carry-on luggage

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Travelite.FAQ Packing Guide : One Thread

I am in the market for a new carry-on bag. Has anyone used the MEI Voyaguer? I am deciding between the ETBD bag, the Borneo or MEI Voyageur. I am a 5'3" woman and would like a pretty sturdy bag, that's comfortable on the shoulders. Thanks N

-- Nayda U. Pophal (naydap@aol.com), April 12, 2001

Answers

Hi Nayda;

You and I are the same height! (well, if I wear shoes). :)

If you can discipline yourself to travel lightly, here are my recommendations of smaller bags, based on preference:

1. The MEC Jet Bag, at a whoppingly high price of ..... $43 canadian - - which according to oanda.com today, is a mere $27.50. TWENTY-SEVEN DOLLARS!!! This has got to be the best deal anywhere. Yes, the bag is a big on the smaller side. But it's bigger than a standard bookbag, and it is a fully functional travelpack. You can purchase it online for http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C% 3Eprd_id=12107 . Oh, there is a catch. MEC is like REI in the US, which means you have to pay a lifetime membership fee. Which I believe is only around $15 or so.

2. Next on my list is the Sierra from Uphill Down, available at uphill.com for about $55.00 or so. Twice as expensive as the MEC bag, though, but it comes in a nice array of colors. A reader once told me that she phoned them to put in an order, and discovered to her delight that one of the more brigher colors was actually in stock, so she was able to pick it out instead of the regular neutral colors. That worked for her (otherwise you have to buy 12 of them to be back to get the bright colors). Believe it or not, I have THREE Sierra travelpacks (one in black, one khaki, one green). It is THE travelpack I use on all my shorter trips, and my husband uses one too (unless he's on a longer flight).

3. REI Tourlite Travel Pack: If you are lucky enough to find the older model (the Tourlite II, I believe) with the zip-off day pack, it's better. But the Tourlite is still not bad. $90 and you get good quality, and a smaller size. REI sells a model called the Tour Travel Pack but I don't remember if this is as small as the Tourlite (it does have the zip-off day pack, however).

4. Jansport Jakarta: Looks a lot like a regular bookpack, but is a travel pack that's a little bigger than regular bookpacks but smaller than a maxibag.

By the way, this is a question I get asked frequently enough that I'll probably put together a page for it one of these days.

-- Lani Teshima (baglady@lava.net), April 12, 2001.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ