Luggage

[mulisha00]

Dweb. I need luggage. I need something modular in the sense that I'm flying an need enough room to hold clothes ect but a seperate case for a laptop, binders ect and don't want to bring that, clothes, ect into a meeting. Looking for four wheels. I want a modular setup. Can be a standalone laptop case then zips onto another bag for clothes.

What's the good stuff?

Kennith I expect your expertise...

 

[varova87]

Check out Briggs and Riley, sounds like it would be a good fit.

I would give more input, but my international setup doesn't match what you're looking for.

 

[az_max]

Nothing in a gascase diesel?

 

[kennith]

I'll need to know your budget, items to be contained, their levels of durability and required care, manner of travel, expected travel and use conditions upon your arrival and, importantly, your expected method of return.

You should stretch your budget as far as possible when considering travel gear, so think as high as you can. Odds are, you'll only buy it once. It's reliability and performance are directly responsible for convenience and efficiency of operation. That can be the difference between easy operation and a royal pain in the ass that holds you back at every turn.

You don't want to spend this kind of money on a royal pain in the ass.

If you want, you can PM me to arrange a more direct consultation and free exchange of information. For now, there is one travel accessory that I encourage everyone to include in their loadout:

The shoulder bag. Acquire it, learn it, and use it. I bartered this when new as payment for an inconvenient task in the military, and have used it the world over to great effect. It's been repaired several times, but it works. There are good civilian options available, one of which I own.

Edit: If you wonder how such an item could be useful in common travel, I'll tell you.

Consider the things you might carry through an airport to be used upon arrival. You might have sunglasses, a mobile phone of some kind, keys, a watch, various jewelry, a wallet, passport, flight documentation, perhaps a book, cigarettes and whatever else may be carried and needed at the ready upon arrival.

The secondary benefit is the best. If those things are in various pockets, worn, or otherwise arrayed about your person, you'll spend time buggering around at security, perhaps misplace them, or they might become a discomfort during flight. If it's all in an easily accessed bag, you simply toss it in the box and pick it up on the other side of the checkpoint.

Upon reaching your destination, simply re-pimp yourself and stuff the bag in your normal carry-on luggage. Or strap her on, fill her with stuff that matters, and go get dirty in a pleasantly unfortunate environment.

There is a tertiary benefit as well. It's a way to cheat the carry-on regulations. You've got your normal carry-on bag, perhaps a laptop, and a shoulder bag. The shoulder bag doesn't count.

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[LRflip]

I'll need to know your budget, items to be contained, their levels of durability and required care, manner of travel, expected travel and use conditions upon your arrival and, importantly, your expected method of return.

You should stretch your budget as far as possible when considering travel gear, so think as high as you can. Odds are, you'll only buy it once. It's reliability and performance are directly responsible for convenience and efficiency of operation. That can be the difference between easy operation and a royal pain in the ass that holds you back at every turn.

You don't want to spend this kind of money on a royal pain in the ass.

If you want, you can PM me to arrange a more direct consultation and free exchange of information. For now, there is one travel accessory that I encourage everyone to include in their loadout:

The shoulder bag. Acquire it, learn it, and use it. I bartered this when new as payment for an inconvenient task in the military, and have used it the world over to great effect. It's been repaired several times, but it works. There are good civilian options available, one of which I own.

Edit: If you wonder how such an item could be useful in common travel, I'll tell you.

Consider the things you might carry through an airport to be used upon arrival. You might have sunglasses, a mobile phone of some kind, keys, a watch, various jewelry, a wallet, passport, flight documentation, perhaps a book, cigarettes and whatever else may be carried and needed at the ready upon arrival.

The secondary benefit is the best. If those things are in various pockets, worn, or otherwise arrayed about your person, you'll spend time buggering around at security, perhaps misplace them, or they might become a discomfort during flight. If it's all in an easily accessed bag, you simply toss it in the box and pick it up on the other side of the checkpoint.

Upon reaching your destination, simply re-pimp yourself and stuff the bag in your normal carry-on luggage. Or strap her on, fill her with stuff that matters, and go get dirty in a pleasantly unfortunate environment.

There is a tertiary benefit as well. It's a way to cheat the carry-on regulations. You've got your normal carry-on bag, perhaps a laptop, and a shoulder bag. The shoulder bag doesn't count.

Cheers,

Kennith

So.......a purse.

 

[stu454]

So.......a purse.

It's a satchel.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iuygRWVwuUI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Or a European Shoulder Bag.

http://youtu.be/rxHSArClCKU?t=26s

 

[varova87]

My Deuter ACT is my airport bag. Big enough for my laptop, cords, everything mentioned above, an emergency stash of trail-mix, and 2 changes of clothes. And it's designed to make all of that feel like 5 pounds once on my shoulders.

And yes, I'm travelling internationally. I need all of that.

http://www.rei.com/product/829374/deuter-act-trail-24-pack

 

[kennith]

There are a few decisions to be made.

Hard shell luggage versus soft. Here are some notes on hard-shell luggage:

Hard shell luggage is antiquated. It's difficult to store. It also slips across many surfaces with little provocation, which can mean shifting about the car, scratching various surfaces in the process.

Such containers are also terribly inefficient when actually packing items. You'll either have too much space or not enough. Many of them are a pain in the ass to close properly. In either event, things end up overly compressed or bounced about with the same undesirable results.

They are also not nearly as durable as the manufacturers might have you believe.

Another problem is resistance to the elements. Most of them aren't as good as you might think, in this respect. For business travel, it's likely enough, but if you find yourself in a monsoon, you'll have to take the same precautions you would with a soft container; sometimes more.

I'd stay well away from many conventional designs, in that regard. Their time is over.

Now, there are two constant exceptions to this list of drawbacks: Halliburton and Pelican.

1: Pelican cases alleviate all of the above issues, and provide their own unique conveniences. As an example, my divided 1510 will always pass the carry-on regulations without fail. At security checkpoints, inspection is fast and trouble free.

All I do is open it, and everything is neatly organized for easy inspection. This organization serves other purposes, as well. Nothing moves about in transit (eliminating the "too much space" issues found in conventional hard shell luggage), and I can always open the case and immediately grab what I want.

As for situations in which there might not be enough space, Pelican offers any size you need, rather than forcing you into choosing one standard size or another.

They don't readily slide about on common surfaces, either. Carpet generally holds them fast, and they are less likely to shift on hard surfaces than other designs, saving lots of trouble and preventing scratched surfaces. There are no metal parts exposed, and they are quite immune to destruction.

My 1510 is the go-to carrier for all my domestic travel. I don't use the wheels or handle, but they are fitted should you want them.

2: Halliburton cases do not alleviate all the issues, but they do minimize them. They are somewhat better arranged than similar products, stopping some problems associated with possibly inefficient packing.

Zero Halliburton does an oddly decent job of providing non-slip areas to prevent shifting in transit, but it's no Pelican, in that regard.

They are also as durable as they claim to be. Other non-pelican hard-shell luggage generally pales in comparison. If you've got to have a conventional design, and want a hard shell, you can do a lot worse than Halliburton.

That's not to say these choices don't have their own drawbacks.

Both brands call to mind bad guys in film. Never carry a silver Halliburton briefcase during travel, and stay away from any Pelican that's significantly longer than it is wide. These can cause the occasional bit of suspicion in conventional daily travel. Blame Hollywood.

Briefcases from either manufacturer will increase the probability of a robbery or mugging, but that silver Halliburton is simply begging to be snatched.

Pelican cases are also a bit heavier than normal luggage. It's not as bad as people think, though. It's never bothered me, but if you've got a wife, you might earn a time-out if she ever takes it on a trip.

Historically, Halliburton's biggest drawback has been price, but now it's not so bad. Everything related to luggage is expensive nowadays, even junk. Still, some of their traditionally made items can really break the bank.

Both companies offer an array of sizes and options with plenty of choices in regard to wheels and the like. Halliburton especially offers good designs with the four wheels you mentioned. Many of these products can be equipped with multiple handles, which is very convenient indeed.

Those are just a few points related to hard shell luggage. The general idea is this: If you want to go hard shell, you must either carry a Pelican or spend lots of money. These aren't the only good brands, but all of them will be in the same price bracket, with Pelican being significantly cheaper. When considering other brands, compare them to these.

I'm a big Pelican fan, but it's not for everyone, so I'll follow up with a few good soft shell products, which I favor when a Pelican isn't the answer.

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[kennith]

So.......a purse.

Yeah? :rofl:

That purse has been with me in many inconvenient environments. I walked a very long way, once, through difficult terrain, with no more cargo capacity than that purse and a Camelbak Storm insert lashed over my shoulders with 550 cord.

Uphill both ways, of course.

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[LRflip]

Yeah? :rofl:

That purse has been with me in many inconvenient environments. I walked a very long way, once, through difficult terrain, with no more cargo capacity than that purse and a Camelbak Storm insert lashed over my shoulders with 550 cord.

Uphill both ways, of course.

Cheers,

Kennith

I've seen the pictures that prove it, although it was kind of hard to tell which way was uphill by the camera angle, so I'll just have to let you get away with that part.

 

[bri]

I travel with a monster laptop that requires a separate bag. Almost any laptop bag will slide over the handle of another bag, or you can buy a hook/strap.

I have an inexpensive, light laptop bag that will not hold all I need for business, so misc cables, HDD, peripherals go in a wenger carry-on. If I had a smaller laptop, likely it would fit in the wenger, but for some int'l flights would exceed the one bag weight limitations that are enforced by some airlines, so even if you can fit it in you may need a "pouch".
http://luggagebase.com/index.php?p=view_product&product_id=10314&utm_source=GoogleBase&utm_medium=ComparisonShopping&utm_campaign=Swiss%20Army%20Luggage%20Wenger%20Neo%20Lite%2021%20Pilot%20Carry-on%20Spinner&gclid=CNTh2Pqt27ICFehDMgodAXYA3g


If you are going to carry on all the time it is my opinion that you really do not need something all that high quality since it's not subject to a lot of abuse and the more indestructable, the heavier.

If I were going to buy something that I would regularly check, I'd consider something with a lifetime warranty, but you will still need another bag since it will return for repair.

If money wasn't all that important, I'd go with club glove and forget the extended warranty, because it does seem bullet proof.
http://www.clubglove.com/CG/ViewProdcss3XTRS.asp?ProductID=411
http://www.clubglove.com/CG/ViewProdcss3XTRS-2.asp?ProductID=425
http://www.clubglove.com/CG/ViewProdcss3XTRS.asp?ProductID=421

 

[mulisha00]

Thanks for some of the insight so far.

I'm more or less looking for a clothes bag that has a detachable laptop case.

My manager seems to like samsonite and says this product exists as in the modular detachable case.

I wish I could show you the stacks of pelican cases in my office. You guys would shit.

 

[kennith]

Thanks for some of the insight so far.

I'm more or less looking for a clothes bag that has a detachable laptop case.

My manager seems to like samsonite and says this product exists as in the modular detachable case.

I wish I could show you the stacks of pelican cases in my office. You guys would shit.

Do you want a carry-on size, or something larger?

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[kennith]

If you've got to have four wheels, I'd look here first:

http://shop.eaglecreek.com/ec-adventure-4wheeled-upright-25/d/1209_c_113

The materials they are using now are quite durable, while remaining lightweight and not too stiff. The stuff is hard to describe, really.

These products also feature many attachment points for other gear, such as a laptop bag or similar. When your gear varies, it's no issue to strap something else on the bag.

I personally feel this is a far better solution than simple "modular luggage", as you can use a real laptop bag, rather than whatever stiff, difficult to operate product that a brand such as Samsonite might provide.

Note all the handles, as well. This is good. No more sliding something around trying to find a handle, or having to orient the bag in an inconvenient manner when you might be standing in a line or on an escalator.

The interior compression system keeps things in place, while providing the added benefit of less wrinkles because of the large flaps. The zippered compartment on the inside of the lid is nothing special, but it's not going to fall apart any time soon.

The bag features external compression straps, as well. I wouldn't own a bag without them.

This product also integrates with their various Pack-It solutions.

This is a good choice. Still, there are others. Either way, I'd personally look into something that allows the attachment of whatever laptop bag you desire, and the facilities to strap it down easily.

You ought to have a good main bag and a great laptop bag. The main bag gets your shit where it needs to go. The laptop bag likely follows you to meetings.

Whether or not you like this particular bag is not relevant. Look at some of the concepts behind it, and apply them to your final decision. Try to focus on products that cater to the adventurous side of life, as their manufacturers haven't been stuck in the same bullshit rut for the past fifty years like conventional brands, and they allow the use of more non-proprietary accessories.

Examine their entire product line, though, as they do have some great stuff, and the prices certainly aren't objectionable. I'm not pointing you to cheap shit, either. My favorite duffel came from one of their lines, as did my new shoulder bag.

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[riceybean]

http://www.rei.com/product/830787/victorinox-avolve-22-4-wheeled-luggage-22

This?

 

[mulisha00]

Kennith,

Can we just start askkennith.com and get all this shit out there? I got a feeling the Dos Equis guy on the commercials doesn't have shit on you. I forwarded on the last link and he likes some of that stuff.

 

[kennith]

Kennith,

Can we just start askkennith.com and get all this shit out there? I got a feeling the Dos Equis guy on the commercials doesn't have shit on you. I forward on the last link and he likes some of that stuff.

I'm pompous enough without my own advice column. I'd have to widen all my doors to get my ego through the house. :rofl:

Here is a prime example of the sort of laptop case I mentioned:

http://shop.eaglecreek.com/heritage-commuter-brief/d/1217

Examine the various pictures. As you can see, it is made to slip over an extendable handle, which is good for quick and solid attachment and retrieval when the handle might be in use.

As well, it's capable of my personal favorite variety of carry when I add something of the like to my pack. That top handle can be attached either over an extendable handle, or even tied to the handle when it's collapsed.

In the case of the cargo bag I linked, it could also be clipped to the vertical tab/clip specifically designed for the purpose. Then, you simply wrap the shoulder strap around the body of the wheeled bag, and tighten it up. If you click the "watch video" button on the page, you can see the convenient tab/clip in action, as more pictures are available there, for some reason.

No matter which bag you choose, so long as you follow that concept it's all of a ten second affair to attach or remove the laptop case.

I think I've explained that method clearly enough. If not, let me know.

Any laptop bag or similar briefcase can be fastened in this manner. I'd look at Filson, Orvis, and similar brands for some timelessly classy designs, that will fit any environment, business or otherwise. The Eagle Creek offerings, such as the one I linked, are good as well. There are other, more conventional, offerings but they are never as well designed.

Still, a budget can only be stretched so far.

If you go this way, you give up nothing in the business/laptop bag department. You can have whatever you want, without being forced into proprietary inconvenience and uselessness.

Remember, that laptop bag is more important than the cargo bag, so compromise is undesirable. If it's got a handle and a shoulder strap, it will attach securely to nearly any such luggage, but the Eagle Creek offering adds additional convenience.

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[chris snell]

I fly somewhere almost every week, sometimes several places in a week. I have two favorites.

For a quick domestic out-and-back, I prefer my Patagonia rolling bag. What I love about it is that the insides are lined with some kind of rubber-like waterproof liner that does a great job at keeping your clothes dry. The underside of bag is a compartment for dirty/wet clothes. There's rubber liner between this and the main compartment, so wet clothes won't dampen your clean stuff. The material is tough and mine has been on hundreds of flights and it's still in good shape. http://www.patagonia.com/us/product/freewheeler-wheeled-gear-bag?p=48613-0-015

For international travel or for when I'm carrying delicate things (wrapped Christmas presents, for example), there's only one way to go: Pelican case. They are heavy and bulky but they are indestructible. Your gear will arrive dry and un-smashed. You can stack them up and use them like a bench seat while you're waiting on a shuttle to pick you up. The only downside is that TSA has a hard-on for Pelicans and loves to open them up. Sometimes if you pack them very full, the TSA morons won't take care when buckling them back up. If any part of your belongings overlaps the case's lip, it will not close and latch. Of course, these morons don't care. They will half-latch your case and you'll pick it up at baggage claim with shit spilling out the sides. For this reason only, Pelicans are not my go-to bag for everyday travel.

 

[bri]

I have the High Sierra rolling duffle for personal travel (similar to Patagonia). It is barely carry on and if you stuff it won't be. Never use it for business travel, because I pack so light for business any duffle is overkill.

The high sierra is a duffle, roller AND backpack. In general though, the duffles and gear bags are nice for size, but tough to get in and out of. The High Sierra is comparable materials, features, size and 30% of the price of that Patagonia.

I'd always get a separate laptop bag that is what that fits your computer and accessories well. You are limited if you get a modular system, vs you get what you want if you piggy back them.

Spinner wheels will get ripped off. Faster if checked. The inline skate wheels are much better. If you are checking bags, pack a soft side well. The hard cases are damaged way more often.

 

[jhmover]

I put my carry on stuff in a Jansport Couloir daypack. Leaves both hands free, don't have to put it down to take a whiz in airport bathrooms, doesn't catch going down the aisle. It's small enough to stuff under the seat if need be. I went to and all over Alaska with it on planes, buses, trains, boats. Worked great.