Posts Tagged travel bag
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
OverLand Equipment Bidwell Bag
Sometimes, finding the right size bag for a day of exploration is like “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” This one is too small. The other one is too big. But you need one that’s just right. The OverLand Equipment Bidwell Bag is big enough to fit necessary gear, but small enough to tote around town without looking like you’ve got a suitcase hanging from your shoulder.
The nylon bag comes in three colors: tangerine, gray (called “dove”) and blue-violet. Each bag has a contrasting color design on the front flap, which is pretty enough to distract me from my usual no-design preference. In fact, someone stopped me on the street to praise the stitching.
The bag’s large, interior compartment has two mesh holders for water bottles, and even when you fill both of them there’s still room for more of your gear. Of course, if you try to cram two 1-liter water bottles in there, not only is there less room, but also you may have difficulty zipping up the pocket.
A flap with a magnetic closure protects the front compartment, which has five organizer pockets, a sixth zipper pocket and a leather key ring. All your small items, like cell phone, wallet, keys, pens and more can be kept here—so you don’t have to dig for them in the larger compartment.
The leather shoulder strap is adjustable, so you can make it long enough to use cross-body, or just leave it to use slung over your shoulder. I haven’t yet used the bag enough so that the shoulder strap softens, like most leather does, but I’m looking forward to the stiff strap getting some character. Luckily, the strap isn’t so thick or stiff that it digs into your body when you use the bag, so my small issue is really one of personal taste and not comfort.
Last, but not least, there’s an exterior pocket on the back of the bag, so it’s a simple stash spot for a small book or items that you may want to get to quickly. Airplane tickets would go perfectly in the pocket.
The OverLand Equipment Bidwell bag lists for $75 on the OverLand Equipment website.
Posted by Jill in General Gear, Travel Light on December 2nd, 2011
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
Ice Storm Soft Cooler from fishpond
The company fishpond (no, its proper name is not capitalized) is known for its gear, bags and accessories for avid anglers; it also manufacturers vests, packs and tools for use out on the water. But fishpond also offers a more general “outdoor lifestyle” category with a line of rugged luggage, including a duffel, messenger bag and toiletry kit, for the traveling outdoorsman (it is indeed a masculine style). Fido isn’t left out of the mix with a Bow Wow dog bed and travel dog dish. Belts, hats, visors and coolers round out the versatile outdoor collection.
I toted the fishpond Ice Storm Soft Cooler on a recent road trip to Lake Powell, and boy, did it come in handy. First, the roomy cooler (19 x 11 x 11.5 inches) held a ton of drinks and snacks on our six-hour motorhome ride with two adults and seven kids (yes, they all had seatbelts on). I packed it full of not only road-trip snacks, but also ingredients for cooking at our campsite, plus a half-bag of crushed ice. The heavy-duty waterproof lining did it’s job, with no leakage on the floor of the motorhome.
We also used the cooler for two days of excursions on the water. Again, we filled it with fruit, cheese and lots of Gatorade, soda and water bottles, and everything stayed nice and cool in the hot desert sun. The signature waterproof, molded bottom (made from rubber), meant that I could toss it on the sandstone rocks, or even in the sand, and I didn’t worry about the cooler getting dirty, as I could simply rinse off the bottom.
It’s definitely a rugged cooler, as the exterior material is thick nylon; again, I didn’t worry too much about banging it around our motorhome, on the pontoon boat or at the campground because I knew the material wouldn’t rip. Other nice features include a hardy zipper, a see-through mesh pocket on the lid and an exterior, Velcro-close pocket. It has a paddled handle and a removable padded shoulder strap (I didn’t use). The accent webbing — a signature look for fishpond — adds a classy touch.
I suppose if I could change one thing about the fishpond Ice Storm Soft Cooler, I’d add a couple more exterior pockets (on the sides or back) to stash a few napkins, plastic forks or can opener. It’s always nice to have extra places to put those additional small items.
This cooler comes in one color – sand – and retails for $89 at online sites for fishing gear, such as AvidMax Outfitters. I also found it on Amazon.com for $10 cheaper.
Related p0st: Norchill Soft-sided Cooler
Posted by Kara in Adventure Gear on June 7th, 2011
Eagle Creek ORV Trunk 22 Carry-on
Want a wheeled carry-on that you can pick up and carry like a duffel bag? Want a wheelie bag you can use and abuse without worrying that it’s going to fall apart after a few trips? This Eagle Creek ORV Trunk 22 bag fits the bill and will probably keep rocking your travels for many years to come.
This is basically an Eagle Creek Orv 22 duffel bag that’s been fitted with wheels. As I got off a turboprop plane in Costa Rica last week, I had the surreal experience of seeing the two side by side as another passenger grabbed her wheel-less one in the same color. It holds 43 liters (2,600 cubic liters) and adds a few pounds because of the frame, handle, and wheels. It comes in at 7 pounds, 8 ounces, which is a tad below most (but certainly not all) competitors in this size class.
This is a rugged, tough bag that feels like it will take a beating, however, and the company chose not to reduce weight at the expense of function or durability. You get quality wheels and a quality telescoping handle, plus carrying straps in three different places, which I really like.
It is designed to be used with Eagle Creek’s Pack-It packing cube system. As I’ve said before, I’ve got mixed feelings about packing cubes, but for the two-week trip to Costa Rica I’m just finishing up, I decided to go with their system and use packing cubes: one full Pack-it Cube for the main clothes, one for the socks and underwear, the included shoe pouch, and a toiletry kit. That’s how they’ve got it pictured in their accompanying guide, but with an additional Pack-It Folder for the shirts.
There’s even a little picture book enclosed in the packaging showing you how to use all these cube products to maximize your space. I still don’t think it helped me pack any more clothing than my regular roll-and-stuff system, but unpacking and finding what I wanted was much faster, which can be useful if you’re moving from hotel to hotel or are living out of one bag for an extended time.
As for features, the ES2 wheels performed admirably and I liked the ergonomic handle. Even when I piled a daypack on top with my laptop and camera, it all felt sturdy. This qualifies as a carry-on though, so I didn’t have to check a bag on my international flights. It also worked well for all the internal flights I took on Nature Air where the cheap tickets have a really low weight limit. Despite stuffing this full, I was easily able to carry it when I couldn’t use the wheels.
I like the built-in shoe pouch a lot. It holds two or three pairs of shoes easily and keeps them away from your clean clothes. There are two small pockets on the front, one being an exact fit for the compact Sea to Summit toiletry kit I take when I’m not checking a bag. The quality zippers aren’t grabby either: a problem I’ve run into a lot with cheaper bags.
As with all Eagle Creek products, they stand behind ORV Trunk carry-on bigtime. There’s a lifetime “no-matter-what” damage repair warranty if something goes wrong.
The ORV Trunk 22-inch Carry-on Bag comes in several color combinations and lists for $250 at EagleCreek.com. Check the sites below for sales and specials.
ORV Trunk 22 at eBags
Eagle Creek ORV Trunk 22 at Backcountry
Get it at RockCreek.com
See other carry on bag reviews
Posted by Tim L. in General Gear, Travel Light on December 15th, 2010
