RS Convertible Carry-on cheaper on Overstock.com

Does Overstock.com help support this web site?

ha, don't know...but I do when I answer questions and give advice. how about you?

There are numerous web stores that sell Rick's bags--including some of his bags you can't get on this website.

If you join Bing Shopping, and buy the bag at Ebags, your final price, after rebate will be just under $72 including shipping. And they offer free returns if you're not happy.

Exactly.

eBags is having an Earth Day sale on Rick Steves travel gear - 20% off.

http://tinyurl.com/2duj95z

(I assume Rick & Co make money even when items are sold from 3rd parties.... We're not talking knock-offs, after all.)

Or course and if "Rick & Co" didn't want you to buy from them, they wouldn't supply to them.

Rick doesn't supply to them. Kiva, who makes the bags, licenses Rick's name and sell to other merchants. (He has lots of input on the design). He, of course, makes money on every "RS" item sold.

If you look at some of the other merchants, they even mention Kiva.

Frank II is right on. The RS bags are made by Kiva. That being said, I'm not impressed by their quality. I did prefer Eagle Creek, but not that they are owned my VF, (JanSport is owned my VF too) I'm not happy with their stuff any longer! They are using cheaper fabrics, and making their products in worse Chinese factories. Feel the fabric, smell it...it's hard to the touch, and you can smell it, not good in my book.

I travel now with High Sierra carry on (wheeled 22") or my OLD (4 years old) Eagle Creek ORV trunk.(convertible bag)

They're anywhere from $68 to $74 right now on Amazon, and most are offering free shipping.

What or who is VF?

Lola,

Have a look at www.vfc.com/about for more information. They're a very large corporation, but from the changes I've seen in the Eagle Creek line over the last few years, profit appears to be taking precedence over product quality.

I'm going to hang onto my 2003-vintage EC Backpack, as it has more robust construction than their current products.

Cheers!

My wife took her RS 21" roller carry-on to the RS store in Edmonds, WA to have them look at the expanding handle that had quit working while we were in Europe last month. It is a newer bag, maybe only 1 to 2 years old. After comfirming that she had purchased it from their store, they told her to go over and pick out a brand new bag as they considered the handle problem to be a manufacturing defect. Great service. However, they told her to be sure to keep the paperwork on her new bag since they do not support or repair RS items that are purchased elsewhere. So, if you want to buy RS gear elsewhere, be sure that there is some type of warrante (sp?) and/or repair service available from that site.