TOM BIHN Addax Review
It’s been a big year for TOM BIHN. Earlier this year, the company was sold when the founder, Tom, decided to retire. At the time, the main designer and CEO also decided it was time to move on to their next chapters. So, the Addax is the first start to finish design by their new designer, Jose. With that, you may have a lot of questions, like how true to the roots of TOM BIHN is the Addax? Or you might just be thinking, a roll-top?! In any case, we are here to dig into the Addax and share our thoughts. The Addax goes on sale November 28 (Cyber Monday).
One thing I always love about TOM BIHN is that they’re always experimenting and trying new designs, even if sometimes it’s rehashing old school designs. And I see the Addax as a continuation of that. You don’t typically think roll-top bags when you hear the name TOM BIHN, but maybe that will change. Who knows!
Disclaimer: This bag was provided to us by Tom Bihn as a sample to review. We are grateful for the chance to try out the bag, but as always, our reviews contain our honest opinions based on real usage, including both positives and negatives.
Overview
The Addax does a good job of maintaining a TOM BIHN-like design and build guality, O-rings for modularity, and zipper shape. But there are a couple new features that you’ll notice right away. It’s a roll-top. And it has an external water bottle pocket (not typical for a TOM BIHN bag, but I love it). When rolled, the top kind of looks like it has a pair of horns, which is how the bag got its name. An Addax is an endangered species of antelope with spiraled horns. Yay fun facts!
Key Specs
- 26L roll-top, that can expand up to 38L
- 2 lbs, 10 oz; 1050D ballistic nylon with 210d Cerylon interior lining
- Also available in X-Pac and in a 31L version (expandable to 48L)
Positive Highlights
- Versatility of the roll-top design while still being easy to use
- Comfortable design of the back panel and shoulder straps
Constructive Criticisms
- Lack of frame sheet is a slight bummer (though you can buy one separately)
- Zipper opening for laptop sleeve is a bit too short if you have a chunkier laptop
I’ve been using the Addax 26 nearly everyday for the past few weeks as my work backpack and office-to-gym bag, and it has been a fantastic companion. It can carry my work gear (laptop, notebook, wireless keyboard, headsets, charger, mouse) as well as a set of clothes for the gym, all within the 26L design with the top rolled down. If you want to stuff more in (e.g., throw my jacket in there too), you don’t have to roll the top down as much. Heck, you can even leave it open and put a tennis racquet in there.
I actually found that rolling the top the traditional 3 times felt a little tight. Two rolls felt more comfortable and still provides good weather-proofing. Though, I also noticed that when I was lazy, which is often, I would just fold the top down once and buckle the sides. For my commute (by car), that seemed fine. If I were commuting on public transit in the city, I’d probably feel more secure rolling the top 2 or 3 times. The cool thing about this roll-top is that it is quite versatile and easy to use compared to some other roll-top bags I’ve tried. The side-release buckles on the top of the bag are 1 male and 1 female, as are their counterparts on the side of the backpack. So you can also just buckle the top of the roll-top to itself, giving it a more traditional dry-sack look.
The roll-top is the only access to the main compartment. However, there is a vertical zipper up the side of the back panel that accesses the laptop sleeve, which is in the main compartment.
Organization
- Main compartment — This is where all the volume is. Like all roll-top backpacks, it’s a massive cavity and a dark abyss. The blue internal liner does help a bit.
- Laptop sleeve — On the back panel of the main compartment is a 13.5" x 11.5" (H x W) laptop sleeve with a false bottom and back padding. The sleeve has a top zipper as well as a side zipper. The TOM BIHN specs say 14.5" x 10", but my measurements are nowhere near that. The side zipper allows access from the exterior of the bag. Though the 26L Addax is meant to be able to hold a 14" laptop, my 14" Thinkpad barely fits through the side access zipper. The zipper itself is wide enough, but because there is a zipper garage, it loses about an inch of opening. It takes a lot of fidgeting to give my laptop through, so I ended up almost never using the side access zipper. A slimmer laptop might have more success. The laptop sleeve itself is sufficiently large enough for a 14" laptop.
- Tablet sleeve — Adjacent to the laptop sleeve is an 8.5" x 11.5" (H x W) tablet sleeve, with the same false bottom. The fabric isn’t very taut and the height is a little short for a tablet sleeve. Thus, your tablet doesn’t stay upright against the back panel very well. But that won’t really matter unless the bag is empty.
- Internal mesh pockets — On the front wall of the main compartment are 2 small mesh pockets, 5" x 5.5" (H x W). The top edge is slightly elastic. These are great places for cables or a mouse.
- External zipped pockets — On the front face of the bag are 2 zipped pockets. The lower one is about 6.5" x 10" (H x W) and has no other features. The upper one is about 5" x 9" (H x W) and has two small mesh pockets inside that are slightly elasticated. Personally, I don’t feel like these two small mesh pockets are really necessary. The external zipped pocket isn’t so large that it needs additional internal organization.
- Water bottle pocket — On the right side of the backpack (when wearing it) is an elastic water bottle pocket. It’s not gusseted but the pocket doesn’t stick out too much that it gets in the way. It works well for both medium and larger bottles. My S’well bottle works well with it, but it’ll also hold a 1L Nalgene bottle.
- Side zipped pocket — On the other side is a vertically zipped pocket. It’s large enough to act as another water bottle pocket, but it doesn’t have much of its own volume. So while a 1L Nalgene will fit in it, it will push into the main compartment.
Additional Features
- Removable waist belt — It’s a simple nylon strap with side release buckle in the middle. It’s attached to the bag via gated hooks.
- O-rings for attachments — Four O-rings inside the main compartment, and two inside the top external pocket, a typical feature of TOM BIHN bags.
- Key leash — Inside the front panel’s upper external pocket. Attached via an O-ring.
- Sternum strap — Removable and adjustable via nylon webbing on the shoulder straps.
- Light attachment loop — Since this bag is designed for cyclists too, there is an attachment loop for lights located at the bottom of the front face.
- Strap organizers — TOM BIHN bags tend to have a lot of excess strap, so it fits people of all sizes. Fortunately, they also come with strap organizers so things aren’t so dangly.
- Grab handle — Simple, seatbelt-grade webbing, at the top of the back panel.
- Luggage passthrough — The entire back panel’s padding is also a luggage passthrough.
Construction and Comfort
The Addax is a very sturdy and burly bag. The 26L version is 18.5" x 12.8" x 10.2" (H x W x D) and comes in at 2 lbs 10 oz, which is lighter than you’d expect for a roll-top this size. The extra fabric at the top of roll-top bags typically adds a good amount of weight. As mentioned above, when the bag is unrolled, it is roughly 38L in volume.
The version you see in these pics is 1050D ballistic nylon with a 210D Cerylon lining. There are also versions with a 1050D ballistic nylon / 200D Halcyon lining, and an X-Pac / 200D Halcyon version. Even though it doesn’t have true waterproofing, the bag’s dense fabric and multiple layers offers a good amount of protection. Compound that with the fact that when you roll the top, you’ve basically covered the top of the bag with many layers of the backpack itself. The Addax 31 is 20.1" x 12.8" x 11.8" (H x W x D) and ranges from 31L to 48L when unrolled.
In terms of comfort, TOM BIHN has a reputation for having very comfortable shoulder straps, and the Addax lives up to that. The edgeless, contoured shoulder straps feel great. While there is no internal frame, there is a layer of padding throughout the back panel. It doesn’t provide much rigidity, but at least gives the bag some form. The back panel is covered in mesh, but doesn’t have a true airflow channel. Overall, it’s a comfortable bag when I use it as an EDC bag. If I actually load it up to 38L with heavy gear, then I think one thing that would enhance the comfort would be load lifter straps because the top of the bag leans away from your shoulders. If you’ve got a ton of weight in the bag, that shifts your center of gravity away from your back.
As with all of TOM BIHN’s bags, the hardware feels great. The zippers are YKK #8 RCz. The buckles are all very sturdy.
Additional Usage Notes
Last note — the Addax has a flat bottom, which means it is able to stand on its own. Of course this always depends on how you pack the bag. When empty and with the top unrolled, the bag doesn’t stand upright at all due to the lack of a frame sheet and rigid structure.
Summary
Overall, the Addax is a great bag that is versatile, durable, and in my opinion has just the right amount of organization. If you like org pouches, the Addax works well with them. If you don’t, there is still enough pockets on the Addax to handle your EDC gear.
It’s not an ideal bag for someone who needs the level of organization that an admin compartment offers or who doesn’t like rummaging through large pockets.
Features: 3 of 5 — Not a ton of innovation in this bag, but its few features are executed well.
Organization: 3 of 5 — A few internal pockets and external pockets. Just like TOM BIHN’s style, there is enough that you can keep yourself sufficiently organized but also works well with org pouches.
Construction: 5 of 5 — Typical TOM BIHN construction. Good materials and excellent craftsmanship.
Aesthetics: 3 of 5 — TOM BIHN bags are usually function over form. They’re not meant to be head-turners and are relatively average in looks.
Comfort: 4 of 5 — Great shoulder straps and a layer of mesh-covered padding on the back. Some more structure in the back panel could help.
Life-Integration: 4 of 5 — Nothing that would require a learning curve but you do need to learn how you like to use roll-tops (which way you prefer to roll, how many times you prefer to roll).
X-factor: 4 of 5 — TOM BIHN has almost a cult following of users. It’s a niche market, but loyal. They also did a good job of coordinating with different groups to review and test out the Addax while maintaining radio silence until its announcement date.
