maoridelf

Hello everyone,

I’m helping a friend with a project on a travel bag concept and I would really appreciate your inputs.

She is designing an all-in-one packing folder with compartments to neatly organize carry-on luggage.
The emphasis would be put on the practicability and design for good value.
Do you think such a concept can attract women travelers such as yourself, and that they would purchase it?

She’s also toying with the notion of selling the bag already packed with easy-to-wear, classic clothes such as (dress, cardigan, shirt, shawl etc…)
Do you think that this extra features is too much or on the contrary has some potential?

In advance, thanks for your time and sharing your opinion. It’s much appreciated.

tcl

Do you mean something like the Eagle Creek Pack-it Mobile Locker or Pick-it Complete Organizer?

As for the dress-in-a-bag thing, it's already been done and really, it's all about the dress and no one cares about the bag which just adds to the cost.

travelmad478

As a hardcore "carry-on-only" traveler, I run the other way from bags like this. To me, the best bag is one that has no interior dividers--they just take up room that could otherwise be given to clothes/shoes/etc. When you're taking one 20" rollaboard for a multi-week trip, you can't spare that space just to keep your blouses from touching your underwear. Maybe people who also bring checked bags, or people who are not frequent travelers, would be into this sort of thing. (Once I received a folding organizer-style washbag as a bridesmaid gift. I threw it out.)

Never in my life would I buy clothes and a bag in a package deal. Clothes require way more personalization/specificity than a bag.

Consultette

I believe the OP might be talking about something similar to these packing cubes and having them assembled in a bag: http://shop.eaglecreek.com/packit-wo...t/d/1144_c_211

If so, while Eagle Creek makes a good product they do have some areas I wish they were better:

1) They are not airtight and worn clothes can stink up my clean clothes if I travel to multiple places in a week
2) I have found they do nothing to compress the garments and remove air

My favorite product (by far) with a similar concept are Spacebags - but they seem to wear out so quickly (I usually have to replace them every couple months after weekly uses) if there was a way to combine the durability of the Eagle Creek product with the Spacebag concept of sealing (or at least containing) and compression I would be all about it.

Agreed with the clothes in a bag probably not having a huge market. Personal taste is just too personal - especially when you are going to be relying on the clothes to get you through everything while you are gone. What I do wish is that there was a great and practical travel "capsule collection" that was TRULY packable. The existing stuff I have found that works style-wise is made of unprofessional-looking fabrics (Spiegel) or the fabrics I like are not appropriately tailored (Chicos, TravelSmith).

Brooks Brothers makes perfect travel shirts (their wrinkle-free shirts are a lifesaver and look VERY nice, even after many turns through whatever questionable laundry place I send them off to) and Ann Taylor will occasionally come out with something great that packs and unpacks well - but for the most part it is a game of mixing, matching, and much more ironing than I would like.

Male road warriors seem to have some great options - I wish the same could be said for us! I'd love to have a suit where I don't have to wear the jacket on the plane and press the bottoms at the hotel. Bonus points if I could buy some wrinkle free, machine-washable silky tops that match a cardi which also matches a shell and coodinates with a wrinkle-free button-down - that also doesn't look cheap compared to the stuff the boys are wearing (yet again - Spiegel has a great concept but the quality just doesn't cut it when I have to interact with execs)

Until that sort of a collection exists I will carry on as I am.

fwoomp

I suppose it might work for those with the exact proportions of fit models, but I wouldn't know about that from experience, nor do I know anyone who would.

So no, that concept doesn't sound tremendously useful.

CDTraveler

Already plenty of bags like that on the market, and I, like another poster, would not dream of using such a restrive way of packing. Such a bag tries to dictate what you take in terms of X cubic inches of flat items, Y cubic inches squishable, etc. Not interesting to me.

oldpenny16

I don't like throwing ice water on someone's idea, but the idea of a packing folder doesn't fly with me. Too darned heavy. I won't give up the weight. As for adding clothing.......nope.

fwoomp

It's far better to learn now than it is after having sunk time into design and manufacturing research, a ton of money (likely one's own) into an initial production run, and then be stuck with crates and crates of items no one wants!

oldpenny16

Yes that's true.

I'm helping a neighbor who flies seldom pack for a trip to Spain which includes airlines with tight carry on requirements. We are working hard to get weight out of her bags and the first thing to go (in my opinion) has to be the packing folders.

maoridelf

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your input! it was really helpful, I will forward the information to my friend.

Regards,

Delphine