Citadel

Please could I ask for some pointers on my one bag travel. My requirements are that I usually travel for 5 business days and wear casual clothing on the plane and take a suit, shirt and shoes and a couple of changes of clothes with me as well as a laptop, Kindle and a few work documents and chargers for the Macbook Air, cellphone and Kindle. I’m a tall person so my clothes take up quite a bit of room.

I’ve done loads of research and am ready to replace my Victorinox Werks Traveller (which I love for it’s suit roll up section) and my Tumi brown leather Alpha briefcase (which looks supersmart in business meetings) for the following items:

1) Redoxx Airboss in Midnight Blue (http://www.redoxx.com/Airline-Carry-...ss/100/Product) the best colour I think for business trips.

2) The Tumi slimline briefcase in brown (http://www.tumi.com/product/index.js...ndSrc=paramNav) for the centre section. I think this looks a lot more business-like than the Redoxx Metro which has been suggested to me before.

3) The Absolute Shoulder Strap (http://www.tombihn.com/page/001/PROD/ACC/TB0505) – Lot of people recommending this for use with the Redoxx

The above 3 items are virtually set in stone for me (although I’d welcome any alternatives for a quality leather attaché case/slimline briefcase for the centre section of the Redoxx which I can take to business meetings)

The next items I need more help for:

4) a 3-1-1 TSA compliant bag and containers. Either the Tom Bihn and Gootube products (http://www.tombihn.com/page/001/PROD/ACC/TB0917) and (http://www.rei.com/search?cat=8000&search=gootube)

OR

The Eagle Creek set (http://www.eaglecreek.com/accessorie...tle-Set-40912/)

OR another option I haven't seen yet?

5) A non-liquid toiletry bag, for putting in shave soap, toothbrush etc (http://www.redoxx.com/Cool-Luggage-A...ld/170/Product) - This looks like a great piece of kit especially the hanging 3 piece look but would welcome any alternative suggestions.

6) Packing Folders and cubes – I’m not sure about these but I know people use them and swear by them. Are they useful to have and which brand is the best to fit inside the Airboss? Also as I'm quite tall would I need the 18 inch folder or the 20 inch folders?

7) Specialist travel clothing – Most of my stuff comes from Gap and Marks and Spencers but I hear a lot of people buy their clothes from places like TravelSmith as the clothes are more useful. I’d welcome any opinions on whether it’s necessary for me to buy this stuff?

jpmcdonough

I am fascinated by the Airboss but am concerned about the weight. Your circumstances seem similar to mine so I hope to learn how you make out.

Shak51

Are you really going to carry two shoulder bags?

Shak

jpmcdonough

He said the second bag was for the center section. Of the Air Boss.

tfar

Forget about the toiletry bags. Unnecessary weight and bulk. Use simple ziploc baggies. If you want them to hang, use a carabiner on them. Problem solved with minimum cost and hassle but more importantly minimum weight and bulk. Use two of these. One for utensils like brush and razor and one for liquids. With a little luck you can eliminate liquids entirely. Read up on that. It's a subject of its own. Go-toob or Nalgene are good. I use both.

Read what once was a sticky, called the Master Thread on Packing Techniques. Plenty of info on cubes and folders. It also contains several methods to fold a suit correctly. This will be important for use in a soft bag.

The EC 20" will be too big (most likely). The thing is huge. The EC18 should work alright. Put shirts and ties in the folder. Wrap pants or even the suit jacket around it. Put folder in outside Airboss compartment to add rigidity to the bag.

Use packing cubes only if they compress the items inside (best for knits not wovens). Otherwise they add bulk. They always add weight. So use judiciously. Put soft stuff in the inside (to your body) compartment of the Airboss to make it more comfortable.
Possibly throw in some underwear or socks into the bottom of the center compartment as a damper for the briefcase.

Good ordinary clothing will do. If you sink wash some non-iron shirts and quick dry underwear are nice. Again, the packing sticky contains information also on these things including sample packing lists and even how to pack each item. I recommend Brooks Brothers non-iron shirts. They work very well and are good quality. Stuff like a reversible belt makes sense. Also a reversible sweater is nice to have.

Ideally you'd find a pair of shoes that is on and off easily for TSA, looks good with suit and casual clothes and is comfortable and lightweight as well as OK in the rain. For me the ideal pair is the Cole Haan Air Jackson (with NIke Air heel) Two-Gore slip-on in black. I even bought an extra pair for when the first is worn out. They are that good. This means you don't have to take a second pair of shoes. Huge space and weight savings especially if you have big feet.

Here is the link to the Masterthread on packing:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...pack-suit.html

It's a reference tool. So it's not there to ask questions in it but serves as a compendium of answers to the most asked questions and most frequent issues.

Till

Shak51

I know the Tumi is a slim version but if you look at the picture it appears to me at least pretty thick to carry in the Air Boss. The OP is spending some serious money on the stuff he has asked advise on and in my opinion he will be carrying both bags after he packs the Air Boss with all the stuff he is mentioning.

Myself I love packing folders and cubes but that is me. I also like clothing that travels well that doesn't require a lot of maintenance. If you have such clothing already fine but if you don't take a look at Travel Smith, Tilley, ExOfficio, and others make clothing that travels well.

While it is much easier to wear shoes that you can take off easily they are not the best choice for me. I wear the heaviest bulkiest pair and pack the loafers leaving more room for clothing.

Shak

N1120A

How about the Brookstone Dash brief? Very light, both cool and professional looking.

As for the shave kit, I would split the difference between the Tri-Fold (which you really don't need) and Till's Ziploc solution. Go for the $25 Nomad from Red Oxx. Cheap, still has the lifetime warranty and still big enough to handle what you need.

How do you mean concerned about the weight? The Airboss itself is very light.

The center compartment of the Air Boss can easily carry a laptop bag/slim brief.

N1120A

BTW, not everyone thinks the Absolute Strap is superior to the OEM Claw strap on the Air Boss. The Absolute is cushier, but the Claw will not slip/twist/etc.

tfar

Yes and the Optech version of the Absolute strap seems to be a really good alternative, too.

If the Tumi is not fully packed and the rest of the bag has a little slack it should fit inside the center compartment of the Airboss.

I like the grey/black and the burgundy versions, also for business. The blue is almost too leisure for business use, I find. It reminds me of sea, yachting, beach.

The burgundy and grey would also look way better together with Tumi's wonderful mocca leather color of the brief during the 'brief moments' when you see them together - a small personal pleasure.

Till

jpmcdonough

I tried to pack for my travels (4 days a week, connecting flights) in a shoulder bag and/or backpack, and found that if I took all I needed to take, it was pretty heavy. It was a Rick Steves convertible bag, weighs about the same as Air Boss. I ended up using a roller in order to lighten the load.

I was taking a laptop and now have a MacBook Air so I may reconsider the shoulder bag.

tfar

Jpm, if you wanted to, you could post your packing list for a review and critique (if you can stand it ). We've done this here quite often as a communal effort and it has usually helped people reduce their load and be generally quicker and more efficient.

If you haven't done so yet, read through the links in the Masterthread on packing up top. There are sample packing lists. It's now stickied again.

However, I do admit that if one has more than 8-9kg on the shoulder it gets heavy pretty easily. And staying under 8kg with office and tech supplies plus personal items for four days is not easy.

In those cases when it's just not doable I also take the roller (Travelpro Plat5) and I feel no regret whatsoever.

Till

jpmcdonough

My packing list is pretty boring. My roller contains 4 dress shirts. Four days of underwear and socks. 2 pairs of dress slacks, similar color. Loafers. 4 ties. A couple of t-shirts and shorts to wear while exercising. (I leave my running shoes at the client site, along with a few other items.) I will toss a book or two in the roller bag. I take a very light hooded raincoat, from L.L. Bean, very crushable, on account of the weather in Vermont. (Google "Montpelier flooding" and you will see why I take a raincoat.) When the weather was colder I was taking some winter items, but no more.

My briefcase (Red Oxx CPA Briefcase) has my toiletries, prescription drugs, laptop and wires/chargers. Oh, and stuff for work.

I wear jeans and very comfortable shoes while traveling, but I also wear a sport coat. The client has a conservative dress code and most of the people I meet with are in suits. I had not worn a tie on a daily basis, prior to this client, since the mid-90's. My ties are out of style but I'm not buying new ones!

I know I'm being efficient because I almost never have anything clean to put away when I get home - I've used it all and all my little pill containers are empty.

When I put all of that in one bag, considering I fly through Philadelphia where the concourses can be a great distance apart, I was not happy with the result. And I am on RJ's where the overheads can fill up, and I might be forced to check the one bag, which would be really bad news.

Now with my MacBook Air I may re-evaluate.

tfar

JPM, I think the packing list is already quite good. You might be able to cut down the jeans for traveling. Just travel in the dress slacks and take another pair with you. You still have sufficient redundancy in case someone spills a drink on the pair you wear when traveling.

I suppose you wear the loafers on the flight. If not that would be another item to cut weight. A pair of shoes easily weighs 2-3lbs. Or at least wear the heavier shoes for flying so you carry the lighter shoes.

Underwear and exercise wear. If your hotel has a laundry facility you could cut that. If you take three of each and you do laundry on the eve of day 2, you still have three fresh sets ahead of you. 2 for actual wearing one for redundancy (in case you get soaked or super sweaty).

So why not give it a try. I think you can cut 2-3 lbs without sacrificing too much. The 10% body weight rule is quite accurate. If you are fit, really fit, maybe 15% but that's it. I weigh 165-170. I can carry 20lbs alright. But if it's more than that it becomes cumbersome. Oh, and I totally hear you on those long concourses. Ridiculous. They should have luggage carts within the concourses.

Till

N1120A

A few things. First, the carrying straps for a Rick Steves aren't nearly as good as those on an Air Boss, which means you "feel" the weight more. Second, how much do you weigh and what was the weight of your bag. If you are a 150 pound guy, you probably shouldn't have a 22 pound shoulder bag. On the other hand, I'm a pretty strong 190 pound guy, so an 18-19 pounder isn't a problem. Further, have you considered splitting the difference and getting something like a SkyTrain or a Tristar? The backpack conversion makes for a much easier carry.

jpmcdonough

I'm reasonably fit for my age - 6'1" / 190 or so. One limitation is a surgically repaired left shoulder, so the shoulder bag ends up on the right shoulder nearly all the time.

The jeans and comfortable shoes are what I travel in and what I use in the evenings. With missed connections and rotten spring weather, my trip can vary from 6 hours to 14, and I need the comfort. There are no laundry facilities where I stay - it's a corporate guest house, not a hotel. Plus I'm not interested in doing laundry on a 4 day business trip.

I wish there were a lending library for carry-on bags. I've never actually seen an Air Boss! I use the CPA briefcase and like it a lot.