Tumi Alpha Bravo Pinckney Flap Brief Front View

I recently wrote about how I needed to change my work laptop bag and was retiring my Saddleback Leather Briefcases in Dark Coffee Brown.  Today I have a review for its replacement which is the Tumi Alpha Bravo Pinckney Flap Brief, which I’ve been enjoying so far.

Tumi Alpha Bravo Pinckney Flap Brief Inside Compartments

Although the Tumi Alpha Bravo Pinckney Flap Brief is much smaller than my old Saddleback Leather bag, it still holds quite a bit of stuff in there with a slimmer overall profile and footprint.  The inside of the main compartment is big enough to hold either my 14″ work laptop, or my 15″ personal laptop which is the largest size they recommend this bag for.  Inside the bag there is the main compartment with a divider which has a an 11″ pouch attached to it which is big enough for my Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Tablet to slip into without a cover on it.  The opposite wall of the inside of the bag has two more smaller pouches that measure about 5″ deep and about 7″ wide.  Behind those two pouches you will find a zippered pouch that is about 14″ across and 7″ deep.  There are a bunch of good size storage compartments in there, but unfortunately my photography skills are not adept enough to photograph the inner depths of a dark black bag.

Tumi Alpha Bravo Pinckney Flap Brief Front Compartments

Under the front flap of the Tumi Alpha Bravo Pinckney Flap Brief, there are two more smaller pockets that are about 7″ wide and 6″ deep.  The pocket on the left also has a zipper inside of it that reveals another storage space behind it.  Above those two pockets you can also see there is a zipper that reveals yet another pouch.

Inside of this pouch there is a series of additional pouches running across the back.  The first is about 4″ deep x 2.5″ wide (perfect for something like a small Field Notes journal) then there one next to it that is the perfect size to slip in a decent stack of business cards.  Its got another flap on top of it for more business cards.  I guess its set up for a stack of your own, then a stack of various others that you are given by others.  Next to that there are two slots for pens of just about any length as long as it has a clip, because there is no bottom to them.  The rest of the storage space in this area is pretty spacious.  I think its important to note that although there are tons of storage options in this bag, you cant necessarily fill all of them to capacity.  You will have to decide what options work best for your all of your own cool office supplies.

Tumi Alpha Bravo Pinckney Flap Brief Key Strap

The left hand side pocket of those two under the flap also has a key lanyard in it that is on a thick nylon strap with a pretty solid feeling metal clasp.  You will also note that in the first picture of the bag there is a storage compartment on the front of the flap that is good for slipping in your phone or keys or anything else you need quick and easy access to.  Although I don’t really store my phone there I think its good to note that my Samsung Galaxy S3 only fits if I slide it in lengthwise.  Horizontally its a fraction of an inch too narrow for it to fit but again there is plenty of room in there.

Tumi Alpha Bravo Pinckney Flap Brief Shoulder Strap and Clips

The shoulder strap on the bag is pretty comfortable, although I did have a small challange figuring out how to open the hooks to clamp them onto the bag.

Tumi Alpha Bravo Pinckney Flap Brief Tablet Pocket with Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

On the front top side of the bag, there is another zipper pouch that is the perfect size for a small notebook, or in this case for my Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Tablet.

Tumi Alpha Bravo Pinckney Flap Brief Identification Tag Holder

It also comes with the usual luggage tag style holder for an ID tag.  Its pretty nice, although I personally just dont like having it hang off of the bag, but there is another alternative that is much cooler anyway.

Tumi Alpha Bravo Pinckney Flap Brief Tracer Tag

The Tumi Tracer Tag program is a way that you can register your bag with Tumi in case you ever lose it.  There is an ID code that you register on the Tumi website and if anyone finds your bag, they can call (collect) the phone number printed on the tag and Tumi takes it from there.  The tag itself is metal and seems pretty solidly affixed to the bag.  I don’t plan on testing this “oops I lost my bag” feature though, but if I ever do lose it I’ll be sure to post an update IF it gets returned to let you know how the process goes.

Tumi Alpha Bravo Pinckney Flap Brief Luggage Handle Slot

On the back of the bag you will see another zipper at the bottom and one on the top, these serve a dual purpose.  Unzipping them both will give you a place to slip your bag over the handle of a rolling bag.  It is also set up so that if you don’t use it over a bag handle, you have another pouch with a divider in it.  If you do use it over a bag handle, you still have one pouch to slip something in.

The Tumi Alpha Bravo Pinckney Flap Brief Expandable Body

The bag also expands a bit wider with a zipper that runs the side and bottom perimeter of the bag.  While this is a nice feature I dont see myself using it on a regular basis, but having the option there for an emergency is a good thing I guess.

Tumi Alpha Bravo Pinckney Flap Brief Front Flap Closure

My only minor beef with the Tumi Alpha Bravo relates tot he clips that you use to open the front flap.  They are two small oval shaped clips that twist to lock and unlock the flap.  The issue here is that sometimes they can be a little tricky to push them through the holes on the front flap because there is often nothing solid backing it so you are pushing against a soft backing.  Overall it isnt a deal breaker for me because I just make sure that I don’t keep anything in those under flaps that I need to access on a regular basis.

Tumi Alpha Bravo Pinckney Flap Brief Front View

Tumi Alpha Bravo Pinckney Flap Brief Early Thoughts

I’ve been using the bag for a few weeks now, and its been a great experience so far.  All of the materials are top notch with heavy duty zippers and fasteners.  Currently I’ve got it loaded up with the work laptop, my Samsung Galaxy tablet, my full size and junior size Levenger Circa notebooks, my work Blackberry, and a load of other smaller things like note cards, some computer related cables and accessories like chargers and USB cables.  If you are in the market for a bag with classic good looks, and a ton of different storage compartments, the Tumi Alpha Bravo Pinckney Flap Brief is definitely a worthwhile option.

©2015, Brian Greene. All rights reserved.