The OPEC/Campmor Bag

Yeah! IMO, It's the best carryon bag ever made.
Perfect design. Minium weight. My only complaint is it's a little too big; I'd prefer something a few inches shorter. The price is still right.

That picture's not very good. I can't see the wheels......

Karen, you're a funny girl!!! You'll see the wheels AND built-in seat when they add more photos. I'm sure of it. I think 12oz of that 1lb 12oz is LOGO...That's gonna take a lot of Sharpie. It's good to see the OPEC (but not 'OPEC') back. Next up - Pluto, then the Trans Am...

Karen, real carry-ons don't have wheels. Checked bags might have wheels. Carry-ons, no.

Lee, you took longer than I thought you would to respond to my taunt! We need to settle this "can a carry on have wheels" question. Is there a Travel Goods Specialist on the board?

Can a carry-on have wheels? Yes Should a carry-on have wheels? It depends who you ask

WWRS?

Are you asking "What Would Rick Steves Do?" (WWRSD?) He would not use wheels. But his wife, daughter and most of his staff use wheels. And I know this is going to upset a certain person here from a Rocky Mountain state......but.....the vast majority of carry-on sized bags sold have wheels.

There was an "Everybody Loves Raymond" episode when neither Ray nor Debra would carry the suitcase up the stairs. Ray packed for a trip in a brown paper bag. Could that be Lee's next step? ;)

"Ray packed for a trip in a brown paper bag. Could that be Lee's next step?" Karen, I've considered it. Maybe not a paper bag - tears too easily, not very good wet. How about a reusable cloth one. I just went to the post office and weighed my packed Velocé bag. 11# 2.6oz! The Velocé bag, I think, weighs a bit more than 2#, so I am probably down to about 9# of "stuff". I could put it in a 7# rollaboard and still meet the 8kg Lufthansa limit. But why bother, 11# is no big deal to carry on my back. Why carry 5 more pounds of wheels, handle, etc when I don't need it?

Lee, in my quest to find for you a virtual weightless backpack bag, I think I am about to come as close as possible....2.4 ounces!!! http://www.rei.com/product/799600 It comes in different colors and may even be available in your area.

How 'bout a plastic trash liner? You could take 2, extra weight but the 2nd one would be for the return leg.

Frank, about the REI bag, I'm only down to 1400 in³, still a little more than the 1220 for that bag. It would make an attractive day bag, though. BTW, I'm thinking of going back to the OPEC bag - it's still the lightest and best designed - just have to find some cinch straps to keep it from sagging.

This is my main travel bag, and I love it.

Joel, we've talked about a lot of bags. Which one is your main travel bag?

Lee, The Campmoor bag is my main travel bag. I can't get as light as you but I'm trying. Right now I'm at about 14-16lbs( I always pack for a 6 day trip). I just wish I could get my wife to travel lighter.

Funny, for us it is my husband who packs heavy. He blames it on the fact that men's clothing and shoes are heavier than women's. So, when we travel together, I'm the one who packs the electronics, maps, and guidebooks. I still end up packing lighter... Though I admit I have a hard time packing as light or small as some here. I can seldom pack in under 1600 cubic inches, at least for more than a couple of days. More typically, I use a 2000 cubic inch convertible backpack, particularly if I am combining professional travel with touring travel. Wish I could reduce things down a bit, but I'm not willing to give up certain 'splurge' items to save ounces. So, as long as I have the bodily integrity to carry 15 pounds or so, I probably will.

"Shoe s? (Note, the space between e and s was added by our helpful(?) BB editor.) Read Rick's Packing list. I'm assuming he means "wear one pair, pack none".

Yup, shoes. One for each foot.

Shoes that are worn (as in on your feet) do not affect the weight of the bag. Do they? I wear one pair of semi-low hiking boots. That's it.

Glad that a "one shoe" trip works for you, Lee. But it often doesn't for us. My husband likes to bring a pair of running-type shoes in addition to a pair of shoes for hiking. It's really hard to run in hiking boots for him, and he would miss having the opportunity to do that over the course of a lengthy trip. And since my trips usually combine some professional work-a-day business with touring, I need a decent looking pair of shoes when I am 'on duty' and a good pair of walking-hiking shoes for other times. (I let my husband do the running for the both of us!) And, if we are headed beachward or are traveling in July or August, a set of sandals are also welcome. Like I said before, I personally cannot pack quite as light as some folks here, and I don't mind toting a bit of extra weight to accommodate our style of travel. As ever, YMMV...

JER, I can certainly empathize with you about the business shoes. In the eighties, when Rick was only a piano teacher, I made two trips to Europe on business. We were visiting doctors and expected to bring several business suits with dress shirt for two weeks. I had never heard of carrying on, but no way would I have done it. I had to check bags and it was almost disastrous. First trip, by bags, which had been checked through to Europe, were unloaded to the carousel in Boston, where our flight terminated. If I had not gone to luggage claim with someone who had bags to retrieve and seen my bags on the carousel, they might still be there. Second trip, going from Frankfurt to Paris on a flight headed eventually for Bogata, my bags were almost not unloaded. So, when I heard about carrying on, and having your bags with you, I enthusiastically embraced the concept.

Lee, is the Veloce' shoulder bag your primary travel bag for your trips to Germany ?! That bag's size is
15 inches x 11 inches x 5 inches.

No, it's the 18x13x8.5 Velocé Expandable Travel Pack, which was discontinued in the Travel Store shortly after I bought it. It might still be for sale at luggageonline.com. I've never used the Velocé Bag. The last bag I used was the OPEC bag but I felt it was too big, so I got a Velocé bag. I'm not completely happy with it. The height and volume are good, but it has a divided main compartment (limiting) and way too many outside pockets (add weight and thickness without much volume). I've been evaluating the Velocé bag, the Appenzell, the Goodhope 3-way carryon, and the OPEC bag. I should start a new thread on the comparison. These are bags for the really light packers.

Looking forward to your reviews, Lee. I can never have enough bags... ;-)

Ron, I just got out my Campmor OPEC bag, which I bought just before or (more likely) just after my Oct. 2007 trip. I measured it empty; just the size of the cloth panels themselves. The back panel, the one with the zippered backpack strap pocket measures 21" long. It's a little harder to measure the front panel, with the external pockets, but I think I get 1/8" less than 21". I remain forever puzzled by the "sizemanship" of the bag manufacturers. Multiply the advertised length x width x depth, and you get a volume considerably less than they advertise. How do they get their volume? obviously with the sides bulging. Do they fill the bag with 1" sq. blocks, until until they can't put in anymore, and then count the blocks? I think they just make up the number. One thing for sure, when a company advertises a bag that meets "airline carry-on allowances", and gives a capacity, they are almost surely lying. 22"x14"x9", the size allowance for most US airlines, is 2772 in³. That is the maximum volume that can fit into a sizing frame with those L,W, and D. Anything bigger (like 3066 in³) will not pass the airlines' size allowances somewhere. And the allowance for European airlines is only 2685 in³.

Incidentally, how is the size of the OUTDOOR PRODUCTS Essential Carry-On Bag (with a Campmor logo) measured ? According to the advert for it in the printed Campmor catalog ("Gift 2010", page 91) that bag's length is 21 inches.
My OUTDOOR PRODUCTS Essential Carry-On bag has a length of 18 and 1/4 inches measured at the exterior of the bottom. The size of that bag is adequate for me, for using it as my primary travel bag. The bag in the catalog is item number 60795 - K. That bag is pictured on a page of "Super Special Deals".

The photo IS hard to read, and the Campmore logo is pretty obnoxious. Still, this is an intriguing bag, especially at a $40 price. Is this essentially a duffel bag with a front pocket?

"Is this essentially a duffel bag" No, it's just a slightly smaller version of the RS convertible bag. It has hideaway backpack straps. Ops! I was in the basement in the dark, and I got the wrong bag. That was my circa 2000 RS convertible. Not sure what the dimensions were supposed to be, but IT was 21" long. My 2008 OPEC bag is 20-3/8 long.

The price has dropped on the bag. It's now just under $30......again. Now, if they would only do something about the size of that logo.....

Frank II - I agree, that logo is something awful. Clearly out of the '60's/early '70's. That in itself might stop me from buying it at any price.

I have to admit, the large logo is somewhat obnoxious, and it would probably deter me from buying the bag. Is it attached as a separate piece, or stitched right on the front of the Pack? I've removed a few externally attached logos in the past with a "stitch cutter".

Frank II (and others who commented on the extra-large logo), I thought that if I ever bought the Campmor bag I would make a cover of some fabric--upholstry or something--that I would velcro over the logo. That would do the same as using a sharpie and would make it more personal too. I think what quilters call a fat quarter would have enough fablic. Could be mistaken. Just thought I'd share my idea with you.

I've used sharpies in the past to darken in logos. But with this bag, I'm thinking spray paint.

Frank II, I'm assuming then that the logo can't just be "cut off"??? Another option might be to sew something over top of it (perhaps another zippered pocket to provide easy access to Passport, Boarding Passes, etc.?). Another possibility would be a LARGE embroidered Rick Steves logo, but unfortunately I don't think ETBD offers those at the moment (just the small triangular patches that they provide with to tour members). Cheers!

Don't know....I haven't seen this new version of the bag so I don't know how the logo is applied.

I just bought it online. When it's delivered I'll see what I can do with the logo. I'm thinking it may be an iron-on type that can be coaxed off if it's heated with an iron. Either that or a bunch of Sharpie (glad I'm not a seventh-grader or I might get arrested). I don't want to add weight by putting more fabric over it. I'll let you know.

It IS an iron-on logo. At $30 it's a good value, though a bit too much like the RS bags that I already have. I'll probably offer mine to my son so he has something to transport his XMas gifts in back to school.

Mike-we just went through our luggage collection for the same reason-son taking stuff back to school! He chose an older black roller over the really old green ugly one with only a handle. By the end of his school year he'll have quite the collection of our castoff luggage, tote bags, and coolers.

For those playing along at home, be sure to use your iron carefully. You want to heat the logo enough to remove it while not burning the bag material. A thin towel between the iron and the bag should help. Increase the heat on the iron gradually, you only want enough to soften/loosen the logo. I don't want any nasty PM's (haven't had one yet) about how it's my fault their bag is ruined. :)