Daily deal – Skyway 6 piece luggage bundle for $100

by Scott Carmichael on

Today’s daily deal is for the Skyway 6 piece luggage set.

Most sets of luggage offer one decent bag, and about 5 useless bags, but the Skyway set is actually very decent.

Included in the $99.99 set are 2 24″ rolling cases (for checking), 2 21″ cases (for your carry-on) and 2 duffel bags.

The duffel connects to the 21″ bag to make a single piece of rolling luggage.

The Skyway luggage set is backed by a 15 year warranty. This set normally retails for $200, but is currently on sale at Costco.com for just 99.99 (plus $10 for shipping).

You will have to be a Costco member to get the lowest price, but non-members can still order if you don’t mind a $5 non-member surcharge.

42 million bags mishandled, more than 1 million lost for good

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Airlines around the world now have their incompetence measured! The same companies that get irritated when you try to carry on everything you own mishandled (i.e., lost) 42 million pieces of luggage in 2007, according to the Air Transport Users Council (AUC). This is an unbelievable increase from the 2006 level of 34 million and 30 million in 2005. Making matters worse, 1.2 million were “irretrievably lost” in 2007.

Not only are the raw numbers increasing, the rate of stupidity is accelerating. The amount of mishandled luggage grew 13.3 percent from 2005 to 2006. From 2006 to 2007, it sped up to 25.3 percent. Clearly, the airlines are getting better at being worse.

But, why should we dwell on the past when we can fear for the future instead? AUC worries that the number of bags mishandled could reach 70 million a year by 2019, based on forecasts of a 100 percent increase in the number of passengers flying annually over the coming decade.

With all this mayhem, there’s one thing you can count on: not being reimbursed fairly for your lost bags. The AUC says that passengers were not compensated appropriately “on too many occasions” because they did not have receipts for the items inside. Let this be a lesson to you. When you buy that new shirt, put the receipt in your suitcase – likewise for your hat, gloves, shoes and cell phone. This is clearly the only place where you’ll need them.

Oh, wait! Don’t put the receipts in your suitcase! Your suitcase will probably get lost! Stash them in your favorite carry-on instead.

5 days 5 bags – Day 5: Tom Bihn Aeronaut

by Scott Carmichael on

Welcome to the 5th and final day of our “5 days 5 bags” luggage lineup. In the previous 4 reviews, I covered 2 rugged backpacks, a business backpack and a TSA friendly laptop bag.

In today’s review I will be showing you a bag designed by one of my personal favorite brands – Tom Bihn.

We’ve covered their products in the past, and even our own Kent Wien uses a Tom Bihn bag as part of his flight kit.
The Tom Bihn Aeronaut is one of the smartest bags I’ve come across – but the poor thing suffers from a bit of an identity crisis. The Aeronaut is a great duffel. But at the same time, it is also a very respectable backpack and an excellent shoulder bag.

Many bags have a second way to carry them, but the Aeronaut takes this to a whole new level, because each of the carrying methods feels like it is the only, and best way to use the bag.

The bag is huge, but I like to think of it as “smart huge”. By using thinner materials and very little bulky padding, you end up with a duffel style bag, without the cheap duffel bag look and feel.

The 45 liter storage space inside the Aeronaut is so big that I was able to put it through my “full rolling suitcase” trial which involves me moving everything from a large 22″ roller into the cavernous main compartment of the Aeronaut. I like to call bags like this bottomless bags, because no matter how much you pack inside, there is always room for some more crap.

The bag is split into 3 compartments; one main portion and 2 side pockets. The main compartment has a zippered flap that provides access to the entire space. The side pouches are spacious enough for shoes or an oversized toiletries bag.

The left side has a second zippered storage pocket for more stuff, and on the right is an open storage pocket for things like an umbrella or water bottle.

On the back of the main compartment flap is a zippered mesh pocket. The bag itself is made of ballistic nylon, and all the zippers are splash proof as you can see in the photo above.

On the back of the Aeronaut is where you’ll find one of its coolest features – hidden behind a zipper are the backpack straps, which allow you to convert it from a duffel into a regular backpack.

When fully packed with your stuff, the Aeronaut manages to stay within the limits of carry on baggage on most airlines, which explains why Tom Bihn refer to the Aeronaut as the “Maximum carry-on bag”.

In order to use the Aeronaut as a shoulder bag, you’ll need to purchase one of the Tom Bihn shoulder straps.

That’s right – you do not get a shoulder strap as part of your $180 purchase. The reason behind this is that Tom Bihn lets you order the strap you want, instead of including a strap you might not use.

Their $30 Absolute shoulder strap is one of the best in the industry, and is like a shock absorber for your bag. $30 may seem insane for a shoulder strap, but don’t judge it until you’ve tried it, you’ll thank me later.

Last but not least, a very important “feature” of the Tom Bihn Aeronaut bag is that it is made in the USA in their Seattle, WA facility. If you visit their retail store, you may even be able to catch a glimpse of the Tom Bihn staff assembling your next favorite bag.

As I mentioned – the Aeronaut costs $180 with $8 for ground shipping. Just remember to order a shoulder strap if you place an order.

Dimensions (W*H*D): 22*14*9
Weight: 2.71lb
Colors available: Black, steel, crimson
Warranty: Lifetime
Price: $180.00
Product page: Tombihn.com

5 days 5 bags – day 3: ARC’TERYX Blade 30

by Scott Carmichael on

Welcome to day 3 of our “5 days 5 bags” luggage lineup. The Arc’teryx Blade 30 (cool name!) is a travel backpack designed as part overnight bag/part laptop bag.

The Blade 30 features 2 main compartments – one portion is designed for your clothes and other items, and has an integrated fold-out suiter, the other has a laptop sling designed for most 15″ machines.

On the front of the bag are 2 expandable pockets, one for small items like your mobile phone and MP3 player, and another for slightly larger items like a water bottle or toiletries.

The bag has an integrated hard plastic shell in the back, and molded foam padding to reduce the load when you carry your stuff around.

The inside of the main portion with the folding clothes bag, perfect for keeping pants and shirts from getting (too) wrinkled.

On the back of the bag is a hidden pocket, which is perfect for tickets and other valuables. On the top of the bag is an oversized carrying strap, which you’ll also find on the side.

This side handle is very well designed, as it is built around a hard plastic frame, which means you can carry it using the handle, without the bag sagging.

I really like the concept of a rugged and well designed bag suitable for a day trip. I packed the bag with the kind of stuff I’d normally drag along on an overnight trip, and even when I placed a 15″ laptop in its side loading compartment, everything fit very nicely. The thick padded straps and molded foam back plate made it quite comfortable to carry.

I was especially impressed by the hard plastic protection inside the back of the bag, which helps add a little extra protection when you store a laptop inside it. My only (very minor) complaint with the Blade 30 is the color of the inside portion – I’m convinced that bright green is a color just asking to get grimy after a couple of trips.

Dimensions (W*H*D): 14*21*4
Weight: 3.51lb
Colors available: Black, raisin
Warranty: Lifetime
Price: $199.95
Product page: Arc’teryx

5 days 5 bags – day 1: Timbuk2 Patrol ballistic fabric

by Scott Carmichael on

For the next 5 days, I’ll be reviewing one piece of luggage a day. Today’s bag is the Timbuk2 Patrol ballistic fabric.

The Patrol is a nifty multifunctional bag which can be converted from a regular bag to a backpack in about 20 seconds. The bag features 2 main compartments – one for your clothes and other items, and one internal padded compartment for your laptop. The design is quite brilliant as the laptop portion “hangs” in the main compartment, which means it can be protected not only by its own padding, but also by whatever clothes you pack in the bag.

On the outside of the bag are 4 compression straps, which make it ideal for “overstuffing”, a packing method that has often saved me.

The Timbuk2 Patrol has pockets everywhere – 2 storage pouches on the outside, 2 waterproof zones on the
inside, a separate folding pouch in the main compartment and a very well hidden compartment on the back.

The shoulder straps can be unclipped, and packed in a pocket in the back portion, keeping them out of the way. This also makes it easier if you need to check the bag (ugh) or when you want to carry it using the top or side handles.

The back of the bag has thick foam pads to keep you comfortable. Each foam pad also has air circulation channels.

All in all a real travelers best friend – all the components feel sturdy, zippers are the highly rated YKK brand and the ballistic fabric feels like it could stop a bullet.

The price is a little steep, but very much in line with other premium luggage products. The version I tested here is the “brown/flame” version, which stands out a little, but it really does make for a cool looking color combination.

Dimensions (W*H*D): 14.5*19*8
Weight: 4.1lb
Colors available: Black, dark brown/flame, spinach/army
Warranty: Lifetime, no hassle
Price: $225
Product page: Timbuk2.com