After about a year with a Synik 30, I started to want something that fit just a bit different. I couldn't describe what was wrong, as up until this Brain Bag, the Synik 30 was my favorite backpack I'd ever owned. I kept looking at the Brain Bag, and finally purchased one to see (even though it was technically bigger than my Synik 30) if it would be better for my EDC.

Within a week, the Brain Bag has moved to my number one all time favorite bag. I do miss a little of the organization of the Synik, but the Brain Bag has a ton of amazing organization on its own. I keep getting surprised as to what can fit in those front pockets.

Some call this bag a beast... I just don't see it like that. Sure, its ability to swallow anything I ask it to contstantly amazes me... but yet, it feels more compact than others. Very comfortable even at heavy weight and the handle... wow... just perfect.

Make yourself happy and get some strap keepers (2 pair at least) as this bag does have some dangle to contain. This said, the strap keepers work perfectly to contain the compression straps and the sternum/umbrella were handled with some rip cord.

Phenomenal bag. Looking forward to many long years with my new favorite bag.

I have a Brain Bag from ~2003 as well as one from ~2024. Over 20 years apart! The updated version has a lot of nice improvements. This is a BIG bag. In a nutshell, this is a really interesting and big bag, and it's priced very modestly for what you get, especially for a Tom Bihn bag. If you want a Tom Bihn bag but are balking at throwing down $400+ for some of the newer ones, this may be the bag for you. It delivers all the space and more of more modern designs, some really nice and unique features to boot -- and you'll be wearing a bit of Tom Bihn history!

The original Brain Bag was designed to hold "Brain Cells", which was Tom Bihn's original laptop-holding device, which was thicker than a cache because it was designed for older-school non-slim laptops. They were a padded thin rectangle with crush-protection, so it had more structure than a cache. The bag feels amazing with a Brain Cell inside, as this provides additional structure, sort of like having a frame, but better.

I have a few Brain Cells -- one original and one I purchased from eBay. They are cool. I assume this bag would also work very well with caches. But the "correct" way to use this bag is to find a Brain Cell or two on eBay... or beg Tom Bihn to bring back the Brain Cell (I still prefer them!) or buy something equivalent to them from somewhere. They are cool.

The cut of this bag allows it to massively expand to hold lots and lots of things. You can throw in a couple of laptops, as well as bulky items…