exbayern

I made it to John Lewis to look at the Samsonite and various Antler products. I like the Samsonite, but it is definitely a 20 inch, and I do wonder if the fabric will hold up especially as checked. But it is a nice piece.

None of the Antlers attracted me.

After a few thousand km on trains and metro and tube, 10,000 km as checked luggage, and a few 10,000kms more as hand luggage, I will comment on the Travelite v 2.0

As I said earlier, it looks drab compared to the original. I don't like the inside large pocket vs the earlier two pockets, nor do I like the metal bar on bottom vs the earlier plastic handle. The wheels still make quite a bit of noise on various surfaces.

It's definitely light, and this week I realised that I can actually pack the same amount as usual but have it appear to have more room inside, so volume may be slightly more.

Again, I would recommend it, it's a strong contender, but not my perfect bag.

Silver Fox

Do you have a link to the Travelite? Google seems to be beyond me today.

gobluetwo

I assume this is the correct website:
http://www.travelite.de/home.70.html

SanDiego1K

And now, 3 months on, what do you think?

This case is available in Hong Kong. We walked into a Delsey store on Mody Road, near the Hyatt in Kowloon. The price is 1380 HKD ($178) and he is offering a 10% discount. The promo is meant to be with a citi card, but he was willing to be flexible.

For Americans going to Hong Kong, this appears to be a good place offering the ultra light brands sold in Europe but not the US and Canada.

ardarvin

>Just bought mine from amazon.fr, from a vendor called - olivier jacques maroquinerie 40 euros for 10-12 days delivery, no VAT.

Be warned, I just got mine from this vendor -- hit with $60 worth of duties because of seller putting 2x the cost for the customs values.

Grrr..now have to put in a claim to get some of this back. If it was put cheaper, would have likely slipped through without any duty/taxes.

hwade

Tom Bihn Tri-Star Carry On Bag were one of my favorite carry on bag because of my laptop and other carry on technological goods,it was very light and the things I had in my bag were really safe or if you like Piel Mini-Duffel Carry-All Bag if you Want a carry on bag you can sling over your shoulder.This one is leather, guaranteed for 5 years. Dimensions: 15" x 9" x 8".

Letitride3c

+1 and there's now a junior one, slightly smaller for ultra-light packer. Here's my setup:

I reviewed the ML-TLS on ebags back in 2011 and travel all over the Americas as carryon, with 10 years old Eddie Bauer convertible & expandable messenger/laptop bag as the 36" linear - personal item, in situations where TLS has to be gate-checked on Regional, i.e. RJ700's. TLS has no trouble with mainland's overhead bins, only a bit tight on OH bins if packed full for 7 nights on older 757's (DL) - empty at 1.8 kg or under 4 lbs.

And, it's gone on 4 weeklong+ cruises in backpack mode, and, unpacked quick with 3 or 4 packing tubes. This has enough for 7 nights, plus what I'm wearing, and a 3 season parka combo.

for the EB bag, all the gadgets shown fit into into the (S) cube, netbook & power supply fit easily with plenty of room for medications, small first aid pouch, energy bars & trail mixes, travel shirt, and wallet & waist belt when going thru security.

Both bags do not look that heavy when in fact, they can be quite heavy for a long walk to a remote gate/far end of the terminal - make use of airport luggage cart if I could. Both w. lifetime guarantee, EB model has been discontinued but I managed to find a 98% new, pre-owned on *bay for $10 shipped as a spare.

TravelinSperry

I'm a little confused about your review. It appears John Lewis does ship to the US now (for 25GBP). I'm looking at the version of the bag you bought, but not the spinner. Samsonite Short-Lite 2-Wheel Cabin Suitcase

You mention you consider this bag a 20", although the listed dimensions show 21.7". Is that because they are showing the dimensions from wheels up? So in effect the bag itself is more like 20"?

Also, how do you like the bag now that a few months have passed? Obviously it's super light. Have you found it to be sturdy? Or cheap-ish? Have you traveled internationally with it? If so, anyone ask you to check it (or look at you like you should have?)

Also, it is not expandable. Has this proven to be an issue? It appears to me competitors are the TravelPro Maxlite 2 22" Expandable or the Antler New Zero 22". Both expand but also add 2 to 3 lbs in weight. But both save a pretty penny (over $130). Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks much!!

TravelinSperry

Nice find! This bag is so cheap in Australia and NZ (but no US shipping). To ship to the US, John Riley it is (for about $270!). So how did it fare on trip? It definitely looks more sturdy than the Samsonite Short-Lite.

SanDiego1K

John Lewis website showed that they do ship to the US. However, I received email from them that they do not ship this specific piece.

That is correct.

I have not used it yet. It came just as we had a couple multi week trips. It is too small for that.

I wish it were expandable, and I know that will be an issue on an occasional trip. It's nice to be able to stuff a winter coat in my suitcase on the flight going home. There's no way I can do that with this one.

Thanks much!!
Shane[/QUOTE]

TravelinSperry

[/QUOTE]

Thanks for your quick reply! I was considering the John Lewis one, but if they won't ship that bag here, that's obviously out (although why they won't is beyond me since they offer international shipping).

I decided to go with the TravelPro MaxLite 2 22" Exp. It's 6.4 lbs, significantly heavier than the Samsonite Short-Lite, but still lighter than my 9.8lb Atlantic Compass. Since I do use the expandability of the Atlantic, I figure I cut 3.4 lbs plus I picked up the TravelPro for only $87 incl shipping (saving some serious coin vs the Samsonite).

The Antler New Zero 22" was in the running, and it would've shaved another 1 1/2 lbs, but after some deliberation I decided to go with expandability, rather than shave the extra 1 1/2 lbs. I travel for mos at a time with just this one bag, so it seemed like it's a bit more flexible with a jacket or a few extra items in a pinch.

Why do these manufacturers not sell the Samsonite Short-Lite or the Delsey U-Lite in the US? We travel too!!

SanDiego1K

I agree. I find it very odd. We picked up the Delsey U-Lite in Hong Kong last month. In the US? No way.

exbayern

Having seen the bag now many times at Galeries Lafayette and John Lewis, it definitely is smaller than my Travelite Delite ie 20 inches or slightly more. I am not sold on the fabric of the bag as I do sometimes check my Travelite Delite, and the smaller size plus the fabric is why I haven't purchased that Samsonite.

The v2.0 which I purchased of the Travelite Delite by the way DOES have more interior space. I find that I am packing the exact same amount but have more empty space in the bag.

I'm also finding it very easy to manage one-handed, similar to the previous version, and unlike many of the other bags I have tested (even in the absence of spinners; I can easily lift this one onto belts and into bins using one hand)

As to why they aren't sold in the US? I suspect because until there is carry on bag enforcement (and so long as some carriers still permit 24 and even 26!! inch carry on bags), consumers who fly mainly within the US aren't as concerned about lightweight but well-constructed bags. The Sub 2-0-G which was one of the bags which started this thread is so commonplace in the UK, even amongst rare flyers. With so many LCC and legacy carriers enforcing bag rules, weight of the bag is a real consideration, and decent ultra-light weight bags can be found quite cheaply.

I've looked at the Antler products many times at John Lewis (and Next does them as well) and haven't been overly impressed with them, by the way. Next sells to the US market as nextdirect.com although I don't know if they would ship bags to the US. http://www.next.co.uk/shop/brand-antler-0

SanDiego1K

I just searched back thru your posts and wanted to check if this is your new bag?

exbayern

That's it! But in boring black. I don't think that red was available or maybe I decided not to buy it (although all my checked luggage is red) because it doesn't match my Longchamp flight bag.

The Amazon link is a very good representation of the bag. It's functional, with some minor annoyances I mentioned before compared to the previous version, but it does take more volume inside, and the outside pockets are larger or deeper than previous. (I can put the same items inside them and still have lots of empty space) I haven't been using that big inner pocket for much of anything because it is too big, but I suppose seeing the link I should move some of my clothes to that side and see how it works.

Overall I would recommend it; it just falls a little short from being perfect to me.