New bags from Rick Steves

I saw the price increases Frank when I kind of did a double take when the Rolling Carry on I just bought during the sale went from $159 (1 was fortunate to get the 20% off of that price before March 24) to $179 now.
Did all the bags go up by $20 I wonder?

The Copenhagen is probably replacing the Civita shoulder bag, so get yours from the bargain bin before they're gone forever.
I got one in graphite to go with my older one in camel.

I noticed the Ravena backpack is no longer available. I keep thinking I'd like a shoulder bag, but in winter with a hood a backpack is much easier.

Thanks for posting this.
Rick needs to make a 27-28 liter version of the Oslo for an underseat bag. 17.5”x13.5”x7” would be about right.
Maybe Rick is working on one.

Beware of making any purchases of Rick Steves merchandise. Particularly, the returning policy. Though it states that the customer is responsible for shipping fees, it does not state that these can be quite high. I recently purchased a 21" carry-on suitcase. However, it was a bit smaller than I anticipated. The suitcase was sent to me via UPS and there was a $14 shipping fee added to the cost of the suitcase. When I took it back to UPS, they said the cheapest charge to send it back was $77. This was almost half of what I paid for the item. I called RS customer service and they said there was nothing they could do. I certainly won't be doing business with RS again.

dgroce30, did you consider using a different company? I find it hard to believe that an empty suitcase would cost $77 to ship. I've sent items via the USPS before that would be about that size, and the price came nowhere near that.

Dgroce, I am sorry you were surprised by the amount you had to pay for return shipping, but if you type in a search “why do returns cost so much” you will see article after article, response after response showing many companies- including the all powerful Amazon- are making changes in their policies because the returns of their products eat so much into their profits.

Rick Steves is really not doing anything different than most and I can see their rationale from a business standpoint, even though it’s painful to the customer if a product doesn’t work out. I have gotten to the point that I really weigh whether I want to purchase something online because of the changes in the returns and the costs I may incur. I got spoiled by free shipping both ways by many places, but that policy has seen its heyday I believe.

Being an informed consumer about the return policies is something that I didn’t put a lot of time into before, but I do now.

USPS would almost certainly be cheaper. There are three factors involved: distance (you may be much farther from the RS fulfillment center than the other customer was), weight (which you cannot control) and dimensions (which you can control to some degree). A shipping box not much larger than the suitcase could be cheaper to use than an excessively large one.

Posted by avirosemail

The Copenhagen is probably replacing the Civita shoulder bag

If that's the case, wonder when/if they will add side pockets for bottles.

Beware of making any purchases of Rick Steves merchandise. Particularly, the returning policy. Though it states that the customer is responsible for shipping fees, it does not state that these can be quite high. I recently purchased a 21" carry-on suitcase. However, it was a bit smaller than I anticipated. The suitcase was sent to me via UPS and there was a $14 shipping fee added to the cost of the suitcase. When I took it back to UPS, they said the cheapest charge to send it back was $77. This was almost half of what I paid for the item. I called RS customer service and they said there was nothing they could do. I certainly won't be doing business with RS again.

Dgroce 30, I think you have made your point since you posted this on another thread. Rick's shipping and return policies "are what they are". I have no issues with them.

Has anyone bought or looked at either of these bags in person?

Likes?

Dislikes?

The Copenhagen reminds me of the Tom Bihn Cafe bag but with a zip top and option to expand. Less expensive too.

I like Rick Steves' bags but really wish there were more (or different) color choices. Color is important!

Posted by Mardee

I like Rick Steves' bags but really wish there were
more (or different) color choices. Color is important!

Yes it is!

Only the black and the graphite versions of the Civita shoulder bag are left in the bargain bin. Snap yours up asap.