Europe 2011

So, another trip to Europe and another chance to use some of my travel bags. This time, I've got three weeks in Europe going between the UK (London), Luxemburg, Sweden (Stockholm), and Finland (cabin in the woods). With a wedding in London, and possibly light hiking in the Finland, it was a little tricky to pack. In the end I went with my trusty Tom Bihn Aeronaut  (see my review of the Aeronaut here) as my main bag, and Tom Bihn's Co-Pilot (review forthcoming) as my day bag.

Got pretty close to the weight limit, at 8 kilos or around 18 pounds, I got just up to the limit with my main bag. Add in the small bag with my laptop, I was at 23 pounds.

The reason for the co-pilot was that it was small enough that it squeaks in as a "personal item" for just about everybody. Would have liked a small backpack but sometimes the airlines get picky about the personal item. Also in a pinch, the co-pilot fits into the Aeronaut, I like the ability to have only one bag when I travel.

More musings as the trip continues.

Cork Fabric

While nylon, leather, and cotton are some of the most popular materiels to make bags out of, there are endless amount of materials you can use. I enjoy seeing all different types, recently I've found out about cork fabric. It's durable, supple, has what I think is a unique look. Harvested from the bark of cork trees without killing them, it's a renewable resource that makes a stunning fabric. Here are some examples:

Tom Bihn Cork Swift

CORX

MOMA cork bag

Peasants and Traveller's Doctors Bag

The Tom Bihn Swift is an excellent Knitter's bag, hopefully I'll get a review of that in the future.

Tom Bihn Aeronaut

The Aeronaut - packed

Type and Usage:

The Aeronaut from Tom Bihn is a divided convertible duffle type bag. With three large compartments, two smaller pockets, hide away backpack straps, it's a versatile bag very well suited for one-bag travel. It's designed to fit into overhead compartments of most airplanes. As with all things that come from Tom Bihn, it's not cheap, but quality is impeccable.

Quick Notes:

I like it, it's my go to travel bag in anything over two or three days. I've made many multi week trips with it, and lent it to friends who've made trips with it. Over and over I come back to this bag. As with everything Tom Bihn does, it's well thought out, durable, strong, and everything a

It's certainly not perfect, I have a couple of quibbles with it, but not enough for me to stop using it. The three part design is great for organization but sometimes I wish it was one pocket so I could place one large item in.

Specifications:

• 22" x 14" x 9" / 555 x 355 x 230 mm
• Volume: 45 liters (2700 cubic inches)
• Weight 2.71 lbs / 1230 grams
• Ballistic Nylon

Review:

If you're looking for a quality carry on that can act as a one bag solution the Aeronaut certainly fit's the bill. Let's take a look at the details:

A beginning of bags

So, what is this blog about? Well bags of course! I'm Charlie, and I love bags.

Yes, this could be an intro given at a recovery clinic on one addicted to bags, but that's me. I love bags and I collect them, all types. After complaining to a friend that somebody really should have a good bag blog, he responded with, "You should write it".

So here I am. Mostly I'll cover backpacks, and travel bags as that's what I use the most. But I'll venture into all different type of bags. Being a guy, I'll mostly cover bags that guys would use, though if I see something really nice for a women's bag, I'll be happy to write about it. My fashion sense isn' the greatest though, that's mostly what will keep me from talking about women's bags too much. There will be reviews, random thoughts, anything really anything else I want.

How often will this be updated? I honestly don't know but I'll try to keep it up to date. I've got a lot of bags that I own that I want to photograph and review, and always more bags to get.

Enjoy!