September 27, 2007 Tough Traveler Tri-Zip - full user review
TOUGH TRAVELER TRI-ZIP: Review summary – Good looking, traditional, three-compartment convertible shoulder bag with stowable backpack straps. Excellent packability for the business traveler. Nice hold-downs in main compartment. Available (optional) Hang-Up suiter accessory. Shoulder strap & backpack mode carrying comfort leave something to be desired. Has a tendency to bulge in width when fully packed. Handmade in the USA, lifetime warranty.
RATING: 3.5 stars, a One Bag, One World recommended product.
The Tough Traveler Tri-Zip is tailor-made for the business traveler or neat freak. It may not help you look the part of the tech-savvy hipster or bush plane adventurer, but it will carry your clothes in a way that will help you look good – no matter how far away from home you may be. Packability and a neat appearance are its strong suits.
Hold ‘em down, hang ‘em up
The Tri-Zip is divided in traditional suitcase fashion, with three rectangular compartments. The front and middle compartments are 2.5 inches deep and the one on the rear is 4 inches deep. The rear compartment (on the outer side/“back” of the bag) is where most of the business takes place; it’s where the bulk of clothing will be kept. This compartment has a nice set of hold-downs: the outside wall has two adjustable, buckled cinch straps running vertically and another strap that runs long ways across them. Most suitcases have only two hold-down straps and they are usually inadequate. On the other wall of this compartment there is a single hold-down running long ways.
This compartment is also where the optional Hang-Up suit bag attaches (by way of two buckles). I packed a mid-weight wool sport coat, two shirts, and two pairs of fairly bulky pants on the Hang-Up’s two hangers, which have folding hooks. The Hang-Up can add convenience for the business traveler who needs to pack a suit or extra sport coat. I found I could reduce wrinkling of my dress shirt by putting the shirt on the hanger first, then tucking the shirt sleeves into the sleeves of the sport coat. The Hang-Up adds a little weight and somewhat more in the way of bulk – packing without it is more space-efficient. Its chief virtues are ease of packing, the convenience of having your clothes already on hangers (not having to transfer to hotel hangers), and the wrinkle-fighting quality of the suit bag. Some drawbacks: the Hang-Up is only about 19” wide, which is somewhat narrower than the average garment bag, and its length (which is barely adequate for a medium-sized sportcoat on the hanger) means folding it in half to fit in the compartment leaves a little left over which must be stuffed or tucked in at the top.
The large rear compartment and the 2.5-inch deep front compartment zip on three sides (plus a couple of more inches around the corner on the bottom of the bag) for full access and packing ease; both open fully when laid flat. The center compartment zips only on the top of the bag and a couple of inches down the ends (Compare to the Red Oxx Air Boss in which all three compartments zips on three sides).
The center compartment has no hold-downs. It is meant as a catch-all or as a place to stow a laptop. The bottom of the bag is not padded so a computer would need to be in a sleeve or you’d need to line the bottom with socks or t-shirts to provide some padding. A good sleeve like a Tom Bihn Brain Cell would be best. I carried a 13” MacBook in a sleeve and a large Dell in an unpadded slim-line brief (at different times). Both worked quite well. I also tried stuffing a pair of dress shoes in the center compartment, but that proved to be a bit much. The center compartment is not really suitable for shoes unless they’re pretty small (or flat like sandals) or unless the other compartments are under-packed. I also used the center compartment for stowing with my non-liquid toiletries, socks, tech and laundry accessories, and my 3-1-1 quart baggy.
The front 2.5-inch deep compartment has no hold-downs but does have two flat half pockets which you can tuck thin clothing items into. I didn’t find this arrangement very helpful and I believe this compartment would be better served by hold-down straps on one side as well. Tough Traveler’s website implies these pockets are meant for printed material, but most travelers will carry a few more clothes than the large compartment will hold.
The front of the bag sports a flat pocket which is zippered across the entire width of the bag. This pocket is best used for papers or a magazine. I was able to tuck a large-size road atlas in it (no GPS for me).
One note: there are zippers on the walls of the three compartments. These are not for storage, but allow the removal of the thin closed-cell foam padding sheets which are used in each section of the divider walls.
The Tri-Zip’s carrying capacity means that it will function well for a long trip - if you pretty much carry clothing only. With a laptop in the center section and some papers in the front compartment it will hold enough clothing for a short trip.
The battle of the bulge
I’ve found that traditional suitcases which have their compartments arranged like file folders (like the Tri-Zip and Red Oxx Air Boss) have a tendency to bulge a couple of inches or more beyond their stated size. The effect is sort of like stuffing an envelope – it bulges in the middle. Without external compression straps or a semi-rigid design, this is probably unavoidable. To be fair, I stuffed the bag pretty full at times, but the packed bag only weighed in at 18-20 pounds, which is probably about normal for the carryon-only traveler. The bulging was worse with the Hang-Up which tended to concentrate the load towards the center. This bulging effect makes for a bag that is almost a foot wide when carried by the shoulder strap. It bulges more at the bottom – that darn gravity! The stated dimensions of the bag are 20x13x9, but in reality – fully loaded – they’re more like 21x13x11, which is still just legal for a carryon with most U.S. airlines. The Tri-Zip weighs about 3.5 pounds. The Hang-Up adds less than a pound.
Shoulder or back - you make the call
The convertible Tri-Zip may be carried two ways, and I have slight issues with both of them. The supplied shoulder strap’s pad is prone to roll up or slide out of position and it’s not particularly well-padded. An upgrade is in order if you intend to use the bag primarily on the shoulder. The strap attaches to two triangular plastic rings. I’m sure the plastic is quite strong, but metal rings would inspire more confidence. Also, the rings are placed nearer the front of the bag than the rear. On the shoulder this makes the bag hand so it juts out at the bottom, making it seem even wider on the hip. Additionally, the internal aluminum stays on the back of the bag line up roughly with the stowed backpack straps. This accounts for some of the bulging that widens the bag. Without the stiff stays the bag would conform more to the shape of the user’s body and wouldn’t seem so wide.
The aluminum stays are ostensibly to help the bag perform better in backpack mode. I didn’t find that they made it more comfortable to carry than the other convertibles I’ve tried. The backpack straps seem to be placed rather close together and they aren’t very cushy. Their design and placement causes the load to pull almost straight back on the shoulders and the bag seems to want to rock back. When cinched up tight to improve carrying comfort the bottom struck the small of my back somewhat above the waist, meaning the supplied waist belt could not be comfortably used. The straps might benefit from a higher and wider placement. There is no sternum strap. This may not be the bag for you if you plan to carry it mostly on your back. To be honest, most convertible bags are not meant for long hauls on the back. They are more suitcase than backpack.
Put together well, looking good
The 1000-denier Cordura nylon Tri-Zip is finished to a high standard – as well-sewn as any I’ve seen. This careful tailoring makes the Tri-Zip look a little more delicate than some other bags, but I believe appearances are deceiving in this case. I’m guessing the construction is plenty rugged. And this American-made bag has a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects. I do believe its zippers are a little less beefy than those of some of its competitors. The leather handle with metal snaps is a nice touch.
The Tri-Zip’s conservative, well-tailored appearance makes it ideal for business travelers and snappy dressers, and it’s available in nine colors.
Is it for you?
The Tri-Zip is probably best-suited for business travelers who use traditional packing techniques. Most, I’m guessing, will only use the backpack mode if forced to walk longer-than-expected distances. The price of $225 is in line with other high-end shoulder bags, but you should budget $25 for a better shoulder strap. The Hang-Up adds $45 and if not ordered at the same time as the Tri-Zip, the Tri-Zip must be returned to Tough Traveler for modification.
The Tri-Zip is a delight to pack, but is less enjoyable to carry for the reasons stated above. Slight modifications and a better shoulder strap would remedy most of these shortcomings.
About our rating 
Why did we rate the Tri-Zip lower than the Red Oxx Air Boss and the Tom Bihn Aeronaut - its direct competitors? The main reason for the downgrade is carrying comfort (shoulder and back) as explained above. Having only one compartment with hold-downs hurts its rating as well. The Air Boss is a little less prone to bulge (it seemed to me), has more robust zippers and has two more useful outside pockets. I believe having the largest compartment in the middle - as does the Air Boss - is a better idea as well. The convertible Aeronaut offers much better carrying comfort thanks to a superior strap and better backpack system. The Aeronaut also has the best shoe-carrying capability in this class. All this being said, the Tri-Zip is still an excellent bag and may be preferred by many travelers. Its excellent reputation is not unfounded I’m sure.
Reader Comments (4)
"The Tri-Zip is a delight to pack, but is less enjoyable to carry for the reasons stated above."
This is putting it mildly, in my opinion. I had high hopes for the Tri-Zip, but I am in the process of returning mine.
If you don't need to carry shoes, and you have a small frame (that might make the backpack straps livable) then this is still a great bag. The waist straps are entirely unusable. I would also have expected a better quality shoulder strap.
If you're trying to do your business travel with a single bag, I can't see how this one would work.
"The Tri-Zip is a delight to pack, but is less enjoyable to carry for the reasons stated above."
This is putting it mildly, in my opinion. I had high hopes for the Tri-Zip, but I am in the process of returning mine.
If you don't need to carry shoes, and you have a small frame (that might make the backpack straps livable) then this is still a great bag. The waist straps are entirely unusable. I would also have expected a better quality shoulder strap.
If you're trying to do your business travel with a single bag, I can't see how this one would work.
The Tri-Zip is a popular and highly-regarded bag and it has become so without a marketing machine. So, though I have some problems with it, I realize that people are different. To write it off would be to presume that I can speak for everyone - which I can't. If TT takes your Tri-Zip bag without hassling you I'd say that says something good about them.
I have a slipped disk, so I need what I carry to be evenly distributed (no shoulder bags), and I need the weight on my hips, not my back - in other words, I need a backpack. So I've learned how to wear one.
The way you're *supposed* to carry a backpack with a waist/hip belt is to:
1. Cinch the hip belt *tight* just above your hips.
2. Loosen the straps until the backpack is pulling back on the fronts of your shoulders, rather than down on the tops of them. The backpack should be hanging backwards, not actually touching your back.
This is what transfers all the weight to your hips.
Based on your review, I can't tell if this bag is actually badly designed -- or if it's *well*-designed, and you just don't/didn't know how to wear a backpack!