EGtex

Does anyone have any experience carrying an Air Boss and a briefcase? Do you find it cumbersome?

Boogie711

Absolutely depends on the briefcase. If it's a Red Oxx Metro, heck - that's what it's designed for. My personal briefcase is a leather bag that was not that much different in size, and it would fit in there, but I found the messenger strap would get in the way.

The center compartment is about 4 inches thick. If your briefcase fits in that space, you're golden. If it's thicker, it will still fit, but it comes to the detriment of packing space in the other two sides.

N1120A

The Metro wasn't actually designed specifically to fit in the Air Boss, but it was a happy coincidence that some owners found.

I carry my CPA every day and carry it with either my Sky Train or Air Boss when traveling. I don't find it cumbersome at all.

AATrout

I like the combo of the Metro and Sky Train (separately) better than the Metro in the center of the Air Boss. That's because I can use the backpack straps on the ST and if the Metro gets heavy, just swap from one hand to the other. I travel a little heavier than some 1- baggers so keeping them apart works a bit better for me most of the time.

EGtex

I wasn't clear in my original question. I am asking how cumbersome it is to carry two shoulder-carry bags at the same time, i.e. one on each shoulder.

Boogie711

Been there, done that. It's not a problem, except you'll find it easier to cross your shoulders, rather than hang off each shoulder. This is because no matter how good the strap is, you inevitably find yourself making miniature 'tweaks' on the slippage factor every now and then.

You do this without even realizing it with one bag. With two bags, the other bag is now more prone to slipping. If you cross your shoulder blades, they hang 'in' on your shoulder versus 'out' on your shoulder and won't slip off.

The downside, of course, is that you have to take them off opposite of the order you put them on. So it can be a bit cumbersome to deal with the defacto 'harness' you've just wiggled yourself into.

All in all - great for walking through an airport, not so great for up, down, sit, stand, sit, stand type motion.

AltaBound

I do it all the time. Red Oxx bag and Rickshaw commuter briefcase. No issues at all.

pletchm

On my second week of carrying a new Air Boss + briefcase. So far I've got mixed feelings on this combo vs. my old roller + slide-on laptop bag, but on balance it works fine.

I like the balanced load of one bag on each shoulder; I'm at around 15-17 lbs for each bag. That part is no problem at all. By the way, I just ordered another Claw strap to replace my briefcase strap, as the reduced slippage is awesome. Also, for me it's unexpectedly liberating to have both hands free most of the time rather than one always on the rollerbag handle.

Best bit of advice that I got? Shorten the shoulder straps quite a bit. This made a big difference in carry comfort for me.

The list of downsides is less serious than it looks; these all qualify as nits more than showstoppers.
--You become quite a bit "wider" carrying two at a time, compared to a single carry that you can rotate across your back, or a rolling back pulled directly behind you
--Harder to hold a cup of coffee in one hand without spillage, as you do have to pay attention to arm position a bit
--When you stop and sit, you've got to think a *little* harder where to drop everything, whereas the roller just sat next to you by default on the ground
--A little more difficult than roller + slide-on to rummage through your briefcase for singular items, for instance digging for a Kindle while boarding a plane

To summarize, it can be cumbersome to carry the two shoulder bags but only situationally, and never severely.

mikel51

I tend to put my suitcase on the shoulder and carry my briefcase in hand.

GadgetFreak

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I like Red Oxx stuff a lot. But one exception is the claw strap. I prefer the Tom Bihn ultimate strap by a vast margin. It isn't even a contest in my opinion. Some threads on it here in the forum. It makes a huge difference especially with heavier loads.

N1120A

Yeah, I also go a bit heavier than most 1 baggers - in fact, I never 1 bag.

Its not cumbersome.

For the specific issue of heavy loads, I agree. The Claw is better for balance and lack of slippage. That's why I have the Claw on my Air Boss and the Absolute on my CPA