Name: Paragon 2.0
Brand: TOM BIHN
Price: 209.0 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.9 (31 reviews)

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Description
Materials & Specs
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USA Sewn

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.

Main compartment opens with #8 Aquaguard® zippers, now featuring pull-tabs for easier zipping by providing a better grip (rain flaps have been removed from the original design for a sleeker look)
New zipper pulls with soft and solid design
Interior pocket with dual zippers, redesigned for easier access and expanded for increased storage capacity
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 High-Tenacity 630 denier Ballistic nylon exterior

Interior

bluesign® and OEKO-TEX® certified 200 denier Halcyon/nylon ripstop
— or —
bluesign® certified 210 denier C erylon 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 31 reviews

97%would recommend this product

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31 reviews

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Scott L.
Verified Buyer
Bought For Myself
Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship, Good Storage Size
11 minutes ago
Bought For Myself
Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship, Good Storage Size
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Super daily and work backpack
I couldn’t be happier with the Paragon 2.0. I was looking for a backpack I could comfortably carry around campus (I’m a professor) and that looked professional enough. This backpack excels in each regard.
Comfort: the backpack has wonderfully cushioned straps, though I think the really impressive aspect of the bag is how it carries. Because of its width (a lot) and relatively shallow depth, the backpack stays close to the back and weight feels evenly distributed. In essence, the backpack is balanced and feels that way when being carried.
Space / storage: for my needs, the backpack is just the right size. In the laptop sleeve, I can easily fit my 13-inch MacBook Air, two legal pads, and some folders. Everything is quickly and easily accessed. In the main compartment (pictured), I keep a vertical packing cubelet, Tom Bihn first aid pouch, a pencil case and one or two books. All fit comfortably and, like the laptop etc, are easily accessed. In the inside storage pouch, I keep other flat essentials, and in the front compartment I keep a rather hefty A5 notebook; it fits, but snuggly.
I don’t often do this, but I could also fit a lunchbox or compressed clothing item above the books / pouches in the main compartment.
Appearance: I love the look of this bag. It’s sleek and unobtrusive; in other words, classic. Blue “pull du jours” add a bit of character and match the interior lining.
Would I change anything? Two things:
1) o-rings on the inside of the main compartment…
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Lauren B B.
Verified Buyer
Bought For Myself
Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship, High Quality Finishings, Comfortable, Versatile
6 days ago
Bought For Myself
Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship, High Quality Finishings, Comfortable, Versatile
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Simple Yet Organized
Even though the Paragon 2.0 doesn’t have as many external pockets as the Synapse or Synik, the pockets it does have are enough to stay organized for a day at the office. The Constellation color is beautiful and looks much better in person! I like how lightweight the bag feels. I’m pleased with this purchase and will continue to use this beautiful bag.
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Zachary R.
Verified Buyer
Bought For Myself
Product Standouts High Quality Craftsmanship, Comfortable
1 month ago
Bought For Myself
Product Standouts High Quality Craftsmanship, Comfortable
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Minimalist EDC
The Paragon 2.0 works great for carrying my laptop, tech pouch, lunch etc to and from work. I like it's light weight and minimalist vibe.
Was this helpful?
Victor P.
Verified Buyer
Bought For Gift
Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship, Comfortable
1 month ago
Bought For Gift
Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship, Comfortable
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great bag
Bought this for my gf. She says sometimes you don’t feel it’s there. She once carried a PS5 in it and said the back support and straps helped tremendously. Wish it had something to hold a water bottle upright though
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xavier w.
Verified Buyer
Bought For Myself
Product Standouts High Quality Craftsmanship, Sewn in USA, Good Storage Size, Comfortable, Durable
1 month ago
Bought For Myself
Product Standouts High Quality Craftsmanship, Sewn in USA, Good Storage Size, Comfortable, Durable
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Backpack backpack
A well made pack, great zippers. The laptop padding is a plus especially for lightweight travel. The Paragon 2.0 has just enough internal organization. I have the black with the zest lining. A great combination
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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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Paragon 2.0

TLDR