Recycled leather unisex carry-on by Ashley Watson

by Annie Scott on

Maybe fashion is the last thing you think about when you’re going to the airport — or maybe it’s the second to last thing, right before the environment.

Well, if you’re cool enough to read Gadling, then you’re cool enough to travel in style, and why not be eco-conscious about it while you’re at it?

Pictured at right is the Ashley Watson Cormorant — a unisex, totally gorgeous 11″ x 16.5″ recycled leather masterpiece. The bag features soft, luxurious recycled leather in a rich brown, a comfy adjustable strap and handle, and a full hemp and cotton twill lining.

Ashley Watson designs, which we spotted at the Bagtrends Green Arm Candy Party in NYC, are made mostly from recycled leather jackets, and she incorporates the jacket details into the designs — very cool.

You can get the Ashley Watson Cormorant for $418 here, and check out these stores for more options!

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 4: ZUCA Business Backpack

by Scott Carmichael on

Welcome to day 4 of our “5 days 5 bags” luggage lineup. Today’s spotlight is going to shine on the ZÜCA business backpack.

Last week I introduced you to what I described as “the best damn bag I have ever seen“. The ZÜCA Pro rolling case really did impress me that much. Of course, the ZÜCA Pro is designed as a bag for your clothes and other travel items – not as a rolling case for your laptop.

So, when I came across the official ZÜCA business backpack, I just had to take it for a spin, and see how well it goes with an already brilliant piece of luggage.

The ZÜCA business backpack does not require a ZÜCA Pro, but it is designed as an additional accessory for the rolling case. That said – I think anyone in the market for a business backpack could really benefit from it.

The ZÜCA business backpack has internal storage space for a laptop, 2 separate file/document pouches and a whole host of internal and external storage pockets. On the side of the bag is a large “office organization pocket” with space for everything you could ever need to take your office on the road.

The bottom of the bag is made of a rugged plastic, and no matter how full you stuff the bag, it is designed to stand upright in any situation. On the back of the backpack are or course the 2 padded backpack straps, as well as 2 adjustable straps for attaching the backpack to the ZÜCA Pro.

Once clipped onto the ZÜCA Pro, the bag hangs on very well, and doesn’t slide around like I’ve often seen with other bags designed to attach to the handle of a rolling case. Some of the other features of the bag include a cellphone pocket on one of the straps, and an opening in one of the side pockets to route your headphones to an iPod or other media player.

The ZÜCA business backpack costs just $95, making the entire combination of a ZÜCA Pro with backpack just $380 – under half of what I’ve previously spent on a premium luggage combination.

Of course, there is one thing not incorporated in the ZÜCA business backpack – the laptop portion is not “TSA friendly”, which means you will still have to remove your laptop at the airport checkpoint.

Other than that, I’m very impressed – it isn’t easy to take something as boring as a business oriented backpack, and turn it into a well designed bag. The ZÜCA backpack has pockets everywhere you’d expect them, something I noticed on their rolling bag as well.

Dimensions (W*H*D): 17*13*7.5
Weight: 3lb
Colors available: Black
Warranty: 1 year from date of purchase
Price: $95.00
Product page: ZÜCA

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