That travelite bag is amazing. Alas the WorldShopEU LH site doesn't ship to the US. It seems impossible to get shipped to the US. I'm thinking of shipping to a friend in London. It looks perfect. The stupid americans build Kevlar monstrosities that weigh 10+ pounds and the germans (or swiss?) build a fantastic looking bag at only a bit over 4 lbs. I have to get one of these.
Yeah, I agree, that Travelite bag is amazing. Do you think the buchler link I posted might be willing to send it. It's a mom and pop store. Shipping would probably be in the $30-60 range but that is still a very cool bag for that price.
The website says this about the origin:
travelite products are, without exemption, designed and conceptionalised in Germany.
So probably they are made in China or whatever. But BR and my pathfinder TX2 are also made in the Far East and they are awesome.
Today, I got the opportunity to check out the Landor and Hawa (a subdivision of IT brand) Sub-O in person. Luggage Factory outlet in Round Rock, TX. It was priced at $60-70. Now that is a really nice deal. It looked good but I still think the design, material and craftsmanship on the Travelite is superior. Still, if you are in the market for a light roller and the design of the Sub-0 is ok for you, at that price you might ask them to ship you a Sub-0. The salesman didn't know the Travelite line.
Today, I got the opportunity to check out the Landor and Hawa (a subdivision of IT brand) Sub-O in person. Luggage Factory outlet in Round Rock, TX. It was priced at $60-70.
Here is a place to buy it online at a discount, with free shipping:
With the 20% discount, the cost with free shipping is $69.56. The handle looks awkward to me. However, given that it goes in the edge of the suitcase, it should leave a larger flat area to pack.
I'm now focused on the Travelite. If anyone can find a store willing to ship to the States, please advise.
Last edited by SanDiego1K; Jul 19, 09 at 12:50 am.
Reason: More cost info on Sub-0
Programs: UA (1K) & SN; also AA, DL, NW, CO, and M&M
Posts: 119
Quote:
Originally Posted by tfar
Today, I got the opportunity to check out the Landor and Hawa (a subdivision of IT brand) Sub-O in person.It looked good but I still think the design, material and craftsmanship on the Travelite is superior. .
Till
Could you comment more on the quality of the Landor&Hawa case? It looks flimsy, but I realize that that might simply be because it is so lightweight. What was your impression?
Also, the picture shows the handle not extending very far. That might be an issue for taller people. Did the handle on the actual suitcase extend to a higher and more comfortable height? Any measurement of the extension?
Tangoll, very good call on the Antler. Bravo! This is indeed very versatile and lightweight and fits the sizer. Great tip.
Frank, can't help you on the source. If you use www.google.de you can check German luggage sites. One of the links is right in my posts above. Just write them an email to see if they are willing to ship it. The way it looks, I should start importing these things to the US.
I can't say much more than what I have said before on the Sub-0. Well, I never said that I found the name Landor & Hawa Sub-0 G to be ridiculous.
I pulled the handle out all the way and moved the bag around a little but didn't walk with it. I am about 6ft, normally proportioned. Felt alright to me but the bag wasn't loaded. The molded alu handle on top felt misplaced on such a lightweight piece. It's kind of a useless American marketing gimmick to suggest a high quality and robust piece on an otherwise rather flimsy bag.
I haven't seen the Travelite in person but even from the pictures it looks to be sturdier. Again, for a bag that is with you all the time, this matters somewhat less unless you transport fragile things.
Location: On the I-95 stuck behind a big truck/Seat 5C UA/Amtrak Cafe Car
Programs: Platinum level FF Pay your Chiropractor's Mortgage Club.
Posts: 151
Lightweight or ultralightweight?
The Sub-O reminds me of the Old Delsey suitcases and wheelies. Plastic frame with 2 nylon panels stretched top and bottom. Zipper closure. 1 top handle and another one of the corner to lift and pull on the 2 large recessed wheels on the opposite diagonal corner. One huge open space and it held a lot and weighed next to nothing. I have an old one (32") in my basement serving as excellent off season storage and for cottage season open/close schelpping. Sadly the downside is that these cases must be packed full to be sturdy. The wheelie is still the lightest one I've had and the most useful. Sadly the wheelie died an awful death when a retard of a relative borrowed it and checked it empty....
Another lightweight oldie but goodie is the Tumi folding suitcase. Again, stiff panels but they snap apart and fold flat! No wheels though, but again needed to be packed full to be sturdy and probably the lightest they ever made.
For wheels Rimowa and Heys seem to be popular but I prefer softcases so the wheeled and non-wheeled A Saks line look good (except for the stupid velcro on the handles. The last thing I want is to have runs in my top/jackets from velcro snags) http://www.luggageonline.com/product...m?brand_ID=142
I took this case on its inaugural run this weekend, and am really quite ambivalent about it. On the positive side, it IS incredibly light. I can easily pick it up and hoist it in the overhead. On the negative side, they forgot many small features that really make a suitcase a pleasure to use.
Positives:
Extremely light. I notice a big difference when it is packed and I need to pick it up, whether simply because I am going up or down a step or because I need to lift it into an overhead compartment.
Large boxlike interior, thanks to the bars going down the edge of the frame. The bottom is completely flat. There is a strap, and it is easy to pack clothes and snap them in. It feels as though it has greater capacity than other suitcases with its exterior dimensions.
Negatives:
Bar doesn't lock in the down position.
Bar doesn't lock in the up position. This is almost a greater problem, as I'm accustomed to pushing my suitcase off an elevator or perhaps down the aisle of the airplane.
There is no built in slot for a luggage tag.
The feet protude over the zipper. It's easy to catch the zipper tab on the feet, or get knuckles caught.
There is no side handle.
There is no plastic form at the bottom indented for fingers. Thus, there is no way to grab the suitcase at either end and carry it flat from the bed to the luggage rack (for example).
There is no hook on which to piggy back another case, and the handle is too broad to be able to slide a bag over it.
The zippers on the outer pockets protude into the opening at the top of the pockets. Thus, though there should be sufficient space for my small laptop, I cannot slide it into the lower pocket.
The ease of lifting the bag is such a big benefit, I'll continue to try this on some more trips. But I'm disappointed that the manufacturer thought so little of product features that some very helpful ones were neglected.
Bar doesn't lock in the up position. This is almost a greater problem, as I'm accustomed to pushing my suitcase off an elevator or perhaps down the aisle of the airplane.
There is no built in slot for a luggage tag.
The feet protude over the zipper. It's easy to catch the zipper tab on the feet, or get knuckles caught.
There is no side handle.
There is no plastic form at the bottom indented for fingers. Thus, there is no way to grab the suitcase at either end and carry it flat from the bed to the luggage rack (for example).
There is no hook on which to piggy back another case, and the handle is too broad to be able to slide a bag over it.
The zippers on the outer pockets protude into the opening at the top of the pockets. Thus, though there should be sufficient space for my small laptop, I cannot slide it into the lower pocket.
The ease of lifting the bag is such a big benefit, I'll continue to try this on some more trips. But I'm disappointed that the manufacturer thought so little of product features that some very helpful ones were neglected.
1. That might be bad but is not a deal breaker.
2. That really is bad. I do the same thing.
3. Quite forgivable.
4. This kind of stuff makes me not want to use something. Fortunately, these things are really depending on each individual and his/her motions.
5. No side handle = bad.
6. No bottom handle = worse.
7. This can solved with a universal piggy strap on the top handle, provided is it is strong enough. Do you think it is? The omission of this feature is even more annoying since the handle is to large for the usual sleeve method. One way out might be to loop the shoulder strap of the second bag around the telescope handles. That should fit.
8. Frankly, since the material on this bag is very thin and has no padding, I really wouldn't necessarily put the laptop in there.
Thanks so much for the review. Perhaps you want to put a link to 1bag1world either in there Sub-O blog entry or in the Lightest Carry-on thread?
I second Gadgetfreak in his request for being more specific, please.
Sorry about that.....I just tried to find model number or name of her carry-on but no markings other than a big 'Bric's' on front panel. And it's about 10+ yrs old.
That travelite bag is amazing. Alas the WorldShopEU LH site doesn't ship to the US. It seems impossible to get shipped to the US. I'm thinking of shipping to a friend in London. It looks perfect. The stupid americans build Kevlar monstrosities that weigh 10+ pounds and the germans (or swiss?) build a fantastic looking bag at only a bit over 4 lbs. I have to get one of these.
Im skeptical of the travelite from what I can see on the links. It appears that the volume listed (35 Liters) is the volume calculated from the external measurements (34x51x20). The biggest problem (to me) for wheeled luggage is the packing space they eat up.
That said the weight is pretty impressive ... if the construction is sturdy enough to hold up.
