boltjames

First off, welcome aboard. I've read this board for years, did the research, and to save you hours of stress and deliberation I can tell you quite authoritatively that you want the Briggs & Riley U122CX 22" Medium Upright Carry On. Forget the measuring tape. It fits everywhere and will never cause you any gate trouble.

BJ

aBroadAbroad

It's the discontinued Baseline upright model (U421XP) discussed in this thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...-costco-2.html
Depends on your travel. Is it domestic or international? Economy or premium? Wide bodies or commuters? How much might your travel needs change over your lifetime? B&R bags are meant to last forever.

If I thought there was the least chance I'd want to carry it onto an international flight, or if I thought the USA airlines might fall into step with the rest of the world, then I'd go with the smaller one.

GusandShawn

Almost all domestic travel. Almost all economy but with my husband being Million + miler here and there, we are almost always early boarders.

Thanks for your reply, BoltJames. Sadly, I am already hours into research, but it is really good to hear from someone who made the choice and has actually lived with it for a while!

goodeats21

Just FYI...this will be airline dependent.

I have a B&R 22 transcend. Love it, but now that United has gotten all ancillary fee hungry, it does not fit in their new sizer.

It fits into every overhead bin that I have tried, but it seems I will now have "gate trouble" on United.

GadgetFreak

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Also, in some AA business class cabins the bins in the center and sides are different sizes. The 22s I think won't fit in both and the 19s will go in either as I recall. I had even put my 19 inch Baseline in the shallow side once and the FA said I should move it across while there was still room because the door wouldn't close. I tested the door, it closed fine. She was used to the longer rollers. Similarly, MD80 cabins, at least in first, have bins with different depths on each side.

boltjames

You are referring to the Transcend. I am referring to the Baseline.

BJ

aBroadAbroad

Agree very much with both of these points, which tie in with my earlier comments about it depending on the nature of the travel, as well as “...if I thought the USA airlines might fall into step with the rest of the world, then I'd go with the smaller one.”

The reality is that US carriers are highly unlikely to get more generous with carryons. If you decide to go with the 22" just do so knowing you're at increasing risk of gatechecks and/or might end up buying another smaller bag in the future, relegating the 22" to checked-bag status.

If you have a B&R dealer nearby, I'd strongly encourage you to go in and compare the two bags side by side. You might be pleasantly surprised by just how much the 19" can actually hold.

Also, if you've never read the various packing tip threads, you might to check them out. All kinds of great ideas for making small bags work better.

goodeats21

Sure. But I think the dimensions are just about the same....

Pinned

Thanks for the feedback, all.

The reason I want the 22" - or equivalent capacity - bag is because I will only have one bag for the foreseeable future. If I had two I'd get a 19" and a 25", but that is not an option for me right now. Some of my trips are 2 or 3 days, and some are 2 weeks or longer. So I need to compromise and that means the largest possible carryon. This general size serves me well, especially if expandable, and I know that from experience. I was originally trying to spend $250 or less, but am willing to spend $300 for the B&R after seeing them in person - $370+ for the 22" exact dimension B&R carryon is too far out of that range.

I went and checked the bags out again today at my local retailer. The 22" BRX is simply too tall, the 20" is really only half an inch wider than my current carryon bag though. Since they're the same capacity I'm going to go for the 20. Wanted to buy it locally but they were out of stock on the slate, going to get it off of Amazon. I'll be flying with in in a few days and will report back!

Badenoch

While we fixate on size increasingly the issue is weight. European airlines have tighter restrictions in this regard. My 19" B&R doesn't attract as much attention from the gate agents as the larger models even though it is often over the weight limits.

Keeping a rolling bag under an 8kg. limit is a challenge when the bag weighs 4kg. empty.

gegarrenton

Absolutely.

bemusedv

I have used a 20" brx for about 3 years. It's my favorite bag, and so far I have not had any trouble with size (DL, WN, BA) or with the handle. It's lightweight, has lots of pockets, and is easy to pack. My daughter borrowed mine for a trip, then asked for her own the next Christmas. I hope you enjoy your new bag as much as I have enjoyed mine.

Pinned

Glad to hear it's worked well for you! I think I'll like it quite a bit as well.

luxtrvlwrks

Briggs & Riley tested some of their bags in the new United sizers at SEA. Posted photos of the results on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1588913&type=1

Cloudship

I noticed that at least on the BRX, it looks like they have it completely collapsed on the top - so that would mean no top pocket storage.