TLDR
The Cadet is a minimalist, everyday-carry briefcase designed to fit your laptop, a few files or magazines, power supplies, pens, notebooks, and other small accessories.
- Main compartment that fits a 16" laptop with a large open-top interior pocket and 2 O-rings
- 3 exterior-access compartments with 2 O-rings
- 6 interior organizer pockets in the
- 1 exterior quick-access pocket on the back
- Optional rolling luggage handle pass-through when quick-access pocket is unzipped
- Padded front, back, and bottom between the exterior and lining to provide some protection for an unprotected laptop
- Left and right shoulder strap attachment points
- Comfortable padded handles
Full Description
The Cadet is what we like to describe as the strong, silent type of briefcase: straightforward and good-looking with lots of features inside. If you want a thinner briefcase that will still keep your stuff protected, then the Cadet is for you.
Main Compartment
The main compartment of the Cadet can store up to a 16" laptop. Inside the main compartment are two unobtrusive webbing loops to which you can secure the optional Cache.
You can also store your files or magazines in the large open-top pocket or insert a Freudian Slip for extra organization.
Three Exterior-Access Compartments
The Cadet has three exterior-access compartments. The first of the exterior pockets is a small horizontal zippered pocket. Like the other compartments, it has a YKK Racquet-Coil water-repellent zipper.
Behind the small zippered pocket is a contoured zippered compartment that opens to about half of the height of the bag, revealing organizer pockets sized for a Magic Mouse or similar size device, cell phone, passport, plus three pen/pencil pockets. There's plenty of additional room in this compartment for a power supply, phone charger, a small notebook, or snack. There are also two O-rings inside.
Rolling Luggage Handle Pass-Through
The back of the Cadet features a wide, open-top pocket for a magazine or newspaper. If you're using the Cadet for travel, the bottom of this pocket zips open so that you can slide the bag over the handle of a rolling luggage.
Wear The Cadet Three Different Ways
The Cadet can be worn as a messenger (crossbody), shoulder bag, or briefcase. Shoulder strap attachment points are on the left and right sides of the Cadet and feature our exclusive, super-heavy-duty DuPont™ Delrin® eye-loops, tested to 260 pounds each. Our Standard Shoulder Strap is included with the Cadet. You have the option of upgrading to our Absolute Shoulder Strap. Two comfortable padded handles meet above the bag's center of gravity; when the Cadet is zipped shut, the handles come nicely together so you don't have to fish for them when it's time to grab and go.
Built with Closed Cell Foam
Between the exterior and the lining is .25/6 mm closed cell foam on the front, back, and bottom — this gives the Cadet its shape and provides additional protection for your laptop; if you choose to go au naturel (no Cache), this foam will provide some protection for an unprotected laptop.
What's Included
Standard Shoulder Strap
1.5" / 38 mm nylon webbing strap, includes .25" / 6mm texturized rubber pad and heavy-duty plastic snaphooks.
8" Snaphook/Snaphook Key Strap
As with most of our bags, we've included a key strap. 8" long from tip-to-tip, a snaphook on either end. Good for attaching your keys to.
A Set of Black Zipper Pulls
A set of pulls to extend, quiet, or replace your metal pulls.
What's Optional
Absolute Shoulder Strap
Upgrade from the included 1.5” strap to an Absolute Shoulder Strap if you anticipate carrying a heavy load.
3D Clear Organizer Cube
The 3D Clear Organizer Cube is the perfect organizer for your toiletries and is specifically designed to meet the TSA 3-1-1 liquids-program requirements. If you want a faster and smoother security checkpoint experience, use the Cube as your go-to toiletries bag.
Cache
The Cadet can accommodate a wide range of devices. If you plan on putting a laptop or smaller tablet in the interior open-top pocket, we recommend adding a Cache.
The main compartment of the Cadet can store up to a 16" laptop. Inside the main compartment are two unobtrusive webbing loops to which you can secure the optional Cache.
You can also store your files or magazines in the large open-top pocket or insert a Freudian Slip for extra organization.
The Cadet has three exterior-access compartments. The first of the exterior pockets is a small horizontal zippered pocket. Like the other compartments, it has a YKK Racquet-Coil water-repellent zipper.
Behind the small zippered pocket is a contoured zippered compartment that opens to about half of the height of the bag, revealing organizer pockets sized for a Magic Mouse or similar size device, cell phone, passport, plus three pen/pencil pockets. There's plenty of additional room in this compartment for a power supply, phone charger, a small notebook, or snack. There are also two O-rings inside.
The back of the Cadet features a wide, open-top pocket for a magazine or newspaper. If you're using the Cadet for travel, the bottom of this pocket zips open so that you can slide the bag over the handle of a rolling luggage.
The Cadet can be worn as a messenger (crossbody), shoulder bag, or briefcase. Shoulder strap attachment points are on the left and right sides of the Cadet and feature our exclusive, super-heavy-duty DuPont™ Delrin® eye-loops, tested to 260 pounds each. Our Standard Shoulder Strap is included with the Cadet. You have the option of upgrading to our Absolute Shoulder Strap. Two comfortable padded handles meet above the bag's center of gravity; when the Cadet is zipped shut, the handles come nicely together so you don't have to fish for them when it's time to grab and go.
Between the exterior and the lining is .25/6 mm closed cell foam on the front, back, and bottom — this gives the Cadet its shape and provides additional protection for your laptop; if you choose to go au naturel (no Cache), this foam will provide some protection for an unprotected laptop.
Standard Shoulder Strap
1.5" / 38 mm nylon webbing strap, includes .25" / 6mm texturized rubber pad and heavy-duty plastic snaphooks.
8" Snaphook/Snaphook Key Strap
As with most of our bags, we've included a key strap. 8" long from tip-to-tip, a snaphook on either end. Good for attaching your keys to.
A Set of Black Zipper Pulls
A set of pulls to extend, quiet, or replace your metal pulls.
Absolute Shoulder Strap
Upgrade from the included 1.5” strap to an Absolute Shoulder Strap if you anticipate carrying a heavy load.
3D Clear Organizer Cube
The 3D Clear Organizer Cube is the perfect organizer for your toiletries and is specifically designed to meet the TSA 3-1-1 liquids-program requirements. If you want a faster and smoother security checkpoint experience, use the Cube as your go-to toiletries bag.
Cache
The Cadet can accommodate a wide range of devices. If you plan on putting a laptop or smaller tablet in the interior open-top pocket, we recommend adding a Cache.
Still Have Questions?
- emailus@tombihn.com
- Call 1-800-729-9607
- Ask in our Forums
Materials
Exterior
Fabric Lining
bluesign® certified 210 denier High-Tenacity 2x2 Ballistic
— or —
bluesign® and OEKO-TEX® certified 200 denier Halcyon/nylon ripstop
Zippers
#10 YKK Racquet coil zipper on main compartment
#8 YKK Racquet water-repellent coil zippers on pockets
Components
Tough Duraflex®, Nexus, and Woojin buckles and related components
Specs
Dimensions
16.1" (w) x 12.6" (h) x 4.5" (d) / 410 (w) x 320 (h) x 115 (d) mm
Weight
1 lb 9 oz / 710 grams
Volume
14 liters / 825 cu. in. (ASTM Standard Measure)
What's Included
1x Standard Shoulder Strap, May be Upgraded to Absolute Shoulder Strap
1x 8-inch Black Webbing Snaphook/Snaphook Key Strap
1x Black Zipper Pulls w/ Plastic Ends (8-Pack)
Total O-rings
4
(2 in the main compartment
2 in the contoured zippered compartment)
- Brian U.Verified BuyerBought For MyselfProduct Standouts Thoughtful Design, Compact, Good Storage Size, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship6 months agoBought For MyselfProduct Standouts Thoughtful Design, Compact, Good Storage Size, Comfortable, High Quality CraftsmanshipRated 5 out of 5 starsBusiness Class, Kicking Ass
I already have a Brain Bag that I've brought on a few work flights, but was finding it to be a bit more bag than I usually need. I consolidated some equipment and made it fit in the Cadet and it's been a dream. It fits great under an airplane seat and the zippable handle passthrough makes moving through the airport so much more comfortable. I can't recommend it enough.
Was this helpful? - Thomas A.Verified BuyerBought For MyselfProduct Standouts High Quality Craftsmanship, Comfortable, Sewn in USA, Good Storage Size1 year agoBought For MyselfProduct Standouts High Quality Craftsmanship, Comfortable, Sewn in USA, Good Storage SizeRated 5 out of 5 starsRetired Man is happy
Great briefcase. Now I have room for computer travel needs. A flashlight and magnifying glass for old eyes on clips. Love it.
Was this helpful? - Luis P.Verified BuyerBought For MyselfProduct Standouts Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship, Sewn in USA, High Quality Finishings, Compact1 year agoBought For MyselfProduct Standouts Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship, Sewn in USA, High Quality Finishings, CompactRated 5 out of 5 starsStill The Best
This is my third Cadet (I have the original in Black, a 2nd gen. in Burnt Orange and the latest gen. in Coyote) so that should be a good indicator about how much I love this bag. Every iteration is an improvement and I really like how TB went back to placing the strap attachment loops at the ends of the bag rather than across (as it was on my 2nd Cadet). I also like how the front center pocket is roomier now and can fit the larger smart phones (like the iPhone 13 Max Pro). The Coyote Ballistic colour is fantastic—I like everything about it and the bag could both work in a business and casual environment which I'm always in and out of. I also added another Absolute Shoulder Strap, a few organiser pouches, Strap Keepers (love these!), zipper pull cords and the 16A Cache which I ended up swapping for the older (and slightly bigger) 15C Cache since the 2021-22 MacBook Pro 16" ended up being a tad bulkier to fit the 16A Cache comfortably (it does fit with a bit of effort and shoehorning to avoid the zippers from scratching the corners).
PS. I'd still love to see a version where the middle pocket inside is wide enough to fit a MacBook Pro brick charger (the newer and bigger ones) and maybe a small slot/pocket to slip in an Air Tag? I'm in for a 4th Cadet—perhaps in ODGreen? :P
Was this helpful? - Joel W.Verified BuyerBought For MyselfProduct Standouts Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship, Sewn in USA, Durable1 month agoBought For MyselfProduct Standouts Thoughtful Design, Comfortable, High Quality Craftsmanship, Sewn in USA, DurableRated 5 out of 5 starsAbsolute strap and Cadet bag
Review for Cadet included with review of absolute shoulder strap.
Was this helpful? - Andre L.Verified BuyerBought For MyselfProduct Standouts Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship, High Quality Finishings, Good Storage Size, Versatile2 months agoBought For MyselfProduct Standouts Thoughtful Design, High Quality Craftsmanship, High Quality Finishings, Good Storage Size, VersatileRated 5 out of 5 starsBig role to fill…
I wasn’t sure the Cadet would be a satisfying replacement for my trusty Ristretto ( my all-time TB favourite), but it’s won me over.
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Sewn in Seattle
Our bags are designed and sewn right here in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.
That allows us to be control freaks in the best way possible; we have direct control and oversight of the quality of our materials, our products, and the jobs and working environment that we help create. It also offers us a unique spontaneity: when we have an idea for a new product or accessory, we can design it, figure out how to build it, add it to our website and be ready to ship it out our front door all within just a few weeks. How cool is that?
Intrigued? You can find out more about the unusual way we do business on our Company Philosophy page.
THE BIHN Guarantee
Everything you buy from us here at TOM BIHN is satisfaction guaranteed. We’ve been in business since 1972 and we stand behind what we make.
If something goes wrong and it's our fault, we'll fix it for free. Repairs due to normal wear and tear or due to other things that are not our fault will be performed, when possible, at a reasonable charge right here in our Seattle factory where your bag was made. Defects in materials or workmanship are uncommon and almost always evident while the product is still new. Keep in mind that bags and packs are often subject to extreme wear in everyday use: do not expect them to last forever. Only true love lasts forever! You can expect a TOM BIHN product to give years and years of hard service.