New Bags from RS

I totally agree with Frank. If you're looking for a carry on bag, the new one weighs in at 7.25 pounds. I use the convertible backpack which weighs in at 2.7. Airlines have been getting more strict about the weight of carry ons and mine have been checked frequently. Before switching to the pack ten years ago, I had a carry on disallowed because it was two pounds overweight. I arrived at home on January 1st. My bag followed on January 6th. Be sure you weigh your bags to make sure they comply with your particular airline's requirements.

I noticed the new bags on the website. I assume the rationale is that the larger bag will always be checked, so weight is less of a concern. The smaller Day pack is only 1.15 lbs. so it should be fine for carry-on (depending on what's in it of course). As with a lot of similar luggage these days, I'm assuming it's manufactured in Vietnam?

I already dispise, and wouldn't use, rolling bags as being too heavy, so making them even heavier isn't going to bother me.

However, I do note that the specs now say the Classic Back Door bag is 1.95#. My 15 yo (classic?) RS bag is more than 2½#. Have they really redesigned it to be lighter, or just changed the specs?

Might be wrong, but it appears the hard shell bag is also too large to be allowed as a carry on bag on most of the European airlines. To bad the bags are not available at any retail places other than the Washington store -- just hate to buy something like that without being able to physically check it out. Oh, well.

Lee,

I'm not sure, but the Classic Back Door bag may use the heavier Cordura Nylon, while the newer bags use a lighter Polyester. That could account for the difference in weight?

I think in the scheme of the general population, all Rick's bags are for packing light. IMO, packing light does not necessarily mean carryon into the cabin or 11 lbs, as there are many people on this forum who check their carryon size bags anyway. It is really about approximately 20-25 lbs and approximately 21-22" versus all the large, really heavy bags, and multiple bags that the general population use on vacation. It's not the fight between 11 lb. vs 25 lbs., which tends to dominate this forum. Rick's new hard shelled bag still allows a person to pack under 20-25 lbs., which I think can still be considered quite light. Most of us can easily carry 20 lb. up stairs and lift them overhead on trains, buses, and planes. The thing about wheeled bags is that 99% of the time, you don't have to carry them. Yes, one can pack lighter, but many of us do not want to carry our bags all the time or do without a few extra items. I actually did a post on my blog with Lee's 11 lb carryon in mind as I was curious as to what this size bag looked and felt like (because I am a packing addict). I did find that with a couple of my regular items excluded, I could pack that way. What I didn't like was the 11 lb. weight, surprisingly. While 11 lb. is good for a while, by the end of the day, I would never want to carry it again! It was interesting and I do appreciate why Lee likes it, but it would not be for me or many people, I think. I think this new bag is Rick's way to check the boxes for those who like hard sided luggage. I think it is likely a good business move.

I'm not in the market for a new bag (those RS bags last a long time!), but wondered if anyone had used the Ravenna.