TOM BIHN Parental Unit Review
My wife and I used the TOM BIHN Parental Unit bag for a few months as a diaper/baby bag, and we’re ready to review it. For background, the Parental Unit (PU) is a retired design that made an encore production run last year due to popular demand. Since I was expecting a baby at the time, I justified the purchase and the bag has patiently been waiting for us to use it. The sharp observer will notice that this is a messenger/shoulder bag rather than a backpack. I hadn’t used a messenger-style bag in several years so I was curious to see whether I’d like it or not.
Overview
- 13 L volume (it’s smaller than it might appear)
- 525 D Ballistic nylon exterior and and 200 D halcyon interior (there are other variations too)
- Symmetrical pocketing and organization — center zipped main compartment, dual side compartments with divider walls, and two small external zipper pockets
- Included padded shoulder strap and optional stroller straps
Unlike most of the bags we use, this one notably does not have sleeves for a laptop or tablet, so it is definitely not a “crossover” bag for tech/work essentials.
Organization
The PU does organization really well. It has a variety of pocket sizes and depths to accommodate all sorts of things. The main compartment has two center dump pockets across from each other which we used mostly for stashing various toys and trinkets. These two dump pockets can be zippered together to further compartmentalize the main volume for a total of 4 sections. This is great for organizing clothes, diapers, or food for example. If you have to carry something longer, the center divider unzips easily to create one continuous space.
The side compartments are also rich with divided sections. Each one is divided into three sections, providing appropriately sized compartments for bottles, food containers, toys, and feeding utensils. The center third is the largest. Having two of these compartments gives you a lot of sections to work with to neatly organize everything.
Due to the symmetrical design, one potential challenge is to know which side has what. The best way to tell is to take note of the TOM BIHN label — only one side has it on the outside.
The flat, small zippered pockets can fit a wallet or smartphone with ease, and provide a great place to keep those items separate from your kids’ stuff.
Tapered shape
The main limitation of the organization is the tapered shape. The bottom has a smaller footprint than the top so that requires some strategic packing to best utilize the volume. For example, bulkier items will need to be packed towards the top while pointier/squishable items are best shoved into the bottom to conform to the wedge shape.
Access
All the compartments use really smooth YKK zippers which make it very easy to rip open (highly recommend installing the included zipper pulls or attaching your own). Because it’s a messenger bag, it’s really easy to swing the bag to the front and get right in without needing to take off the bag. This is a gamechanger if you happen to be carrying a baby, and perhaps the primary advantage of a shoulder bag over a backpack.
Still, loading/packing out the bag invariably involves stacking some items which means rummaging if you’re fishing for something at the bottom. It’s not a very tall bag so it’s a mild inconvenience, but an inconvenience nonetheless. Look at it as tradeoff of not having a clamshell opening like a backpack.
A Caveat
Once you pack the bag pretty full, the zippers get more difficult to close. The main compartment can be left open if it’s not raining and you really need to stuff it, as you might a regular tote bag. The side compartments could technically be left open too, but it would look weird and feel more insecure, i.e. some things could shake loose and fall out while you’re walking.
Carry Experience
The padded shoulder strap is quite comfortable, as long as you ensure the padding is in the right place. The strap itself uses dangle-free adjustment with a large plastic slider. It’s also removable, which wasn’t particularly useful for me, but if it’s primarily being used with the stroller straps then that might make sense.
The strap attaches to the bag using swivel hooks, which helps a lot in untwisting. Still, it’s not totally twist-proof; somehow between my wife and I using it, the strap managed to get twisted inside the plastic tri-glide.
Another thing to note about the strap is that there’s no buckle in the middle, so you’ll be lifting it over your head when donning it on and off.
Notably, there are no other external handles by which you can pick up the bag. If the main compartment is open, there are some webbing handles you can use as tote handles. This is kind of nice when the bag is overstuffed and those handles are exposed anyways. Still, it would be pretty functional if those handles could be on the outside.
Summary
Overall, I can see why the PU had strong demand from customers who were rallying for another production run. It’s a very functional messenger bag with pocketing that is appealing for items that parents with young children would typically carry. And in a sea of diaper backpacks, messenger-style carry and access may appeal to a lot of people. Plus, great quality construction and colorful combinations you expect from TOM BIHN products.
For my wife and I, we did feel the bag was a bit too small for what we usually like to carry (full diaper kit, 1–2 meals for a toddler, water bottle, milk bottle, toys, wipes and sanitizer, and an extra change of clothes). To be clear, it can fit all of those things, but it’s a tight fit. If the bottom was less tapered, it would give us a little more space/wiggle-room. Admittedly, we may not always need to carry all the things we do, but we prefer to overpack. We also found we liked having a clamshell opening for completely exposed access, even if it means setting the bag down before we do what we need to do.
Whether this bag is for you I think comes down to these 2 considerations:
- Is it big enough to carry everything?
- Do you prefer a messenger-style carry and opening or a backpack?
Since it’s a retired design, your only option at the time of this writing is the secondary market. The retail price was $160, which was pre-inflation price increases. Since it’s a limited bag, secondary prices may be a little higher.
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