Review: Tom Bihn Buzz
When you get right down to it, most computer bags aren’t very interesting. There’s the usual “Ward Cleaver’s briefcase” bag, the messenger adaptation, and the backpack bag, but they all accommodate a hernia-inducing amount of cargo. We look to a messenger bag for short hops (house to car to airport to overhead bin, etc.), but we hoist a backpack when it’s time for serious trekkin’. What’s missing, however, is the computer equivalent of a metro bag—a bag that holds a few essentials and is comfortable for a medium-length jaunt. Tom Bihn’s sling-style Buzz ($90US) is just such a Zen bag—it holds just what you need, and it’s comfortable for several hours.
You wear the Buzz on the right shoulder; the strap extends across the abdomen and rejoins the bag just below the left ribs. The strap has a heavy plastic buckle for ingress and egress—none of a backpack’s awkward sliding shoulder motion. Just grab the heavy padded strap in your right hand, deposit the bag on your back and buckle the strap. The strap itself is made of 1/4” foam, covered in a soft nylon material. We found the Buzz to be very comfortable, even after a full day at the amusement park.
The Buzz has two compartments, each accessed by Bihn’s way-cool “splash proof” zippers. (The zippers don’t use standard metal pulls, but instead use a thick cord and a large plastic pull tab.) The larger compartment is for your computing cargo; its built-in padded enclosure is best suited for a laptop or tablet computer. This enclosure is formed by the Buzz’ padded back panel and a padded compartment divider. The divider’s top corner has a padded flap which tucks around your computer, keeping it snug in the enclosure and protected by padding on all sides. When the divider is wrapped around a laptop, the large compartment still accommodates a thin spiral notebook, or a book, or perhaps your lunch.
If hauling a Mac mini, we’d make use of Tom Bihn’s eM2 bag and carry it in the Buzz’ larger compartment—but not in the padded compartment. The padded compartment is intended to have a laptop flat against your back, but the mini’s diminutive size makes it feel like a lump against your kidney. Instead we place the mini on the other side of the divider. In this configuration, the padded compartment is comfortable against our back while the mini is safely encased by the eM2; any papers or other thin cargo ride inside the padded area.
The smaller compartment has pockets for various small items—business cards, wallet and pens, or perhaps a power supply and assorted connectors and cables—and there’s still plenty of room for a few CD cases and a paperback. A hook strap keeps track of your keys.
On the right side panel, a stretchy pocket with straps is available for your water bottle or a small umbrella. On the front strap, a pocket holds an iPod or cell phone, and a loop offers a convenient spot for your sunglasses. The Buzz is visually attractive, with sloping curves that make the bag appear far less structured than it actually is. The smaller compartment is available in four different colors to suit your tastes.
We find the handle a bit small for our hands, but it’s just as easy to grab that meaty strap.
The Buzz isn’t your typical computer bag, and that’s why we like it. It’s perfect for a particular type of cargo, and a particular kind of journey. We’ve used it for a variety of tasks: hauling jackets, maps and cameras at the amusement park; transporting a 12” iBook and its power supply and mouse on a bicycle; and carrying pants, shoes and lunch while commuting on rollerblades. It doesn’t scream “there’s a computer in here!”, and it’s visually attractive to boot.
Tom Bihn’s Buzz is available online or at the company’s retail stores in Seattle and Port Angeles, Washington.