I BOUGHT and USED this item. It WAS NOT PROVIDED to me for review by any company.
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It Definitely Charmed Me…
The small Snake Charmer by Tom Bihn was a first for me. After an unnecessarily long period of time in camp Cerylon cynic, I opened the package that arrived at my house super stoked to see that gorgeous Halcyon material wrapped around my new small Snake Charmer – only – wait… something isn’t right here. This is… *gasp*
Moss CERYLON!?!
How could this be? I would NEVER order Cerylon. Well, somehow I did. It was on me for sure. But you know what? This small Snake Charmer is actually still a pretty cool bag, but with Cerylon? Ok. Yeah. Well, wait. This is actually a pretty cool bag AND the Cerylon is pretty cool, too! It’s not quite as light as Halcyon and feels a tiny bit more rubbery/plasticky but what the hell… count me out at camp Cerylon cynic. This is actually pretty good stuff!
I really, REALLY love the small Snake Charmer, though. It’s super convenient to be able to grab either of the webbing handles from from the top or side and get what I need to get. In fact, I like it so much that I ordered another one in gorgeous Sangria Cerylon. It’s actually one of my favorite pieces from Tom Bihn. The shape, the color, the materials. All top notch. All incomparable.
Function
To start, a two sided organizational bag serves so many purposes that it’s hard to pick just one. Currently, I use the small Moss Snake Charmer as a tech kit that I stuff into whatever I might be carrying on a given day. It serves as a holder for small peripheral devices, like a mouse on one side and cords, small charging bricks, dongles, and adapters on the other. It works well.
The small Sangria Snake Charmer is a place to put all of my extra straps, plastic bits, and tech items that I may need on the road. One side is for the travel tech stuff. On the other side are all of the the compression straps or Gatekeeper Straps that come with various bags, Key Straps, 5/8 Shoulder Straps, and other oddball webbing that comes with this accessory or that along the way. The small Snake Charmers really do have great utility!
There are a thousand different things one can do with the small Snake Charmer. I’m sure this is also the case with the large Snake Charmer. I just don’t have the experience with that one to be able to say for sure.
Design
The mesh side panels make it relatively easy to see what’s inside, as long as it’s not black (like half of the straps I have on one side). They also allow air flow, which is good for anybody putting anything in that might be wet.
The small Snake Charmer’s handles are just webbing. But this isn’t a problem as there really isn’t much of a chance for it to become too heavy, which could make it uncomfortable to hold. It’s only 2 liters. That makes the handles perfect.
On one end of the Snake Charmer you’ll find a Triangle Metal Hook, which can clip to another strap inside of a bag. Or maybe clip it to the outside of a pack to carry it that way, too. There are plenty of possibilities.
Inside each side compartment there is the ever-present o-ring system. One o-ring on each side allows one to clip a myriad of items inside using either an 8 or 16 inch Tom Bihn Key Strap, a carabiner clip, Swivel Double Carabiner, or any other thing that one can find that clips.
Conclusion
Overall, the small Snake Charmer is one of my favorite pieces from Tom Bihn. I love its look. I love its utility. I love its design. I love the balance it provides – the forward and back approach to carry. I’m super happy with both the Moss AND the Sangria Cerylon. And, in truth, I don’t even remember what color the Halcyon was supposed to be. Call me a convert. Cerylon FTW!
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.
