Rick Steves Convertible Carry-on

List Price: $99.95

Features:

• Big, Strong, Practical: Constructed of rugged, water-resistant 1000 denier nylon, it features a large 2500 cubic-inch main compartment, plus three outside pockets (small, medium and huge) - perfect for often-used items.
• Handy Extras: It includes a pair of mesh bags for smaller items, and a clip-in security pouch (which you can also clip inside your Appenzell or Civita Day Pack).
• Compression: Two internal and four external cinch-tight compression straps will keep your load compact and close to your back, not sagging like a sack of potatoes.
• On Your Back: It easily converts from a smart-looking suitcase to a handy backpack, with comfortably-curved shoulder straps and a padded waistbelt.
• As a Suitcase: When you want to use it as a suitcase (or check it as luggage in "expanded" mode), the straps and waistbelt safely tuck away in the back.

Customer Reviews:

Perfect for a two-week Europe trip [Posted on 2008-07-08]
I just returned from using this pack for a two-week trek across four European countries, and I was extremely happy with it. By the end it got heavy and I somewhat wished I'd got something with wheels, but I am a very short and small female, so that's to be expected with any large bag. This was generally the perfect travel pack.

There were so many expanders and pockets and nooks in this bag. I underpacked at the beginning, knowing I would accumulate things as the trip went on. By the middle of the trip, I thought the bag was totally full, though I kept shopping. Somehow at the end of the trip, I was still able to fit everything into this bag. I used certain techniques such as rolling clothes and stuffing my shoes with small items to utilize the space, but I was still amazed that this one bag could hold all my belongings in addition to a ton of extra stuff.

The bag itself is lightweight, with tons of convenient zippered pockets. It fits perfectly in overhead compartments in airplanes. It has handles in all the important places. I mainly used it as a backpack when going from place-to-place, though used the top handle to drag it around the security lines at CDG airport when my back was getting tired.

I strongly recommend this bag if you are on a budget and need something light and roomy. I saw a similar bag from a different brand, though with a hard foundation and wheels, at REI, but it was double the price. I was on a budget and went with this bag, and while those wheels may have been handy from time to time, I was extremely pleased with this bag. It was durable, expandable, and did the job. I will gladly use it again for both long and short trips.

The perfect "one bag" solution [Posted on 2008-08-01]
I purchased the Rick Steves Classic, which is a slightly simplified version of the Convertible sold here. The Classic does not have the expanding zipper or waistbelt, but is otherwise identical, right down to inclusion of the great security pouch and mesh ditty bags.

The Rick Steves Classic is the "ultralight" of soft-sided carry-ons. It is to other carry-ons, what a sil-nylon backpack is to conventional backpacks. The outermost fabric is tough but not "ballistic nylon thick." The inner separator panels are VERY thin (but tough). The back straps are comfy, but not 2" thick (and space-hogging) like on some imitators. Everything is refined to the point where there are no extra straps - but the straps you DO need, to compress the load to prevent shifting and sagging, are there. On the other hand, the padding on the handles is extra thick, and I appreciate that attention to detail.

This bag has one large main compartment, suitable for "wrap packing" your main clothing and "cube" (see www.onebag.com for optimized packing instructions), plus three additional "official" compartments and one "unofficial" compartment (the backpack strap slot). The two zipper slots on the front of the bag will take care of almost all your inflight odds and ends; the large, top to bottom side entry slot is good for folding up a sweater or jacket for inflight or destination use; and the "unofficial" backpack strap area is good for stuffing in a couple of magazines or newspaper.

The back of the back had a foam pad to cushion your back from your travel items, it also "hides" the backpack straps by masking their shape. In a pinch you could empty the bag and sit on the foam pad.

There are no extraneous clips, pen holders, i.d. holders, etc. Nothing that appeals to most buyers on first glance, only to go unused by most buyers. This bag wasn't designed by a theoretician, it was designed by someone who has lived, eaten, and breathed this concept for decades now. Not too many places to "lose" things. Enough places to organize.

I use a Patagonia Lightweight Pack made of silnylon and weighing under 10 ounces with a very, very thin foam back pad as my day bag. The Steves day bag is much cheaper and lighter, but the Patagonia backpack is my "luxury item" and serves as a separator between the tied down clothing in the main compartment (under the tie down straps) and the remaining space on top in the main compartment, where I shove a neck pillow, refillable water bottle (to fill after transiting security) and any other loose odds and ends.

I love this bag. It uses the thinnest possible materials and least bulky coil zippers, without sacrificing durability, so the bag "gets out of the way" of the maximum space permitted by the carry-on "test boxes." For long walks when a taxi or jitney are not available, the straps come out, for check-in to a nice hotel, the straps get hidden.

Contrary to what one reviewer said on the Rick Steves website, this bag is NOT inexpensive looking to scare off thieves who pray on backpackers. It's well-engineered and looks smart, and I wouldn't hesitate to check into any fine hotel with it. Rick Steves has put his "signature" as a logo on the front of the bag and his initials on the zipper pulls - nice branding for those in the know.

A BARGAIN DESERVING 10 STARS.

Best carry-on bag yet [Posted on 2008-08-07]
I ordered this bag for a weeklong trip to California. I was skeptical that I, usually a fairly `heavy packer' could possibly live out of one carryon for an entire week. I followed the packing and folding directions from www.onebag.com and was amazed at how much fit into this bag! When I arrived I unpacked to find my clothes were almost completely wrinkle free. I can recommend this bag as well as the www.onebag.com web site.

Not quie an MLC but a good bag for half the price [Posted on 2008-09-07]
I was looking for a replacement for my old Patagonia MLC. The zippers are not quite as substantial (Zipper teeth are about 1/2 the size on this bag. Not sure if the current MLC zippers are as big) and the shoulder straps have less padding. The handles have a lot of padding and are nice to hold. There is mesh on the side that contacts your back - comfortable and less sweaty.

The lower front pocket holds my 12" Power Book in a sleeve with a slight bit of room left. Other than the upper pocket, there are two more full-length pockets behind that. One opens at the top and one at the side. Carrying the bag vertically, things tend to slide toward the bottom and can be hard to access since the pockets overlap each other. The internal (main compartment) and external compression straps help to keep things in place.

One-Bag Travel Star [Posted on 2008-11-25]
To smooth our recent trip to Japan, I bought two of the R. Steves convertible carry-ons. The object? Travel all over Japan for two weeks with one bag each.

What made these bags great was the convertible backpack straps. It made carrying the fully-laden bags up and down the endless steps of the many train stations a breeze.

Inside, they have plenty of room. Two weeks of clothing and supplies fit with room to spare. Not having to wait at baggage carousels in the airports made traveling a breeze.

I didn't use the waist strap, nor did my boyfriend, though it would have helped distribute the weight better. The strap hit me around my lower rib cage, rather than at the hips (I'm 5'7", or about 170cm and weigh about 140 lbs., or about 63kg) and was uncomfortable. I don't know if that was because of my gender/body type--the waist strap might work better for a man. My boyfriend never used the strap either. I think it was sheer bravado.

The long, over-the-shoulder strap came in handy when transporting the bags through the airport and onto the plane. All of the pockets kept passports, reading material, and other odds and ends easily accessible.

Being soft-sided, both bags fit into a larger-size locker at train stations. This made sightseeing easier when we had the urge to hop off the train and look at stuff.

Overall, this is a useful traveling bag for a really reasonable price. I am looking forward to years of using this product.

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