inthedark
02-02-2007, 10:56 PM
I know this is mainly an EDC forum, but does anyone do any traveling and have any favorite bags? Maybe a carry on, or just a daypack for when you arrive at your destination. I seem to carry a different bag with me each time, I'm still looking for the perfect travel bag. I was thinking of getting the Patagonia MLC (http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/product/product_focus.jsp?OPTION=PRODUCT_FOCUS_DISPLAY_HAN DLER&style_color=48104&ws=FALSE&slc=en_US&sct=US&src=perfdf&slc=en_US%26sct%3DUS%26src%3Dpdf), but fortunately they didn't have the one I wanted at the store. Fortunate, because when I came back, I found a much cheaper bag online, the outdoor products essential carryon (http://www.outdoorproducts.com/proddetail.aspx?sku=2003U). I decided to take a chance and try it out since it was 1/5 the price of the patagonia one. It just arrived yesterday, and so far, I think it was a pretty good deal. It's definitely not as durable as the more expenisve bags, it doesn't have the body or shape, or the heavy duty fabric and zippers, but for a $30 bag it is actually constructed fairly well. I think I am starting to prefer the thinner and cheaper construction. For one thing, it feels more like a regular bag than a suitcase, there are no foam insert to give it any shape when it's empty. This might be a problem if carrying heavy things, but i think once it's fully packed it shouldn't be that big of a problem. The other good thing i like about this bag is it's one half to one fourth the weight of most of the other carry-on bags I've compared. I won't be able to give a full review until I get to try it out in a couple of weeks, but so far I'm optomistic. This will give me a opportunity to see if I like the layout of these convertible backpack/carryon type bags, before I spend big $$$ on one.
For a regular travel daypack, I also picked up a Camelbak Fieldcase (http://www.ebags.com/camelbak/fieldcase_153/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=48807). Unfortunately, my opinion on this pack isn't quite as positive. From the pictures and description, it looked like an interesting combination of backpack, shoulderbag, and briefcase, perfect for work or play. However, it seems like the people who design the bags at Camelbak don't really use them. There are just a lot of little issues with this one that I wouldn't recommend it for any of those uses. The one major issue I saw as soon as i opened it was the laptop pocket. You can not actually fit a laptop into the laptop compartment >:(. The opening for the sleeve is up near the top of the bag, where there is a plastic stiffener running along the top. What this means is somehow you have to fold the top over (very difficult) or bend the laptop 90 degrees to slide it in. Little things like the way the zippers open, to the layout of the useless pockets, and just the overall bag itself, I just think it's a horrible designed bag. I am probably going to return it and get a timbuk2 underground (http://www.ebags.com/timbuk2/underground/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=74249). I've handled a few timbuk2 bags before, you can definitely tell the people who design the bags also have a lot of experience using them. Even though outwardly they look similar to most other bags, it's the minor details like the way the zippers open to the layout of the pockets that make the difference between a decent bag and a great bag.
For a regular travel daypack, I also picked up a Camelbak Fieldcase (http://www.ebags.com/camelbak/fieldcase_153/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=48807). Unfortunately, my opinion on this pack isn't quite as positive. From the pictures and description, it looked like an interesting combination of backpack, shoulderbag, and briefcase, perfect for work or play. However, it seems like the people who design the bags at Camelbak don't really use them. There are just a lot of little issues with this one that I wouldn't recommend it for any of those uses. The one major issue I saw as soon as i opened it was the laptop pocket. You can not actually fit a laptop into the laptop compartment >:(. The opening for the sleeve is up near the top of the bag, where there is a plastic stiffener running along the top. What this means is somehow you have to fold the top over (very difficult) or bend the laptop 90 degrees to slide it in. Little things like the way the zippers open, to the layout of the useless pockets, and just the overall bag itself, I just think it's a horrible designed bag. I am probably going to return it and get a timbuk2 underground (http://www.ebags.com/timbuk2/underground/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=74249). I've handled a few timbuk2 bags before, you can definitely tell the people who design the bags also have a lot of experience using them. Even though outwardly they look similar to most other bags, it's the minor details like the way the zippers open to the layout of the pockets that make the difference between a decent bag and a great bag.