packed Cotopaxi 35L & purse down to 11 pounds, that item is still one of my essentials. : ). I chose the larger diameter, so it could stay very flat when placed into my bag with items in it. I just add my money belt, earrings & watch, room key & phone inside it at night.
Actually, not exactly a bag. I ordered the small travel tray.
I have two of those travel trays, and have given them away as Christmas gifts to my sisters. I love them, they love them, they are probably the most practical item I travel with. My one sister uses hers for jewelry but I use mine for tech stuff. For example, one tray holds my plus and adaptors, and the other one has the cables/cords. Although I did recently buy one of the small cubelets, and those are great for keeping cables and cords organized neatly.
I've been buying Tom Bihn bags for 20+ years and love his stuff. If you remember him from long ago, you might like this history page showing his progress. The company has been in Seattle for a while now since they moved from Santa Cruz, but he retired and sold the company about 4-5 years ago. I was a little concerned about that at first, but I've bought items since then and they all had that same good quality I was used to.
Mardee thanks for the Tom Bihn history link. There's a picture of the shop that I went to!
I'd love one of the travel trays. Do they ever have sales?
Katie, I know what you mean! I just bought 2 more TB pieces that I didn’t really need but I still love having them. I’d never heard of them until reading Mardee a couple of years ago and then I hunted them up online. Now I have a small travel tray, a Side Effect purse that I love, and a Daylight Briefcase that I use for my personal item when I fly. I also bought a Fabric 3D organizer cube and loved it so much I ordered another one in a different color and a small Cubelet. I’m presently traveling in the Midwest by pickup truck and travel trailer and they are along for this trip too. To be very honest, ziplock bags do just as well for some organization purposes but these have great zippers and o rings and you can turn them into little crossbody bags when needed. And I think extra points can be awarded because they’re cute and make me smile!
And thumbs up on the Anker nano charger. I got one after reading about it here on the forum and it is great. Small and light and boosts my phone every day in the afternoon when I’m touring for a full day. You will love it.
Ok, you have all convinced that my purchases WERE needed. I wonder what else I NEED?
I'd love one of the travel trays. Do they ever have sales?
Very occasionally, Jules, and usually it would be because something is being discontinued or brought back into the fold after being on hiatus. But sales are rare. That said, you can find a lot of folks who sell Tom Bihn stuff on Facebook and possibly Reddit. You may or may not get much of a discount. They're so popular that even the used ones can be pricey. I once sold the Tri-Star backpack on a Facebook group for almost the same price I had paid for it 5 years before (I liked it but the backpack straps didn't work well with my height (or lack thereof).
But they're excellent quality, they are made at their factory in Seattle and are extremely practical. I love everything I've ever bought from them.
Well, darn. Now I'm going to have to buy a travel tray.
I usually resist, but I succumbed to temptation and bought an Anker nano power bank.
You know it’s pretty bad when you tell one of your kids you bought something new for an upcoming trip and they say, “Don’t tell me, you heard about it from your Rick Steves peeps, didn’t you?”
My reply? “Well, yes, yes I did! But you and your brother have also benefited from some of these recommendations, so don’t even start!” :)
HAHAHA so many laughs! Katie, now you KNOW you did need all those things. Mustlovedogs - My neighbors ask, 'Is this idea from those travel addict friends of yours??'
In case you'd like EVEN more info about TB trays, there's an entire RS thread here! https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/packing/tom-bihn-small-travel-tray
My daughter just rolls her eyes...
Enablers all.
I love my Anker Nano with the built in USB-C, purchased one day before my last trip because as I was packing I noticed my last power bank's battery had swelled (bad!). Thanks to one day delivery services I was back in business and no regrets on that buy, it's perfect for topping up during the day.
I am one month out from a trip and have been binge buying all kinds of things that I probably don't need but have fully justified as necessary for survival. Small rechargeable hand held fans, a new foldable sun visor, lightweight pjs (I'm taking my niece to Disney Paris in August....enough said). The forum is full of shopping enablers, sometimes you just have to roll with it or stop reading...depends on your budget ;)
CL
Glad to hear of another happy Anker Nano user.
I am one month out from a trip and have been binge buying
I am nine months out from my trip. I better stop now or I won't be able to lift my suitcase by the time I leave.
I too have the Anker Nano and love it. I am on my second, only because the first one got drenched in the rain and it died.
I sound like a 12 year old. "I really need that tray"
Nanobag Ultra-Lightweight... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D5J3Y7MV?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
I have all the items people have been discussing. I wanted to add a new one that you really must have. It becomes really tiny and undone it is a nice sized bag for groceries. I bought the bright one so I could find it in my black back pack. It is so small I could even fit it in my cross body purse when I did not carry my back pack. It goes over your shoulder so don’t even have to use an arm to carry it. And I stuffed it full for over two weeks and it did not rip. Mine is the standard size and I found it plenty big.
And I did learn about it from someone on this forum but thought I would give it a plug.
BethFL
Just ordered a nano bag that surely I do NEED for everyday not just for traveling .. dual purpose justifies purchase. lol
Of course!!!
I bought the sling version of the Nano bag after reading about it from BethFL’s recommendation. It is completely worth it. It is so small and so lightweight and it has proved to be strong enough for whatever I’ve needed to tote. And it’s very easy to repack it into its bag. I got the sling because I like being able to wear it crossbody.