Posts Tagged briggs & riley
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.
Don’t miss a review: subscribe to Practical Travel Gear’s RSS feed
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
Explore 25 Upright Wheeled Luggage: New BRX Collection from Briggs & Riley
When I first learned that a favorite luggage company Briggs & Riley had introduced a new line of bags for the “adventure traveler” I couldn’t wait to see and sample the product. I checked out all of the BRX bags — from the toiletry kit to the backpack to the larger wheeled pieces — at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in August, and used the large 25-inch wheeled upright on a week-long trip to Florida last month. Indeed, this bag has the same quality construction and smart style as the other Briggs & Riley pieces we’ve reviewed here at Practical Travel Gear.
The first thing I noticed about my Briggs & Riley 25-inch wheeled upright is its weight; this bag is much lighter than my ancient TravelPro bag of the same size. Its constructed with durable and lightweight ripstop and packcloth nylon in three earthy shades, Ocean, Amber and Slate (pictured at left). It’s soft-sided, so the bag can bulge a bit to fit a lot of gear. A lot.
In fact, for my week-long trip to Florida, I had room to spare. (I suppose I could have packed summer dresses, swimsuits and capris into a carry-on, but sometimes a girl’s gotta have her shoe supply.) Because the bars for the collapsible handle are on the outside of the bag, it allows for a flat bottom of the suitcase and a roomier interior. Plus, there’s a tapered exterior zipper that allows you to expand the bag even more.
I do wish this bag had side zippered pockets inside of the main compartment; I’m just accustomed to throwing small items — belts, Clif bars, extra notebook and pens — into those types of handy interior pockets. The Explore 25 Upright does have interior pockets in the inside top lid — huge ones, in fact. One is a “wet/dry pocket” made from waterproof plastic, which is great for storing damp bathing suits that haven’t dried fully before the plane trip home. I used the other big interior pocket for keeping dirty clothes separate from clean ones for the return trip.
The front exterior of the bag features still two more zippered pockets, and an external buckle system that allows you to cinch down the bag tightly or buckle other BRX bags on top (see right; that’s the Excursion Backpack attached).
Because of airlines now charge for checked luggage, I’ve been carrying on as often as possible these days, so I may not use my Briggs & Riley Explore 25 Upright as much as I might have in years past. Still, if any long-haul, multi-day vacations are in my future that require plenty of clothing, I do look forward to using this bag. It’s also ideal for road trips — even short ones if I want to fit more than one family member’s weekend gear in one suitcase. Because the BRX line doesn’t shout “camping trip” like some adventure-gear companies’ bags do, this piece of “adventure travel” luggage could be used for business trips or on safari — and I certainly like that versatility.
Purchase an of the 7-piece BRX luggage collection from the Briggs & Riley website, or if you’ve got an Amazon.com gift certificate, you could also purchase at Amazon. The Explore 25 Upright retails for $320. Smaller carry-on pieces include the Explore 22 Upright for $290. If those prices sound hefty, remember that Briggs & Riley luggage carries a lifetime guarantee — it even covers airline damage.
Posted by Kara in Adventure Gear on October 15th, 2010
A Perfect Fit: A Review of the Briggs & Riley 20″ Carry-On Expandable Wide-body Upright
If you’ve done much flying, you’ve seen it happen—someone drags a bulging bag onto the plane and it’s stuffed as full as Santa’s toy sack. Of course, it will never fit in the overhead bin.
With airlines cracking down on oversized bags in the cabin—and most charging fees for checked luggage—finding just the right carry-on for your travels is becoming even more important.
The new Briggs & Riley 20″ Carry-On Expandable Wide-Body Upright is the right size for a wheeled carry-on, with plenty of room for packing. Weighing in 30 percent lighter—and shorter and wider—than previous models, this bag is built tough and backed by an excellent warranty.
Wondering how much you can get in a 20″ carry-on? Pack smart and this is perfect for a three to four day trip, maybe even longer.
I especially like the folding garment sleeve that will hold one or two suits in the upper zippered compartment. A foam roll bar keeps them from wrinkling.
The Briggs & Riley 20″ is wide enough to pack two full-sized shirts side by side. Panels keep clothes in place. There are pockets on the lid for undergarments, socks and t-shirts and another pocket for toiletries.
If you still can’t fit everything in, the zip-around expansion system adds nearly one-fourth more packing space.
A combination lock, TSA approved, is included.
No space is wasted. There are outside pockets for travel documents and to slip in your cell phone while going through security.
Part of Briggs & Riley’s Baseline collection, the bag weighs just under 10 pounds and is available in black, chocolate or olive. The exterior is made of ballistic nylon with self-repairing zippers. The frame is solid and the locking handle is manufactured with aircraft-grade aluminum.
The Briggs & Riley warranty is truly exceptional—and simple, with no legalese or fine print. The company’s lifetime performance guarantee says, “If your Briggs & Riley bag is ever broken or damaged, even if it was caused by an airline, we will repair it free of charge. Simple as that!”
Now, here’s something that won’t happen if you buy your luggage at a neighborhood discount store. Say your bag is damaged on a trip to watch the Tour de France, or anywhere else far away from a Briggs & Riley service center. Have it fixed wherever you travel internationally and Briggs & Riley will reimburse you for the repairs. That’s standing behind a product.
The 20″ Baseline carry-on sells for $369. I’d consider the price reasonable, given the quality and the warranty.
I showed this bag to a fellow frequent traveler and asked if he had heard of Briggs & Riley. He said, “That’s all I use.” I’d consider that a pretty powerful testimonial to the brand and the reputation of the manufacturer.
Indeed, in the crowded field of luggage manufacturers, a handful stand out for their quality, reliability and practical design. Briggs & Riley is firmly entrenched there. And this expandable carry-on continues the tradition.
Get the Briggs & Riley Baseline 20 Carry-On at eBags.com
Posted by JohnG in Adventure Gear, Business Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on July 27th, 2009
