Lightest carry-on bag

[tfar]

SD1k and Audrey,

many thanks for the enlightening explanations. I love it. This thing turns into a history lesson. Whodda thunkit?

I think these basic satchel and carpet bags do offer very good interior to exterior proportions but are probably not very en vogue due to their lack of compartments and organizing features. This means that one might need to dig down a couple of layers before one gets to the desired piece of clothing or gear. Still the style of these bags when made of leather or canvas and leather is very nice, just not very light.

Till

[tfar]

Here is a compilation from this thread. Thanks to everyone for the input. If you have anything that fits in between or even topples the number 1 spot, please update the ranking accordingly.

Only condition is that bags are roughly comparable in size, i.e. 41-45 linear inches. Note that if you go from a foldable to a duffel or backpack format, weight tends to go down for the same outer measures, as demonstrated by the Eagle Creek and Osprey which I have inserted as a reference. For more info on each bag please see previous posts. For our American friends: 1oz = 28g and 1lb = 453g

Rolling:

Travelite Delite - 1900g (semi-hard) ca. $150 but not available in the US
Landor Hawa Sub0G - 2177g (soft) ca. $100
Heys X-Case-NS - 2182g (hard) ca. $90
Antler Wheeled backpack - 2200g (soft but quite structured) ca. $135



Non-rolling:

Up to 2lb:
A. Saks 21" exp. - 545g $52
Campmor Essentials - 793g $33
Rick Steves Classic - 907g $80

Up to 3lb:
Eagle Creek 20" Sport companion duffel - 1018g ca. $80
Patagonia Burrito MLC - 1151g ca. $120 (garment bag)
Tom Bihn Aeronaut - 1230g $200
Patagonia MLC - 1332g ca. $140
Rick Steves Convertible Carry-on - 1360 (3lb) ca. $90

Up to 4lb:
Osprey Porter 46 - 1416g ca. $100
Tough Traveler Tri-zip - 1500g $270
Tom Bihn Tri-Star 1550g (smaller than Aeronaut but heavier) ca. $240
Easy Going Carry-on - 1636g ca. $185 if you can find it
Ebags Weekender - 1640g ca. $56
RedOxx Airboss - 1770g $225

Or, the royal solution, A. Saks 21" expandable bag plus Samsonite Micromover cart (1007g/ $40) coming in at 1552g together. This makes it the only rolling solution under 4lb, under 3.5lb to be exact. To top it off it is also under $100 and the wheels can be used for other things or the bag carried without wheels.

It is interesting to see that there are really good alternatives to the hyped Bihn and RedOxx brands. Sure, the warranty might not be as good and the quality might not be as high.

But the A. Saks is three times lighter than the Airboss and costs more than four times less.
Rick Steves Classic weighs only 2/3 of the Tom Bihn Tri-Star and costs only 1/3. Those are hard facts to consider.

And at a fabulously low $33 and less than 2lb. the Campmor Essentials is a totally painless entry into ultralight luggage and onebagging! At $56 the ebags Weekender convertible is a fantastic deal for such a full-featured and lightweight bag, too.

My personal favorites would be the Travelite for the wheeled, the A. Saks for ultralight, the Patagonia Burrito for garment bag and the ebags Weekender as a convertible.

Till

[tcl]

Also wanted to add

LeSportsac Pullman $138 (15 x 20.5 x 5.5)
http://www.lesportsac.com/store/anni...8127_5910.html and the

LeSportsac Deluxe Pullman $178 (15.75 x 24 x 7) [Max Lufthansa carryon size]
http://www.lesportsac.com/store/anni...8136_5910.html

Both are <2lbs, feature lined waterproof ripstop nylon and YKK Zippers. In these 2 recent versions I think only the main compartment has self locking zippers. All LeSportsac are 100% made in the USA.

Just wanted to add that the slim side profile and the clean lines make these bags the only ones where I'm not specifically selected to try the luggage sizer or weigh my bags.

[backseatflyer]

Thanks for the packing sites and the excellent summary. I had stumbled across Rick Steves carry on bag but it does not seem to be available either here in Spain or in the UK. We will be in the USA in the spring so I might try and get one delivered to our hotel. I have to admit that my cheap nylon grip is not conducive to free upgrades on boarding but there is always the chance in a million that someone kindly soul may press a few dollars or euros into my hand at the airport!!

[lskohn]

Post 48 deserves to be a sticky. Many thanks!

[SanDiego1K]

Originally Posted by tfar

Rolling:

Travelite Delite - 1900g (semi-hard) ca. $150 but not available in the US
Landor Hawa Sub0G - 2177g (soft) ca. $100
Heys X-Case-NS - 2182g (hard) ca. $90
Antler Wheeled backpack - 2200g (soft but quite structured) ca. $135
l

A Saks also has a very light rolling trolley:

http://www.overstock.com/Luggage-Bag...0/product.html

I have bought it and plan to trial it next week. It is very soft; the only structured bit is the bottom. It only has two external pockets; otherwise it has no divisions at all. I'm foreseeing some challenges iin its use, yet am beguiled by its lightness. I shall report back after use.

[tfar]

Originally Posted by tcl

Also wanted to add

LeSportsac Pullman $138 (15 x 20.5 x 5.5)
http://www.lesportsac.com/store/anni...8127_5910.html and the

LeSportsac Deluxe Pullman $178 (15.75 x 24 x 7) [Max Lufthansa carryon size]
http://www.lesportsac.com/store/anni...8136_5910.html

Both are <2lbs, feature lined waterproof ripstop nylon and YKK Zippers. In these 2 recent versions I think only the main compartment has self locking zippers. All LeSportsac are 100% made in the USA.

Just wanted to add that the slim side profile and the clean lines make these bags the only ones where I'm not specifically selected to try the luggage sizer or weigh my bags.

TCL, many thanks. I couldn't find a real weight reference. Can you find one for us? The Deluxe is over 45 inch barely so but still over. Technically that would disqualify it. Both are butt ugly, which would disqualify them for me. But in terms of weight and format they should have a place in the list.

Till

[tfar]

Originally Posted by SanDiego1K

A Saks also has a very light rolling trolley:

http://www.overstock.com/Luggage-Bag...0/product.html

I have bought it and plan to trial it next week. It is very soft; the only structured bit is the bottom. It only has two external pockets; otherwise it has no divisions at all. I'm foreseeing some challenges iin its use, yet am beguiled by its lightness. I shall report back after use.

Please let us know how it works for you. I knew about this bag but, as I said, if we open the list up to duffel style or backpack style, it will get messy.

Originally Posted by lskohn

Post 48 deserves to be a sticky. Many thanks!

Thanks for the compliment. Let's wait a little bit for other suggestions to integrate. Maybe a kind moderator can make it a sticky then.

Till

[wdwright]

You can get a Travelite shipped to the US from this German web site. The good news is that the price is $122 (84EUR) if you ship to the US, not the 99EUR shown because the VAT is deducted. The not so good news is that the shipping via DHL is $72. (50EUR).

The site is in German, so an online translation tool might come in handy.

I ordered a blue one and will post my impressions here when it arrives.

[tfar]

wdwright, very good find and very good name for someone on a flyer forum.

Koffer Direkt is one of the biggest German online luggage retailers, sort of like ebags. They have all kinds of interesting German luggage and were one of the sources that also would ship Rimowa to the US. Their pictures are the best that I've seen so far of this bag.

Shipping in Germany is always hellishly expensive. When I calculated it just now online it actually told me 52 Euros. So the shop doesn't even charge anything for handling.

The bag looks good and can claim to be the lightest roller (especially well made roller) but $200, hm? On the other hand, if somebody were to go to Germany this would definitely be a try-out piece.

On the same site you can also see that the Sub-0 G is available in Germany under the name "March 15" Sub-0 G for the exact same price as in the US. On the other hand, Titan luggage which is very expensive here costs only half in Germany, and that is including the almost 20% VAT you'd get back. Then again, Eagle Creek has exactly the same price and Samsonite is a good bit more expensive.

Till

[tfar]

For the sake of completeness and putting together what belongs together I want to link a thread about the volume-to-weight ratio here:

Volume/Weight Ratio as a Luggage Criterion

Till

[tfar]

Can somebody please weigh his/her Redoxx Airboss on a good scale and provide the weight in gram with and without shoulder strap?

The weight info on the company website and onebag.com is conflicting. Onebag says it weighs 1360g. Redoxx says 1770g. Possibly the strap makes the difference.

For what it's worth, I calculated the bag weight for those models that I weighed including the supplied strap.

Thanks,

Till

[fbrown627]

Onebag's weight is without the strap. Redoxx's weight includes the strap. I asked.

[tfar]

Thanks for the quick answer!

[travelsavant]

Originally Posted by tfar

Koffer Direkt is one of the biggest German online luggage retailers, sort of like ebags. They have all kinds of interesting German luggage and were one of the sources that also would ship Rimowa to the US. Their pictures are the best that I've seen so far of this bag.

Shipping in Germany is always hellishly expensive. When I calculated it just now online it actually told me 52 Euros. So the shop doesn't even charge anything for handling.

The bag looks good and can claim to be the lightest roller (especially well made roller) but $200, hm? On the other hand, if somebody were to go to Germany this would definitely be a try-out piece.

Isn't there someone from the MR forum who wants to offset run expenses to FRA or MUC by taking orders? BTW, great thread!