"One bag" travel, which bag is best?

[Reposted with enlarged group list. Please leave rec.travel.air intact,
I can only access replies there.]

I am going to experiment with doing away with checked luggage and try
traveling with just one carry-on. This will be for a few weeks, a few
countries, everything from planes and trains to back country buses.
So this bag needs to be pretty versatile: strong, light, easy to
organize etc, and resistant to dust and water. I found two intriguing
suggestions in http://www.onebag.com/bags.html : the Red Oxx Air Boss
and Tough traveler Tri-Zip. Both are about $225.

Another suggestion was Rick Steves Convertable carry-on bag; $99.
http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/ca...ction=product&
theParentId=8&id=139

Do you have any expereince with these? Or, do you have another
recommendation?

Finally, do you find any particular *colors* either very good or not so
good for rugged travel? (My "one bag" is likely to take more beating
than if it had been just one of several bags with me.) The Red Oxx
comes in 12 colors, for example:
http://www.redoxx.com/catalog/carry-on/p_91018-air-boss.html

Thanks.

RPSinha wrote:
[Reposted with enlarged group list. Please leave rec.travel.air intact,
I can only access replies there.]

I am going to experiment with doing away with checked luggage and try
traveling with just one carry-on. This will be for a few weeks, a few
countries, everything from planes and trains to back country buses.
So this bag needs to be pretty versatile: strong, light, easy to
organize etc, and resistant to dust and water. I found two intriguing
suggestions in http://www.onebag.com/bags.html : the Red Oxx Air Boss
and Tough traveler Tri-Zip. Both are about $225.

But they don't seem to have wheels. One bag needs to be backpacks with
good lumber support, or roll on bags. If you are looking at roll on
bags check out Mountainsmith.


Another suggestion was Rick Steves Convertable carry-on bag; $99.
http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/ca...ction=product&
theParentId=8&id=139

Do you have any expereince with these? Or, do you have another
recommendation?

Finally, do you find any particular *colors* either very good or not so
good for rugged travel? (My "one bag" is likely to take more beating
than if it had been just one of several bags with me.) The Red Oxx
comes in 12 colors, for example:
http://www.redoxx.com/catalog/carry-on/p_91018-air-boss.html

Thanks.

No wheels. Despite what the "travel experts" may say, carry your bag for a
couple of miles or so getting out of the airport and wheels become more
attractive. Try
http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/ca...ntId=122&id=42
for a wheeled version of the Rick bag.

Pick a color that most bags are not. Better visibility for you and fewer
chances of your bag being taken by someone else by mistake.

"RPSinha" wrote in message
...
[Reposted with enlarged group list. Please leave rec.travel.air intact,
I can only access replies there.]

I am going to experiment with doing away with checked luggage and try
traveling with just one carry-on. This will be for a few weeks, a few
countries, everything from planes and trains to back country buses.
So this bag needs to be pretty versatile: strong, light, easy to
organize etc, and resistant to dust and water. I found two intriguing
suggestions in http://www.onebag.com/bags.html : the Red Oxx Air Boss
and Tough traveler Tri-Zip. Both are about $225.

Another suggestion was Rick Steves Convertable carry-on bag; $99.
http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/ca...ction=product&
theParentId=8&id=139

Do you have any expereince with these? Or, do you have another
recommendation?

Finally, do you find any particular *colors* either very good or not so
good for rugged travel? (My "one bag" is likely to take more beating
than if it had been just one of several bags with me.) The Red Oxx
comes in 12 colors, for example:
http://www.redoxx.com/catalog/carry-on/p_91018-air-boss.html

Thanks.

In article OApAg.884$uW1.647@dukeread06, "rascal" writes:
No wheels. Despite what the "travel experts" may say, carry your bag for a
couple of miles or so getting out of the airport and wheels become more
attractive. ...

Wheels and handles take up a surprising amount of the limited space
in a carry-on size bag. It's a trade off to consider carfully.
I've been a number of places where wheels weren't much good due to
the condition of the ground/floor.

If you don't get wheels, look for a bag that has or can accomodate
a shoulder strap. Makes carying easier without sacrificing space.

I also travel with a small back pack -- a "day bag" -- in addition
to my "carry-on"

--
Charlie Hammond -- Hewlett-Packard Company -- Ft Lauderdale FL USA
-- remove "@not" when replying)
All opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily my employer's.

"rascal" wrote:
Despite what the "travel experts" may say, carry your bag for a
couple of miles or so getting out of the airport and wheels become
more attractive.

I cannot imagine a scenario in which a wheeled bag is more attractive,
unless it is so heavy that you simply cannot lift it - such as an
equipment container on 4 casters.

I sometimes have to carry my luggage fairly long distances. For example,
last year I had to carry two bags (one large checked backpack, worn in
the back, one small carry-on backpack, worn in the front) from Istanbul
airport to the center of town because my ATM card had expired just
before the flight (who ever checks the expiration date on their ATM
card?), I didn't have any other form of money on me, and the only bank
that was prepared to sort me out was in the middle of town. Leaving
aside the stupidity of the situation I'd gotten myself into, it was
really no problem to do this - I just found some high ground, located
the coastline, followed it, and a few hours later I was in Sultanahmet.

With wheeled bags I wouldn't have made it out of the airport parking lot
before I was ready to hurl them under a passing truck.

My girlfriend travels with a large wheeled bag and it slows us down
tremendously (hope she's not reading this). It is faster for me to pick
her bag up and carry it in my arms while also wearing my large backpack,
than for her (or me) to drag it by the wheels. The whole principle
sucks. They suck on stairs, they suck in countries where everything
isn't wheelchair-accessible, they suck on bumpy sidewalks, they suck in
ice and snow, they suck if you have to run or jog, they suck when you
are getting in and out of vehicles, they suck on escalators where you
are the jerk who blocks the way so nobody can walk past. They suck.

Carrying a bag by a handle, so that it swings against your leg with each
step, and the weight of it compresses your spine, also sucks. Really
nothing beats a good - and properly-adjusted - backpack, especially for
business travel when you frequently have to deal with tight schedules.

miguel
--
Photos from 40 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu
Latest photos: Malaysia; Thailand; Singapore; Spain; Morocco
Airports of the world: http://airport.u.nu

Miguel Cruz wrote:
"rascal" wrote:
Despite what the "travel experts" may say, carry your bag for a
couple of miles or so getting out of the airport and wheels become
more attractive.

I cannot imagine a scenario in which a wheeled bag is more attractive,
unless it is so heavy that you simply cannot lift it - such as an
equipment container on 4 casters.

Wait till you are 50 yrs old Miguel.



I sometimes have to carry my luggage fairly long distances. For example,
last year I had to carry two bags (one large checked backpack, worn in
the back, one small carry-on backpack, worn in the front) from Istanbul
airport to the center of town because my ATM card had expired just
before the flight (who ever checks the expiration date on their ATM
card?), I didn't have any other form of money on me, and the only bank
that was prepared to sort me out was in the middle of town. Leaving
aside the stupidity of the situation I'd gotten myself into, it was
really no problem to do this - I just found some high ground, located
the coastline, followed it, and a few hours later I was in Sultanahmet.

With wheeled bags I wouldn't have made it out of the airport parking lot
before I was ready to hurl them under a passing truck.

My girlfriend travels with a large wheeled bag and it slows us down
tremendously (hope she's not reading this). It is faster for me to pick
her bag up and carry it in my arms while also wearing my large backpack,
than for her (or me) to drag it by the wheels. The whole principle
sucks. They suck on stairs, they suck in countries where everything
isn't wheelchair-accessible, they suck on bumpy sidewalks, they suck in
ice and snow, they suck if you have to run or jog, they suck when you
are getting in and out of vehicles, they suck on escalators where you
are the jerk who blocks the way so nobody can walk past. They suck.

Carrying a bag by a handle, so that it swings against your leg with each
step, and the weight of it compresses your spine, also sucks. Really
nothing beats a good - and properly-adjusted - backpack, especially for
business travel when you frequently have to deal with tight schedules.

miguel
--
Photos from 40 countries on 5 continents: http://travel.u.nu
Latest photos: Malaysia; Thailand; Singapore; Spain; Morocco
Airports of the world: http://airport.u.nu

PeterL wrote:
I cannot imagine a scenario in which a wheeled bag is more attractive,
unless it is so heavy that you simply cannot lift it - such as an
equipment container on 4 casters.

Wait till you are 50 yrs old Miguel.

If you keep fit, then carrying a well designed backpack is not
age-limited. I've seen older people hiking in the wilderness with backpacks.

If you're out of shape, even a 25 year old will complain about a backpack.

And it is very true that a backpack allows you to move aroud much faster
than when you are lugging some luggage (either wheeled or now) AND has
the advantage of leaving you with 2 usable hands.

There are suitaces that convert into backpacks. They are not "great"
backpacks from a support point of view, but for airport stuff, it is great.

On Thu, 03 Aug 2006 14:10:54 -0400, nobody wrote:

PeterL wrote:
I cannot imagine a scenario in which a wheeled bag is more attractive,
unless it is so heavy that you simply cannot lift it - such as an
equipment container on 4 casters.

Wait till you are 50 yrs old Miguel.

If you keep fit, then carrying a well designed backpack is not
age-limited. I've seen older people hiking in the wilderness with
backpacks.

move the hypothetical to a typical downtown in a typical city. i am
always worried about someone getting into the bag say when i am on a
crowded conveyance but unable to determine what is happening behind me in
terms of theft.


If you're out of shape, even a 25 year old will complain about a
backpack.

And it is very true that a backpack allows you to move aroud much faster
than when you are lugging some luggage (either wheeled or now) AND has
the advantage of leaving you with 2 usable hands.

There are suitaces that convert into backpacks. They are not "great"
backpacks from a support point of view, but for airport stuff, it is
great.

In article .com,
"PeterL" wrote:

Miguel Cruz wrote:
"rascal" wrote:
Despite what the "travel experts" may say, carry your bag for a
couple of miles or so getting out of the airport and wheels become
more attractive.

I cannot imagine a scenario in which a wheeled bag is more attractive,
unless it is so heavy that you simply cannot lift it - such as an
equipment container on 4 casters.

Wait till you are 50 yrs old Miguel.

I'm 72 and wouldn't use a wheeled bag if it were free.

--
Mary Loomer Oliver (aka Erilar),
philologist, biblioholic medievalist

http://www.airstreamcomm.net/~erilarlo

Despite what the "travel experts" may say, carry your bag for a
couple of miles or so getting out of the airport and wheels become
more attractive.
I cannot imagine a scenario in which a wheeled bag is more attractive,
unless it is so heavy that you simply cannot lift it - such as an
equipment container on 4 casters.
Wait till you are 50 yrs old Miguel.

I'm 57 and Miguel is dead right. I would never use a wheeled bag for
general travelling. (I have just acquired a very heavy accordion,
and am thinking about making a wheeled trolley for it, but no way
would I go any further than into Edinburgh with that)

I was on an Edinburgh bus a few weeks ago with a young Australian couple
who had decided to put ALL their possessions into ONE hard-shell wheeled
bag. The only bigger bags I've seen are the ones the Scouts use for
transporting twenty-person marquees; it would comfortably have held a
30-inch TV. The rule on these buses is that wheelchairs get first
priority for space, pushchairs next, luggage nowhere. And somebody in
a wheelchair got on. The man could hardly lift the bag and it took him
about three tries to get it onto the waist-high bag platform, fuming
with outrage all the time. I doubt if even a single fellow-passenger
had one iota of sympathy.

I've carried backpacks round Istanbul many times. Miguel's picture is
dead on. Broken surfaces, tramlines, jam-packed public transport,
gangways onto ferries - you'd be nuts to use anything with wheels there.
It's no coincidence that there are still porters in Istanbul who can
make a living carrying goods on their backs.

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