What is your ideal personal cabin bag (not "carry-on"!)?
I have many bags and, for a carry-on or a checked bag, I have several good candidates to choose from. However, there are two holes in my collection: I need a good personal cabin bag, and a good around-town day bag. In this post, let me discuss the former.
Let me also clarify that by "personal cabin bag" I don't mean the traditional carry-on, but something much smaller that stays with you. Of course, one could say that this is what a carry-on was meant to be, but with one-bag philosophy my carry-ons have gotten bigger. Sometimes, I have to place mine a few seats away too; it is always a pain to get up and deal with an overcrowded bin to find a small item in my carry on, and then later put it back.
I would like a little bag which, once inside the cabin, I could pull out of the carry-on and keep with me. It should have room for the essentials: passport, pen, eye-glasses, maybe ipod+headphones, any meds, but nothing that is not needed during the flight.
I recall a fellow passenger once showed me his ideal cabin bag: it was a large toiletry pouch but with 3 compartments. He said he feels better knowing that whenever he goes to the washroom, he wasn't leave his passport, green-card, ID's etc. lying around by mistake.
Anyway, I just thought I'd raise the issue and invite everyone to share their own ideas and experience.
I really like the Acegene bags - I have the EVL-1.5 25001, which seems to have dozens of pockets and compartments, and measures 15 x 23 x 7 cm and weighs only 300 g. It easily holds a wallet, passport, a couple of books, umbrella, keys, glasses etc.
Trouble is, I got mine in Japan, and I'm not sure the smaller bags are sold in North America. The Tom Bihn Cafe bags are also pretty good, but heavier, and with fewer compartments.
The Acegene is really similar to the Tumi Travel Tote. Depending on the size something like this can be used not only as what I like to call in-flight baggie but as an around town bag. Perhaps it's shape and size is even more suitable as an around town bag.
It's 8x6 inches and expands to about 2inches. Mine is black but there are colors, too. It weighs a single ounce and holds: foldable headphones in case (Sennheiser PX200), 60GB Ipod in protective case, tissues, pen, chapstick, inflatable neck pillow, eye mask ear plugs. With the carabiner I hook it to the seat pocket in front of me out of the way of my knees. This way it doesn't even take up space in the seat pocket and I won't forget it because I don't see. I won't even have to bend down to get it and it never touches the floor. It's also spill proof and cheap at $8.50. With the hook I can even hook it to my carry-on bag at any time which means I won't even have to open the carry-on before stowing it in the bin. Every second will be appreciated by those waiting to get out or to get into their seats. Easy smiles.
Pretty ideal if you ask me!
It is twice the size yet weighs half of what the Side Effects does. The 1000d Cordura is REALLY not needed on an in-flight baggie. The bag I propose can be scrunched up easier for packing, is cheaper and looks better. Has a shoulder strap, too. Note that I would only order this bag if I wanted to carry some bigger headphones, a book (kindle) or a sweater in addition to the items outlined above.
Otherwise the EC is hard to beat.
For total organization freaks who like lots of pockets (Hi, Aktchi ) I might recommend to take a look at the BackCountry Organizers by Outdoor Research. I'd go with the #1 or #2 model weighing 3.4 and 4oz respectively. They could easily be outfitted with a carabiner for the use as described above. Because it is made from a soft material one could even have initials embroidered on it for a little personalization.
Mind you , the #1 is about the same size as what I use but has more pockets and zips and such. It also weighs 3 times as much and costs almost 3 times as much. Still, a sexy little thang!
Just as a side remark, the term "personal cabin bag" is perhaps misleading, although you explain well what you mean and want (reading is a tricky endeavor). A personal bag or personal item is often something in the size of a birefcase, around 34 linear inches. This can still go under the seat normally. What you are looking for is what I would call an "in-flight baggie" as I have used the term in my above post.
It is not unreasonable to have a bigger personal item AND an in-flight baggie inside of it. However, if you really travel with only one carry-on the personal item is of course out.
I think the in-flight baggie should be so small that it might even fit in a coat pocket or in the outside flap pockets of a carry-on.
Another alternative is to get a fleece vest from Scotevest. It will hold all your necessities very easily and directly on your body which is safest. Additionally it serves as a layer or pillow, has zip-off sleeves and even a hood. It's an extremely versatile piece of travel gear and doesn't even look half bad.
Thanks, that does look very interesting. EC catalog seems worth combing through.
Let me also add that I am truly appreciative, let me say flattered, that you have posted only 5 times in 3 years, and one of those was to answer my question.
Well, what kind of bag do you want? Rolling or shoulder carry or backpack or convertible? You want max legal carry-on dimension or smaller? Expandable? Any special design features required, e.g. many pockets, suiter etc.?
Probably the two most beloved and recommended MLC bags here are the Redoxx Airboss and the Briggs Riley 235x.
Other classics include the Patagonia MLC (you might be able to catch the old spec one which is nicer at a great price on sale), the re-editioned Patagonia Burrito or a Tom Bihn bag that fits your needs. Tough Traveler and MEI bags are also often suggested though not as mainstream as the others.
For extra robust design and construction you should look at Redoxx as well as at Andiamo/Pathfinder. The latter is going out of business and you can snatch up some really nice pieces. For example the 25 inch four pocket Valoroso duffel at luggageguru for $125 instead of over $300. I made a thread about those here and you can easily find that.
Now the above is meant as general advice for cabin bags. Not personal items as aktchi specified. If you want a general carry-on bag, it is probably best if you look at the other threads concerning that subject and start a new one because aktchi is specifically seeking a smaller Personal Item bag or an even smaller in-flight bag.
Marwin: What you are looking for is a maximum or near-maximum size carry-on, not what this thread is about. However, be that as it may, you can scarcely do any better on these matters than listening to Till (tfar).
Like aktchi, I prefer to have something with pockets, but I have a more extensive set of things I like keeping near me, particularly for long-haul travel: for example, toothbrush, moisturizer, a small notebook. I find this is just the right step-down size from my small day bag. It's slim enough to fit the pocket in front of Y seats. (I've never used the included shoulder/neck strap.)
This is pretty close to the Outdoor Research #2 and certainly has more options than my little EC baggie. However, it weighs almost twice as much as the OR models which is a bit strange given that the material seems to be comparable and it is actually smaller than the #2 model which is 113g as opposed to 190 but is even a bit bigger than the Flight Bag. The #1 model is only 90g.
This is pretty close to the Outdoor Research #2 and certainly has more options than my little EC baggie. However, it weighs almost twice as much as the OR models which is a bit strange given that the material seems to be comparable and it is actually smaller than the #2 model which is 113g as opposed to 190 but is even a bit bigger than the Flight Bag. The #1 model is only 90g.
The weight hasn't been issue for me yet. The contents I load into it usually weigh more than the bag itself, and the slim profile makes it easy to keep my carry-on looking small. I've found that generally, it's the size and the nature (wheeled vs. non-wheeled) of the carryon that triggers a weight check at checkin.
I just have a cheap flat bag that's just big enough to fit my QC2s and other stuff I need during flight (e.g., gum, pen, wet wipes). I figured it's going to get beat up any way, so why put money into it.
) I might recommend to take a look at the BackCountry Organizers by Outdoor Research. I'd go with the #1 or #2 model weighing 3.4 and 4oz respectively. They could easily be outfitted with a carabiner for the use as described above. Because it is made from a soft material one could even have initials embroidered on it for a little personalization.
