This will be sort of a different review (not sure if it should go here or somewhere else). I'm going to review my new carry-on I picked up before my holidays.
My old carry-on was a Tumi t-tech 20" bag, which probably has over 750k miles on it. I love it! But with all the airlines now cracking down on weight (LH out of KRK is notorious for that) I can't have a bag that weighs almost 4KG empty as my carry-on when I'm allowed 8KG. In addition the new UA sizer makes this challenge a bit harder to not only find a good bag, but one that is light.
The UA sizer is 22 cm x 35 cm x 56 cm while the LH is 23 cm x 40 cm x 55 cm. This bag is right at that - 22 cm x 35 cm x 55 cm.
So I started hunting online for the perfect bag. Naturally I went to Tumi as I really love their products, but I could not find a light enough one. I came across Rimowa which have some nice light bags but their handles are only one bar, which won't be that great for my laptop bags.
Finally I found the Samsonite Short-Lite series. I tried to find it in the USA (since this was all before the holidays, there were plenty of promotions) but I couldn't find it. It seems I could only find this bag in Europe. So I picked it up at my local store.
To start, the bag is light. Very light. It weighs some 1.6KG - which is less than 1/2 of my old bags weight. I got the 2 wheeled version, as I prefer them over the spinners. (the spinners seem to break more quickly).
It is made out of a nylon material, which holds the weight well, but I wouldn't see it lasting long as a checked bag. It's not as durable as the ballistic nylon out there or my old bag, but since the purpose of this is as a carry-on, it is just fine. It has 2 large wheels, which seem as it's good quality and a extendable handle. The handle is a 2 bar system which allows my laptop bag to rest nicely on top. With the bag full and my laptop bag on top, it doesn't fall over or tip - there's no issue with the center of gravity. There is a large front pocket that zips shut. On one side there is a zip pocket for some documents and on the other side there is a handle pocket to carry the bag. this is in addition to the handle on top. I really like this. When you fly the small prop planes and jets, the bags go on sideways. Rimowa and other brands don't have a side handle to take the bag out of the overhead bin easily, but this one does. And the top handle seems quite sturdy.
Inside it's quite simple. There is a zip on the top for shirts and a zip pocket on that (I'm assuming for ties and such) and the straps on the base.
Overall it's quite a simple bag but quite well thought out. I like that there are some zip pockets on the inside as well as the outside (which the Rimowa and other brands were lacking) and the side handle.
Some photos:
Front view with the front zip pocket.
Side view with the handle pocket. It's flat, so it won't catch on anything.
Side view with the zip pocket at the top.
Inside with the zips on the top part closed.
...and with the zips open.