Posts Tagged carry-on bag
Crumpler Red Dry Line No 2 and No 9
From the moment I laid eyes on Crumpler’s Red Dry No 9 rolling tote from their newest line, I could see its apeal to a solo or business traveler. First of all, it’s a looker. More importantly, its carry-on size is compact and includes all the bells and whistles you’d expect from Crumpler, such as a 17 inch laptop compartment (plus a second laptop sleeve!), no fewer than seven distinct storage sections, and functional, high-quality construction. But before I put it in use, I didn’t see how slick little No 9 would work for a family traveler with three kids in tow.
Turns out, Red Dry No 9 is a pretty near perfect carry-on for families, too. It’s easy to pull with its adjustable, hideaway handle (bye-bye, old rollie with the quirky wheel), is lightweight, and fits much more than you’d think. (The dimensions are 17.5×16.5×10.) You can use the No 9 as an in-air entertainment carry-all (using the aforementioned laptop sleeve), but even more useful: as a family ‘just in case’ case. Not familiar? We always pack essential toiletries, one set of sleepwear, and swimsuit (when applicable for our destination, of course) for each family member when traveling by air, to ward against lost or late luggage (not that that ever happens). To my surprise, using No 9′s dividable storage spaces (complete with elastic compression belts), I was able to fit in all of the above (plus my husband’s laptop), for five people. Due to the snap-fitted gussets on the sides of the bag, it opens 180 degrees ‘accordion’ style for when I needed to dig in to find something, which was inevitably on the bottom. Better yet, No 9 not only fit comfortably into our plane’s overhead luggage compartment, but fit under the seat. Three cheers for easy access!
Also in the new Red Dry line is Red Dry No 2, a nicely-sized shoulder bag (made, of course, with the same high quality construction as the No 9). It can be worn over the shoulder or across the body, and is designed with an iPad in mind. It’s a great companion piece to the No 9 (or any rolling tote), and due to its well-appointed front panel, could completely replace a purse. Travelers could easily carry on both the No 9 (packing a laptop and extra clothes) and the No 2 (packing an iPad, book, and a snack or two) and breeze past most airlines’ carry-on requirements with room to spare.
Bottom line: would I bring Red Dry No 9 and 2 on a family trip? No 9: yes. It would replace my laptop bag and probably a few of the kids’ backpacks, making our travel day far more streamlined. No 2: maybe. It’s not quite big enough to cater to an entire family’s in-flight needs and paperwork, but it could double as a day bag once at the destination. Plus, it’s unisex enough that a man could carry it (oh so chivalrously) for his wife. (Just saying.)
Crumpler Red Dry No 9 retails for $265, and No 2 is $90. Both are water-resistant, and the No 9 is lockable. Both are available at the Crumpler website, as are several check-in sized bags in the Red Dry line, should you want to supplement your carry-ons.
Posted by Amy in Kids and Family, Travel Light on March 13th, 2012
Tom Bihn Ristretto for iPad
Unless you absolutely have to, why lug your laptop around every time you travel? When you’re toting around your iPad or netbook, it’s so much better to bring a smaller bag—one that isn’t built to fit a laptop and the kitchen sink. The Tom Bihn Ristretto for iPad (and iPad2) is a great option.
While the size requires you to pare down, there’s plenty of room for your iPad or netbook, cell phone, wallet, notebook, pens, keys and even a water bottle. The padded compartment protects your iPad, while an easy-reach pocket allows you to grab your phone or pen on the fly. A zippered secure pocket is included, for items you want to hide away. The small bag is roomier than it looks. I was easily able to get a camera, book and sweater for the plane trip in with all the other gear.
Use the shoulder strap or a removable waist strap—perfect for securing your bag while you’re biking around any city. The Ristretto comes with the Tom Bihn “standard” shoulder strap, which has a 1 1/2-inch-wide nylon webbing strap and a wide foam pad for your shoulder.
For a little bit extra ($20), you can upgrade to the “absolute” shoulder strap, which has a soft, durable neoprene pad with comfortable stretch backing. I picked the upgrade strap, and it’s made a big difference when I’m hauling a lot of stuff around. It may not make the best sense for the Ristretto, since it’s a smaller bag, but I also use my shoulder strap on other bags—any that have hooks for D-ring attachments will do.
Tom Bihn makes other Ristretto bags that fit larger technology, so if you just can’t part with that 11-inch or 13-inch MacBook Air, there’s a Ristretto for them as well.
The Tom Bihn Ristretto for iPad lists for $125 and the one place to get it besides their store is on the Tom Bihn website. (Their bags are made in the USA and to enable them to keep doing that, they’re only sold direct from the company.)
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Posted by Jill in Business Gear, General Gear on February 24th, 2012
Gregory Cache 22 Suitcase
Wheeled, carry-on suitcases seem to be a dime a dozen, yet sometimes one stands out as different enough to try out. That’s definitely the case with the Gregory Cache 22 suitcase. With extra checked baggage fees the norm, it’s a good ally in getting your belongings onto the plane safely and cheaply.
The ballistic nylon bag is sturdy, with bumpers on the exterior and bottom to provide abrasion protection. The roll-cage chassis in the interior provides a protective barrier for your clothing. A wide aluminum handle easily snaps into place when you need it and has a soft-touch grip. That wide handle means there’s not a metal rod going right down the middle of your bag, so there’s more room to pack things flat. That said, the roll-cage at the bag’s edges means you just have to avoid the metal rods somewhere else.
The bag also has a padded, convertible carry strap that quickly attaches to the top and bottom haul loops.
The 4-inch injection molded oversized wheels are far better to manage than many other “wheelie” suitcases. They’re not quite all-terrain, but are quite hardy, and managed my run from terminal to terminal in LAX without spinning out.
While the front padded sleeve pocket can easily fit a 15-inch laptop, I find that I’m less likely to want to carry my laptop in a suitcase (even if I take it out on the plane). It seems harder to manage avoiding people knocking into your suitcase than a computer bag on your shoulder. That said, the extra padding is appreciated, because it’s often overlooked.
At 7 lbs. 12 oz., the suitcase is relatively light, but still has a bit of heft. Of course, the final weight all depends on how much you cram into it.
Gregory guarantees their products will be free from defects in materials or workmanship, for as long as you own them. If your Gregory product is defective, then the company will fix or replace it with a new one and return it to you at their expense. That’s always appreciated when you kick out the dough for a quality bag. This warranty does not cover damage due to unreasonable use or improper care.
My previous go-to suitcase was one I never thought I’d replace with a different brand. But this 47-liter capacity bag has already accompanied me on three trips, and I’m about to pack it for yet another.
The Gregory Cache 22 suitcase lists for $298.95 at backcountry.com. It’s also available on Altrec.
Posted by Jill in General Gear on February 17th, 2012
Osprey Flap Jill Courier
It’s hard to find a bag that can carry both your laptop and camera, have room for other travel items, be easy to carry—and look good while doing it all. The Osprey FlapJill Courier is my new favorite bag that meets those criteria.
Constructed much like the standard messenger-style bag, the Flap Jill Courier adds details that are much more than standard. One of the best things is that it has three different pockets (aside from the main pouch) to organize your things, whether it’s a cell phone, notebook and pens, or just your lip balm.
If you’re carrying your electronics, you certainly want to keep them safe from the weather, and this bag has a draw-cord collar closure to protect your precious gear. The padded laptop sleeve further cushions your electronic pal (up to 15.4 inches), so you can continue to work or play without smacking it around.
The strap has a comfortable cushion so it doesn’t cut into your shoulder, but even when your shoulders get tired, you can use the waist strap to balance the weight. And speaking of straps, you get three different webbing colors to switch out, so the bag always feels like new.
The Osprey Flap Jill Courier lists for $79 on the eBags website. It’s also available on RockCreek.com and on Altrec.com at prices ranging from $54.30 to $78.95, depending on color.
(There’s a men’s version of this too, called the FlapJack Courier. Get it…?)
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Posted by Jill in Business Gear, General Gear on January 27th, 2012
Nantucket Tote Bag from Overland Equipment
Never one to turn down the opportunity to test a carry-on bag, I brought the new Nantucket tote bag from Overland Equipment on six different plane flights to and from Aspen and Oahu last week. This multi-purpose, laptop-friendly tote offers a lot of great features for the traveling gal, but I also have some suggestions for the Nantucket 2.0 if Overland Equipment does plan to tweak the design in the future.
Here are my thoughts on a few of its selling features:
Poppy color: The bright orange-y red is a nice departure from my typical brown or black carry-on bags. It does also come in black, but I sure appreciate the upbeat poppy hue.
Pass-through flap: This tote has a panel on one side that allows you to slip it over the handles of a rollerboard, making for easy rolling through busy airports.
Exterior pocket: It’s always nice to have an outside pocket to keep things you need handy (phone, boarding pass), but I’d feel more secure with these important items if the pocket had a zipper, or even a magnetic closure.
Attached neoprene computer sleeve: While I certainly do like my checkpoint-friendly bags, because I like to keep my precious laptop in the bag to send through the x-ray machine at security, I do appreciate that at least this bag has a separate open sleeve for a 15-inch portable computer. Yes, I have to take the laptop out and send it naked down the conveyor belt, but at least it’s super easy to access on the plane. (And I suppose I could have protected it a bit in a laptop sleeve; I’m pretty sure that if nothing else is in the sleeve, no cords or papers, you can send that down the conveyor belt to keep your laptop covered a bit in the grey bin.)
Rugged material: The ballistic/ripstop nylon is hearty and water-resistant. I know this bag is quality made and it will last.
Its size: This bag measures 12.5″ x 21.25″ x 6″. It’s a great bag for toting to the library, into a meeting where you might need your laptop, or even to the pool (which is what I did when I was in Hawaii last week — it pulls fabulous double-duty that way). However, I did find it was just a touch too small to serve as one of my carry-ons (the other was a rollerboard) for my recent trans-Pacific trip. Yes, I’m an over-packer, and I wanted to bring not only my laptop, but also a neck pillow, a sweater, scarf, jacket, laptop cable, a hardcover book, all of my toiletries and work folders in my tote (my rollerboard was reserved solely for shoes and clothes).
So what I did was place this Nantucket bag inside my huge Briggs & Riley Large Shopping Tote. That’s because I did want to have my Nantucket tote with me in Hawaii to bring to the pool and carry to meetings and interviews during my working stay at Disney’s new Hawaiian resort.
For shorter weekend trips, or trips where I check a bigger suitcase, I’m sure the Nantucket tote would be plenty big as a carry-on. It’s also a good size for bringing necessities along on road trips.
Interior pockets: This is one place where I believe the Nantucket tote could use some improvement. There is one small horizontal mesh zipper pocket inside, and three open-top pouches above it that I suppose are for pens and slim cell phones. However, I found myself not even using the open pouches because they were such an awkward size!
My Droid was too wide to fit in an open pouch. On the other hand, the pouches were too wide, really, for pens — they kept sliding around and out. The pouches were too tall to slip in small tins of mints — they were hard to dig out. (I am reminded of Goldilocks — I want pouches that are sized just right.)
I would much rather see bigger zipper pockets and maybe a couple of pen slots, and larger open pouches. And many more of them. I actually brought along a couple of zippered pouches for my small items, and put those in the large zipper compartment of the Nantucket tote. I just can’t have small things floating around alone in a big bag like this. Too frustrating trying to find key items like tissues, lipstick, mint tins and more.
For sure, I’ll use my Nantucket tote in a myriad of ways — whether it’s around town, on family road trips or when shopping on my travels. While it may not be big enough (for me!) for long plane journeys, the bag does suit its purpose as a carry-on for shorter trips.
The Nantucket tote is sold on the Overland Equipment website for $75. I also found it discounted a bit on Amazon.com.
Posted by Kara in General Gear, Travel Light on September 27th, 2011
