Hi-Fli Wi-Fi

For all the annoyance of being crammed into an aluminum tube at 35,000 feet with a bunch of strangers, air travel has offered one benefit: the ability to tell bosses and colleagues, “I’ll be on a flight, so you won’t be able to reach me.”

So much for that excuse.

Wireless Internet service is starting to spread among airlines in the United States — Delta and American have installed it on more than a dozen planes each, and several other carriers are planning to test it. - read on at iht.com

Oh, and it won’t be free Fi either:

On Delta, service is $9.95 for a flight of three hours or less, $12.95 for a longer flight. American-based carriers do not yet offer the service on their international flights, although Delta is exploring it.

11 days, 3 countries, 10 pounds with laptop?

The seeds of an expieriment are sprouting in my light travel mind. My wife is leading a group student trip to Switterland, Italy and France in late May/early June. My new sub 3-pound netbook has inspired me to try for an under 10-pound one-bag load WITH computer. I’ll top this off with as much mobile live blogging as Euro wi-fi will allow so OBOW readers can judge if the whole thing is a good or bad idea. What do you think? Which bag? Maybe one of the new undersized carryons by Tom Bihn.

Update on February 10, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

The trip is now 13 days - I’ll be referring to it in future posts as the 13-3-10 Experiment.

Don't bag your tech, wear it

Yesterday’s post about leaving tech gear at home got me thinking about alternatives to the Luddite approach. The many-pocketed SCOTTEVEST products offer an innovative solution for keeping your stuff out of a bag (that’s lodged in an overhead compartment or stuffed under airline seat) and on your person - a great choice of one-bag travelers who suffer unexpected gate checks. SeV has coats, vests, and an interesting travel shirt. Air travelers can beat those pesky and increasingly-popular carry-on weight limits by stashing several pounds of stuff in a jacket or vest that can be slipped off at the checkpoint for scanning but won’t count against the bag weight. 

Update on February 5, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

The SeV Explorer jacket has a host of cool features and is on sale. From the description: “20 hidden pockets and compartments…special secure pockets for your travel documents, cell phone, iPod®/Nano®/iPhone®, water bottle… patented Personal Area Network (PAN) to manage and hide your wires, together with our unique Weight Management System to balance your gear load… With Teflon® treatment, the Explorer Jacket will repel water, spills and stains.”

If it plugs, leave it home

The Times of London says gadgets are travel experience killers:

 It may seem Luddite to reject modern technology but when did we lose sight of travel as a celebration of all that is different and an escape from the familiar? That’s not going to happen if we’re weighed down with half of Dixons (think UK’s Best Buy - ed.). It’s time to go cold turkey, ditch the electricals and use the most underused gadget of all - our brain. Instead of plunging into the tinny world of the MP3 player, use your MP-me player. Open your mouth and regain the forgotten art of the conversation. Have a chat with a stranger. Try this: “Excuse me, I’m just in Copenhagen/Toronto/Bristol for the weekend. I don’t know it at all. Can you recommend some good bars?” Pick someone you fancy - you’re not going to burst into flames.

I might add that leaving the electronics home saves weight too, though the fact of modern air travel certainly necessitates - in my opinion - a good MP3/iPod-type device.  My new Samsung netbook weighs under three pounds, but I’m going to try to resist the temptation to take it along when it is unnecessary.

Update on February 4, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

The weight-saving multicharger recommended by Buzz:

Travelpro Roller - Reader Review

Travelpro Platinum 5 22” Rollaboard review - by Till

Sometimes, you will want to have those wheels. Frankly, for business airport travel with decent ground transport and endless airport terminals and hotel corridors, schlepping a bag is not so great. I am both a frequent traveler and luggage nerd and have researched this purchase ad nauseam as I usually do. I am not disappointed. So here is my review.

If you are a business traveler, you are most likely familiar with the Tumi Alpha or Gen4 Briefcase series. The Tumi, in the eyes of many, is the ultimate briefcase of this kind. The Platinum 5 22” Rollaboard can arguably claim the same in its category. Paired these two pieces of luggage are probably quite unbeatable at least for the male business user. Women, casual travelers or ultimate lightweight travelers might not be as pleased. This is due to its high weight stemming from its non-minimalist approach to luggage design.

Durability: To be honest I have not made a trip with it yet. I have test packed it, though. I It seems to be extremely well built. Everything is tight and quite hefty. The very good warranty on the Platinum 5 series should make for a painless process if stuff does break. From other reviews the holder for the extra-bag attachment and the wheels seem to be weak point. I believe both can be easily exchanged. All exposed corners are protected and reinforced.

Design: This category is probably more about the look than the engineering part of it or the functionality. The design is, well, the classic Rollaboard. Travelpro is the pioneer in this field. The ballistic nylon is very nice and shiny. It is perhaps not quite as black as the one on my Tumi briefcase but one has to scrutinize it in order to see the difference. The lining has a ton-sur-ton (jacquard) pattern in it; quite nice and classy. Its color is a bit unfortunate, though. It is a grey-taupe-beige, greenish non-color. A neutral light gray would have been better. In terms of functionality however this color should be showing stains a bit less than a light grey. Great attention to detail has been paid, as is the case only in the most upscale luggage. For example, the zipper pulls, wheels and some details on the handle all have a hammered metal look. In this sense it really rivals the high-end Tumi and Samsonite luggage. Still, this is not a case for the super fashionable crowd who will prefer the more extravagant designs of Tumi, Samsonite or perhaps even Vuitton. Not pretty but solid and functional.

Functionality: This is where the bag clearly shines. Let me emphasize right away, though, that this functionality and durability comes at the price of a relatively high weight (10.6 lbs altogether; probably closer to 9 lbs if you don’t use the suiter and strip all the other details like strap padding).

Click to read more ...

Prolific posters

The OBOW Forum has been especially active in the last few days. Thanks so much to all who have participated. OBOWers seem to have a very helpful spirit and I’ll bet there’s not more polite and good-natured board on the net! OBOW’s readers are the real light travel brain trust.

Wooly one

I must say, plaid wool luggage is an interesting idea.

FROM FILSON

New stuff from Tom Bihn

Here’s the first word on a bunch of new designs coming soon from bag man Tom Bihn. Our interview:

Tom, what new designs can we expect in 2009?

New sizes of the Checkpoint Flyer Briefcase for PCs; a Checkpoint Flyer Backpack; The Compass - a small carry-on bag, like a smaller Western Flyer sans backpack straps; the TriStar - sized between the Western Flyer and the Aeronaut. It will look a lot like the Western Flyer (but three main compartments rather than two); a garment bag later in the year; I hope to finish the Synapse backpack, plus a few surprises that I could tell you about but then I’d have to kill you :(

I just bought a 10-inch, sub 3-pound netbook. Is the trend toward smaller computers (netbooks) driving some what you’re doing?

We plan to introduce smaller sizes of our Soft Cell laptop sleeve for netbooks, as well as a smaller version of our Ristretto vertical messenger bag.

Are some of your new designs responses to the difficulties modern travelers are facing - like bulging overhead bins and draconian security measures?

You bet: we’re going to make travel fun again! OK, just kidding, but we will be adding the new Checkpoint Flyers mentioned above, plus I’m working on a completely waterproof clear pouch for toiletries and other must-not-leak or must-stay-dry items.

Is there a future for small, USA-based manufacturers of high-quality goods - like Tom Bihn - in this difficult economy?TOM BIHN

I believe that instead of buying large quantities of cheap stuff, people are going back to spending more on a quality product that will last them a long time. I could have bought three or four cheap coats made overseas for the price of my one Filson coat, but I chose the Filson coat because it’s made blocks away from my Seattle factory out of the best materials.  In addition, the design is thoughtful and well-executed, and it has unique features that communicate to me that this coat was designed by a real person as opposed to being a generic design with glommed on features from an assembly line. One might have to work hard and save up to buy the higher quality, made-in-the-USA item, but, at least for me, it’s guaranteed to be a more rewarding experience.

Thanks to Tom and Darcy for keeping OBOW readers up to date.

Update on January 23, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

Discussion on the Tom Bihn Forum suggests there’s real demand for undersized carryons.

Training young travelers

It’s available again from Amazon - the Playmobil Security Checkpoint. Hours of fun for young and old….

Extra carryon costs 3x the ticket

News Release 20.01.09

NO EXCEPTIONS TO RYANAIR’S CABIN BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE

1 MILLION €/£10 SEATS TO CELEBRATE 10KG FREE CABIN BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE

PASSENGER ATTEMPTS TO CARRY FIVE PIECES OF HAND LUGGAGE ONBOARD

Ryanair, Europe’s largest and most punctual low fares airline, today (20th Jan) confirmed that there will be no exceptions to its passenger Cabin Baggage Allowance in response to the growing number of passengers carrying more than one piece of hand baggage and after one passenger attempted to carry FIVE items of hand luggage onboard an aircraft.

Ryanair’s generous free cabin baggage allowance, of 10kg per passenger, is restricted to one bag into which passengers must place all handbags, laptops etc. This policy is enforced across the network, to ensure fairness to all passengers.

Ryanair passengers who do not comply and present with more than one piece of hand luggage will be charged €/£30 at the departure gate and have their bag placed in the aircraft’s hold. Passengers can half this charge by opting to check-in a bag at the time of their booking or before they travel.

Ryanair highlighted its generous FREE 10kg cabin baggage allowance by releasing 1 million €/£10 seats for travel across its European network in February and March which are available for booking on www.ryanair.com before midnight Sunday 25th January.

Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:

“Ryanair’s generous cabin baggage allowance permits passengers to carry one piece of cabin baggage of up to 10kg onto our aircraft. Due to the large increase in passengers abusing this allowance Ryanair will now charge passengers for each additional piece of carry on luggage.

“Passengers are made clearly aware of their cabin allowance at the time of their booking and it is also printed on their online boarding cards. Passengers who are unable to place items into one bag and refuse to make the additional payments will not be permitted to travel. We are highlighting our 10kg one bag baggage policy by releasing 1million €/£10 seats for travel in February and March.”

(from Ryanair.com)

OBOW's netbook plunge, Sammy's on the way

After weeks of research I finally pulled the trigger on a lightweight, full-featured netbook - a white Samsung NC10. A weekend trip with my heavy dud of a Dell convinced me it was time.I’ll have it by the end of the week and there wil be pictures and comments soon. 

A REI-al deal

From our Forum - under $35 in blue:

Update on January 12, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

It’s pretty heavy to be made of lightweight nylon (3.6 lbs./420 denier).The weight is probably in the harness. It’s more pack than suitcase, but I’ll bet it’s more comfortable on your back than the average convertible.

Update on January 12, 2009 by Frank@OBOW

Another impressive-looking carry-on pack that’s received some comment in the Forum: the Osprey Porter 46. Looks like it’s not lacking for compression.

NYT assesses baggage situation

The New York Times business section does a status report on airline baggage situation:

As obvious as it sounds, traveling light — the old-fashioned obsession of many a frequent flier to reduce frustration — can reduce fees as well. Some frequent fliers have gotten packing light down to a science.

“I had a trip to Germany and I was very proud of myself because I was able to do it with just a carry-on,” said Brian Lynch, who works for a manufacturer based in Elmsford, N.Y.

Since he has elite status, Mr. Lynch’s packing light has nothing to do with fees, but with fear. In 2004, his checked luggage was lost 17 times.

“I applied to the Guinness Book of World Records,” he said. “But I didn’t get it because until I recognized that this was an amusing pattern I didn’t save any of the receipts.”

Although he always got his luggage back, he became a convert to the carry-on-only credo.

Like many of his breed, he dreaded that the new luggage charges would cause cabin chaos but he hasn’t experienced that problem.

“Maybe the airlines have just insulated their best customers,” he said.

Perhaps not all their best customers. Nick Pandher, who works in sales for a technology company near Los Angeles, disagrees.

“The overheads are really crowded,” he said. “I’ve seen many flights where they’re ready to close the door but they have to deal with bags.” - entire story here

Long-sleeved Champion, holiday plans

I continue to be impressed by the Champion C9 poly/nylon underwear and active gear from Target. It’s the cheapest quick-dry stuff you can buy off the rack, especially if you watch the sale racks. I wore a long-sleeved Champion antimicrobial running shirt for 24 hours yesterday and it was sweet-smelling and comfortable. I was so impressed I decided to wear it today as well since it’s brutally cold where I am and my l/s undershirt options are limited. Definitely watch your local Target stores - you’ll find very little C9 stuff online. 

A note for the holidays. I’ll be traveling and will take a couple of bags with me. Look for reviews of the Skytrain, Western Flyer with backpack straps, and (maybe) the latest version of the Rick Steves Convertible by early January. Since I’ll be away from work and home I should have time to complete them.

Update on December 24, 2008 by Frank@OBOW

After 48 hours with the CP undershirt: no odor. I’m certain it won’t perform so well in the summer. And no, I it wasn’t laundered in the Stinkfighter formula. Don’t worry, I stopped at 48 hours; it’s in the hamper.

BAD bag

Thanks to a Forum post by Ash: an American-made bag that new to me, BAD duffels. The bag pictured below is the #3 which has max carryon dimensons (21”x13”x10”). I prefer skinnier, more rectangular bags, but if you’re a duffel person, BAD might be good. The compression straps will probably help keep it legal size and it has pulls and handles out the wazoo.

Marmotocracy

From the Forum - Jerry recommends:

“The absolute best light jacket I have ever used, whether traveling or up on the high peaks or on a sailboat is the Marmot Dri-Clime.

I’ve got two of them, one for the peaks and one strictly for traveling and what goes along with that.

The design has been changed a couple of times over the years but for my dollar and comfort, this Dri-Clime cannot be beat!

Packs very well, lightweight, oblivious to wrinkles, comfortable in both warm and cool temps.”

Tag it

Some carryon-only types don’t worry about luggage tags since they’re used to having their bags in their possession at all times. But with gate checking becoming more common, a good luggage tag is essential. OBOW reader Larry P. has this tip for a cheap and indestructble one:

“I don’t remember who reccomended this but I got a pet tag at the local pet store with my name and cell phone number.  It’s metal and I attach it with the ring for car keys.  It should last forever and it won’t come off without some serious effort.”

Update on December 8, 2008 by Frank@OBOW

Larry’s source.

ExOfficio sale

ExOfficio has buy-2-get-1-free sale through Dec. 24 on their excellent undies which are comfortable, dry quickly, and are the favorite of light travelers everywhere. Toothbrush not included.

New carry-on player

Timbuk2, who previously focused mainly on laptop and messenger bags, have entered the carry-on luggage market.  This bag is priced like a USA-made bag but as far as I can tell it’s probably made in China.

This bag has some interesting features though and it’s less than max-sized, which is nice. More to come on the Timbuk2 travel line.

Thieves!

As if you needed another reason never to check a bag - how about organized rings of thugs working with TSA screeners? LAX is the chief offender:

They both say there are organized rings of thieves, who identify valuables in your checked luggage by looking at the TSA x-ray screens, then communicate with baggage handlers by text or cell phone, telling them exactly what to look for.

“This is a laptop here, VCR here and it’s located in this area of the bag. Here’s the color of the bag. They give them all the information they need to know.” - cbs2.com