Attention Online Ebags Shoppers

Thanks for sharing. I always enjoy their products as well. My problem is that I can turn into a bit of a luggage junkie so I better not follow this link. :)

Thanks for the link. Love their stuff. I am a luggage junkie and proud of it.

Not on sale, but could be of interest. Ebags.com again.
Deuter - Aviant, 40 liter duffel pack, 20 x 14 x 9.
I mention this because it can be a challenge finding packs that are 20" or less. Eagle Creek Migrate is another. I need a small pack because of my body size and preference.

Well....I ordered a motherlode jr. for both of my sons. We will be ready for Italy when Italy is ready for us again!

Hey Clay5313,
The Motherlode Jr. is a good choice as well.
Dare I say it - it's on sale now also.

My wife and I both have Eagle Creek Global Companions. I will be curious to compare them. Thanks for the heads up on the sale!

to the webmaster, 'twas reported, along with the 7 others from this first-time poster

I've thought a lot about luggage design ever since, twenty years ago, when I decided to commit to traveling carry-on only.

In the beginning, I used a ca. 2000 RS Convertible backpack which was right at the carry on limits for most airlines, and I pretty much filled it. Its empty weight was about 2½ lbs.

As I traveled more, I identified things I didn't need to take, and as I acquired dry-overnight clothing, which allowed me to wash as I go, thus carrying fewer clothes, I needing less space. After 4 or 5 trips, I switched to an Outdoor Products (now Campmor) Essential Carryon, which was about 10% smaller, and ¾ lb lighter at 1 lb, 13 oz.

I really loved the OPEC bag (which is not longer offered), but as I continued to reduce the amount of stuff I took, it, also, became too big. With no cinch straps to tighten the load, the bag sagged badly, and I wanted a smaller bag with cinch straps. I had also noticed I was having to hold the top of the backpack straps to keep them from sliding off my shoulders, so I wanted a sternum strap.

About that time, when I returned from a trip, I put everything from my OPEC bag in a box of known length and width and measured the depth. The contents of the box was 1400 cu inches. That was about the volume of my Appenzell backpack. I tried it and everything fit, but I didn't like the “backpack” (from the top) loading, so I kept looking.

By this time I had begun to formulate a set of requirements for the ideal carry-on bag.
1. Basic rectangular solid with no tapering and minimally rounded corners,
2. One big compartment, any pocket is full sized, avoid pocket proliferation,
3. Opens like a book for ease of packing,
4. Hide-away backpack straps
5. Cinch straps
6. Sternum strap

The first two requirements mostly maximize the volume within the dimension limit imposed by airlines. Since the volume of my contents is now about 50% of that limit, 1 and 2 are no longer essential for me, but for someone who can't resist the urge to over-pack, they would apply. Pockets that are less than full size add to the overall dimension without adding much usable volume. Avoiding pocket proliferation helps keep the weight down.

I finally found an eTech 2.0 Convertible Weekender Jr. bag on eBags. I've used it ever since for trips both to Europe and domestically, and I love it. It weighs ¾ lb more than the OPEC bag, but the cinch and sternum straps more than make up for the added weight. Unfortunately, eBags no longer carries that bag. It's replacement (mentioned above) weighs about 3½ lbs (PIG!).

Most of the bags suggested above weigh more than what I would consider acceptable for carrying. However, in checking them out, I did come across a bag that I really like. That is the Hynes Eagle 38L travel backpack. It weighs only 1.76 lb If I were in the market now, I would definitely buy one. It is not sold on eBags, but it is sold on Amazon. According to its published dimensions, it's actually only 33L, but it is enough under the airline carryon limits in every direction that it can probably be overpacked to 38L without being too large.

Hynes also has a 44L version which is just slightly smaller than regulation carry-on size.

I will not buy another bag from ebags.I will not buy another bag from ebags.I will not buy another bag from ebags.I will not buy another bag from ebags.....gee, thanks Sun-Baked. EDITED: Oh my gosh...I was just asked if I meant this as I am a "bag junkie" and YES, that's the absolute truth. I love and have several of their bags-all sizes and for all uses. At some point I need to admit enough is enough! I do not need any more.....

I would not eat green eggs and ham I would not eat them with a goat I would not eat them in a boat🍳🥓😏💼 I'll not buy the bag here or there I will not buy it anywhere

I love all of you, even though I have never met any of you. The Dr. Seuss phrase and Andi are great. Lee, I also have that etech 2.0 bag and really like it. I was disappointed when ebags discontinued it. Many bags are designed for portable computers nowadays and I'm old enough that I don't need those features.
If I have to replace my bag (example, gets blown away in a severe hurricane or similar), I will go with the Eagle Creek Migrate - 1st choice. Or, Deuter aviant duffel - 20 inches long - 2nd choice. Simple bags. Have the features Lee mentioned. Small enough for my back. Good colors! (Because we all know how important color is!)

Because we all know how important color is!

Actually, there might be some value in picking a not-so-usual color. With so many plain black bags out there, you stand the chance that someone else with a plain black bag will pick up yours accidentally. If you pick an unusual color, that is less likely to happen.

When I was looking at bags, trying to find the ones suggested in this thread, I found that the Hynes Eagle has some really wild ones, like Maple Leaves and Palm. My first thought was, "no way", I'd stand out like a sore thumb. But then I thought, why not, if someone were stealing bags off a carousel, I think they would pick a nondescript one, one that wouldn't be noticed.

But Maple Leaves? That would be like wearing paisley bermuda shorts with black socks. So I ordered a blue one. At least not black, but not leafy.

I like the maple leaves. Particularly, if traveling around the Midwest or NE in the Fall. But then, the leaves could be regarded as camouflage.
My family tries to stay with "plum" colored luggage. That way, we can easily identify our luggage and it's my husband's favorite color. The black bag that was repaired with a bright blue handle and neon orange paracord zipper-pull, neon green luggage tag, also stands out. I think the worse it looks - the less likely it will be stolen. (TUMI - now, I bet that brand gets stolen!)
Lee,

You are correct about distinctive bags. Easier to see, less likely to get stolen, less likely to be mistaken for another bag and accidentally lifted, less likely to end up in unclaimed/lost luggage. I read a short article on lost/unclaimed luggage. The plain black bag is the hardest to track down and recover. Owner needs to know size, brand, etc. about the bag if it is solid black.

Colors are fun! Maple Leaf bag for a Maple Syrup convention. I know people don't want to stand out when traveling (i.e. Walking down a sidewalk, afraid of becoming a target.). But, I don't think the criminals want to be conspicuous either.

Research project for us Lee. Get some bags in different brands, colors and try to get them stolen or lost. See which ones survive the best.

Good idea, Sun, but that project is dependent on sigh traveling and allowing yr bag to be less than 6feet from other bags...

I just received a Hynes Eagle 38L bag yesterday. I briefly made a few measurements before putting it in isolation in the basement. In a few days I'll get it out and try packing it with what I normally take to Europe. My preliminary finding are:

Measuring the dimensions of the front and back panels, I would say that the published 19.7" x 13" measurements are accurate. However, the height of the side panel is not 7.9 inches. It's more like 6" to 6¼". Without bulging the front, the volume of the main compartment is more like 1600 ci (26L). The front pocket probably adds ¾ of an inch to the height, but it is not as big as the 19.7" x 13" overall dimension. I can't see where one could get 7.9" without bulging the front, and then it wouldn't be 7.9 inches all across the front of the bag.

I long ago observed that bag sellers often publish a capacity in excess of what the rectangular solid (LxWxH) volume would indicate. Someone (Frank II, maybe) explained to me that they stuff the bag with a fluid volume of small rigid particles (like beans), then pour them out into a measuring device and call that the capacity. Often the "capacity" of a bag advertised as "carry on" is actually more than the rectangular sold volume (2772 ci) of the regulation dimensions for carry on, and they ignore the fact that the volume of 3+ lbs of nylon cloth is a hundred or more cubic inches, which should be subtracted from that capacity.

Anyway, it might hold 38L (2318 ci), but I think at that capacity the seams and zippers would be stressed. I certainly wouldn't fill it to that. I'm not sure I would even fill it to 33L (2013 ci).

In a few days, I'll get it out of quarantine and do some more measuring. I wonder where I can find 10 gallons (38.5L) of beans.

10 gallons of beans - try Costco!
Measurements could be the same problem as the clothing industry. The item gets designed in an office. Then, it gets manufactured in a different country where hard-working, underpaid workers are quickly cutting and sewing them together. Irregular sizes.
I remember buying my daughter, who was a baby at the time, two identical toddler onesies at Target. I tried one on her. It fit well. So, I picked up a second one in a different color. Same size on label. But when I got home, it was obvious that the items were two very different sizes. (I lived too far away to return it.)
Even buying polo shirts at Dillard's - the sales clerk recommended that my husband try on each one he was buying. She told us to check the label and compare the countries where they were made. Different factories cut them differently.

Anybody have a recipes for beans (lots of beans)?

Just kidding. I haven't gotten beans yet. I don't know if I want to. Today, the only beans I can find in bulk are pinto beans, and I don't really want that many pinto beans. Maybe I'll try packing peanuts. They cost about half of what pinto beans cost, but then after I've sized the new bag, what do I do with the packing peanuts? At least I could eat the beans.

Lee, I have a very bad habit of reading the newest post first and then working backwards for context (ie to see why you were going to cook so many beans).... one of my current recipes, or wonderings.....

I have garbanzo beans, and green beans. Can I wash the "chili gravy" off of the kidney beans and make 3 bean salad?

The problem is I want to find the capacity of my new Hynes Eagle backpack. I want to fill it with a solid material that is in small units that will take the shape of the bag. Its capacity is supposed to be 38L, which is 2318 cu in. 2310 cu. in., in units we understand, is 10 gallons. Ten gallons of sand or pea gravel would weigh too much. According to a website I found, 10 gallons of navy beans is 69 lb. Yikes. i thought I saw 10 lb of pinto beans for about $10, but what am I going to do with them when I'm through?

Styrofoam packing peanuts?

Great Northern beans or navy beans are great in Senate Bean Soup. It's a classic bean soup recipe. I like great northern beans better. Are you planning on keeping the beans in the original plastic bags? There's rice and split peas. Perhaps, you can use a variety of foods - so you don't end up with so many beans. What about filling plastic bags with air and filling your bag to determine volume?
I must admit - Lee, you are definitely going the extra mile to determine bag volume! Perhaps, Doric8 and I can resolve the bag color matter.
(Corona virus definitely has us sitting and thinking about things reasonable people normally wouldn't.)

I have a soup. Mix recipe that takes equal parts brown rice, lentils, split peas, barley and macaroni O's. You can make those and then give it away for a year😬

What about filling plastic bags with air and filling your bag to determine volume?

Air is compressible. It really needs to be something incompressible. I thought about water (it's almost incompressible), but I'd need a big, flexible bladder, and what if it leaked.

As for styrofoam packing peanuts, I'm considering those, because I can get 1½ cu ft for about $7, and the store has curbside pickup, but I still have the problem of what to do with them when I'm done. But I will probably use all of them for shipping things before I would eat 10 gallons of beans. There shape is irregular, so they might not always occupy the same volume. And, have you ever tried to handle them; with static, they stick to everything!

Lee, you could use styrofoam pellets, then make a beanbag chair. Just be sure to keep them well contained.

Actually, the bag itself could be utilized as a bean bag ottoman when you are not traveling!!

Lee, Thank you for your info on the Hynes 38L bag. I've eyed that bag multiple times on Amazon but haven't pulled the trigger.

I have the Rick Steves backpack and while I like it, I am short, and the length (21") feels long for me. I wonder if being just an inch or so shorter will make that much of a difference. Knowing that the depth is closer to 3" narrower may be better for me as well.

May I ask, the outside pocket-are the small pockets functional? It's hard to tell from the pictures.
Does it seem well made? I've read a few negative reviews (although overall they are positive)

I also looked at this backpack: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NMGDZ4Z/?coliid=I3FUFV9J0LF3UB&colid=31DO1A9D1O0JG&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

The length is 18", which is almost 2 inches shorter, and its outside pockets look like they might be nice for accessories needed on flights. However, the straps cannot be put away, which is a disadvantage.

Has anyone tried this bag? Unfortunately, the cheapest prices are not the color I want.

I am a bag addict (and I've been that way for years.....when my kids were little, I was obsessed with diaper bags!) But it might do my poor dh in if I order two backpacks! Even explaining that I bought them with Amazon gift cards that were Xmas gifts might not be enough to sell him!

Anyway, Lee, anything more you can share on the Hynes bag would be very welcome by me. Thanks!

Hi PandaBear,
Being short does matter. I am under 5'5." I find a 21" travel bag too long also. For me, the magic number is 19-20" length 37 - 40 liters. I look at length, width, depth. Compression straps are a good feature for a bag. An 18 inch bag, I could pack about 2-3 days worth of stuff using various packing cubes. If you are doing a beach vacation with just swimsuits, shorts, etc. - a smaller underseat bag or small pack would work. (Even RS Appenzell.). For most travel, try to stay around 37 - 40 liters. A big guy like my husband could well do a 21 -22" bag and 45 liters. Not me!