Mh4k
Member
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2011
- Posts
- 170
Well as promised, having used it in anger, I can now provide some impressions.
For background, my previous go-to bag for these trips is a now 3-year old Samsonite four-wheel international carry-on sized trolley case, which has held up remarkably well, surviving at least 50 sectors checked as hold baggage and a large number as cabin baggage over that period and having been wheeled across all manner of terrain including cobbled streets, gravel, sheets of ice and mountains of snow and salted slush with really no noticeable signs of wear and tear. The motivation for its replacement was to get something that would reliably be accept as cabin baggage on both domestic and international flights, and to get something a little more stylish.
So far I've put it through just one sector, but here's my initial report.
General build is top-notch. It's actually considerably more sturdy than the Samsonite - the entire back side is rigid and evidently constructed from some fairy heavy-duty plastics. The sides and front are unstructured, so the case will collapse and expand to a good degree as necessary. Simultaneously the solid back means if you stow it back-side-up the contents are afforded a good degree of protection.
The case material is the usual Crumpler bag material - extremely dense high denier Nylon (stab-proof-grade material I believe), and I expect it to wear at least as well as my other Crumpler bags (i.e., to show no evidence of wear after years and years of daily use).
Internal volume is, perhaps predictably, less than my international sized bag but nevertheless it'll easily fit five days of business and casual clothes for me with room to spare.
It's surprisingly heavy, at 2.7KG empty. Something to be aware of.
The front has stowage ideal for an iPad. You can sling a laptop in there too but I'd want it in some kind of case or sleeve, I think, as it'd be a bit unprotected.
The handle is extraordinarily sturdy. The wheels have a particularly smooth action. It's less manuverably than my four-wheelers, which takes some getting used to, but isn't inherent to the bag itself.
One note is that there is a "bumper" opposite the wheels to prevent the bag material from coming into contact with the ground. This is actually quite a bit taller than you'd expect, and the bag is canted back a good amount toward the wheels when stood on its base. Despite that, it has shown no signs of instability and, given that shoes are designed to be stowed a mesh pocket on the front lining, actually helps move the centre of gravity back to the middle of the case when it is packed and increases stability.
So, great bag. Highly recommended.
I also got the Dry Red 1 wash bag. Wash bags are a hard thing to get excited over but it's nicely made and thoughtfully designed - lots of little compartments to aid organisation, multiple waterproof compartments within, and is fairly tardis-like in its ability to hold far more than you would reasonably expect of its size.
PS - I got black versions. Perhaps a touch conservative but the purple VA Platinum card provides a splash of colour
For background, my previous go-to bag for these trips is a now 3-year old Samsonite four-wheel international carry-on sized trolley case, which has held up remarkably well, surviving at least 50 sectors checked as hold baggage and a large number as cabin baggage over that period and having been wheeled across all manner of terrain including cobbled streets, gravel, sheets of ice and mountains of snow and salted slush with really no noticeable signs of wear and tear. The motivation for its replacement was to get something that would reliably be accept as cabin baggage on both domestic and international flights, and to get something a little more stylish.
So far I've put it through just one sector, but here's my initial report.
General build is top-notch. It's actually considerably more sturdy than the Samsonite - the entire back side is rigid and evidently constructed from some fairy heavy-duty plastics. The sides and front are unstructured, so the case will collapse and expand to a good degree as necessary. Simultaneously the solid back means if you stow it back-side-up the contents are afforded a good degree of protection.
The case material is the usual Crumpler bag material - extremely dense high denier Nylon (stab-proof-grade material I believe), and I expect it to wear at least as well as my other Crumpler bags (i.e., to show no evidence of wear after years and years of daily use).
Internal volume is, perhaps predictably, less than my international sized bag but nevertheless it'll easily fit five days of business and casual clothes for me with room to spare.
It's surprisingly heavy, at 2.7KG empty. Something to be aware of.
The front has stowage ideal for an iPad. You can sling a laptop in there too but I'd want it in some kind of case or sleeve, I think, as it'd be a bit unprotected.
The handle is extraordinarily sturdy. The wheels have a particularly smooth action. It's less manuverably than my four-wheelers, which takes some getting used to, but isn't inherent to the bag itself.
One note is that there is a "bumper" opposite the wheels to prevent the bag material from coming into contact with the ground. This is actually quite a bit taller than you'd expect, and the bag is canted back a good amount toward the wheels when stood on its base. Despite that, it has shown no signs of instability and, given that shoes are designed to be stowed a mesh pocket on the front lining, actually helps move the centre of gravity back to the middle of the case when it is packed and increases stability.
So, great bag. Highly recommended.
I also got the Dry Red 1 wash bag. Wash bags are a hard thing to get excited over but it's nicely made and thoughtfully designed - lots of little compartments to aid organisation, multiple waterproof compartments within, and is fairly tardis-like in its ability to hold far more than you would reasonably expect of its size.
PS - I got black versions. Perhaps a touch conservative but the purple VA Platinum card provides a splash of colour
