non wheeled carry on bags....which is the best

I've been to the Tom Bihn showroom to admire the Tristar--and I can't wait to get mine! It's more structured than the Aeronaut, which makes it particularly great for serving as your "dresser" while on the road. I loaded up my three Western Flyer packing cubes and headed to the showroom to see how they would fit--and they do! I packed a light blazer, two pairs of pants, six tops, three pairs or undies and socks, pajama top, sandals, a bathing suit, and a baggie full of liquids and gels. They fit fine with enough room to spare to stash my medium cafe bag into the center section. The bag opens like a book--with one completely unstructured side with removable tie-downs if you'd rather bundle-pack than use packing cubes; a second side with a zip-down divider that you can use or not, at your option (I think it's perfect to keep a pair of shoes from interacting with the rest of your stuff); and a middle compartment that you reach into from the top. Great for electronics, the liquids and gels bag, a snack, etc.

There are also three handy zippered pockets on the outside, and--the most brilliant of all--a snap-out pouch for a water bottle or large coffee. So...your flight has been delayed, you'd like to nurse a refreshing beverage but there's nowhere to put your cup? Not anymore!

Don't get me wrong--I own an old RS convertible bag, which served me well for years. And I appreciate that the Tristar is spendier than the RS bag, which is a deal breaker for many folks. But if the Rick Steves bag is a VW microbus, the Tom Bihn bags are like Porsches. Beautiful, well designed, and once you try one, you won't look back. They are so well contructed that they will last you forever. (And, if this matters to you, they're made in Seattle, not in China.)

I have the Outdoor Products Essential Carryon (better known as the $30 Campmor Bag) which now sits in the closet never used. I had the Ebags Weekender which I sold on Ebay, and I currently have the RS Convertible which will be retired once my Tristar arrives next month.

I too looked at all the bags you are looking at:

I liked the idea of the Air Boss but wanted backpack straps. The Air Boss does not have backpack straps.

I didn't particularly like the design of the Aeronaut.

The Skytrain was too much like the RS bag so why spend the money. I have heard the backpack straps are not that comfortable.

The Tristar, however, is the perfect bag for me. I use packing cubes and believe I can fit all my stuff, including my day bag, into it. It is, in a sense, an air boss with backpack straps and a waist belt.

The MEI bag is difficult because it's virtually impossible to get hold of them. Sometimes they respond to email, sometimes they don't.

Any reason why you're taking a sport jacket and dress pants? Will you wear them enough to warrant it? Not will you wear them, but will you wear them enough. And packing for a three week trip is no different than a one week, two week, or even one month trip.

If you're wearing your hoodie and your jeans on travel days, I don't see why you can't get the rest into the Tri-Star.

I've learned from years of travel how to take less and less, and trade down to smaller sizes.

We bought our packs at MEC.

I bought an internal frame MEC pack and my wife had a smaller internal frame Arc'teryx pack. Her's was considerably more expensive, but it was a much better design and was a lot lighter.

Personally, if lugging a bag around extensively, the internal frame really makes a difference. I quite like the look of the Areonaut one, but I would be concerned it would not have enough support in backpack mode.

As for your packing list, I think you have one pair of pants too many if the cargo pants are not shorts. I would also bring a stuffable waterproof jacket.

Just my thoughts...

When it comes to a carry-on bag, sleek is really irrelevant. What matters is how much it weighs and how efficiently it uses the allowable dimensions. The Rick Steves bag is essentially a rectangular solid. That gives you the maximum volume for the three dimensions. "Sleeker" bags taper as they go up, robbing you of volume.

As for weight, I like the Essential Carryon sold by Campmor. It is a rectangular solid, like the Rick Steves bag, but made of lighter weight material and thus lighter, at 1¾#. I have one that I have used quite happily for two trips (4 weeks) in Europe.

Well the price point to me is not as important as I figure better to invest in the best bag adn have it for ever than buy different bags every trip till I find the right one.

I was concerned the tristar would be just a tad small to fit everything where the Areonaut would. The one concern I have with the areonaut is the two smaller out compartments while I LOVE the fact I think you could easily travel with two pairs of shoes in these pockets and the rest of the clothes in the main section I must say I worry that with the areonaut you would not be able to pack a jacket in too easily where with the Tristar I think packing a jacket would be a breeze.

But I wonder if the few extra inches of the areonaut make that much of a difference.

tough call. I was just reading about some comparision to the red oxx brand and it seems like the tom bihn is better quality in terms of zippers, material (less bulging), better shoulder straps and back pack straps.

When it comes to a carry-on bag, sleek is really irrelevant. What matters is how much it weighs and how efficiently it uses the allowable dimensions. The Rick Steves bags are essentially a rectangular solid. That gives you the maximum volume for the three dimensions. "Sleeker" bags taper as they go up, robbing you of volume.

As for weight, I like the Essential Carryon sold by Campmor. It is a rectangular solid, like the Rick Steves bag, but made of lighter weight material and thus lighter, at 1¾#. I have one that I have used quite happily for two trips (4 weeks) in Europe.

One thing I forgot to mention...there is a forum on Tom Bihn's website for users and people who have questions about the bags. Very helpful and a staff member at Tom Bihn's answers questions daily. It's like dealing with a mom and pop business.

They also want customer input when designing new bags. I like dealing with them.

If you are wanting something that endures, you can't beat Rick's bag. My husband and I each purcharsed one more than 20 years ago. We are still using them. They look new and have endured more than 40 trips to Europe and an around-the-world trip. My husband can pack his with all he needs and it will weigh less than 10 lb. Mine will weigh a bit under 15 lb. (he makes me pack all the "common" things we need!) We bought the black bag and it has never even raised an eyebrow at 5 star hotels. Airline employees have asked about it- commented on how nice and lightweight it is.

Toni, are the RS bags of old the same size as today's?

I bought a couple a few years ago and to pack really light there's so much space that everything flops around (and this is using packing cubes). I wrote last year a suggestion that RS have a more mid-size bag in the store.

Currently I have one of the new Tri-Star bags on order from Tom Bihn. I am hoping I like the size, though I do not quite think I will stop looking for the "perfect" bag (mid-size and less than the Tri-Star's 2 3/4 lb).

Thanks.

The Tristar, like its baby brother the Western Flyer, is rectangular in configuration, so there isn't any wasted space. Its backpack straps are the best I've tried in a non-frame backpack, and the waist strap really does make a difference--putting more of the weight on the hips than on the shoulders and upper back. How comfortable the bag is to carry for extended periods matters a lot.(Whatever bag you get, if you are interested in a shoulder strap as an alternative method of carrying it, give the Absolute Shoulder strap a look--it is hands down the best shoulder strap I have ever used.)

I have to respectfully disagree with Lee--I think there is more to a good bag than weight and volume. If that were true, a plastic garbage sack would be the ultimate travel bag, and for me, it isn't. Well thought out details that make it convenient to store, transport, and access your stuff; high quality materials and workmanship so that the bag won't get damaged or fall apart with heavy use; intelligent design so that the weight is appropriately distributed on your body; waterproof zipper covers to keep water out of your stuff; comfortable handles on the top and side of the bag so that stowing and retrieving the bag is easy--those are some of the things that I value along with weight and capacity. Others may differ, of course.

I suppose it sounds churlish to say this on Rick Steves' website, but the quality of his convertible backpacks has dipped, in my opinion. My old one--bought maybe 9 years ago--is much less cheap and flimsy than the one my daughter bought last summer for her trip to Europe. Sad, really, because I suspect that well made and well designed luggage is probably more in keeping with Rick's philosophy of sustainable travel.

I agree about the Absolute Shoulder Strap....I don't know how he does it but that strap works wonders.

Betsey, the Tri-Star is just over 3 lbs. Originally, it said 2.71 pounds but that was left over from the Aeronaut template they used to make up the Tri-star web page.

And I agree about the newer RS bags...they've changed the material and it seems cheaper. I have an old Civita bag and a one year old Civita shoulder bag. The difference in material is like night and day. It's sad. I doubt the new ones would hold up like the old bags.

Frank II,

Ohhh, I had seen the question around announcement time for the TriStar about weight but not seen the updated weight. Just over 3#, ouch, a bit.

Well, I am still hoping it's the right size bag for me and I will enjoy trying to start a campaign for another new bag, the "slender" Aeronaut :-)

It is sad to read owner's comments of the RS bags, old ones to new ones. I purchased a Civita this winter but did not use it for my latest trip, not liking it entirely enough. I bought the shoulder strap version. The strap was frankly worthless (my personal opinion). I bought a TB simple strap and put that on it for when I do use it someday.

These question are always hard to answer since no one has every used all the bags side by side under the same conditions. We have three of the Rick Steves bag that are at least ten to maybe 15 years old and an Eagle Creek bag. The Eagle Creek is about ten years old, is expandable, and has a few more bells and whistles that are generally not used. All the bags have made about 300 days of Europe travel plus a bunch of US travel. Two bags have also survived five years of college and college trips. Those bags are scuffed a bit but have held up very well for the abuse they have received. The Eagle Creek bag has had a couple of problems with snaps and buckles. But always repaired for free under the lifetime warranty. I actually prefer the shape of the Steves bag as it is slightly narrow and deeper and packs easier than the Eagle Creek is which wider and shallow.

For the dollar I don't think there is a better bag than the Steves bag. And this is from someone with Hartman luggage sitting on the shelf and seldom used.

I have the MEI bag. I was on a tour and one of the tour members had the MEI bag; I was carrying Rick's bag. Rick's is a fine bag, but the MEI has an internal frame that keeps it from becoming floppy like a duffel bag, and also better waist pads. I bought the MEI bag when I returned; its a small business but I wasn't in any hurry so I called them & ordered it, and told them I could wait 2 or 3 mos to get it (it took about 2).

I recommend getting some packing cubes to help keep the inside of whatever bag you you get organized. I have different sizes for shirts, underwear, toiletries, clothes I haven't washed yet, etc.

I really like Rick's Civita bag, but since you have a camera bag you probably wouldn't want it for a day bag.

For years I traveled with an Eagle Creek carry-on convertible pack. More recently I've gotten the Osprey Porter 46. It is very solidly built. The sides of it have light foam stiffener which adds protection to what is inside and enbles what Osprey calls its "straight-jacket" compression system which very effectively compresses less-than-full loads into a sleek package. It is also amazingly inexpensive. It has gotten rave reviews.

bluedenim,

I use Backpacks almost exclusively, can't offer many suggestions on shoulder bags. I tried to have a look at the Tom Bihn models tonight, but for some reason their web site wasn't accessible (some kind of error? Says to contact the Webmaster).

The models you listed appear to be somewhat similar to the Eagle Creek Tarmac Large. You might have a look to see if that might might fit your criteria?

Happy travels!

thanks! I think the Eagle Creek Tarmac does not have a backpack option. i want something that I could use both as backpack and shoulder strap. Its nice to be able to switch around if needed.

So the airboss does not have the backpack option but the sky train does. I am still really leaning towards the Tom Bihn bags as the quality, service and everything else seem to be top notch.

I am on the fence between the Areonaut and Tristar, both have pros adn cons but eh Areonaut's size won't fit on the strictest of airlines where the Tristar will. A few inches is a few inches when it comes to packign mind you.

From the design I can see why the tristar might be a bit heavier and even though it is a bit smaller I think the space looks very usable.

Since there are a few of us here who have ordered the Tri-Star, why not wait until we get ours (TB says they may start shipping as early as the end of next week.) I'm sure many of us are going to try it out and we can report back how much we got into it.

Depending on which method you use for packing, I don't think you'll have a problem.

Betsey, I just measured my 20 year old Rick's bag- it is the same size and the classic bag sold on this site. It does not expand. It also does not seem to weigh the 3 lbs empty indicated on the site currently.

I have an ebags weekender. It works well, doesn't weigh much and has the features I want.

I find that I'm now looking for something smaller because as others have said, I tend to trim off a little excess each trip.

When I pack now, the compression straps on the weekender are tightened about as much as possible.

Loads tend to expand on the road, whether from progressively more careless packing or adding paperwork and souvenirs, so it's always good to leave yourself some room for expansion.

I have a Rick Steves bag I purchased in 1996 and it weights 2.0 pounds.I also have a new expandable Steves bag that weights 3.0 pounds.

For those of you looking for a bag slightly smaller than the RS Convertible Carryon (or the Aeronaut), I recommend the Veloce Travel Pack. This is a backpack, not a convertible suitcase, so that may be a major drawback for some people. But it's an amazing bag! It holds up to 2400 cubic inches if you fill all compartments, with outside dimensions of about 13.5x17x9. It's got a padded area for a laptop and some nice organizer pockets in the front, plus a water bottle pocket on the outside.

I'm so envious of all the Tom Bihn shoppers! Love his bags, but have a hard time paying the price. BTW, I noticed the Aeronaut's price just went up $20. Does anyone know if they added a waist-belt, or are they just price-matching the Tri-Star? When I saw the Aeronaut in person, it was much less floppy and seemed more compact than I imagined it based on pictures. The fabric quality is tremendous, so it holds its shape. The 3-compartment design is definitely unusual, but it looks like it would hold almost anything you need to pack. The Tri-Star is uber-cool, but I think the 2000 cubic inch size is just too limiting for me. If I could afford both, well that would be a different story!

The Aeronaut went up $20 and the Tri-Star went up $40.....must be big demand.

A waist belt it optional on both of the bags.

I've got a bright red (easy to spot if I need to check it) Red Oxx Airboss carryon that has served me well. It's been fine for clothing and toiletries. I don't use it as a backpack. Looking at your packing list, you might just make it, if you wear the hoodie.

One nice thing about the Airboss is that it usually fits in the overhead bins of aircraft that otherwise require a gatecheck of rollerboards.

When I'm on a longer trip, I take the Airboss and a rollerboard. I carry the Airboss and check the rollerboard.

funny last week the price of the tirstar was 200 the same as the Aeronaut.
odd.

I must say i still like the airboss BUT the issues I have with it are
a) by accounts it bulges more
b) the fabric is not as good quality and the price is about the same
c) no backpack straps and it is nice to have the option to carry it either way

I wish tom bihn used a different shipping method than UPS as I would probably have ordered it by now. UPS is a pain in the you know what for shipping from the u.s. to canada.

I just wanted to say that there are several variations of the convertible travel pack, and a wide range of considerations if you are looking for the "perfect" bag for you.

If you want something that looks like a suitcase, consider the Rick Steves Convertible bag, the Ebags Weekender, the Tom Bihn Tristar, or the Patagonia MLC.

If you like the multiple color designs that are slightly more backpack style than suitcase, but still convert to a shoulder bag, consider the Osprey Porter 46, the Kelty Hub, High Sierra Transport or Passport, or maybe even the Lowe Alpine TT Carry-On 40.

Business travelers would probably like the MEI Executive Overnighter, the Tom Bihn Tristar, or the Red Oxx Air Boss (no backpack straps).

If you want an internal backpack frame in a pack that packs like a suitcase, consider the MEI Voyageur.

For an updated cross between a duffel and backpack, consider the Tom Bihn Aeronaut.

If you want a smaller than maximum carry-on size bag and don't mind a backpack only, consider the Rick Steves Appenzell Day Pack or Veloce Travel Pack. Or for a smaller convertible travel pack, consider the Tom Bihn Western Flyer or Tristar, or the Patagonia MLC (which a review on Practical Hacks says is actually 20"x14"x7" instead of the stated 21.5"x14"x8").

Budget travelers will like the price on the Rick Steves bags or the Ebags weekender. Those who want more expensive luggage may like Tom Bihn and Red Oxx products.

Lightweight fanatics love the Essential Carryon sold by Campmor for its 1.75 lbs, but please note that it is like a large soft sided duffel without any structure, and the contents of the bag flop around unless packed quite full. But it is hard to beat the price.

There is no one-size-fits-all bag.