bef58115

tl;dr - what bag for 1-2 nights away?

Long time forum stalker here !

Been travelling with a B&R Carry-on spinner for the last couple of years now - perfect in every way for a trip that was 3-4 nights long. I'm pairing this with the Tumi Anderson Slim brief.

However my work travel is changing and now my normal trip is 1-2 nights max - which makes the B&R a bit overkill. This is not helped by the fact that Lufthansa seem to gate check the B&R at any opportunity they get - and BA is just a fight to get space in the overhead bins.

I've tried various one bag solutions..

I rushed out and bought a Samsonite DLX4 Rolling Tote (25L) thinking this would be the answer to my problems - however the build quality was a far cry from the B&R/Tumi I was used too.. and it did not have enough room for 1 night trip + business gear (laptop, chargers, ipad, notebook, headphones etc). I did on occasion "force" it to fit but I had to slim down my gear alot and simple things such as buying a bottle of water at the airport became a challenge to pack.

I've resorted now to digging out an old school bag (North Face Surge 33L) and this works nicely - but once it's fully packed doesn't look that professional walking into meetings with.

So once again - I'm drooling over luggage with my finger on the trigger to buy something..

I'm on the fence now over the one bag solution and find myself looking at a couple of options:

Rimowa Topas Business Multiwheel 26L - Remove the entire partition and use it as a open flat suitcase/traveller. This would give me an empty canvas to use with packing cubes. Hopefully due it's size it should fly under the radar at the gate slightly - but would still need to bring my tumi brief - however as it's a hard shell should have no issue resting my laptop bag over the handle.

Tumi 4 Wheeled Compact Brief 18L - Due to the design, i think there may be more flexibility vs. the Samonsite if I wanted to use this as a 1 bag solution - but figure I could only do this for 1 night. However, assume I could also remove the divider and use this as small suitcase (but there seems to be a huge capacity difference vs. Rimowa).

And finally, the Tumi 4 Wheeled Compact Duffel 26L - Looks a strong contender, however this seems to have a softer shell, so not sure how this fair stacking my laptop bag ontop and whether this would instantly fall over.

Any input from people who have been in a similar situation or who own the above would be greatly appreciated.

Nscc2

Hi. Well I had a similar dilemma and went for the Rimowa. I have had the Topas business case for about 4 years now and it�s actually incredibly versatile. I use it in business case mode and as a small suitcase for 1-2 nights as needed. The dividers are easily removable and mine came with a set of straps to put in instead to make it a suitcase. Highly recommended but it was half the price it is now when I got it!

Barkinpark

I recommend the Eagle Creek No Matter What Flatbed. The only issues are that (1) it's a soft case, (2) doesn't look elegant but OK, and (3) has two useless straps in the front but you can cut them.

Much cheaper than Rimowas.

bef58115

Thanks; I'm not sure how Eagle Creek would pull off in a meeting room scenario.

I've pulled the trigger on a Tumi backpack.. I'll post some pictures in a new thread.

txflyer77

I use a Red Oxx Mini Boss as my carry-on for short trips. Never had any concern about bringing it into meetings, but then I can show up to work in a hoodie if I want to.

Easily fits my 15" laptop, a few days of clothes, notebook, etc. I keep everything in packing cubes so that I can easily remove my clothes and toiletries at the hotel and leave them there.

PAX_fips

If you're going this "path".. always check back, that noone comes into the room with this HENK: ultimate luxury travel goods