Packing notes and tips for VG22 tri-fold rolling garment bag
These notes are basically valid also for the non-wheeled brother the VG45 garment bag, which can still be found but at around $400 and 2lb more than the competition (Briggs Riley) has a hard stand.
As usual with dedicated garment bags you sacrifice quite a bit of useful volume for ease of packing and unpacking, as well as relatively wrinkle-free suits. It is advisable to use the hangers that your suits come back on from the dry cleaner. Those will be wire hangers with a cardboard insert for the shoulders and a coated cardboard tube for the trousers. If you use a big fat pre-shaped suit hanger you can practically only put one of those and hang two suits on it. Or two of the dry cleaner hangers and hang three or four suits. Hanging two suits on one hanger is actually ok for the short duration of the trip. You create a mini bundle and there is no gravity pulling down on the suits. Upon arrival you should give each suit its own hanger, of course.
So suits go where they go; on the wally clip. The left and right blind spots have little triangular pockets that can be filled with stuff like belts or socks or a laptop power supply. These little corner pockets are quite well protected by the roller casing.
At the bottom of the suit compartment there is a big pocket that can be accessed from the suit side but also from the outside. This is basically the only place for a pair of shoes. You will have to fiddle a bit with the placement to make the bag fold easily once the shoes are loaded. The usual corner heel placement doesn't work so well in this case. I wouldn't count on putting more than one pair of stiff dress shoes.
The curtain has several compartments. There is a useful oblong tie compartment. I wrap my ties around the shirts in the shirt folder but for those who go without a shirt folder this compartment does the trick. There is also a small compartment for stuff like cuff links. The wardrobe/door hook is stored in that compartment, too.
In the center and on the bottom there are two big compartments. The center one has one side in mesh. The bottom one is nylon on both sides. I put my Eagle Creek 18" folder loaded with 3 dress shirts and 3 Polos in the center curtain compartment. If you put it in the bottom compartment, the entire thing gets to big because in the lower third you have already stored the shoes. This turns the lower third into a crunch space for various flexible and non-bulky items like dirty laundry, a towel, sports clothes, underwear etc.
See, now we basically have a full packing list stored and three rather roomy outer pockets left. The two front pockets are the same size. You can fit a size 9 dress shoe diagonally in each compartment if need be, or a pair of sandals in one compartment. Each compartment will hold a big magazine (Art in America fits, Wine Spectator doesn't) or a netbook. It is no problem at all to put your 311 bag plus another toiletry baggy in one of those two compartments. Or use one for toiletries and the other one for a rain shell or a sweater.
In the long back compartment by the handle you will have room for an umbrella, tickets, a folded NYT, in-flight necessities and all the other good stuff. So you see, this is a pretty complete bag.
My final verdict is that the Travelpro Plat5 22 incher is still more versatile and also not harder to pack since it has a garment panel. But you cannot live as easily out of the bag as you can with the Valoroso. The Valoroso you can practically hang up in your closet and live out of it. The Valoroso will also be a bit gentler on your suits but not significantly so.
A vertical format will be easier to roll in the aisle of an airplane than the horizontal Valoroso format. Also, with a vertical format you can put a second bag on top of the roller and hang a third bag from the handle. No dice with the horizontal format for a third bag. That said, the Valoroso VG22 is just a very, very, very stylish piece of kit. It beats the pants off the bourgeois Plat5. While the Plat5 is very well constructed the Valoroso is even better. There is no warranty anymore on Andiamo luggage but you still get the damage-included warranty for the Plat5.
If you need to impress the pretty colleague, use the Valoroso. If you are already married, the Plat5 will do very nicely.
Hmm ... I see that at $297, not under $200. Did I miss a sale?
Well, I missed the under $200 requirement. On the other hand, you perhaps missed the sale at luggageandleather.com. I recall seeing it there for under 200 but it was gone quickly. They still have very good prices on the Revolution XT line and a pretty good stock, too, if the website is up to date which it is not always.
Looks like they have the vertical rolling garment bag for 200, as well as low prices on a few other items left.
I hope someone else in the industry, perhaps Paragon/Pathfinder if they're still around, picks up at least the Ergogrip handle. It's taller (but adjustable) than anyone else's. Tall enough so you can wheel it directly behind you without kicking it, which is nice for passing on tight rolling walkways, down airplane aisles, and in any kind of slow moving crowd. It keeps your hand in a neutral position, not twisted. And the grip itself cants forward, shifting weight from your hand to the wheels, and getting your hand out of the way of abrasive carryons stacked on top of the wheeled bag. Every other wheeled bag I'm aware of seem rather compromised by comparison.
Some of the utter bomb proofness may be a tougher sell now that even cheaper and lighter luggage in general has stopped falling apart regularly. And airline weight allowances have come down while air port attendants' pay seem increasingly tied to how much in overweight fees they manage to bill during their shift. Even on business class, they're getting aggressive about weight, now. Which I guess makes sense, as I doubt the thrown out back of a baggage handler cares much about what the owner of an overweight bag paid for his ticket.
Stuki, welcome to FT! And thanks for the Andiamo source tip.
FYI, Andiamo IS Pathfinder/Paragon. So P/P will not pick-up the Ergo grip because they are the ones closing shop in the first place. However, if you can still find some Travelpro Platinum 5 luggage, most pieces have a similarly ergonomic handle if not quite as elegant as Andiamo. They are also "almost" as well built in my experience. Note I am referring to the Plat5 series specifically here. Otherwise I hear many complaints about TP.
As far as weight allowances go you are right that they make the Andiamo line a tougher sell. Most people who care and know about Andiamo and are willing to spend that kind of dough on luggage are intelligent enough to care about weight. A lot of people apparently are not smart enough. That said, I count myself proudly among the very weight conscious and still bought four pieces. If you know what you are using it for the weight plays a lesser role.
OT:
The weight restrictions are purely economical, i.e. to make more money. Nothing to do with the poor baggage handlers. In First 70lb is still the limit on many airlines.
Programs: AA (current EXP, occasional PLT, 0MM); UA; US; DL
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tfar
...So why do I write this post? Because the six pocket tote is GREAT.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tfar
The VT18 is extremely versatile...
Thanks to Till for bringing this to my attention. I was able to order one and find it really great, especially at the price. Unlike Till, I wasn't ordering 1/4 of the store, so had to pay shipping, but still a great deal.
Many years ago I bought a no-brand bag in India which I came to love because of a rich array of organizing pockets. With experience I learned that leather is not a great travel material, and the zippers etc on that bag weren't the greatest, but the pockets were convenient. I didn't realize how rare such a simple thoughtful feature was until time came to replace that bag: even with Tumi, BR, Red Oxx etc I never found such a great organizing capacity again.
Until now!
This new bag is ballistic nylon, has one of the best construction, and an array of organizing pockets that I really appreciate. In a way it is too bad that it is not 21"-22", but maybe there is hint there from some angel that I should learn to pack and travel even lighter. At the next opportunity I;ll try this as my carry-on.
So thanks Till. While your luxury finds (another thread) are fun to browse, these bargains are truly useful!
Thanks to Till for bringing this to my attention. I was able to order one and find it really great, especially at the price. Unlike Till, I wasn't ordering 1/4 of the store, so had to pay shipping, but still a great deal.
Many years ago I bought a no-brand bag in India which I came to love because of a rich array of organizing pockets. With experience I learned that leather is not a great travel material, and the zippers etc on that bag weren't the greatest, but the pockets were convenient. I didn't realize how rare such a simple thoughtful feature was until time came to replace that bag: even with Tumi, BR, Red Oxx etc I never found such a great organizing capacity again.
Until now!
This new bag is ballistic nylon, has one of the best construction, and an array of organizing pockets that I really appreciate. In a way it is too bad that it is not 21"-22", but maybe there is hint there from some angel that I should learn to pack and travel even lighter. At the next opportunity I;ll try this as my carry-on.
So thanks Till. While your luxury finds (another thread) are fun to browse, these bargains are truly useful!
You're most welcome, aktchi. I am glad you like the bag. I love mine. I am looking forward to your impressions once you've used it. As you can see from my packing notes, as long as you don't need to squeeze a suit jacket in there it should be plenty fine. Otherwise, maybe this will fit the bill: http://www.ebags.com/tumi/small_expa...ductid=1288639
But if I am not mistaken you have the mother of organized carry-on bags anyway, which is called BR235x. The Tumi and the Valoroso are suitable for business use in my eyes. Whereas I would feel a bit strange with the 235x. Actually even my little Tumi 26141 will be fine for an overnight business trip if I just take a change of clothes and don't need to pack a suit jacket or extra shoes. There is also a bigger version called 26160. But the one I linked to is explicitly made to serve as a briefcase in the front and a suitcase in the back. Smart. It's one of the only cases in the market like that.
Regarding the prices: the luggageandleather deals were simply great. Valoroso items are still available though the 20" roller is getting hard to find. But you'd pay either full price or at the best get a 50% reduction. The latter I consider still a good deal. That means you get luggage that is at least of BR quality or even better but for significantly less money. In fact, I hope that other dealers will reduce prices further and I might buy some more items.
While I admit to having a little black ballistic nylon fetish, the steel grey Andiamo uses is simply gorgeous, outright sexy.
The luxury luggage thread was just for kicks, so to say. There is some crazy stuff out there. I didn't even mention Vuitton, Hermes, Goyard, Moynad, Madler and Valextra.
So why do I write this post? Because the six pocket tote is GREAT. It is 17.5x8.5x12 inches, so 38 linear. This makes it entirely viable as a casual overnight or weekender bag. It is a tad bigger than the Tumi 26141 briefcase I use. But it is not a max size carry-on and will most likely fit under the seat in front of you. As on the duffel, there are no feet and no hard insert but the case is nicely padded all around. I'd be comfortable hand carrying my alu mac in this without an extra sleeve. The main compartments open wide enough for easy packing but they don't fold open as on the Tri-Star for example. My kitchen scale shows the weight with the heavy hardware strap as 1781 gram. That should be just a tad under 4lb. I really, really like this and can imagine it very well as a personal item, briefcase or overnighter bag. For the price of $50 instead of the usual $275 it was a complete no-brainer. Highly recommended!
Till
Just wanted to let you know that, on the above recommendation, I ordered this bag & it just arrived! I am very happy with it's appearance & construction, & will be trying it out on a trip starting Sat. As a carry-on, I've usually taken a roller-bag, but when I saw this 6-pocket tote - I decided that it was worth a try & as you pointed out, it was a 'no-brainer' for $50!
Just wanted to let you know that, on the above recommendation, I ordered this bag & it just arrived! I am very happy with it's appearance & construction, & will be trying it out on a trip starting Sat. As a carry-on, I've usually taken a roller-bag, but when I saw this 6-pocket tote - I decided that it was worth a try & as you pointed out, it was a 'no-brainer' for $50!
Thanks!
Cool. I am glad you like it. I think it's great. I have seen that the bag is still available at select stores but it is around $150. Still a fair price but not as good as $50, of course.
Let us know how the first trip with it goes and how you pack it. I just got a 15" Eagle Creek shirt folder for the smaller main compartment, as indicated in my packing notes above; fits perfectly!
I think I will use mine on a trip at the end of August. I am torn which one I want to use first though, the VT18 or the VD25 duffel. L'embarras du choix!
Be aware that this is not the same line as the Andiamo Bravo or Valoroso we are talking about here. It is not produced with the same materials and construction. It is of lesser quality.
At this price buying a 2year plan doesn't make sense. At this price it is buy it, use it, throw it away. The company is also already gone now. So in two years all overstock could do would be to give you a similar bag.
If you want to buy the bag, do it, knowing full well that it is not an Andiamo. But the extra warranty makes no sense.
Would buying the 2yr protection plan help? Thanks in advance.
As Till says it is not Andiamo. It is not even Revolution XT which is Pathfinder's own top line. All of that said, there is no denying that at $42 it was a great deal. I said "was" as it appears to be out of stock now. If you wanted it, I hope you managed to place your order in time. (I too wouldn't bother with buying the protection plan.)
If you missed it, be patient and keep looking. It may show up again. New opportunities keep popping up all the time too. When you see one, tell us about it!
Today I will be going on a plane trip with the 25" four pocket duffel. It is already packed. Jeez, that thing fits a ton. Unfortunately, once I put the laptop it will get to around 24-25lb. It is around 18 now. The bag itself is four or so.
The 13" alu mac fits in the flat front pocket. The small EC shirt folder would fit in its place or in the main compartment but this time I am not taking the folder. I bundle wrapped my shirts. Will see how it goes.
One thing I noticed is that bundle wrapping is pretty ideal for duffels because you can organize the interior into bundle section which makes for better access. I also think that having a core in a packing cube is not really necessary. If you take a pack of t-shirts for example, this can serve as a core even without being put in a cube. I try to take as little packing aids as possible and as many as necessary.
It beats the pants off the bourgeois Plat5. While the Plat5 is very well constructed the Valoroso is even better. There is no warranty anymore on Andiamo luggage but you still get the damage-included warranty for the Plat5.
