A Burrito in the overhead compartment?

Till recently mentioned the curiously named Patagania MLC Burrito carry-on garment bag in the Lightest Carry-On thread. Here it is and it looks only a little like a tortilla-wrapped snack. As I’ve mentioned before I used to travel almost exclcusively with a garment bag. It’s a nice solution for the lazy packer. I’ve heard one of the made-in-the-USA luggage companies is working on a carry-on garment bag too. Please chime in if you know of any other garment bags of note. 

Update on August 5, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

Here’s a much lower-priced alternative from Campmor, the High Sierra Tri Fold:

And a much higher-priced one from Tumi - the Alpha, for a certain kind of male I guess:

And of course there’s the totally tubular Skyroll which we reviewed here.

Comments

[Jeff W]

The Burrito looks like a nice bag, but at 44x20x4 it's not a carry on by any means. Patagonia says it will fit neatly in an airplane closet, but you don't see many of those anymore.

[Brad]

Garment bags are measured open - I believe it is under the 22x14x9 if folded. I chatted with a Patagonia rep and she assured me this was the case. I'm sure it might get oversized if you stuff too much in it.

[Jeff W]

I figured as much, but did some calculations based on 1/2 fold and 1/3 folded sizes. I'm also guessing that their calculations are for an empty bag only. No matter how you fold it, the bag may not qualify for carry on on some airlines

I do have to give Patagonia the benefit of the doubt. They don't seem to measure their luggage very well.

[Till]

The Roll-up garment bag thread on FT yielded some very interesting results. Here is the link:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-products/965528-roll-up-garment-bags.html

Wally Bags has a very nice version, too. Actually three different versions, one for hand carry only (which could be modified) and two for shoulder carry:
http://wallybags.com/viewcat.php?cid=11
The hand carry only version weighs only 2lb. I have seen that bag. It is very well made and will accommodate a pair of shoes as easily as the Burrito. The shoe question is always the big point.

The poly 600d version starts at $75 and the Ballistic 1680d version at $140. Competitive.

The usual suspects from Briggs to Victorinox also have trifold bags. The Briggs (as usual) is particularly nice but weighs 6.2lb.

Till

[Till]

I just went to the Patagonia store here. Very nice store by the way. Knowledgeable, good and friendly service, too. They had the Burrito and the normal MLC in stock. I actually really liked the Burrito on first sight because of the minimalist principle behind it. Still I might not recommend it. It is VERY soft and flexible and LIGHT. It would be easily possible to cram a lot of stuff in there including shoes. But since it has basically no structure at all I am not so sure how well will do in actually keeping the stuff wrinkle free. You'd have to make sure to pack it and fold it very neatly. I also don't remember seeing any panels or foam rolls that keep your garments in place.

I'd say it's for casual clothes and people who really don't like folding. Even a duffel will protect your stuff better than this. I would not check that bag in when it is containing a suit that has to arrive in decent condition.

The wally garment bags seem to be clearly the better product at about the same price and not much heavier.

[Alan Birnbaum]

During my New York City trip I purchased at Bloomingdale's the:

http://www.tumi.com/t-tech-adventure/tri-fold-garment-bag-116906/

and was able to bring it back as a carry--on, as our route included two legs on MD80's, no regional jets. Often available at a discount of 25%, I think it's worth the $188 that I paid. Actually I bought it as a weekender one-suiter for car travel, to allow quick and simplified packing for the three night trips within California we often take, especially to urban areas, where I'll need a blazer. We rarely fly for long weekend trips, and if we did to, say Seattle or Portland, this bag would be a borderline fit for a "regional jet," and I'd really not want to check it, though a gate-check might be all right. For someone whose flights are on an MD80 or larger, this would work well most of the time.

This is a HIGH-quality bag, albeit with coil zippers. Weight is around five pounds. The shoulder strap is adequately comfortable, as is the handle. I can fit a pair of slip-on dress shoes. It has some flat inside pockets, including one with mesh, that pad the folds of the bag. For trips longer than three nights, I plan to acquire an Air Boss, which will be actually lighter, though the packing process will be more involved.

For my last three night trip, I actually left this bag at home, and used the now out of production Patagonia Overhead Shed rolling carry-on, a sturdy but idiiosyncratic little beast, in conjunction with a Wally Bag for my blazer and dress pants.

If one understands its strengths and limitations, the Tumi-Tech Adventure Trifold could be a very useful part of one's suitcase "wardrobe." For many people, however, I suspect that an Air Boss, at a similar price, would be more versatile.

[Till]

It will be hard to escape coil zippers. Most luggage has those. So I wouldn't worry about that. The Airboss can pack a suit. Check out the folding techniques on this site. There is one with a video, one with photos and one that consists of wrapping a suit jacket around a shirt folder, which should be pretty ideal for the Airboss.

The latter is explained in post #15 of this thread which should be helpful anyway:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-products/957505-packing-techniques-good-22-a.html

Thus garment bags are not really necessary. They are good for a three day trip but still most of them don't pack items other but a suit and pants very well. They do have their charm, though, and I also own some.

Another point is underpacking. While a lot of luggage freaks like me have bags for every occasion and task, the easier recipe is to have just three bags, e.g. a good size messenger bag or briefcase as a personal, a close to max carry-on size shoulder bag, and a wheeled 26" exp. suitcase. With that combo you are ready for most journeys. if the Airboss is in principle too big for a three day trip, just underpack it. Or, if traveling by car anyway, pack generously and fill it. It's still just one bag.