Finding the right messenger bag is a matter of personal preference. Comfort, style, capacity and construction all play an important part in selecting this type of product. In terms of style most bags are only available in a limited set of one or two colors. Fortunately there is company making bags on a more personalized level.

Tom Bihn is a Seattle based company that has been making bags for over 37 years and have garnered quite reputation in the industry. One of the main selling points for the Tom Bihn line of bags is the ability to customize various features so that your bag is unique.

For today’s review, Tom Bihn has sent us a Super Ego messenger bag to examine. In addition, they provided us with a Horizontal Brain Cell, which is a padded laptop case sleeve and four Cordura line accessory pouches. The Horizontal Brain Cell comes in eleven different sizes for various sized laptops. For a more detailed look at the Brain Cell, check out Kris’ review here.

The Super Ego is a big spacious bag and can easily hold your laptop and much, much more! This bag has five color combinations to choose from, a plastic or seat belt style buckle and the ability to select from one of nineteen strip colors to the bag to make it more personalized. So many choices!

So let’s take a better look at the Super Ego messenger bag…..

The Tom Bihn Super Ego Messenger Bag

Reviewed by: Tomas Ratas

Sponsor: Tom Bihn

Tech Specs,Features or the Basic Info:

Tom Bihn Super Ego:

1050 denier ballistic nylon lined with 500 denier Cordura

-Becomes a protective laptop messenger bag with the addition of our Brain Cell hard-sided laptop case.

Swappable front strip available in 19 different colors allows you to continually customize the color combination of your Super Ego.

-Volume: 27 liters (1680 cu. in.)

Weight:
Super Ego w/plastic buckle: 2lb, 10.65 oz.
Super Ego w/seatbelt buckle 3 lb., 3.1 oz.

-Dimensions: 17" x 14.5" x 6.75" / 370mm x 435 mm x 175 mm #8 and #10 YKK Uretek splash-proof zippers.

Horizontal Brain Cell:

Hard-sided laptop case provides optimum protection

Aplix hook and loop closure on top makes it easy to access your laptop 500 denier Cordura

-Heavy-weight stretch mesh front pocket

-Weights:
Size 1: 1 lb. 2 oz.
Size 2: 1 lb. 3.7 oz.
Size 2M: 1 lb 6 oz.
Size 2XL: 1 lb. 6.55 oz.
Size 3S: 1 lb. 2 oz.
Size 4: 1 lb. 0.2 oz.
Size 4X: 1lb 0.1oz.
Size 4Z: 1lb 0.2oz.
Size 5: 14.2 oz.
Size 6: 14.3 oz.
Size 6T: 14 oz.
Size 6X: 13 oz.
Size 7: 12.2 oz.

-See the Brain Cell drop test

-Available in 11 different sizes to fit a wide range of laptops

A Better Look at Things:

The Super Ego arrives in a plain cardboard box with a Tom Bihn sticker affixed on the top of the box. In keeping with their “Green” policy, Tom Bihn uses recycled content for their shipping boxes. Opening the box we find the bag without any plastic packing or other unnecessary packing materials.

For this review, I received a Super Ego in Black/Steel/Sapphire w/Sapphire Strip and a matching Q-AM Shoulder Strap.

Inside the bag were the Horizontal Brain Cell, a soft cleansing cloth and four Cordura Organizer Pouches. Please be aware that these items and the Q-AM Shoulder Strap do not come standard with the Super Ego and add an additional cost to the messenger bag.

On the bag are several cardboard Tom Bihn labels. We find tags for each accessory, one for the Q-AM Shoulder Strap, one for the Horizontal Brain and one for the Super Ego itself.

Right away, you will notice how well this bag is constructed. It is composed of a ballistic nylon and Cordura fabric; which is known to have an exceptional strength to weight ratio, making this material light weight yet incredibly tough.

In terms of weight, the Super Ego can weigh either 2 lbs, 10.65 oz with the plastic buckle or 3 lb 3.1 oz with the seatbelt buckle. The Super Ego’s dimensions are 17" x 14.5" x 6.75". In addition you will also notice that this is a spacious bag with 1680 cubic inches of storage capacity.

Starting from the outside of the bag, we see a padded black handle composed of high-quality, 0.5" thick Poron foam which sits on top in front of the main front flap. Just above this flap is the #10 YKK Uretek splash-proof zipper which seals the main compartment of the Super Ego. All the zippers on the Super Ego feature easy to grab zipper pulls which can be removed if the user so desires.

The front flap features a stripe running down the center which is customizable with one of nineteen colors. This stripe is attached with Velcro and can be exchanged for additional color stripes that can be purchased from the website. At the end of this stripe we find the plastic buckle. This front flap is composed of two layers of ballistic nylon in black and steel. The inside of the flap is composed of another layer of nylon, which matches the color of the outside stripe, in this case blue.

Turning the messenger bag around, there is a large flat nylon open pocket on the back side of the bag, which is a good size for storing a magazine or newspaper.

On both sides of the Super Ego are two external pouches with adjustable straps, which are perfect for holding beverage containers.

Just above these pockets we find the padded foam shoulder Q-AM (Quick Adjust Messenger) strap. This special strap allows the wearer to keep the bag slung low on the hip one moment, and then with a quick tug, cinch the strap and the Super Ego will ride high on the wearer’s back. At the base the back pocket is the Messenger Stabilizer strap, which attaches to the shoulder strap to provide extra stability for the Super Ego.

Lifting the front flap reveals two YKK #8 Uretek splash-proof zippered pockets that are accessible with the flap open or closed. These two side pockets open into two small wallet size open compartments.

Behind these smaller pockets is a large open area with multiple small pockets for holding pens, cables, etc. Just above the corners of this large area are pair of key snaps that can hold items such as the Cordura organizer pouches.

Finally, the main compartment is located at the top of the bag and as I mentioned previously is sealed with a splash proof zipper. This large open space also has two key snaps and two Annex clips on the inside of the back of the bag. Using these clips, you can attach most versions of the Brain Cell to the Super Ego to keep your laptop from being jarred around. The rest of this compartment provides plenty of open room for storing your remaining items.