Pilot in Nebulous Grey (medium grey) Ballistic. Pilot in Nebulous Grey (medium grey) 525 Ballistic with Wasabi (green with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. Pilot in Nebulous Grey (medium grey) Ballistic with Island (blue with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. Pilot in Nebulous Grey (medium grey) 525 Ballistic with Sangria (red with red grid) 210 Cerylon interior. Pilot in Wilderness (forest green) Ballistic. Pilot in Wilderness (forest green) Ballistic with Northwest Sky (light grey with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. Pilot in Wilderness (forest green) Ballistic with Dusk (blue-grey with light blue-grey grid) 210 Cerylon interior. Pilot in Burnt Orange 525 Ballistic Pilot in Burnt Orange Ballistic with Moss (green with light green grid) 210 Cerylon interior. Pilot in Burnt Orange Ballistic with Northwest Sky (light grey with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. Pilot in Aubergine (dark purple) Ballistic. Pilot in Aubergine Ballistic with Dusk (lilac with light purple grid) 210 Cerylon interior. Pilot in Aubergine (dark purple) Ballistic with Northwest Sky (grey with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. Pilot in Black 525 Ballistic. Pilot in Black Ballistic with Persimmon (orange with light orange grid) 210 Cerylon interior. Pilot in Black Ballistic with Moss (green with light green grid) 210 Cerylon interior. Pilot in Black 525 Ballistic with Island (blue with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. Pilot in Black Ballistic with grey label. Pilot in Black 525 Ballistic with Northwest Sky (light grey with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. Pilot in Deep Blue (dark blue) Ballistic. Pilot in Deep Blue (dark blue) Ballistic with Moss (green with light green grid) 210 Cerylon interior. Pilot in Deep Blue (dark blue) 525 Ballistic with Northwest Sky (light grey with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. Pilot in Deep Blue (dark blue) 630 Ballistic with Sitka (dark green with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. Pilot in Mars Red 525 Ballistic with Northwest Sky (light grey with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. Pilot in Mars Red 525 Ballistic with Northwest Sky (light grey with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. Pilot in Constellation (light blue) 525 Ballistic. Pilot in Constellation (light blue) 525 Ballistic with Northwest Sky (light grey with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. Pilot in Coyote (tan) 525 Ballistic. Pilot in Coyote (tan) 525 Ballistic with Northwest Sky (light grey with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. Pilot in Ursa (brown-grey) Ballistic. Pilot in Ursa (greyish brown) Ballistic with Northwest Sky (grey with white grid) 200 Halcyon interior. Pilot in Ursa (greyish brown) Ballistic with Dusk (blue-grey with light blue-grey grid) 210 Cerylon interior. Pilot in Raspberry (reddish-purple) Ballistic. Pilot in Raspberry (reddish-purple) Ballistic with Acai (dark purple) 200 Halcyon interior. Pilot in Saguaro (olive green) Ballistic. Pilot in Saguaro (olive green) Ballistic with Zest (orange) 200 Halcyon interior. Pilot in Taiga (green with grey grid) 400 Halcyon.. Pilot in Taiga (green with grey grid) 400 Halcyon with Northwest Sky (grey with white grid) 200 Halcyon. Pilot in Black 420 Spectron. Pilot in Black 420 Spectron with an Island 200 Halcyon interior.
Add to wishlist

Pilot

4.9
Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars
4.9 Stars (255 Reviews)

$188.00

Color: Burnt Orange Ballistic/Moss 210 Cerylon

In Stock

Available Color options

Next Batch

In Production Options

Personal item carry-on travel bag/laptop briefcase.

13 liters / 800 cu. in.

Add a Cache?
$52.00 - 10A (2021 iPad/ iPad Air/Pro 10.5")
visible variant TB03310A TB03310B TB03311A TB03312A TB03313A TB03313B TB03313C TB03313D TB03313E TB03315A TB03315B TB03315C TB03315D TB03316A TB03317B^^A Cache on the Horizontal side.
Close shot of the zipper on the Pilot. Overhead shot of the Pilot. The main pocket of the Pilot with a laptop. A close shot of the Pilot side pocket zipper. The side compartment of the Pilot with a notepad and marker inserted into the interior pocket. The side compartment of the Pilot with phone and pen inserted into the interior pockets. A reverse shot of the Pilot. A close shot of the snaphook attachment point with a snaphook attached. A close shot of the zipper of the main compartment of the Pilot. The Co-Pilot and Pilot side-by-side.
A person carrying a Pilot on a commute. A person carrying a Pilot. Profile shot of a person carrying a Pilot. A person carrying a Pilot through the airport. A profile shot of a person holding a Pilot. A person holding a Pilot. A ski trip loadout.
Thumbnail for a video of the Pilot.

TLDR

With 30% more volume than the Co-Pilot, the Pilot is a medium, personal item carry-on travel briefcase designed to fit your work essentials.

  • Main compartment that fits a 14" laptop or tablet
  • 2 interior open-top pockets and 2 O-rings
  • 3 exterior front pockets with independent volume and 1 O-ring in each
  • Rolling luggage handle pass-through pocket on open-top pocket bottom
  • Carry as a briefcase or wear as a shoulder bag
  • Fits under the seat in front of you on the airplane

Full Description

Main Compartment

The main compartment is large enough to store clothes or a 14" Macbook Pro or smaller tablet in a Cache. Inside, there are two open-top pockets of equal size — perfect spot to store an organizer, like our Clear 3D Organizer Cube or Vertical Packing Cubelet. On one interior side of the main compartment are 2 O-rings so that you can attach our Mystery Organizer Pouches and Ghost Whale Organizer Pouches. On the other interior side are a set of Cache loops for you to attach an optional Cache, stored with your device inside. 

3 Front Exterior Organizational Pockets

The Pilot has three front zippered pockets with an O-ring in each. The front left compartment also has a small organizational pocket.

The middle front pocket is designed to fit a small water bottle or compact folding umbrella. The bottom of this pocket has an eyelet so any condensation, spills, or leaks won't puddle in the bag. 

The front right pocket has four pen pockets and one O-ring which includes a Key Strap. It's the same size as the left pocket and it's perfect for storing things like a digital camera, snacks, or even a light wind shell or down vest in a Travel Stuff Sack. 

Rolling Luggage Handle Pass-Through

We know many of you like to use our bags as personal items alongside roller luggage when traveling, so the pass-through pocket is tucked on the bottom of the open-top back pocket.

The pocket also has a zipper on the bottom side so when you are not utilizing it for a luggage pass-through, you can just zip it up and store quick-access items in there. 

What's Included

Standard Shoulder Strap
1.5" / 38 mm nylon webbing strap, includes .25" / 6mm texturized rubber pad and heavy-duty plastic snaphooks. 
 

8" Snaphook/Snaphook 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.

A Set of Black Zipper Pulls
A set of pulls to extend or replace your metal pulls.
 

What's Optional

Absolute Shoulder Strap
Upgrade from the included 1.5” strap to an Absolute Shoulder Strap if you anticipate carrying a heavy load.

3D Clear Organizer Cube
The 3D Clear Organizer Cube is the perfect organizer for your toiletries and is specifically designed to meet the TSA 3-1-1 liquids-program requirements. If you want a faster and smoother security checkpoint experience, use the Cube as your go-to toiletries bag.

Cache
The Pilot can accommodate a wide range of devices. If you plan on putting a laptop or smaller tablet in the interior banded open-top pocket, we recommend adding a Cache.  

The main compartment is large enough to store clothes or a 14" Macbook Pro or smaller tablet in a Cache. Inside, there are two open-top pockets of equal size — perfect spot to store an organizer, like our Clear 3D Organizer Cube or Vertical Packing Cubelet. On one interior side of the main compartment are 2 O-rings so that you can attach our Mystery Organizer Pouches and Ghost Whale Organizer Pouches. On the other interior side are a set of Cache loops for you to attach an optional Cache, stored with your device inside. 

The Pilot has three front zippered pockets with an O-ring in each. The front left compartment also has a small organizational pocket.

The middle front pocket is designed to fit a small water bottle or compact folding umbrella. The bottom of this pocket has an eyelet so any condensation, spills, or leaks won't puddle in the bag. 

The front right pocket has four pen pockets and one O-ring which includes a Key Strap. It's the same size as the left pocket and it's perfect for storing things like a digital camera, snacks, or even a light wind shell or down vest in a Travel Stuff Sack. 

We know many of you like to use our bags as personal items alongside roller luggage when traveling, so the pass-through pocket is tucked on the bottom of the open-top back pocket.

The pocket also has a zipper on the bottom side so when you are not utilizing it for a luggage pass-through, you can just zip it up and store quick-access items in there. 

Standard Shoulder Strap
1.5" / 38 mm nylon webbing strap, includes .25" / 6mm texturized rubber pad and heavy-duty plastic snaphooks. 
 

8" Snaphook/Snaphook 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.

A Set of Black Zipper Pulls
A set of pulls to extend or replace your metal pulls.
 

Absolute Shoulder Strap
Upgrade from the included 1.5” strap to an Absolute Shoulder Strap if you anticipate carrying a heavy load.

3D Clear Organizer Cube
The 3D Clear Organizer Cube is the perfect organizer for your toiletries and is specifically designed to meet the TSA 3-1-1 liquids-program requirements. If you want a faster and smoother security checkpoint experience, use the Cube as your go-to toiletries bag.

Cache
The Pilot can accommodate a wide range of devices. If you plan on putting a laptop or smaller tablet in the interior banded open-top pocket, we recommend adding a Cache.  

Materials

Exterior Fabrics

bluesign® certified 630d High-Tenacity 2x2 Ballistic nylon

Interior Fabrics

bluesign® and OEKO-TEX® certified 200 denier Japanese Halcyon/nylon ultralight ripstop
— or —
bluesign® certified 210 denier Cerylon 6,6 Ripstop nylon

Zippers

#8 and #10 YKK Racquet-Coil water-repellent zippers

Handle

PORON® foam padded handle

Other Components

Tough Duraflex®, Nexus, and Woojin buckles and related components

Specs

Dimensions

15.4" (w) x 11.4" (h) x 5.1" (d) / 390 (w) x 290 (h) x 130 (d) mm

Weight

630d high tenacity ballistic nylon: 1 lbs 4.3 oz / 575 grams
630d high tenacity ballistic nylon, with Standard Strap: 1 lbs 8.1 oz / 870 grams

420d Spectron: 16.4 oz / 465 grams
420d Spectron, with Standard Strap: 1 lb 4.3 oz / 575 grams

Volume

13 liters / 800 cu. in. (ASTM Standard Measure)

Total O-Rings

5 (2 in the main compartment, 1 in the left zippered pocket, 1 in the water bottle pocket, 1 in the right zippered pocket)

4.9
Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars
Based on 255 reviews
96%would recommend this product
Write a Review (Opens in a new window)
255 reviews
  • Jill L.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design
    12 hours ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Is it possible to be in love with a bag? Perfect laptop EDC and personal item

    I got this to be my personal item on some upcoming flights - my Synik 26 is just a little too big unfortunately, so I got the Pilot in Raspberry to match it. But I ended up using the Pilot for in-person work this winter (commuting on transit); the first day I also carried a smaller bag with keys, wallet, transit card, but I realized I didn't need to do that because the front left pocket on the Pilot is so well-designed that I can put all the small items there securely. I have a padded laptop sleeve already, so that is no issue as others have mentioned. I love how a water bottle zips out of sight into the front compartment; I have even put my reusable coffee cup there (empty) to carry home. I fold an extra shopping bag into the back open pocket. I also love how accessible everything is when I carry it (cross-body). I did use the Pilot as a personal item on a recent trip and it was absolutely perfect. It was fully packed with my laptop, dopp kit, and I also tucked my TB Side Hustle in there, as well as my hat, mitts, and scarf and a magazine, and it still didn't seem full! It fit easily into the airline sizer and under the seat with room to spare . This is my fifth TB bag and I think it is my favourite! I also love the colour; when travelling through airport security for example when I'm asked which is my bag it is the pink one.

    Was this helpful?
  • Nathan C.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship, Durable, Good Storage Size, Versatile
    Yesterday
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship, Durable, Good Storage Size, Versatile
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Just about perfect

    I have a Tom Bihn Daylight briefcase I love and have used for several years. I frequently want a bit more space though, so I've been eyeing this bag for some time now. When the new Spectron material was announced, I used that as my excuse to pull the trigger finally. I'm so glad that I did! If we're being honest, I wish the color were a bit more interesting than just black, but any hesitations I had about Spectron were unfounded. It still has a durable "this is going to last forever" Tom Bihn feel while still being delightfully pliable and lightweight. Chef's kiss perfect balance. The middle water bottle pocket is a clever design that is every bit as useful as I was hoping it would be. I also appreciate the extra built-in organizational design elements missing in my previous minimalistic Daylight bag. The bag expands nicely for my heavier carrier days (13" laptop, 11" iPad, lots of work folders, etc.) while still maintaining a streamlined profile on more minimal days. Not sure what else I would even wish for in a bag!

    OK, fine, I guess I do have one minor little gripe... For some reason, the clip that attaches the shoulder strap to the bag has a tendency to squeak when rubbing against the plastic connection D-ring.

    Was this helpful?
  • Gerald S.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts High Quality Craftsmanship, Sewn in USA, High Quality Finishings, Compact, Comfortable
    2 days ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts High Quality Craftsmanship, Sewn in USA, High Quality Finishings, Compact, Comfortable
    Rated 4 out of 5 stars
    Almost there

    Bag worked well on its first work trip. Smaller and lighter were a bonus. The zipper that opened the outside to go over my luggage handle was not easy to operate when the bags is filled with all work related tools. Overall could have used the space on the outside pockets in the main compartment.

    Was this helpful?
  • Kevin M S.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Comfortable, Unique
    2 days ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Comfortable, Unique
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Awesome bag

    Loving the new Spectron material! Perfect for my Lenovo 14" Yoga laptop in a sleeve, Bose headphones in a case, and a vertical packing cubelet for wireless mouse, USB-C charger, etc.

    Was this helpful?
  • Patrick G.
    Verified Buyer
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Sewn in USA, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship
    2 days ago
    Bought For Myself
    Product Standouts Sewn in USA, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Great fabric

    Love the new spectron. Second pilot and the new fabric adds some flexibility.

    Was this helpful?
Show More
Lifetime guarantee image

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.

Ready to Grab
the Pilot?

See Options