Tom Bihn – Side Effect… in Spectron… Subdued Style with a BIG Effect!
Bag

Tom Bihn – Side Effect… in Spectron… Subdued Style with a BIG Effect!

by JP

I BOUGHT and USED this item. It WAS NOT PROVIDED to me for review by any company.

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The Tom Bihn Side Effect checks many of the same boxes as its bigger sibling, the Side Kick, if you’re looking for utility, comfort, and subdued style, especially in the beautiful new 420 Spectron fabric. In fact, there’s precious little one can say, overall, that could detract from the functionality and comfort of the Side Effect. Is the Tom Bihn Side Effect for you? Let’s take a look…

Forewarning: This review will include many of the same bits of information as the review of the Side Kick. They’re both part of a three-piece lineup with the Side Effect coming in as the Bobby or Cindy of the trio. Here’s the story … of a …

The Time Saver…

Who’s It For?

Professionals, Travelers, Students, and Everyday people on-the-go, will find the Tom Bihn Side Effect to be more than just a pocket reliever with an understated and simple but stylish aesthetic. After all, It’s Tom Bihn, which stands for adaptability to and functionality in almost every situation as a rule.

The Hits…
  • 😃 Spectron: The 420 Spectron fabric of this particular bag is out of this world. I love it! I love the feel of it. I love the look of it. I love that THIS is the direction that the company has gone in their search for a worthy successor to Halcyon – and Cerylon?
  • 😃 The Main Compartment Zipper: I love how buttery smooth the number 8 YKK zipper is as it runs across the top of the main compartment with either a slight pull or an authoritative yank. It’s super satisfying. This is especially so with the Side Effect. I’m convinced it’s due to its dimensions.
  • 😃 Dimensions and Pliability. In Spectron, the Side Effect seems to move out of the flippety floppety category, in which the Side Kick (and presumably Side Hustle) sit. It must be the dimensions but it does not feel floppy and, instead, crosses into the pliable category, which is a good thing.
The Misses…
  • 😐 The Front Zipper: I’ve been waiting for it to break in. It’s not changing. This is just how it is. It’s just a rough and louder-than-necessary implementation. I’d love to see it swapped out for a standard coil zipper track, which would be much, much smoother. There just doesn’t seem to be a rhyme or reason to making it reverse coil and the result is “meh”. The Solution: Acceptance.
  • 😐 The 5/8 Inch Shoulder Strap: This is largely a personal preference but it has to be true for most. It twists and rolls. And although weight won’t be an issue in the bag itself, the width of such a strap can be a bit digging on the shoulders. The Solution: Add a 1 inch shoulder strap to your cart with your Side Effect. You can thank me later.
  • 😐 Thready Misstep: A huge personal nitpick and, for sure, of no real consequence to anybody else but me is this (which is also the case with the Side Kick and, apparently, the Side Hustle):
  • 😐 Thready Misstep Continued: I sincerely wish that they would separate pockets with a thread color that matches the lining material. It shows on the reverse of the pocket separator into the front pocket of the bag. Of course, they know this and clearly prefer it this way. It’s totally just me.

    I’m pretty picky with aesthetics. And I get it. This is likely a whole lot of nothing to others. So ignore this one in the larger scheme of things. It really doesn’t detract from my overall view of the Side Effect any way. The Solution: Acceptance.

    I’ll also add that I’m a bit of a hypocrite to nitpick this, because I’ve done exactly the same thing with my own bags.

The Thick of It…

Outside the Tom Bihn Side Effect…

Having worn and used the Tom Bihn Side Effect for about a month, I can say that I really like it. Wrapped in the 420 Spectron fabric, it’s got style and presence. So I’ll recommend this variation for sure! Is this to say that I don’t recommend the 630 ballistic? Nope. I just don’t have one.

First Impressions…

As soon as I opened the envelope containing the Tom Bihn Side Effect in 420 Spectron, it invited me to run my fingers over it like a new puppy. I had been waiting a bit for this one. This was my first exposure to 420 Spectron and my first thought was…

“Wow, I already LOVE this material! What was that old material called again?”

Spectron is soft. It has texture. The diamond-shaped crosshatches are now placed in the forefront with the faint squared off Halcyonic grid of old pushed back. This seems like an intentional communication of progress in a new direction for Tom Bihn. These two shapes were exactly the opposite in the older Halcyon material. Squares to the front of the line – diamonds in the back.

Design & Aesthetics

The design of Tom Bihn’s Side Effect is minimal and sleek. It’s not large by any stretch (9″ x 5.5″ x 3.1″) and is the first and smallest on the Side Line, followed by its larger siblings, the Side Kick and the Side Hustle.

Original Photo by Tom Bihn. Words Added.

Although small, the Side Effect still features expandability in the form of lashing points, to which you can attach whatever you like using a gatekeeper or carabiner clip. This also expands the ways one can wear the Side Effect.

Subtle branding keeps the focus on the bag. There are no labels on the front or back of the Side Effect. Two narrow logo bands are placed on the right and left sides of the gusset, just below the strap connectors. I usually don’t mind some branding on the front or back of a bag. But I know that some prefer none at all. Tom Bihn always seems to strike the right balance with branding, in my opinion.

What about standout design features? Although the Side Effect is a pretty basic bag, it does have above average utility, which makes the design itself is the standout feature, as it allows for adaptability to a large range of use cases.

Build Quality and Materials of the Tom Bihn Side Effect
420 Spectron

My only experience with the Side Effect is in 420 Spectron, which is the culimation of a years long search for a successor to the much loved but less available 200d Halcyon – and it’s a worthy successor, indeed.

Although 420 Spectron is limited to one color, the lining colors change with the product (and have changed since within certain products – the Synik 26, which was originally available in Spectron/Sitka but is now Spectron/Tahoma, as an example. The Spectron Side Effect is available with a 200d Halcyon lining in Tahoma.

It should be mentioned that the Side Effect is also available in 630d 2×2 high tenacity ballistic nylon in various colors. What’s 630d 2×2 high tenacity ballistic nylon? I’d try to explain but all I can tell you is that it feels nice in the hand. I’ll let Tom Bihn tell you, instead.

The availability of colorways changes all the time. This may require some patience if you’re waiting for something specific.

Is Spectron Waterproof?

420 Spectron has a C0 DWR finish but I’ll spare you the discussion about those finishes, a rabbit hole I fell into on the Side Kick review. I’ll just say that because, over time, the finish breaks down and because holes have been produced by a needle, the answer is no to waterPROOF. Water-resistant? Yes, for the foreseeable future.

What about the Stitching and Seams?

The stitching on my particular Side Effect is high quality.

The people, who work at Tom Bihn, are masters at their craft. They’re second to none. And the pride they take in their work is readily apparent in its quality. I have always had and continue to have the utmost confidence in the construction of all of my Tom Bihn bags and accessories.

Does stuff happen? Of course. But those things are most definitely few and far between.

As an example, look at this odd hole that appears in the middle of these pocket divider stitch runs on my Side Effect. Also, there are a couple of thread tails visible. It happens.

Why am I pointing this out? Because it demonstrates that:

  • Tom Bihn is not perfect. Mistakes happen and can get through. It’s nothing to blow up the Internet about.
  • Tom Bihn has a great warranty program to handle such things. Their phone number is right on the tag inside your bag!
  • Fantasticarry isn’t on the “deny reality” train. Again, mistakes happen. So -1% for the hole and -.5% for each thread tail. Still 98%. Great job, Tom Bihn!! 😃

What will I, personally, do about this hole and these thread tails? Well for the thread tails, I’ll snip them off with some thread nippers. No big deal. And the hole? Ignore it. It’s between two runs of stitching on the interior lining of the bag. It’s not going to get worse. It’ll be fine. I’ll be fine, too.

How about Those Zippers?

Tom Bihn uses number 3, 5, 8, or 10 YKK zippers across all of their products and the Side Effect is no exception. The numbers signify the approximate width of the closed zipper teeth.

The Side Effect uses two number 8 YKK zippers with only the front being reverse coil (teeth facing into the bag – typically for debris or water resistance). The zipper opening the main compartment is standard coil. It’s an interesting design choice to reverse only one of the zippers. 

And here’s where I’ll refer back to The Misses section above and add a caveat.

The reverse coil zipper on the front of the Side Effect can be a little on the “rougher-feeling” side when opening but more so closing. I’m not sure if this is the case with the Spectron variety of the Side Effect alone or all varieties. It’s not sticky like Aquaguard zippers can be. It’s just rougher. I more so liken it to running a fingernail across a piece of paper vs. a piece of high-grit sandpaper. It’s got a noticeable “feel” to it that just isn’t as buttery smooth as opening the top standard coil zipper.

As a result, the sound the front zipper makes is, in my opinion, intensified and louder. I definitely don’t want to have to open the front pocket in a quiet situation at all, let alone more than once.

Enough about that.

But before moving on, it should be noted that Tom Bihn also includes four Pull du Jour zipper pulls to attach to the stock YKK zipper tabs on every Side Effect.

Let’s Go Inside the Tom Bihn Side Effect…

Capacity & Organization
Capacity

Looking at the Side Effect as a whole, it comes in at a capacity of 1.7 liters. It seems pretty spot on to understated. It could be slightly more.

The Side Effect feels like it holds more than 1.7 liters. My daily carry is relatively minimal compared to most. The main compartment has no problem holding it. This is typically what I carry in the Side Effect (yes, these are Amazon associate links. If you use them, thank you!):

Organization

Organizationally, the Side Effect features a front zippered pocket and a main compartment that has two pockets on one side. Other than that, the main compartment is really just a big dump pocket, which I like.

Front zippered pocket
Big dump pocket
The Front Pocket

Looking at the front zippered pocket, one can fit flatter items, such as a phone, small papers, or maybe a thinner battery backup. Bulkier items, such as keys, can also fit but will compromise the internal space of the main compartment a bit.

These two pictures show the Side Effect’s front pocket inverted. The left is the inside reverse of the front. The right is the back of the front pocket, which is also the reverse of two pockets in the main compartment. This is why you see the stitch line. It’s dividing two of the main compartment pockets.
The Main Compartment

The main compartment of the Side Effect is primarily a large dump pocket with two pockets sewn into the lining material (200d Halcyon) on the reverse of the outer front zipper pocket.

The nice thing about the wide open main compartment dump space is that it works great in a modular packing scenario. I load in a half liter Cubelet and/or Ghost Whale Organizer Pouch (small) containing some of the EDC items that I typically carry with me. It makes it a lot more manageable a proposition to find things in a pouch rather than sifting through a pile.

The Ever-present O-rings

As options go, there are five O-rings that one can choose to clip items from. Tom Bihn has always included O-rings in their products.

What are O-rings? They’re those little rings you can see dangling around the edges of pockets and other spaces that can be used to clip items one may not want to lose track of.

As stated, there are five total O-rings: one in the front zippered pocket and four in the main compartment. Ok, Ok… technically there are two more on the outside of the bag but those are for the strap.

On larger bags, I usually clip my keys with one. But with the Side Effect, I prefer to just throw them on the bottom of the bag, because the leash tends to be more in the way than anything.

Speaking of keys – the Side Effect also comes with an 8 inch key leash.

Some of my everday carry.
Comfort & Wearability

The Side Effect, with its included 5/8″ strap, is a comfortable bag to wear over the shoulder when carrying in shoulder mode. At 1.7 liters, it really can’t get too heavy. However, the 5/8″ strap has a tendency to twist and be a little obnoxious to use as well as to carry for long stretches of time without adjusting. This is why I, personally, always buy a 1″ shoulder strap with every bag that comes with a 5/8″ strap. I’m just not a fan of that 5/8″ strap. Anybody need one? I have several just sitting in a tote 😂.

Whichever strap you choose, though, the YKK swivel snap hooks on the ends of each are subdued and not too large for the bag. They’re also pretty easy to operate, even for those of us with hand mobility issues.

But I do have to tell you that something has happened
regarding comfort and wearability…

True to its name, the Side Effect has had a strange side effect on me!

If you convert from shoulder carry to hip/belt/waist/bum/fanny mode with a 1″ Gatekeeper Shoulder Strap around the waist, it’s even more comfortable to carry!

It is the first bag in my life that I have ever even considered wearing in hip/belt/waist/bum/fanny mode (whatever your chosen nomenclature), let alone actually done it.

I’ve actually left the house several times for various reasons while wearing the Side Effect around my waist. Not bad! Not bad at all! I’m totally fine with it.

In fact, I actually prefer hip/belt/waist/bum/fanny carry with the Side Effect. Maybe it’s a size thing. Maybe it’s a material thing. Maybe it’s because it’s just comfortable around the waist and doesn’t require much adjustment or slinging around.

Or maybe it’s because I’ve reached an age where I just don’t give a 🤬 enough to worry about it.

Fanny up and carry on, I say! 🤣

I should note that these pictures do not show the 1″ Gatekeeper Shoulder Strap sold by Tom Bihn. I actually made this one, because I prefer to put the Side Effect on and take it off using a side-release buckle. It’s much easier to operate a side-release buckle for those with hand mobility issues than a 🤬 Gatekeeper clip. This type of clip is a necessary evil in order to wear it properly in hip/belt/waist/bum/fanny mode.

Price & Value…

With a price of $68 (at the time of publication), it’s not a super difficult decision to click the purchase button. I understand that value is relative when looking at features and cost but I still believe that the Side Effect seems to be fairly priced.

Where can one purchase the Side Effect?

Currently, at the time of publication, the Side Effect is completely sold out. Although there is typically some sort of notice as to the next series of colorways to be offered, there is nothing listed. We probably shouldn’t read too far into this. I’m sure they’ll continue to offer the Side Effect and it will restock sooner than later.

That said, your mileage may vary but, if you email customer service, there’s a good chance that they’ll let you know what the Side Effect road map looks like. It’s worth a shot!

The Conclusion

All of this considered, as I stated at the outset of this review: I’m a huge fan of Tom Bihn and do love this bag! Why? Well, again, I’m not one for prescriptive organization. So, I’m fine with a big dump pocket. I’m also fine with taking a second to dig around for something. And I’m fine with it just being a simple side bag without the bells and whistles of other bags in its class.

Professionals, Travelers, Students, and Everyday people on-the-go, who appreciate open space to dump stuff and minimal organization are going to love this bag – especially in 420 Spectron.

I can definitely recommend, even with the couple of caveats mentioned earlier. It’s a good bag.

If I were scoring it out of 10, I’d give it an 9.5! But it’s not all about what *I* think.

What do YOU think? Do you have the Tom Bihn Side Effect and want to chime in? I’d love to talk about it. Drop by r/Fantasticarry and join/post/comment! You can also email me from my website: fantasticarry.com

How I Got This Item for Review

I purchased this item myself. Tom Bihn did not supply it to me for review. The opinions in this review are my own and would not be swayed one way or another, if I had been given a review unit by Tom Bihn.

JP

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