For those who hate to fold: SkyRoll
And now for something completely different, the SkyRoll garment bag - an innovative solution for the business traveler, weekender, or light traveler who simply hates to fold clothing. Here’s the concept in a nutshell: take a full-size garment bag and wrap it around a rigid tube, the hollow part of which can be used for stowing shoes, toiletries, personal care items, and clothing which can be rolled or stuffed. OBOW put the SkyRoll through a hands-on test and here’s what we found.
A weapon in the war on wrinkles
The SkyRoll gets high marks for its think-outside-the-rectangle crease-fighting design which means a traveler’s main items of clothing – shirts, blouses, skirts, dresses, trousers, and sport coats – can be carried in the garment bag. Because it’s not folded in half or in thirds but is wrapped (rolled) around the triangular center tube, the Skyroll garment bag effectively reduces wrinkles by eliminating the hard folds which are inescapable in suitcases or folding garment bags. I found it worked best on jackets and pants. Shirts still had some wrinkles but they were mostly vertical (probably due to the hasty way I tucked them into my sport coat) rather than horizontal and – to my eye – less noticeable than normal. The thicker material of my pants and jacket fared very well and probably would look near-perfect after being hung up overnight. The manufacturer says it’s best not to use hangers in the bag, but recommends thin wire hangers if you insist on using them. The opening in the top of the garment bag will allow the hanger hooks to protrude if you position the double zippers properly. Without hangars that bag can be completely sealed. There are no devices to hold clothing in place in the garment bag: the pressure produced by wrapping the bag and cinching it up with adjustable buckles takes care of that. I noticed no movement of my garments during transport.
Buckle up for action
So different a luggage concept requires a bit of explanation. The process of unwrapping, packing, and re-bundling the SkyRoll at first appears daunting but is actually quite simple and intuitive. There are three buckles on one end of the garment bag and two on the other, so knowing where to start is easy. The shoulder strap must be unbuckled, then you undo the three outer (“ending”) buckles and the bag can be unrolled. The two inner (“starting”) buckles then allow the garment bag to completely detach from the tube. A double zipper lets the garment bag open on three sides. The bag is generously sized unlike the undersized suiters that come with some carry-on suitcases. Up to a size 44 men’s coat would fit comfortably and larger ones will work as well, though they may be a little scrunched. Two zippered mesh pockets on the garment bag accommodate small items, underclothing, or ties. There’s also a long (but not so deep) zipped exterior pocket.
Totally tubular
The core of the Skyroll is the hollow two-compartment tube. It is zippered on each end and has a fabric divider in the middle. Either end of the tube will swallow a pair of shoes up to about men’s’ size 12 or 13. The other end can be stuffed full of socks or underwear, toiletries, hair dryer, et cetera.
Size matters
My packed SkyRoll (see bottom of post for what it held) had dimensions of 23” x 10” x 11” which puts it just under the normal U.S. carry-on limit of 45” combined inches. Some carriers specify a maximum length of 22” but SkyRoll inventor Don Chernoff assured me he’d had no negative feedback from customers about carry-on size problems. The odd shape and the fact that you can sling it vertically on your back means that it looks a good bit smaller than it is. It should also tuck nicely in the top of an overhead compartment. International air travel, where carriers are usually more concerned with weight than dimensions, should present no problem. The SkyRoll weighed about five pounds empty which is pretty light considering the rigid frame of the tube. My packed weight was 16 pounds.
Carrying the load
The provided strap has a sliding pad which is reasonably comfortable. There’s also a padded handstrap. I really like the fact that you can sling it almost vertically on your back – makes squeezing down a crowded airplane aisle much easier. One end of the bag has a pull handle.
Contruction & materials
The SkyRoll is made of 1200 denier ballistic nylon. It’s an imported bag but quality of construction looks quite good. It’s very important that the zippers function well since the garment bag zips on three sides. Zippers might be one area where the USA-made bags are superior.
Value
At $109 the SkyRoll appears to be an excellent value. If this bag were made in American you could probably expect to pay $200 or more. I can’t say is would be as bullet-proof as a Red Oxx, but looks like a lot of bag for the money.
Who needs it
The cleverly-designed SkyRoll is an excellent solution for the short-trip business traveler or anyone who needs to travel with nice clothes but hates to fold. Its capacity is somewhat less than a traditional, rectangular, max-sized carryon but its garment bag utility is something special. I hate to fold, and if I had to travel with a suit on a regular basis this bag would be at the top of my wish list. The only downside for the business traveler is that any printed matter or computer equipment will have to travel in a separate bag – it’s pretty much shoes- and clothes-only. But the ability to slide in a pair of shoes is a nice feature. The SkyRoll is not a full-time one-bag solution for everyone, but it might be the business traveler or snappy dresser’s best friend.
Here’s what I packed:
Garment bag:
Two dress shirts
One undershirt
One necktie
Two pairs of cotton dress/casual pants
One small book
Tube:
One pair of dress shoes
Two pairs of socks
3-1-1 liquid bag and minimal toiletries
Travel hair dryer
Two undershirts
One long-sleeve casual/athletic shirt
Clothesline
Weight empty: 5 pounds
Weight packed: 16 pounds
The SkyRoll comes in black only
Top three pictures courtesy of SkyRoll
Visith SkyRoll.com for a video demonstration and read about Don Chernoff’s inspiration for bag’s invention.
The SkyRoll may be purchased directly from skyroll.com or from these brick-and-mortar retailers