Tom Bihn – The Handy Little Thing is a Handful of Organization

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

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If you’re looking for just a pouch that’s handy with little organizational touches, Tom Bihn has just the thing for you! The Handy Little Thing size one and size two.

Tom Bihn Handy Little Thing SIze 2 in Tahoma Halcyon

The Handy Little Thing from Tom Bihn, which comes in two sizes, is an organizer’s delight! It’s got webbing, straps, pockets, zippers, and mesh, which covers all the bases. Pack all that into a 9.1″ x 5.3″ x 2.6″ package rated at 2L of volume and you’ve got an organizational luminary unrivaled in the current line of Tom Bihn products (save for front panel on the Synik?). But does that come at a cost?

Externally Speaking

A look around the outside of the Handy Little Thing (Size 2) starts off innocently enough at the front but once we go around back, it becomes clear that this isn’t just a simple pouch. Let’s start with …

The Front

Color

The Handy Little Thing that I’ve got here is in Tahoma Halcyon. It’s such an understated but gorgeous color, the details of which almost glow in the right light. The diamond pattern in each grid quadrant appear almost holographic, which is a nice touch from the maker of the fabric.

The subtle but present branding on the front leaves no question about who makes the Handy Little Thing. The branding is a bit much for some. But for me, it’s a non-issue. Besides, I like the logo. Do your thing, Tom Bihn!

Front Pocket

In front we find a singular double-zipper pocket that runs the full width of our Tahoma Halcyon Handy Little Thing and holds a fair amount of stuff. That’s a size 5 zipper, by the way, if you’re keeping score. I’ve added snake knot pulls to make the tabs easier to grab. They are not a part of either size 2 or size 1 Handy Little Thing.

The double-zippers provide options for anybody wishing to open the pocket from the left or right. There’s nothing suspect here. Chalk up one point for providing customers with options. Another double-zipper that travels almost entirely the Handy Little Thing allowing to open fully clamshell style.

The Handle’s on the Bottom?

Yes. The handle is on the bottom. It’s utilitarian in design – also another reason for the name, Handy Little Thing.

I saw one review a while ago, in which the individual questioned why the handle is on the bottom. Slide your hand through and hold it like you’re holding a book. This allows one to manipulate the zippers and contents of the pouch much easier with the free hand. It’s really ingenious.

So calling it Handy Little Thing isn’t just a nod to its facility but also to the hand strap. It’s handy!

The Back

The reverse of the Handy Little Thing is where we begin to suspect that there’s something more to this pouch than simplicity.

To start, let’s just say that there is an infinite number of possibilities for what can be done with the strapping on the back. One can use the segmented strapping (9 sections in all) as individual attachment points for smaller items or by making use of the included Swivel Double Carabiners to attach the entire Handy Little Thing to other bags.

Note: Along with an 8″ Key Strap, Two Swivel Double Carabiners come with the Handy Little Thing and are attached where you see the two split rings in the picture. I prefer to use the split rings to attach to the o-rings in my Synik where I keep the Handy Little Thing almost full-time. This frees the Swivel Double Carabiners for other things.

What’s Inside the Handy Little Thing?

Open it up and there’s just an explosion of organization. A great big pocket on top that’s reminiscent of the very big pocket on the top of the Deluxe Spiff Kit (and Standard Spiff Kit, too!), webbing all over the place, o-ring-o-rama, and two side pockets on the bottom that can escape notice if one doesn’t know they’re there. There’s even stretchable webbing on the hinge! But…

The Great Big Pocket

The great big pocket on the top of the Handy Little Thing can hold a lot of stuff! I, personally, use it (and the entire HLT) as a portable medicine cabinet and first aid kit. So there’s a lot of creature comfort medication in the great big pocket just in case. It’s no fun to get sick in another country and not have your Theraflu. I have some flossers, toothpicks, and an emergency chapstick in there as well.

The great big pocket also includes two o-rings should one wish to attach something in there more securely.

Did You See the Two Side Pockets?

If you don’t know they’re there, it can be easy to overlook the two side pockets on the bottom half of the Handy Little Thing. The really small number 3 zippers blend and tape both blend right in with the webbing. Again, I’ve added pulls to the zippers internally.

In keeping with the first aid theme, I have alcohol pads on one side and band-aids on the other. I also keep an AirTag in one of these pockets, which is, again, in the chin pocket of my Synik. Double duty.

Webbing Webbing Everywhere

There are two bands of webbing that fun the entire height of the bottom panel of the Handy Little Thing and continue over the hinge. One band on the bottom panel is stretchy and one is not. Each is segmented into four sections. Both bands of webbing on the hinge are stretchy.

I actually don’t use the webbing at all, though I’ve seen plenty of other pictures and videos posted by people who make great use of it. Here, again, the possibilities are infinite.

I have to say that really packing out both the top and bottom panel pockets can affect the utility of the webbing organization somewhat – at least the bottom panel webbing. The hinge webbing is rather safe.

O-Ring-o-Rama

For a pouch the size of the Handy Little Thing and with as much organization, it seems like overkill to add four internal o-rings. But this pouch is an organizer’s dream. Two o-rings on the top, which are somewhat oddly spaced, provide attachment points inside the great big pocket. And two o-rings on the bottom, spaced much more consistently, offer the same functionality.

The Space Between

Having seen the top and the bottom panels as well as the organization of the Handy Little Thing, we’re left with the space between. There’s not much left. When the pockets on both panels are packed out, it has to be noted that there isn’t much left between. A couple of Flatter items fit but they have to sit in there loose. Packed out pockets kind of render the webbing organization a little … well, I won’t go so far as to say “useless”… but packed out pockets do affect the webbing organization.

Perhaps this is why the o-rings were included on the bottom panel – to clip in and secure items residing in the space between. I don’t know.

Where Do You Fall?

As the most “organized” item in the current lineup of products from Tom Bihn, The Handy Little Thing may leave some with organizational overload. Is it too much? Some think so. A little goes a long way and the almost tactical, molle-like organization of the bottom panel almost does it for me. But I find myself in the middle, just choosing not to use the webbing, which may cause some to question the pricing and value.

As the most pricey pouch offered by Tom Bihn in the organizational segment of the store, is the Handy Little Thing worth the purchase? At the time of publication, it’s $81.

If we’re looking purely at the utility of features, for me, maybe not. I don’t use one of those features, yet. Seems like I could have saved some money and bought a couple of Mystery Grab Bags or a Standard/Deluxe Spiff Kit and gotten the same organization either across the bags or in one while gaining volume.

But I won’t complain. There are plenty of others who find the Handy Little Thing to be supremely useful and rich with organizational options. There isn’t a right or wrong here. Just cool Tim Bihn stuff!

Conclusion

The Handy Little Thing (Size 1 and 2) from Tom Bihn offers much in the way of utility and also much in the way of ingenuity. The hand strap is a member of both of those worlds. And the organization lives solely in the utility realm (or not). In terms of “bang for your buck”, it’s a toss up. It’s definitely not a miss. But I wouldn’t say it’s a hit, either. It just falls somewhere in the space between. As such, I think, for me, it’s a keeper.

Thanks for reading!

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 Bellroy.

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