"One bag" travel, which bag is best?

Dan Stephenson wrote:
I've found that if you pack light you can make do with a daypack.

I could probably "make do" with nothing. I took survival
training and actually had to do that for a weekend. Well,
I got to carry a knife and a compass. Not exactly my idea
of a vacation though. Besides, they wouldn't let me take
the knife on a plane these days.

I bought a big Gallileo backpack some years back, and now only use the
daypack that came with it. Note that this isn't a booksack like kids
use at school. Overall if possible I recommend visiting a store,
preferrably with about the amount of stuff you're going to bring with
you. Note that packing light might mean two changes of clothes, one to
wear, one to be drying out.

Exactly. I guess I'm just one that doesn't look upon my vacations
as an opportunity to practice minimalism. Even on business travel
I've learned over the years to pack a creature comfort or two. Doing
laundry DEFINITELY isn't something I look forward to doing on vacation.
To some extent, it's one of the things I look forward to getting away
from.

jfmezei wrote:
" wrote:
as an opportunity to practice minimalism. Even on business travel
I've learned over the years to pack a creature comfort or two. Doing
laundry DEFINITELY isn't something I look forward to doing on vacation.


Let me get this straight, you pack your wife in the suitcase so she can
do your laundry (and other things) wherever you are ?

:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)


Ah, heck no. That'd be cruel. I let her carry the bags.

In article , B
wrote:

I don't understand the public transport thing. The human body is less
bulky around the legs than around the chest. In a packed tram, you can
always find a bit of unused real estate on the floor, while a backpack
on your back will be punching people in the face.

In which case you remove the pack from your back and do the same.

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

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

In article ,
wrote:

Following up to Larry in Berkeley

Many airlines are now enforcing the old rule that a carryon may not
weigh more than seven kilos.

(UK) New Department for Transport guidelines on cabin baggage
come into effect this month. Passengers are now only allowed to
take hand baggage on board that is a maximum length of 56cm
(22in), width of 45cm (18in) and depth of 25cm (10in).
We recommend that you check your baggage dimensions before
starting your journey to save delays.

I just went over and measured my Eagle Creek bag. It fits, as long as I
don't pack it fuller than I can strap down to 10. I weigh it to make
sure I don't have too much in it to begin with, and some stuff gets
discarded.

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

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

On Fri, 04 Aug 2006 14:18:38 -0500, erilar
wrote:

In article , B
wrote:

I don't understand the public transport thing. The human body is less
bulky around the legs than around the chest. In a packed tram, you can
always find a bit of unused real estate on the floor, while a backpack
on your back will be punching people in the face.

In which case you remove the pack from your back and do the same.

Miguel Cruz had said that a backpack was MORE convenient on cowded
public transport than a wheeled suitcase. If you're going to do the
same thing with it that you do with a suitcase, but you also have to
take it off (no mean feat in a crowded tram) and put it back on, then
it's less convenient on public transport, not more.

Welcome back to r.t.e., Miguel, even if you're just looking over the
fence.
--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup

Miguel Cruz had said that a backpack was MORE convenient on cowded
public transport than a wheeled suitcase. If you're going to do the
same thing with it that you do with a suitcase, but you also have to
take it off (no mean feat in a crowded tram) and put it back on, then
it's less convenient on public transport, not more.

On a crowded bus, if I've got a seat, I can put the backpack in
my lap. I have never seen anyone do that with a wheeled bag, it
always takes up floor space. And since you can't move the thing
without angling it 45 degrees, it takes up the space of two people
whenever its owner moves - usually with random jiggles backwards
to bash people.in the ankles.

Wheeled bags are not designed to be lifted - you can't use both
hands to get an ergonomic grip the way you can with a backpack.
Dangling the whole weight off one arm is a good incentive not to
even try.

============== j-c ====== @ ====== purr . demon . co . uk ==============
Jack Campin: 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland | tel 0131 660 4760
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"RPSinha" wrote in message
...
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?

I recently purchased the Rick Steves Convertible Carryon bag as a lower cost
alternative to some of the other maximum carryon bags (e.g. Red Oxx, Tough
Traveler, Patagonia). I have not yet traveled any great distance with it,
only a one-week road trip. Here are some random observations:
Pluses:

1.. Converts to backpack. Has a hip belt, which the current Patagonia MLC
lacks.
2.. Fairly light weight.
3.. Small laundry bag was included.

Minuses:
1.. Does not come with shoulder strap. Must purchase separately.
2.. Lacks any support to hold a rectangular shape. Even using packing
cubes it becomes a fairly shapeless blob. I'm looking for some sort of
light-weight stiffeners to add to the load.
3.. I dislike the "portrait" format and would prefer the bag open in the
"landscape" mode.
4.. I would like more internal organization. The Tough Traveler Tri-Zip
looks better organized to me.
5.. The compression strap ends dangle free with no place to be tucked
away.

Finally, do you find any particular *colors* either very good or not so
good for rugged travel?

Some shade of brown? Almost all my luggage is black. The only advantage of
black is that you can match luggage from different manufacturers without any
problem. With other colors it would be impossible to get a match. I'd
imagine that any light color would be not so good since it would show dirt
and wear.

--
Donald R. Newcomb
DRNewcomb (at) attglobal (dot) net

"nobody" wrote in message
...
Someone mentioned pulling rolling luggage on sidewalks. Isn't that a
recipe to destroy the wheels ? They may be nice on a smooth airport
terminal floor, but on concrete with cracks every couple of metres,
those wheels won't last long, unless you are simply going from a
building across the sidewalk to a waiting taxi.

It depends on the wheels and the sidewalk. If you have high-quality wheels
and a good sidewalk there is little problem. I've towed my TravelPro bag for
miles (with more weight than I could possibly carry). And worst case
scenario, I have to order a new set of wheels. I can see problems in some
place like Portugal where the sidewalks are made of little blocks of
limestone with sand in-between.

--
Donald R. Newcomb
DRNewcomb (at) attglobal (dot) net

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.

marika wrote:
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.

I've never had this happen, despite traveling a lot, favoring public
transportation, and always using a backpack. If you suspect someone is
getting friendly with it, just twist around gently, the motion will be
amplified in the back and make it difficult for them to keep hold.

I secure my pack's zippers with a large paperclip through the handles,
nothing high-tech but it seems to work. My laptop is in a smaller pack
which I wear in the front.

miguel
--
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