chx1975

Between the Eagle Creek Overland (22 x 14 x 8 in, 2625 cu in, 2 lbs 7 oz) , the Osprey Porter 46 (22 x 14 x 9, 2800 cu in, 3 lbs 2 oz), Patagonia MLC (2746 cu in, 20.5" x 13.5" x 7", 2 lbs. 9 oz.) which one would you choose? I am about to buy a backpack carry on for a winter trip to Europe, because of winter (and other gear I need to carry) I need two items checked in and then I do not have a third hand for my loved Tumi Alpha 20" And my trip includes Thalys so I need to be able to move.

Edit: After reading http://www.practicalhacks.com/2009/0...gonia-mlc-bag/ I am confused.

MLC: 20″ x 14″ x ~7″ (Patagonia claims 21�” x 14�” x 8″)
Air Boss: 21″ x 13″ x ~8″ (Red Oxx claims 21″ x 13″ x 8″)

But the Air Boss is claimed to have a capacity of only 2184 cubic Inches. So what gives? I guess I should include the Red Oxx Air Boss, the Red Oxx Sky Train and Tom Bihn's Aeronaut. Also, the MEI Voyageur. Too many choices.

falconea

Look at the Tom Bihn Tristar. European airlines generallly won't allow 22" bags.

Audrey

chx1975

http://www.malev.com/travelinformati...al-information
55x40x20 cm
http://www.britishairways.com/travel...n/public/en_gb
56cm x 45cm x 25cm (22in x 18in x 10in)
http://www.airberlin.com/site/flug_g...ng&checkNavi=1
55 cm x 40 cm x 20 cm
http://www.ryanair.com/en/questions/...gage-allowance
55cm x 40cm x 20cm.

That's 21.65 inches fairly everywhere. (times 15.74 times 7.87).

If the Patagonia MLC is 20.5" x 13.5" x 7 then that fits nicely doesn't it...? Also I wonder why these so called MLC packs stop at a meager 13.5-14 or so instead of going to 15.75" (as Tumi does w its 20" and I was never forced to check it.)

chollie

Don't know about the others, but I've got the Osprey Porter and I'm quite happy with it. I looked at Red Oxx and Tom Bihn, but I think they were over-shoulder, not backpack style and that doesn't work for me.

Unlike a true backpack, Osprey Porter doesn't have rigid stays or frame, so depending on how you pack, it will be 'soft' enough to fit under 22".

bix-nc

The TB Tri-star and Aeronaut both have backpack straps that can be hidden away if not needed.

I have a new Aeronaut and although I have not traveled with it yet, I can say that it's construction is, for lack of a better word, sumptuous.

skipaway

I have both the Tristar and the Osprey Porter and like both. Osprey a little more capacity, Tristar better organization (plus holds all I can carry). Both have hideaway backpack straps--I don't have preference for one for carrying as backpack. Osprey wins cost race, Tristar wins cool factor, build quality.

GRD

I went through the same decision process earlier this year. For background, I have an old Tumi shoulder bag that fills the same niche as the Air Boss. I use it for business travel. When my Tumi finally dies, I will replace it with an Air Boss. For vacation travel, I wanted a convertible bag to have backpack straps as an option.

In the end, the choice came down to the Porter 46 and the Aeronaut. I spent some time looking at the Porter in REI. It is a very nice bag, especially for the price. I ultimately chose the Aeronaut. My final decision was based on if I was going to use the bag mostly as a backpack, the Porter would be best. However, for mixed use (which I do) both with a shoulder strap and with backpack straps, the Aeronaut is a better choice. As a secondary consideration, I thought the Aeronaut, with its organization features, would cause less unpacking and repacking, and generally be easier to live out of for trips with multiple destinations.

Veritrope

My wife and I recently returned from a RTW trip where we used a Red Oxx Sky Train and a Tom Bihn Aeronaut as our luggage. I've written a detailed review of each -- links below if you are interested:

Red Oxx Sky Train Review

Tom Bihn Aeronaut Review



FWIW -- My personal preference is for the Aeronaut.

GadgetFreak

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Thanks for the reviews and large amount of useful information. I'm wondering about how you packed your computer in the Aeronaut? How big was the computer? Was it in a protective sleeve? Did you pack it in the main compartment of the Aeronaut or in one of the end pockets? Thanks.

Veritrope

@GadgetFreak:
Glad you liked the articles!

The computer was a 13" Macbook Pro and, believe it or not, I also brought an iPad! (see this post for details about that).

When in the Aeronaut, both were housed in a Brenthaven Edge I Sleeve, which is a fairly structured and padded sleeve/laptop case combo. The Brenthaven sleeve is just slightly wider than the opening of the main compartment of the Aeronaut-- and I would place it on top of the other contents by sliding it into the compartment one side at a time. The back-pressure from the clothing would generally push the case flush with the top of the compartment and prevent it from sliding around. One of the Aeronaut's side compartments held my cables and power adapters (my toiletries were in the other).

This was a pretty good arrangement for me and, when checking the bag or accessing the laptop became necessary, I found it was very easy to pull out of the Aeronaut.

KCK

I have used a Piper Gear Bugout Bag for about 6 years and love it.

xvimbi

A couple of general things to consider:

1. How tall are you? Tall people (more precisely: those with long upper bodies) often have problems with the hip belt ending up to high.

2. Hip belt: make sure it's padded. A hip belt is required for comfortably carrying a fully loaded pack. Non-padded hip belts are a pain, unless you only carry the pack for short distances, in which case a backpack is sort of non-sensical anyway.

Bottom line: definitely check it out in person. Walk around for half an hour with a fully loaded pack.

I'm sure you knew all that. Just checking

Cheers! MM

GadgetFreak

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Thanks. Would the notebook or iPad fit in the end pockets of the Aeronaut if they weren't in the other bag? Thanks again, and welcome to Flyertalk!

Veritrope

The iPad or a netbook would fit in one of the end compartments, but a 13" Macbook wouldn't. However with a little travel tetris, you could probably slip either into the backpack strap compartment... I generally used that for my jacket because I thought it was best to pack something soft on the side that is flush with your body as you carry the bag, but I suppose the straps themselves could be laid on top as a sort of cushion.

knite

I'm on a similar quest as chx1975. I'm looking for a backpack to use on a multi-month tour through Europe.

My requirements:

- Meets RyanAir carry-on requirements, which are more stringent: 21.6" x 15.7" x 7.8".
- If convertible, designed primarily for use as a backpack.

Nice to have:
- Some amount of organizational structure (pockets/compartments).
- Not a top-loader.
- Padding. I'm bringing a laptop and DSLR. I'll wrap them in clothing if necessary.

...that's it, actually. The problem I'm seeing is a split market.

Market #1: Osprey-style backpacks. Designed for hardcore hikers, missing traveler-friendly organization features, either barely too large or way too small.
Market #2: MLC-style carry-ons. Designed for professional travelers, backpack straps not the primary use case, not meant to be carried for long periods of time, and also too big.

What's the best product between these two extremes? All I want is a traveler-focused backpack, capacity of approx. 30L/25 pounds, and small enough to never be checked.

Suggestions appreciated!