I bought the Pilot to complement my Trinity and Daylight Briefcase, completing my series of bags to meet my three different sets of needs for size and weight.

The key advantage of all three of the following bags, over my Synik 22, Synik 30, and Paramour, is the briefcase format that makes removing and replacing my computers trivially easy and fast. That's important when I'm taking them out to use only briefly, or I'm moving quickly from one meeting room to another, or I'm in a situation where access to my bag is restricted, as in front of me or under my legs while I'm seated on a plane.

1. Daylight Briefcase for my 13" Macbook Pro in its Cache, with minimal other stuff needing carrying. Easy to carry by hand since it weighs so little and is so thin that my arm hangs nearly straight. Barely noticeable when slung over shoulder or cross-body.

2. Pilot for the same 13" Macbook Pro in its Cache, when I want to carry more stuff such as an iPad, water bottle, backup battery for phone... Usually I sling this cross-body or over shoulder, since with the additional cargo it is heavier than what I carry in the Daylight Briefcase, and it is a bit thicker so my arm extends sideways a bit. But still it is easy enough to carry by hand, which I do often.

3. Trinity for 16" Macbook Pro. No need for its Cache, so even easier to remove and replace in the bag. Plenty of room for lots more stuff, even the 13" Macbook Pro (in its Cache). My primary method of carry is cross body or shoulder,…

I have been aware of the Pilot for some time, but I never really “got it.” I would look at it on the Tom Bihn website from time to time, and I just could not understand how it would work. The front center vertical zipper just looked odd, and the two side pockets and the L-shaped zippers seemed like they would not work.

Recently I was watching a few YouTube videos of the Pilot, and I’m not sure why, but I got intrigued by the Pilot and decided to order one. I figured if I really hated it, I could send it back. That was dumb. I’ve never sent back a Tom Bihn bag (well I did, once, but that was because I stupidly ordered the wrong size and had to exchange it).

The Pilot is no exception to the rule. This is easily the best, most useful, and best organized shoulder bag I have ever used. The front center vertical zip pocket is perfect for my cable bag, which fits perfectly (actually there is some extra room in case I need it). The two side zippered pockets with their internal organization work perfectly for my daily carry, with perfectly located D-rings for hooking multiple key leashes home, work and other keychains. The back pocket fits my laptop (both 15” MacBookAir and 14” MacBookPro, but it would certainly take a 16” as well, and I use my cache to keep it protected. And there is plenty of room for notebooks and anything else I need to carry..

Construction / quality are standard Tom Bihn, which means superb. Nothing more need be said.

There is only one drawback to the Pilot:…