Timbuk2's New Line of Travel Luggage

As someone who loves to travel (and who has traveled to all 7 continents with only carry-on luggage), I've been a bit of a bag aficionado for years now. I am always on the lookout for new luggage that would help make traveling easier and more enjoyable.

I just noticed Timbuk2 (the manufacturer of my current laptop bag) just started a new line of travel gear. Their designs look thoughtful and Timbuk2's quality is superb. With all the latest airline fees for checked bags, many more people are starting to fly with carry-on luggage. This translates into making it increasingly difficult to find space in the overhead bins. With this in mind, I'm particularly attracted to bags like Timbuk2's Suitcase, which is smaller than my current carry-on that I've used for years. In a pinch, this should even fit under an airline seat.


The Suitcase from timbuk2designs on Vimeo.

Two design changes I wish they'd incorporate into this include the addition of stow-away backpack straps and external compression straps. If they added those on, this might be the ultimate in travel-light luggage. As it is, I'd be torn between this or Tom Bihn's Western Flyer (now available with stowable backpack straps) as my next luggage purchase. The Western Flyer, in conjunction with Tom Bihn's Brain Cell, would function similarly to the removable laptop case in the Timbuk2 Suitcase but with far better protection for your computer. With either bag, I would enjoy the challenge of parsing my travel gear down to a smaller carry-on bag.

I also like what I read about Tom Bihn's Aeronaut -- a slightly larger, but still carry-on sized convertible travel pack. It is very similar to a convertible Eagle Creek pack I've hauled around the world with me. (I used to love Eagle Creek gear, but they no longer seem to have the quality or well-thought out design they once had.)

I can't wait to finish school so I can start traveling overseas again. It's been too long and there's still much of the world I have yet to see.

P.S. -- One lesson I learned the hard way in my travels is to invest in high-quality luggage. One of the worst experiences is spending thousands of dollars to visit someplace exciting and have your trip spoiled due to a luggage failure. If you travel more than once a year, spend some extra money on quality luggage that you can rely on. It will be an investment that can pay many dividends when you're on the road.

P.P.S. -- Here's one other bag that's (literally) been around the world with me.