Best Duffel / Travel Bag for a CRJ 200
 

I've been flying SMF-LAX weekly and unfortunately everyone flys a CRJ200 on this route (Save for WN, but I'm not flying them). Gate checking is getting old and I want to get something that is small enough to fit in the small overhead. I only need a couple of day's worth of clothes.

Other threads have recommended the Tristar; but I really would prefer to use packing cubes and the Tristar doesn't seem to be "cube friendly" Can anyone recommend another high quality bag that can fit in the overhead of this sardine can?

Did you ever measure the height of the opening of that overhead bin? I suppose that is the limiting factor, no? I looked at photos. Looks like 8 inches.

You don't say what kind of clothes or what kind of load in general you are taking but the Western Flyer is 7" deep (if not overstuffed). If you don't plan to pack a suit jacket the WF would do.

If you pack really light, you might even be able to use it as a briefcase once you are on site. True onebagging. Nice when one can do it.

Till

I've actually been using this bag for a week or two and it fits (but just barely).

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Protege-20...roduct+Reviews

The bag is a complete piece of junk though so looking for something more high quality.

I'm usually carrying 4 pairs of underwear; 4 undershirts; 6 pairs of socks, sneakers, PJs, a spare pair of dockers, a pair of jeans, few casual t-shirts, and a medium sized toiletry bag.

I suspect the RedOxx Small Aviator bag will work quite well: http://www.redoxx.com/Aviator-Duffel...SM/150/Product. A little smaller than the Protege but probably much better built. I have the Extra Small bag, which is about 2/3 the size of the Small, and I was able to pack for a four-day trip to Orlando quite comfortably, including a second pair of shoes. If the Protege will just fit, the Small Aviator, which is slightly smaller than the Protege, should have no problems.

This bag looks great! I just wish it had a shoulder strap; but for the price i'll probably just order it and give it a go.

Thanks!

With that kind of load the WF will definitely be enough. What is interesting here is that the smallest dimension of your current bag is 10". Do you mean it fits barely into the opening or it barely fits in depth?

A duffel will usually have a better volume to linear inch ratio than a flat bag (TS or WF). It will also have a smaller footprint.

Example: Duffel of 21x12x12. 45 linear inches but volume of 3024 cubic inches. Footprint of 252sq.inch.
Ordinary max size carry-on of 22x14x9 = 45 l.i. with volume of only 2772. The way it sits in the bin it has a footprint of 308.

So the footprint is 20% higher but the volume is almost 10% lower.

That speaks very much in favor of a well proportioned duffel.

And the fact that you don't carry any formal clothes reenforces that. So just find yourself a nice duffel that you like that has the right size and price. :)

Till

Maybe I'm missing something, but the tristar seems to be cube friendly:

http://www.tombihn.com/page/001/PROD/TBP/TB091

I haven't missed a shoulder strap, but I read where someone had a shoemaker modify the bag with a couple of D-rings for attaching a shoulder strap. If I'm taking this and a briefcase/laptop bag, I generally just carry the briefcase as a shoulder bag and switch hands when necessary with the Aviator. I've had no problems.

I have a magnum size canoeing duffel. Its solid and looks great. The main thing is its water resistant but I always keep it covered regardless of manufacturers claim. I hate zippers because they re too much expensive and not resist water. I use it during my bicycle adventure and it helps me a lot when I stuck in a rain.

I've nearly tried them all, and I'm convinced that this B&R bag is the largest rolling carry on that will still fit in the overhead of those ghastly CRJ 200s. The overhead bins on those small CRJs are 8" in height, which is the exact dimension of front-to-back of the B&R. It will fit overhead with the wheels out. My experience has been that if you try to fit a 9" bag (or bigger) up there, it won't work. I've flown the Embraers and the 200s and the little Barbie jets on most of the legacy carrier partners, and this bag has always fit overhead.

B&R luggage builds its telescoping handles on the OUTSIDE of the bag, which not only makes for easier packing (because the inner bag space is more symetrical), but that metal handle provides a sort of protective frame to lay the bag on, which I like since it fits up there wheels out.

I also carry a TriStar, and I can fit a breathtaking amount of stuff in there as well, and it ALWAYS fits into the overhead of the CRJs as well. But it can get a bit heavy sometimes, and there are no wheels. So I've come up with the solution of using the B&R wheeled bag, and then carrying the Tristar on top of it. And the most interesting part of all of this has been: there is usually plenty of overhead bin space for BOTH my bags on the smallest CRJs, because everybody else had to gate check their bags! I usually retract the handle of the B&R right before boarding, and carry it by it's builtin handle. I then put the Tristar on my back like a backpack. Even the surliest gate agent won't take a second look. They seem to target nearly any wheeled bag...but the B&R looks downright small with the handle retracted, especially compared to everybody else's 22" rollaboards. And the gate agents never seem to stop anybody with a backpack.

So...there you have it. Hope it helps!

+1 for what thegasguru said. I use a TravelPro rolling cabin bag, mostly because I got it for $45.00 on closeout, but will go for the B&R when it's time to replace it. I use a large military backpack that handles packing cubes really well. The eBags Motherlode also holds an amazing amount of stuff. The Travelon bag bungee lets me pull the backpack and cabin bag as one unit through the airport.

How well does the motherlode fit into a crj overhead? On paper it's the same size (or larger) as plenty of 20" rollerboards that don't fit. Does it only fit if it isn't full and you make the most of the soft sides?

Or more generally, I'm also curious what tristar competitors fit in the overhead of a crj. I think a Patagonia MLC would fit. Do the various 22x14x9 soft sided bags fit?

I second oshelef and tfar. The Tom Bihn Western Flyer should be enough for a two day trip and it is also very packing cube friendly. I prefer two small packing cubes per compartment instead of using one large one for the WF. The small packing cube is just slightly bigger than an eagle creek quarter pack it cube which works too.

I am currently making an effort to use smaller bags if they are non-wheeled simply because it forces me to not overpack -- thus keeping the weight down. I overpacked my first trip with my Red Oxx Air Boss and still haven't recovered from the trauma I caused myself. The Red Oxx Claw Strap HURTS when the bag is heavy. I will one day re-experiment using the Tom Bihn Absolute Strap.

I recommend the Western Flyer. I can't recommend the TriStar simply because I have never tried it -- though if I don't already own an Air Boss, I would consider getting one.

I don't have a motherlode, but my backpack is the same general size. It fits because it's squishable. The problem with the rollers is that they are solid and won't bend. Even with a full lode of packing cubes and clothes, my backpack will bend enough to fit in the overhead. The compression straps help with that. I might have a problem if I stuffed it full, especially if the stuff was rigid.

I have used a Filson Medium travel bag and have had it fit ok.

http://www.filson.com/products/trave...ium.70246.html