Posts Tagged briggs & riley
Briggs & Riley BRX Explore 20 Wide Body Upright Rollaboard Travel Bag
Known for its high-quality travel bags that can stand up to even the most rigorous of crazed airline baggage handlers, Briggs & Riley has developed a more casual line of bags with a more rugged look. The BRX collection is meant for high, active performance while still keeping a sleek, durable look.
I tested the 20″ wide bag. It is wider than other carryon bags by a couple of inches, but it is also shorter giving it the edge for a variety of airline overhead compartment sizes. The bag weighs about 7 pounds when empty, which makes it light although not as light as others out there. What this bag packs in an extra pound or two though is more than worth it.
Inside there is a unique type of compression panel that keeps clothes wrinkle-free and separated from other things inside the bag. A series of pockets keep things organized including an easily accessible laptop sleeve pouch that is padded for extra protection. There is also a wet and dry pocket that keeps damp clothes like bathing suits or even umbrellas separated from the rest of your items. An exterior zippered pocket is great for quick stowage of all kinds of things from jackets and sweaters to newspapers and magazines.
These days, I am a fan of the rolling four wheel bags because they can pivot and swirl at the flick of a wrist reducing the effort it takes to pull a heavy bag. This bag has two wheels (although Briggs & Riley has its own series of four-wheeled bags on its website) that are both very sturdy and encased in a solid shell that prevents them from breaking or fusing together like the Brookstone Dash bag tends to do with frequent use (on one occasion, the wheel on the Dash bag jammed within 24 hours of removing it from its box).
The soft exterior gives this bag a classic, cozy look that differentiates it from the standard black bags many people use. It comes in a variety of colors including slate, ocean, amber, and lava and has handles on the top and side. In addition, the retracting vertical handle is very sturdy (some bags’ handles jiggle to the point that I think they are going to break at the worst possible moment). An external buckle also allows travelers to snap a small briefcase or duffel bag to roll alongside this larger bag. There is a tapered expansion that zips off allowing more space or less weight as needed.
Priced at $240-300 available at Briggs & Riley’s website, Zappos, or Amazon, it is a great option for a high-quality bag that can be used everyday making it a competitive choice against equivalents from Tumi or Hartmann.
Posted by Ramsey in Adventure Gear, Business Gear, Travel Light on May 7th, 2012
Briggs & Riley 20” Spinners Four-Wheel Carry-On Bag
Briggs & Riley Spinners 20" rollaboard
This new series of four-wheeled luggage from Briggs & Riley is aptly called Spinners thanks to its ease of use it rolls effortlessly through an airport terminal. While many luggage companies are following the trend of four wheels, Briggs & Riley has a strong track record of producing high-quality luggage that lasts for quite some time even when subjected to heavy use.
This rollaboard is wider than others allowing for more flexible packing space while still fitting wheels-first into an overhead bin. The casing for the exterior handle is not built into the interior space like in other bags. In this bag, its casing is on the outside so as not to cut down on interior room and keeps items inside free of creases. The handle also has three height settings making it ideal for all travelers whether tall or short.
The bag has a clean look on the outside with a nylon material that holds up well against dirt and water, which is especially important for those flying regional jets and having to gate check their bags upon boarding. Watching your bag sit planeside in the rain while you are on board is painful.
An extremely important feature for bags in my opinion is the outside pockets allowing easy and convenient access to certain items. Reaching for a magazine or boarding pass is a cinch with this bag. Dress clothes remain safe and wrinkle-free in a dedicated garment compartment.
The wheels roll effortlessly and are more durable than Brookstone’s similar four-wheeled bag, which can easily jam or fuse to the side of the casing if there is too much friction. While that bag is significantly cheaper, you certainly get what you pay for in quality with Briggs & Riley. Like the rest of their line, it’s guaranteed for life–rare in suitcases with wheels.
This luxury, high-end travel bag is available at www.Briggs-Riley.com with free shipping for $429, on Amazon, at Zappos, or at your favorite luggage retailer or department store. It comes in larger scale checked luggage size featuring the same durability and four wheel spin ability making it perfect for those carrying a lot during their travels. This 20-inch case is a business traveler favorite and comes with the reputation and elegance for which Briggs & Riley has become known.
Posted by Ramsey in Business Gear, Travel Light on February 20th, 2012
For the Flashpackers: Briggs & Riley Excursion Field Bag
Whenever a new Apple product takes off, a whole bevy of accessories hits the market from hundreds of manufacturers feeding off the big glowing fruit. Now that the iPad is taking hold and a second version is out, bags to hold the device are popping up like mushrooms.
I particularly like this Briggs & Riley Excursion Field Bag just hitting the market though because it’s not as “man purse” looking as many of them out there and it’s big enough to hold plenty of other items that aren’t just toys. Or you can use it for a Kindle instead of an iPad and have room for all the things you need for a bus/train/plane ride.
Since I can’t justify the expense of an iPad at this point just to have another gadget to carry around, that’s how I’ve been using it. I pop in my Kindle, a few magazines, a notebook, a camera, and a water bottle. It also has a place for pens, my keys, and my phone. All set!
This being a Briggs & Riley item though, it’s not some flimsy piece of junk that’s going to fall apart in a year. In fact it comes with a lifetime guarantee. It’s made of lightweight but strong ripstop nylon, with good buckles, Velcro, and zippers.
Plus there are lots of nice little touches I enjoy, like a built-in loop strap that goes under your iPad or Kindle: you just pull up on the tab and your device pops up like bread in a toaster. That also keeps it suspended from the bottom of the bag a tad. Naturally there are loads of pockets and compartments on the inside, but there is one zippered pocket on the front that’s the perfect size for your passport and plane ticket.
This Excursion Field Bag, which comes in the same colors as the rest of the BRX collection, is big enough for small netbooks from the likes of Asus, so it could be used as a real work bag as well. It retails for $80 and is just now hitting the real and virtual shelves. Get it online direct right now at the Briggs & Riley website.
Speaking of Briggs & Riley, congrats to Katie N. of Oregon who won a free carry-on BRX wheelie suitcase in the round-the-world contest sponsored by Practical Travel Gear and others.
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Posted by Tim L. in Business Gear, General Gear on May 11th, 2011
Win a Trip for Two Around the World – and Gear!
GET AIRLINE TICKETS, TRAVEL GEAR, CASH, TOURS, CAR RENTAL, EURAIL PASSES, & MORE!
[Update - Sorry kids, this shebang is all finished. But you can still check out this round-the-world guide to plan your big trip.]
Along with nine other top independent travel sites, Perceptive Travel is giving away the ultimate traveler’s treat – an around the world trip with a plane full of prizes!
We’re giving our readers the chance to take off, big time, by putting their travel knowledge to the test and inviting them to enter our contest. The challenge? Guess the route of where the Round the World journey will take them.
The Grand Prize winner will receive the following:
* Round-the-world airfare for two from the BootsnAll Travel Network
* A Southeast Asia tour for two from All Points East
* One year of travel insurance from World Nomads
* One-week First Class Eurail passes
* Four hotel nights from Anantara
* Two BRX luggage sets from Briggs & Riley
* Head-to-toe travel clothing from ExOfficio
* One-week rental car in Europe from Auto Europe
* Shoes from Lowa Boots
* $500 in spending money from Transitions Abroad
* Two pairs of Serengeti Eyewear sunglasses with Polar PHD lenses
* A grab bag of useful apps and guidebooks
First Prizes
- $2000 in airfare to go anywhere in the world from 1800FlyEurope.
Two round trip tickets anywhere on the route map of Southwest Airlines.
With prizes this big, we do need some time to find the perfect travelers to win our prizes so participants have 8 weeks to enter. Here’s how it works.
Each week, participants guess the destination from the provided clues and enter online. One random winner will be chosen from the correct answers each week and awarded a weekly prize. After eight weeks—with eight chances to win—everyone will know the route and there will be eight finalists. One of those eight finalists will win the Grand Prize package for two while two more winners will receive the First and Second Prize awards!
Enter Now!
Besides Practical Travel Gear, Here are Your Hosts:
BootsnAll Travel Network is the traveler’s one-stop indie travel guide, which began publishing travel on the web in 1998.
ConsumerTraveler.com is the web home of the Consumer Travel Alliance, which fights in Washington for reform of air travel, rollback of fees and for airline passenger’s rights.
GoNOMAD.com provides travelers with inspiration and links to plan their trips.
JohnnyJet.com is the home of intrepid traveler John DiScala, who flies more than 150,000 miles a year and provides comprehensive articles about everywhere he goes.
Perceptive Travel webzine publishes the best travel stories from book authors on the move, as well as an award-winning offbeat blog.
TransitionsAbroad.com (founded in 1977 as the print magazine) provides articles, resources, and program listings for long-term travelers seeking to work, live, volunteer, or study abroad.
Travelfish.org is the go-to guide for Southeast Asia, with daily articles and iPhone apps you can download to give you details about any country in their region.
Wanderlust and Lipstick is THE destination for women’s travel including tours, guidebooks and practical information.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on April 18th, 2011
Donate Money, Feel Good, Get Gear
My sister Cheapest Destinations blog is a participant in the annual Passports with Purpose charity project collectively run by a bunch of travel bloggers and sponsors. In short, you give money for a third-world development project and you enter to win some great donated prizes at the same time. Last year we built a school in Cambodia. This year we’re building a whole frickin’ village in India. Thanks to some great sponsors like BootsnAll the coalition is already 3/5 of the way to the goal.
My prize participant is Kuru Footwear, a company that makes comfy shoes that are especially good for travel. Below is a photo of one of their models, but you get to choose which one you want. Thanks Kuru!
But that’s just the start. Go check the full list of prizes, but here’s a sampling of some of the other gear you can try to score.
Kodak waterproof video camera
Shoes or sandals from Keen Footwear
Apple iPad
Tom Bihn Western Flyer given away by Kara’s TheVacationGals
Briggs & Riley Carry-on bag
Timbuk2 travel gear bundle
Sierra Designs tent
Osprey rolling pack
Go do the right thing and make a huge difference in someone’s life on the other side of an ocean. After all, $20 is a lot in India and ALL the money will be passed straight through to a local organization that knows what it’s doing. And hey, you’ve got a good chance of scoring some travel gear (or a trip, or gift certificate) while you’re at it. Go to Passports with Purpose and hit the “Donate” button.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on November 18th, 2010
