Review: Lowe Alpine TT Carry-On 40

Thanks to OBOW poster Ivan P. for this review:

Well, after my first 4 trips with this bag (ranging from 4 days to 2 weeks) I thought I’d put down some of my thoughts and findings in my first attempt at a gear review.

LOWE ALPINE TT CARRY ON 40

After looking at the vast array of convertible travel packs available to our friends across the pond, I decided to see what was available to us here in Blighty.
Very few of the US manufacturers ship to the UK, so it was a case of looking at what was available domestically.
With our love of the wheeled suitcase, it soon became apparent that choice for a “proper” convertible bag was limited. In fact, the TT40 was really the only bag to really come up to standard.

THE SPECS:
The bag is specifically designed to use as a carry on bag measuring 55x35x23cm (21x13x9in)
The capacity is stated as 2600cubic inches or 40 litres.
It is constructed from a strong and durable polyester fabric, uses No.10 zips (the main compartment being lockable)
The bag consists of 1 main compartment with internal compression straps, 1 mesh compartment in the lid, 1 large exterior pocket with organiser pockets and a fitted key ring and 1 front stash pocket. OH, and an exterior mesh drink bottle pocket a la rucksack style (a nice touch I thought.
As well as the interior compression straps, there are 4 exterior compression straps too.
The carrying options are pretty comprehensive, having both a top and side carry handle, fully adjustable shoulder strap and of course the pack-away backpack straps.

IN USE:
Having a full opening top makes this bag a breeze to pack, easily swallowing 4 large Eagle Creek cubes with room to spare. If you pack traditionally and don’t use packing aids, the internal compression really helps to keep the load stable. The internal mesh pocket in the lid is almost made to measure for a pair of shoes or any items you need to grab quickly (liquid bag etc)
The front pocket contains a variety of organiser pockets which will hold everything from a pen and mobile phone to keys and credit cards (should you wish). A real plus going through security as nothing was left in my pockets.
The external pocket will hold passport, tickets etc, and the mesh water bottle pocket is a real boon and not something you normally find on this type of bag, although only really works when being carried by the top handle or in backpack mode.
The external compression means that even when the bag is not full, you can cinch everything down to make a well balanced and compact pack.
I tried all modes of carrying and all work perfectly well, although without a waist belt, backpack mode may not be to everyone’s tastes. The one fault I did find was that it was rather difficult to pack the backpack straps away when the bag was full. Not impossible, but needed a bit of work.

OVERALL:
As per most soft sided bags, it is possible to overpack it making it bulge, though the compression system goes a long way to help[ing avoid this.
Easy and comfortable to carry in all modes.
And….it can do something a lot of convertible bags can’t…. in backpack mode, it looks like a proper backpack, in suitcase mode, it looks like a proper suitcase and in shoulder bag mode, it looks like a proper shoulder bag.

For anyone interested, here is a link to a pic and brief description.

Comments

[Alan Birnbaum]

Lowe Pro is an excellent, reliable manufacturer. I have probably purchased over the years half a dozen of their camera bags in various sizes, including most recently, their Photorunner 100, a belt pack that holds a reasonable-sized DSLR, plus two zoom lenses, an extra battery and a couple of memory cards, i.e., as much as most people really need. (Mine carries a Nikon D300 with 10-24/3.5-4.5 Tamron wide angle zoom, and the Nikon 18-200/3.5-5.6 VRII zoom, the latter mounted on the body; I think it could carry their 70-300/4.5-5.6 VRII zoom instead of the 18-200.

So I can certainly endorse Lowe Pro as far as QUALITY; I haven't seen the bag reviewed above.

[Alan Birnbaum]

Lowe Pro is NOT the same company as Lowe Alpne, though I get the definite impression that they are related.

I also get the impression after a bit of web search tonight that the TT40 may have been discontinued, not available in the USA, etc. I dropped a note to Lowe Alpine to inquire, but, gee, they don't respond immediately to E-mail at 10:00 at night. Probably they are....field testing sleeping bags!

[Frank@OBOW]

Apparently in stock at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Lowe-Alpine-Carry-Travel-Carry/dp/B001LDJK6A

Looks like a better-made eBags Weekender with better should strap attachments.

[Alan Birnbaum]

As soon as the Lowe Alpine folks emerged from their sleeping bags this morning, they responded:

"The TT Carry On is still a current bag for us. We have just been out of stock of it until the last couple of weeks. Many of our dealers should have it for sale again. Yes, we are a separate company from Lowe Pro and have been for many years. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance to you.

Thank you,
Jill Moravec
Customer Service Representative
Asolo/Lowe Alpine
http://www.asolo.com"

Apparently there has been good DEMAND for this product. Almost surely it is made overseas, so likely the further supply of these is in a large overseas shipping container, bouncing up and down on the high seas, on its way to port. Asolo is a company known primarily for hiking boots, a product that obviously complements bags meant mainly for hiking, rather than photography.

[Brett]

For a carry on bag this weights just over 1kg empty so that only allows 4 kgs so after a camera a couple of t-shirts shorts undies and a couple of other personal stuff you are well over and most airlines will ask you to check it in although if you get away with it great . My fav bag for travelling even up to a month in a hot climate is the northface borealis 27L it has everything i need and even when stuffed to bursting no airline has ever asked me to check it in as it looks smaller than most peoples carry on. happy travelling....

[Wally]

I like many aspects of the bag but IT IS NOT WATERPROOF.....

[Dan Norfolk]

Hey if anyone is interested they have these (in store only) at Sports Direct at the moment on offer at £54 !!

im gonna wait a few days to see if they go down further but if not great price and the pack is mine!!

woop,

[Jo]

It's only £45 and free postage at Cotswolds!

[Jo]

Here's the link: http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/index.cfm/product/lowe-alpine-tt-carry-on-40-travel-pack/fuseaction/products.detail/code/64110271/id_colour/98

[Stefan]

Exceptional. Just used one for a two month OS trip travelling by train and plane. We preferred to walk from train stations to our hotel to get to know the location quickly for supermarkets etc.

I made my own detachable waist support which helped for the very long walks.

Another handle on the bottom would be excellent.

Still looks new. Very durable, clever design, especially the internal straps you use to tighten the contents before closing the main outside zip.