When I wrote my original review of the Tom Bihn Western Flyer I had just returned from, what was then, the final New Adventures conference.
So I’m delighted to be writing this update back in Nottingham for the triumphant return of New Adventures, once again accompanied by my Western Flyer.
It’s been almost six years since my original review so I thought an update on my Western Flyer might be useful.
I was surprised to see that the original review was six years old not just because it feels like yesterday, but because my Tom Bihn Western Flyer still looks like new. I’ve taken this bag all over Europe, from Belfast to Berlin, it’s been in planes, trains and automobiles and is showing no signs of wear. None. Nada. Zip.
I knew Tom Bihn had a great reputation for quality, but this is something else – every stitch, every seam and every zip is still 100%.
Speaking of zips there was one part of the design that bugged me, but I ‘fixed’ it.
There are two double zips on the bag and I found the zip pulls jangled together when walking – after a few hours sightseeing around Berlin with my Tom Bihn Western Flyer on my back they had to go.
So I took a brave pill, grabbed my tin snips, cut off all of the metal tags and replaced them with paracord zip pulls.
Ahhhhh the sound of silence.
Other than that one minor annoyance, the Western Flyer is still one of my favourite pieces of luggage.
I use my Tom Bihn Western Flyer whenever I can and it always makes me happy, both for its excellent design and because I associate it with travel and adventures large, small and new.