newaarondavidson

I followed these guys on Kickstarter (and kicked myself for not getting in at $199). $299 seems like a stretch. The only reviews I find seem slightly dubious (from other semi-related bloggers).

Looking to see if anyone bought one.

http://www.minaal.com/

1Bag1World

Here's a review that shows the good and bad:

http://www.carryology.com/luggage/drive-minaal-carry/

aabrock2187

I've got one and I really like it, so much so that I haven't used my 10 year old Patagonia MLC for a few trips now in favor of the Minaal. That said, it did take a little while to figure out how to pack it just right..I was quite underwhelmed the first time I tried to load it with my typical contents. But once I played with it a bit I started to really appreciate it. Some random thoughts:

- My travel style is mainly leisure, so just clothes and a laptop. I don't need to use it as a briefcase, and would never care of its look while wearing it as a backpack.
- It measures less than maximum legal carryon size, and I find that a positive. It makes me a little more thoughtful with what to bring, but I can still get ~20 pounds in it which is the most I want to carry
- I do not make use of most of the little pockets in the laptop compartment, just the two pockets on the front of the bag for toiletries, electronics, etc.
- The laptop pocket holds a Mac Retina 13" that is inside a Tom Bihn cache.
- I find it a has an understated look, and even fully loaded it still looks sleek. I've been on a number of RJs where the gate attendants haven't looked at it twice while trying to gate check my wife eBags mini weekender
- It seems to always let me stuff something else into the top, no matter how full it looks...the zippers seem super-durable so I don't worry about it.
- The compression straps do get in the way of the main compartment zippers sometimes, kinda annoying but you get used to it.
- It is pricy, but was comparable to the other options I was looking at (The GoRuck and the Tortuga).

newaarondavidson

Great review, thanks. Still considering one but it is nice to know the downsides to the bag.

kaiman

I have used the Minaal on multiple leisure trips, I completely agree with the previous comments made. I have used the Osprey Porter 46 in the past and had been happy with it , but now the Minaal is my go to bag.
It seems a little smaller than the Porter. I would recommend use of packing cubes or folders for clothes. I will be trying the Flight 001 spacepak on it.
The lap top section is easily accessed for removing Laptops for TSA.
There is a small pocket to store the removable rain cover, If you remove the rain cover it gives you a little more space.
I think this is a very sharp looking back pack and I have been very happy with it. My only concern is that I am not able to get a suit in it for business travel. Would most likely defer to my air boss for business trips.

TravlnD

Anyone try both the Minaal and Tortuga?

Agree with OP, at $299 Minaal gets tough to justify, especially given introductory pricing.

meehgz

Responding to something from a couple of months ago, but still relevant so don't mind me

I have the Minaal and love it. I was using the traditional packing cube set (sm, med, lg) with it for a while, but switched over to a set of slim packing cubes and that has made a world of difference with not feeling like I'm jamming things in there and trying my best to zip it shut. The eBags Pack-It-Flat toiletry kit also shines in helping to make the room in the Minaal go a long way.

Like aabrock, I also don't make enough use of all the pockets in the laptop compartment, but I do love that there is a dedicated space for my laptop/iPad/whatnot. I also throw my kit of chargers in there and store my multi-country adapter there as well. Nice to have that space to keep tech-related stuff already allocated so I don't get to the end of my packing and curse myself for not making room for that stuff (plus it's a lot more protective).

One thing I will say that I LOVE about this bag, which may be very specific to me I fly to LAX (from OAK) on WN nearly every weekend, and I very consistently time my arrival to show up as boarding is wrapping up so as to avoid dead time at the airport. If I used my wheeled carry on for those weekend trips, I'd be consistently SOL showing up that late for a WN flight with regards to how far back I need to sit to find space in the overhead bins for my bag (or - heaven forbid - I might be forced to check it). However, I never worry - because the Minaal, even stuffed, fits perfectly under the seat in front of me!! Makes it so worth it in the long run if only to save all that time, not just with being able to show up close to departure, but also with consistently getting to sit in the first few rows (albeit in the middle seat - but on a 55 min flight, I couldn't care less) and therefore deplane much more quickly. Again, this HUGE benefit is very specific to my situation, but I LOVE it for that.