bigshooter

Has anyone grabbed one of these yet?

http://shop.eaglecreek.com/gear-hauler/d/1291

I am thinking about getting one of these to go with my North Face Base Camp Duffel for a two week Japan trip. The laptop/tablet/cable organization without needing extra sleeves/accessories (like Aeronaut) seems pretty nice. I looked at one at a local store the other day and it did seem smaller than I originally thought though.

Anyone think this is a good step up from the old Hybrid Hauler and a good choice instead of taking a wheeled suitcase (I have a medium B&R Torq)? I've been holding off on just buying a Tom Bihn and looking for something less expensive like this because I know I'll end up spending $400 on a $250 bag...

TravlnD

I don't think it is broadly available yet. I called my favorite luggage retailer a couple of weeks ago and they told me it wasn't even available for them to preorder.

Looks like a cool -- and very practical bag.

I'm not crazy of the plastic hardware Eagle Creek has moved to on some of their latest bags (not sure about this one) but think their designs are among the best, especially for casual, rugged travel. I want to like the Aeronaut but can't get over the design. I'm a flat packer (not a roller) and don't think I'd like the ~15 inch wide main compartment. With a ~20 - 22 inch bag I can just lay down a pair of pants off a hanger; not possible with the Aeronaut.

Megn

I liked the looks of it until I realized that the back pack straps attach to the front of the bag. Carrying this means having the plastic handles against your back. Access to most of the pockets is through the back pack straps and the compression straps, so it's not very handy. I think I'd buy it if the flat side of the bag was against my back when carrying it as a backpack. I like the pockets for both laptop and tablet.

MAN Pax

Looks like an expensive cope of the eBags weekenders:

http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/w...ertible/242274

http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/m...ertible/143101

For the price, and better warranty, I'd stick with eBags.

Rusearch

I've seen other duffels with this type of strap arrangement from Patagonia, North Face and others. I think the idea is to keep the dirty bottom of the duffel off of your back. I'm not outdoorsy enough to worry about this. That said, I do like the increasing variety of bags that are coming out to give us all choices.

TravlnD

This is a descendent of the Eagle Creek Hybrid Hauler, which has been around for a long time. This isn't a copy of the ebags MTLS.

This bag has its purpose as do the ebags. The "bathtub" design with the separate compartments is very useful for rugged travel (i.e., divide separate from clean) and the bottom coated material can be placed on wet, dirty surfaces while protecting the contents much better than the MTLS could. Finally this bag is materially lighter than the overweight (IMHO) MTLS. I have a MTLS a d find it frustratingly heavy for an unwheed bag (>4 pounds vs 2.6 for the Gear Hauler).

The MTLS is better for urban travel, while the HH would excel in a more rugged trip where you and or your bag is more likely to face the elements.

This bag also comes with Eagle Creek's No Matter What Warranty. If the eBags warranty is better, it would only be marginally so.

SaigonCyclo

I've got one of these a like it a lot.

The handles aren't plastic. They are made out of webbing that is covered by the main body fabric. The carry design as mentioned above is to not have the dirty bottom of the duffel against your back.

The backpack straps are in front of the pockets. They do not block access to the organizer panel/laptop pocket or the main bag.

TJR9999

Appears that Bergman Luggage has the Eagle Creek Gear Hauler EC-20440.
At Weight: 2.6 lbs and Dimensions: 14 x 22 x 9. It looks interesting.

.

bigshooter

Are the ebags ones even duffels? They look like suitcases with backpack straps to me. Can they crush down in a bin?

TravlnD

The Motherload TLS can be carried as a shoulder bag. The eTech doesn't even have d-rings. You can only wear as a backpack or carry with a handle. Both are soft and crushable.

Agree that they are very different than the Gear Hauler.

Dunbar

Just beware that at ~3000 cubic inches it will get heavy when you take advantage of all of that space. For context, 22" rolling bags have around 2600 cubic inches of space. I have a Motherlode TLS Weekender and hardly use it anymore for this reason (my back screams at me to stop.)