Paragon 2.0 in Coyote Ballistic Paragon 2.0 in Coyote Ballistic with Zest 200 Halcyon interior. Paragon 2.0 in Constellation Ballistic. Paragon 2.0 in Constellation Ballistic in Island 200 Halcyon. Paragon 2.0 in Black Ballistic Paragon 2.0 in Black Ballistic with Northwest Sky 200 Halcyon Paragon 2.0 in Black Ballistic with Zest 200 Halcyon Paragon 2.0 in Deep Blue Ballistic. Paragon 2.0 in Deep Blue Ballistic in Acai 200 Halcyon. Paragon 2.0 in Deep Blue Ballistic in Solaris 200 Halcyon. Paragon 2.0 in Nebulous Grey Ballistic. Paragon 2.0 in Nebulous Grey Ballistic in Island 200 Halcyon. Paragon 2.0 in Nebulous Grey Ballistic in Sangria 210 Cerylon. Paragon 2.0 in Mars Red Ballistic. Paragon 2.0 in Mars Red Ballistic in Solaris 200 Halcyon. Paragon 2.0 in Burnt Orange Ballistic. Paragon 2.0 in Burnt Orange Ballistic in Dusk 210 Cerylon. Paragon 2.0 in Aubergine Ballistic. Paragon 2.0 in Aubergine Ballistic in Tidal 210 Halcyon. Paragon 2.0 in Wilderness Ballistic. Paragon 2.0 in Wilderness Ballistic in Cobalt 210 Cerylon.
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Paragon 2.0

4.9
Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars
4.9 Stars (17 Reviews)

$200.00

Color: Nebulous Grey Ballistic/Island 200 Halcyon

In Stock

Available Color options

Minimalism made modern.

20 liters / 1200 cu. in.

Close shot of the zipper pulls on the Paragon 2.0 A close shot of the Gatekeeper Waist Strap on the Paragon 2.0 The Paragon 2.0 open showing the interior zippered pocket and laptop compartment. Person wearing the Paragon 2.0 on their back with the front pocket open. Close shot of a person wearing the sternum strap of the Paragon 2.0
Person wearing the Paragon 2.0 on their back Person wearing the Paragon 2.0 on their back Person holding the Paragon 2.0 Person holding the Paragon 2.0 Interior of the Paragon 2.0 with items in the top pocket. Someone removing a 3D Organizer Cube from the main compartment of the Paragon 2.0 Someone removing a laptop from the main compartment of the Paragon 2.0

TLDR

The Paragon 2.0 is the second iteration of the Paragon, a modern take on Tom's minimalist bag from years past, the Simplex.

  • #8 Aquaguard® zippers (rain flaps removed from the original design and pull-tabs for easier zipping added)
  • New zipper pulls with soft and solid design
  • Interior pocket with dual zippers for easy access no matter how you access it (increased in volume and a second zipper added from the original design)
  • Padded back with a built-in, open-topped padded laptop pocket (spacer mesh added from original design for better breathability)

Full Description

Design Story

The Paragon 2.0 is the second iteration of the updated version of a backpack design made by Tom back in the 1970s, the Simplex. Classic rectilinear shape with radius corners, horizontal zippered front pocket, Aquaguard® zippers, 3D top pocket on the inside, and not a whole lot else going on, which is what some folks love about this design. Folks who love our Daylight Backpack but want some laptop protection, a padded mesh back, and replete-with-comfort shoulder straps will appreciate this pack.

Horizontal Zippered Front Pocket

The horizontal zippered front pocket is spacious enough to store your cellphone, wallet, and/or a small tablet. There's also a Key Strap attached to an O-ring inside this pocket, which is perfect for attaching an organizational pouch like the Clear Organizer Pouch, Double Organizer Pouch, or Ghost Whale Organizer Pouch.

Main Compartment With Built-In Laptop Pocket + Interior Zippered Pocket

Inside the main compartment are 2 O-rings and a minimalist built-in padded laptop compartment. It's a straightforward pouch of the same foam laminate that we use to make our Caches. It's able to fit laptop models like the 16" Macbook Pro and the Dell XPS 17" (see laptop fit guide for more details). Even if you decide not to carry your laptop, the compartment provides additional padding for your back. There's also an interior zippered pocket with some depth in the main compartment that can be accessed from the top or, when the front of the pack is folded over, the underside.

Edgeless Shoulder Straps

Conformity is overrated — except, perhaps, when it comes to shoulder straps. The edgelessness of this new strap allows it to more softly conform to your shoulder — we (and most people who have worn these straps) find that this increases comfort. Yet the straps aren't too soft: the 1/2" thick EVAZOTE® OEKO-TEX® certified foam means the strap is robust enough to carry a heavy load. We have also included integrated strap-keepers so you can manager those straps.

What's Included

Included Removable Sternum Strap + Waist Strap

As with all of our major backpacks, we include adjustable and removable sternum and waist straps: if you don't like or don't use your waist or sternum strap, remove them!

Key Strap

As with most of our bags, we've included a key strap. 8" long from tip-to-tip, a snaphook on either end. Good for attaching your keys to.

New Zipper Pulls

Our new zipper pulls are soft and sturdy and meant to be wrapped through both holes in the zipper pull in order to keep them where they're meant to be.

What's Optional

Vertical Packing Cubelet

You can attach a Vertical Packing Cubelet to the pair of o-rings above the open-top laptop pocket.

Packing Cube Shoulder Bag

The Packing Cube Shoulder Bag is the perfect 2-in-1 packing cube. It's big enough to store rolled up shirts and if you want something a bit smaller when you get to where you're going, attach a shoulder strap and you've got a small everyday bag.

The Paragon 2.0 is the second iteration of the updated version of a backpack design made by Tom back in the 1970s, the Simplex. Classic rectilinear shape with radius corners, horizontal zippered front pocket, Aquaguard® zippers, 3D top pocket on the inside, and not a whole lot else going on, which is what some folks love about this design. Folks who love our Daylight Backpack but want some laptop protection, a padded mesh back, and replete-with-comfort shoulder straps will appreciate this pack.

The horizontal zippered front pocket is spacious enough to store your cellphone, wallet, and/or a small tablet. There's also a Key Strap attached to an O-ring inside this pocket, which is perfect for attaching an organizational pouch like the Clear Organizer Pouch, Double Organizer Pouch, or Ghost Whale Organizer Pouch.

Inside the main compartment are 2 O-rings and a minimalist built-in padded laptop compartment. It's a straightforward pouch of the same foam laminate that we use to make our Caches. It's able to fit laptop models like the 16" Macbook Pro and the Dell XPS 17" (see laptop fit guide for more details). Even if you decide not to carry your laptop, the compartment provides additional padding for your back. There's also an interior zippered pocket with some depth in the main compartment that can be accessed from the top or, when the front of the pack is folded over, the underside.

Conformity is overrated — except, perhaps, when it comes to shoulder straps. The edgelessness of this new strap allows it to more softly conform to your shoulder — we (and most people who have worn these straps) find that this increases comfort. Yet the straps aren't too soft: the 1/2" thick EVAZOTE® OEKO-TEX® certified foam means the strap is robust enough to carry a heavy load. We have also included integrated strap-keepers so you can manager those straps.

Included Removable Sternum Strap + Waist Strap

As with all of our major backpacks, we include adjustable and removable sternum and waist straps: if you don't like or don't use your waist or sternum strap, remove them!

Key Strap

As with most of our bags, we've included a key strap. 8" long from tip-to-tip, a snaphook on either end. Good for attaching your keys to.

New Zipper Pulls

Our new zipper pulls are soft and sturdy and meant to be wrapped through both holes in the zipper pull in order to keep them where they're meant to be.

Vertical Packing Cubelet

You can attach a Vertical Packing Cubelet to the pair of o-rings above the open-top laptop pocket.

Packing Cube Shoulder Bag

The Packing Cube Shoulder Bag is the perfect 2-in-1 packing cube. It's big enough to store rolled up shirts and if you want something a bit smaller when you get to where you're going, attach a shoulder strap and you've got a small everyday bag.

Materials

Exterior

bluesign® certified 630 denier High-Tenacity 2x2 Ballistic nylon exterior

Interior

bluesign® and OEKO-TEX® certified 200 denier Halcyon/nylon ripstop
— or —
bluesign® certified 210 denier Cerylon high tenacity nylon ripstop

Zippers

2x #8 YKK Aquaguard® coil zipper with metal sliders (exterior zippers)
1x #5 YKK coil zipper with plastic slider (interior zipper)
1x #3 YKK coil zipper with plastic slider (interior zipper)

Back

Closed-cell foam

Straps

Edgeless EV50 1/2” / 12mm shoulder straps (EVAZOTE® OEKO-TEX® foam)

Laptop Compartment

.25" / 6 mm thick foam padding laminated between black, heavy-duty polyester knit and brushed tricot

Components

Duraflex®, Nexus, and Woojin buckles and related components

Specs

Dimensions

13.4" (w) x 17.9" (h) x 6.8" (d) / 340 (w) x 455 (h) x 175 (d) mm

Weight

1 lb 7.3 oz / 660 grams

Volume

 20 liters / 1200 cu. in. (ASTM Standard Measure)

Laptop Compartment

14.09" x 9.68" x 0.64" / 357.9mm x 245.9mm x 16.2 mm

Total O-Rings

7 (4 in the main compartment, 2 in the interior pocket, 1 in the front pocket)

4.9
Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars
Based on 17 reviews
94%would recommend this product
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17 reviews
  • Michael C.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship
    6 days ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship
    Rated 4 out of 5 stars
    Excellent bag - needs structure

    I love this bag! It’s well designed, the colors are so beautiful the straps are probably the best in the industry. This is my first Tom Bihn bag, I bought it after trying on my friend’s Paragon v1 and being amazed by the comfort. I use this as my daily bag to work whether driving in or riding my bike to work. My two suggestions for a V3 would be to include the skeleton padded back panel like in some of the other bags, and to give the bag a bit more rigidity either through a separate back panel or some other way. This would help the bag stand on its own and not be as floppy.

    Was this helpful?
  • Jason
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship, Sewn in USA
    3 weeks ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship, Sewn in USA
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Classic and Clean

    I didn't expect to love this bag as much as I do. It's simple, clean, lines make it visually appealing. The orange color is so, so nice in person. The zippers are smooth, even with the water resistant coating. I love that the interior stash pocket can be zipped/unzipped from the top or the bottom. Edgeless shoulder straps are really comfortable. Just an all around classic looking daypack.

    Was this helpful?
  • Erin R.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, Sewn in USA, Compact
    2 months ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, Sewn in USA, Compact
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Love it!

    I’ve used my Paragon a couple times now for incognito traveling on short trips and it is awesome. It’s just a big rectangle so you can Tetris all your cubes/stuff however you want. And because of that it fits more than you’d expect. I like the addition of the second zipper to the interior pocket, just makes it that much more functional. I also love the built in strap keepers! There are other bags like this out there, but not quite the quality of materials and the comfort with the edgeless straps that the Paragon has. Thanks Tom Bihn!

    Was this helpful?
  • Nick F.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship, Compact, Good Storage Size
    2 months ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship, Compact, Good Storage Size
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Form and function

    Loving this bag so far. The design is so clever - it looks sleek and minimal on the outside, and the narrow width keeps the weight close to your back for comfort. But my favorite part is the inner top compartment. You can put something substantial in it which will be suspended above the items in the floor of the main compartment, which arranges everything nicely in a "flat packed" way. Then when you put the bag on the floor, you can open the main compartment and fold down the top section, and the substantial thing you put in there acts as a ballast, keeping the bag standing on its own and easily packed. And then you notice there's an extra zipper to gain access to that compartment even when folded down! It's utterly ingenious.

    Was this helpful?
  • Christine R.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Compact, Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship, Good Storage Size
    1 hour ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Compact, Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship, Good Storage Size
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Compact and Roomy at the same time

    Comfortable and fits all my stuff easily! The only suggestion would be to add some protection to the base of the padded laptop sleeve at the bottom. Otherwise, perfection.

    Was this helpful?
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Sewn in Seattle

Our bags are designed and sewn right here in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.

That allows us to be control freaks in the best way possible; we have direct control and oversight of the quality of our materials, our products, and the jobs and working environment that we help create. It also offers us a unique spontaneity: when we have an idea for a new product or accessory, we can design it, figure out how to build it, add it to our website and be ready to ship it out our front door all within just a few weeks. How cool is that?

Intrigued? You can find out more about the unusual way we do business on our Company Philosophy page.

THE BIHN Guarantee

Everything you buy from us here at TOM BIHN is satisfaction guaranteed. We’ve been in business since 1972 and we stand behind what we make.

If something goes wrong and it's our fault, we'll fix it for free. Repairs due to normal wear and tear or due to other things that are not our fault will be performed, when possible, at a reasonable charge right here in our Seattle factory where your bag was made. Defects in materials or workmanship are uncommon and almost always evident while the product is still new. Keep in mind that bags and packs are often subject to extreme wear in everyday use: do not expect them to last forever. Only true love lasts forever! You can expect a TOM BIHN product to give years and years of hard service.

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