Gadling Gear Review: Ozone Ultralight Roller Bag

by Pam Mandel on

I look for three things in a roller bag. The bag should be easy to handle, easy to pack and be as light as possible. Osprey has tacked the weight issue head on with their new Ozone line of roller bags, and they score on handling and packability, too.

The bag comes in three sizes: an 18-inch (backpack size), a 22-inch (maximum carry-on size), and a 28-inch (you’ll have to check this one, fliers). I tested the 18-inch bag for four days of late summer travel.

The bag holds it shape well enough when you’re packing it and it held almost everything I needed. I could not get a second pair of shoes in without sacrificing something else. I’m not a heavy traveler and most of the items I packed were for summer weather, so if you decide to go with this bag as your carry-on travel bag, get the 22-inch version. The interior is lined with mesh pockets so there are good places to stow your odds and ends, your cables and gadgets – that kind of thing. There are two exterior pockets on the front for stuff you need access to, like your bag of three-ounce liquids, for example. And there’s an external pocket on the back of the bag that was the perfect size to hold my netbook. Compression straps cinch everything down when you’ve closed the bag, so it’s a very neat little piece of luggage. That’s a nice feature in a soft-sided bag.

A single telescoping handle runs down the center of the back of the bag, but it’s easy to pack around. And the bag handles very nicely, the hardware is smooth and everything works well. Part of the ease of handling is, I’m sure, in the barebones weight – it’s much easier to wheel around a bag that’s half the weight of your typical denier fabric roll-aboard.Because the fabric is so light, you’ll want to pack really smart when it comes to your crunchables. This isn’t an issue with the bag so much as it is with what you’ll be doing with it, but be aware that if the baggage guys are hurling out of the hold on to a cart, there could be collateral damage. This is not a bag for protecting your belongings; you’re going to want hard-sided luggage for that.

I liked traveling with this bag a lot. I really appreciated how light it was and how easy it was to move around. The grips are in the right place, it’s easy to pack, and it’s well designed. There’s one feature the bag doesn’t have that I’d like: a shoulder strap or stowaway backpack straps. Let’s face it; sometimes you have to carry your bag. You can’t always wheel it and weaklings like me can’t carry a grip for very long.

The Ozone comes in two colors, a bright green and a gray. The 22-inch (that carry-on size) lists for $199.

What Does Your Luggage Say About You?

by McLean Robbins on

We’ve seen travelers dragging everything from Louis Vuitton to what looks like a used trash bag through airport security of late, and new research shows that most travelers are closer to the latter than the former.

A new study from Virgin Atlantic shows that one in five of us (20%) can’t remember the last time we bought new luggage, while more than half (55%) would only upgrade their suitcase if it was worn-out or broken. That said, the lifestyles of the rich and famous are quite likely to influence us at the wheelie shop; 25% of 16-24 year olds admit they’d buy a bag based on what their favorite celeb’s been seen toting at check-in.

Women are also more likely to upgrade their luggage than men (11%), while around one-third would consider buying new luggage based on their holiday destination.

There is also a bit of one-upmanship going around – more than one in ten (12%) have bought luggage in the past to make sure it is better than their traveling companion’s.

[Flickr via o5com]

Gadling Gear Review: EXO Hardside Luggage From eBags

by Pam Mandel on

With all that electronica the modern traveler hauls from Point A to Point B and back again, it’s natural to be worried about things getting crunched, crushed and smashed. Hard-sided luggage is the solution, especially if you’re checking a bag, and eBags has a new line of branded gear; I tested one out on a recent trip.

There were two less than perfect things I discovered right away about the EXO Hardside Spinner. The first: there’s no brake on the wheels so if you’re on a sloped surface, the bag will wander away if you don’t keep an eye on it. It’s an odd thing to discover, but there we are, saying goodbye on the airport drive and my bag is heading off for the car behind us, perhaps preferring not to board a coach flight to Seattle.

The other issue I wasn’t thrilled with? No outside pockets. There’s a packing strategy for this surely, but if your laptop and your baggie full of 3-ounce liquids is packed inside the bag, you have to open it up at the security checkpoint. I’m a carry-on traveler in most situations and dealing with my TSA scrutinized belongings at the checkpoint was more difficult than when I have a bag with external pockets to stow my stuff.

You do lose a little interior space with a four-wheel spinner (two-wheel rollers have a bit more), but there are some clear advantages. The bag holds its shape and that makes efficient packing a breeze. It’s really maneuverable and getting down the airplane aisle is a snap. It’s perfectly sized for the overhead and I did not worry about my belongings getting crunched by other travelers’ stuff in the game of luggage Tetris that takes place on every flight. Because eBags makes this line in crazy bright colors, it’s easy to spot on the carousel if you decide to check your bag. There’s a built-in TSA approved combination lock too – a nice detail.I also tried out a set of eBags’ packing cubes. They’re designed to fit the luggage perfectly. I’m a recent convert to packing systems, and a surprised one at that, but I like the sense of order a set of packing cubes gives to my otherwise haphazard packing method. I can’t honestly recommend the eBags set over the many others available, but know that if you choose this bag, you can get a packing system designed to work with their bags.

What’s more, eBags backs their brand with a lifetime warranty. On an anecdotal note, folks have told me that the company is very responsive when you give them feedback about their products; they really want you to like the gear and they’re eager to learn what makes great gear from the people that use their stuff.

The eBags EXO line comes in a carry-on size and a larger, 24-inch size. The carry-on retails for $119, and the larger bag for the packing system is $143.99. Check for the sales at eBags – these are back to school prices and subject to change.

Gadling Gear Review: Gregory Border Laptop Day Pack

by Pam Mandel on

Been hunting around for the perfect pack to hold your laptop, lunch, water bottle, jacket and spaghetti plate of chords? Yeah, you’re not the only one. Good news! I’ve found one that I really like – and trust me, I’ve tried a dozen of these things and I’m keen to their flaws. The Gregory Border, a new TSA friendly laptop bag, has got it all figured out – really.

This pack is airport ready. The bag unzips into a flat configuration so you don’t have to unpack your laptop at the TSA checkpoint. That’s a time saver and makes clearing security a little faster. There’s a fat Velcro tab to hold your computer in place, too, so even though the pack is open, your machine won’t fly out. There’s one more airport friendly feature – a pass through on the back of the bag so you can slide it over the handle of your roller bag. (It’s also a good place for your lightweight coat or sweater.)In addition to the airport happy design, the pack has pockets aplenty. There’s a front pocket for the stuff you want to keep accessible – your boarding pass, phone and lip balm. There’s a zippered security pocket inside for your wallet and other valuables. There’s also a mesh organizer pocket, not secure but accessible; maybe that’s where you keep your bus pass. There’s a business card-sized pocket for an ID or, hey, a stack of your business cards – why not? There are two side pockets, one zippered, one not; I used one for a water bottle and the other for snacks or my pocket camera. There are two flat pockets – one inside opposite the laptop sleeve and one on the front for stuff you’ll need to get to more easily.

The fit is nice too. The adjustable straps are a nice shape and there’s a chest clip to use when you’re running to catch the bus and you don’t want the pack swinging around. The tie-ons on the outside are great for your wet swimsuit or for clipping your flip-flops on.

I didn’t decide I liked this pack overnight. I used it for a long-haul trip, a conference and carried it as to my office for about a month. I used it in bad weather, on rainy days and to carry my lunch around. Right now, it’s holding a headlamp, a pashmina, a netbook, a spork, an espresso tumbler, a lot of charger cables, my wallet and, huh, a business card from a French vintner. And there’s still plenty of room for more stuff. But it’s not bulky, and it actually has a nice profile, too. The only thing I didn’t like – at first – was that I could not find a secure place for my keys, but I just hadn’t looked; there’s a clip for that, too.

Big win. It’s hard to find a pack that has everything sussed. The Border from Gregory nails it. The bag comes in three colors – light blue, dark blue and black. The smallest size – the Border 18 – retails for $99.

Gadling Gear Reveiw: Osprey Atmos 50 Backpack

by Kraig Becker on

I’m one of those people who almost exclusively uses a backpack when traveling. I simply prefer carrying my gear on my back rather than dragging it behind me in a piece of luggage, particularly when navigating through a busy airport. Over the years I’ve managed to collect a number of packs in a variety of sizes, which makes each of them useful depending on the length of the trip. Whether it’s a weekend escape to the coast or a month’s long expedition to the Himalaya, I have a pack suitable for the journey.

My favorite pack by far is my trusty Atmos 50 from Osprey. Not only is it comfortable and spacious, but it is also rugged enough to withstand the rigors of the road. It is so good in fact that it has been a constant companion on trips to six different continents. When I heard that Osprey had updated the Atmos with a new model I was eager to discover if they had managed to improve on the already great design or if their tinkering was ultimately detrimental to the product that I already loved. I needn’t have worried one bit.

Fundamentally the Atmos 50 remains largely unchanged. As the name implies it has a capacity of 50 liters, most of which is contained in its cavernous main storage compartment. A removable storage pocket on the lid is perfect for keeping small gear items close at hand while two large front pockets help to keep other essential items well organized. An integrated hydration sleeve allows backpackers to stay well hydrated on the trail while removable sleeping pad straps and tool attachments extend the carrying capacity beyond just the pockets themselves.As you would expect, the trademark Osprey comfort remains intact on the new Atmos packs as well. An easily adjustable harness makes it a cinch to find the right fit for nearly any body type and a new, thickly padded, hip belt can be adjusted quickly and easily without ever having to take the pack off. The shoulder straps cinch up tightly to keep the Atmos locked in place while on the move, yet still allow the wearer nearly unrestricted motion, even while carrying a heavy load.

One of my favorite features of the original Atmos 50 was the integrated AirSpeed frame, which allows for the passage of air between the wearer’s body and the pack itself. This feature comes in very handy on long days on the trail as it provides some ventilation to the back, keeping you as comfortable and cool as possible, even while carrying a lot of gear. The new version of the Atmos has a redesigned frame that is smaller and lighter yet still manages to perform at the same level as the original. Because the new frame design is more compact and flexible, it is much easier to get this new pack into an overhead compartment, which is always appreciated on crowded flights.

Despite all of the things I love about the Atmos, both old and new, there are still areas where it could be improved. For example, as good as my original Atmos 50 is, its design sometimes made it a challenge to find gear items that I had packed away at the bottom of the bag. On more than one occasion I’ve wished that there was an alternate way to access that gear, either through a bottom zipper or a side panel. Other packs that I own have this ability and I had hoped that Osprey would find a way to add this feature as well. I was a bit disappointed to discover that alternative access wasn’t part of the new design, however, which means I’ll have to continue to dig for that elusive pair of hiking socks that I invariably stuffed to the bottom. Smart packing can help alleviate this issue to a degree but it seems no matter how well you anticipate what you’ll need, Murphy’s Law will ensure something is always just out of reach.

That minor quibble aside, if you’re in the market for a new backpack for an upcoming trek, or like me you simply prefer to travel with your gear on your back, the new Atmos 50 from Osprey is a real winner. Lightweight and comfortable, yet still able to carry everything you’ll need, the new version of this old classic refines the product in some important yet subtle ways.

This is a pack that will see you through many adventures both big and small, but if you feel the need for even more capacity, Osprey offers the Atmos in a 65-liter version as well. That pack is nearly identical to the 50 in every way other than size. MSRP on the Atmos 50 is $199 while the Atmos 65 will set you back $240. Both packs are worth every penny and will last you for years to come.