By chance I discovered a thread on Flyertalk to which I added immediately and thereby revived this 2008 thread. It contains some extremely cool suggestions, most important the Travelite Delite Roller that weighs a mere 1900g (less than 4.2lb) measuring 13.4x20.7x7.9 and still has ball bearing wheels and a hard ABS backing.

Even the Landor and Hawa Sub-0 G roller doesn't beat it. Can you come up with anything lighter?

The non-wheel suggestion is the lightest carry-on bag that I know in the Airboss style. It is the A. Saks 21" expandable carry-on bag that weighs a mere 545g.

Check it out here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-products/895927-lightest-carry-bag.html#post12084829

I really wonder if the experts here or on FT can come up with anything lighter that still holds up as principal luggage, i.e. no foldable Kiva duffles, which are good secondaries but not viable for primary use, IMHO.

C'mon! It's Saturday, what else do you have to do than picking up the luggage gauntlet??? :)

Today, I got the opportunity to check out the Sub-O in person. Luggage Factory outlet in Round Rock, TX. It was priced at $60-70. Now that is a really nice deal. It looked good but I still think the design, material and craftsmanship on the Travelite is superior.

Till

Any idea where the Travelite luggage can be acquired in the US?

I one-bag it whenever I can (usually on 2-3 day trips) but end up using a trolley and a backpack if I can't fit my business gear (laptop, etc). That way I can hang my backpack on the trolley.

Your idea about the EBags Weekender with the Samsonite folding cart might not translate to the A. Saks 21" since the A Saks doesn't have any structure. That was my experience with my experiment with the folding cart and a JanSport Eurosak.

You are right that the A. Saks has no structure. However, I would think that one would probably use (at least I would) a shirt folder and one or two packing cubes in the bag which might give it some structure, especially if you add a pair of shoes strategically place in the bottom. But the ebags Weekender would be better. That's why it is my original suggestion.

In the FT thread is a link to a German mom and pop shop. I could imagine they might be willing to ship the Travelite to the US. There is no official distribution in the US, afaik. An email to Travelite in Germany might help, too. They certainly have someone who can understand and respond in understandable English.

Personally I am uber-well equipped with luggage so I won't get one for myself, I think. But I will be in Germany in November and I'll be sure to check it out in person.

Till

Has anyone heard of the Tatonka flight case?
http://intranet.tatonka.com/infosys/infocgi/artinfoe.dll?1150&0

It isn't lighter than the A Saks but it weighs only 1.35kg (about 3 lbs) according to their website and has backstraps in addition to a shoulder strap, which makes it pretty light for that functionality. List price of €100.

Wow! Great call (pun intended).

That looks better than the Mei Voyageur and also better than the ebags weekender at the same or even lower weight. Very cool. Serious competition to the folks from Tom Bihn and Redoxx, too, I'd venture to say.

I discovered the Tatonka a couple of years ago when I was searching for the bag that best fit my travels, and was impressed by what I saw, it's definitely a competitor for the Voyageur. Unfortunately, then as now, it doesn't seem to be available in the US... pity. Love to look at one.

Why is it that some of the most interesting lines are not available here? I suppose the market is already super dense and the marketing strategy might not fit. On the FT thread someone said that Americans build super heavy stuff while the others build light. Looking at other product categories that seems about right. There might be a national mentality/culture that even has an influence on what luggage people prefer. Well, all the US onebaggers would then be out of sync with their culture in that point.

It seems that Tatonka is German, too, just like Travelite. They say on their website that their stuff is sold in 35 countries. One sould be able to find a dealer willing to send a bag to the US for both lines. I will be in Berlin in November and will inquire there.

Till

I've been checking out a few via google, but no joy yet. Lots of e-tailers in the UK seem to sell it but no joy on US deliveries. Do post any info you find after you return, would be great to see how they stack up.

I take back my last post - per their website Tatonka sells in Canada. I found this retailer in Vancouver BC who sells it online, perhaps they ship cross the border:

http://www.ajbrooks.com/qs/product/40/2375/140897/0/0

Good news, Paul. Thanks. Did you find out whether this retailer has Travelite also? I will be sure to report back after my trip or even while on my trip but it's gonna be a while.

Till ~ I'll take a look on Travelite. Surfing for one bag info is rapidly becoming a real (and enjoyable) time filler for the relaxing spare moments. Have to confess, I really enjoy using my MEI EO for just about all my travels, and will soon be posting on the 'red state aeronaut' that I recently purchased to get down to 2000 sq in for (most..) all my travels.

If you haven’t already you might look at the Campmor Outdoor Products Essential Carryon. It’s a “convertable” bag with backpack shoulder straps, 13×21x9, and weighs in at 1.75 pounds. It’s actually fairly well made and durable (although no MEI Voyageur or Executive Overnighter (both 3.4 pounds), but EXCELLENT quality), and it costs $30!

I’ve used mine for 4 or 5 trips, and it’s actually held up really well. (the zippers, shoulder straps, etc) You will want to get a better shoulder strap though. The one that comes with it is pretty cheap.

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___60793

Just a suggestion….
Cindy

Oh, I meant to say that you may want to replace the "single, over the shoulder" strap. It's cheap....the backpack shoulder straps are actually pretty well made.

Cheers..... ;))

Cindy

Good addition, Cindy. Many thanks. The Campmor is a very strong contender also due to its great price. Not to mention the versatile use as a backpack and shoulder bag.

Here is a compilation from this thread and the one on FT I resurrected. Thanks to everyone for the input. If you have anything that fits in between or even topples the number 1 spot, please update the ranking accordingly.

Only condition is that bags are roughly comparable in size, i.e. 41-45 linear inches. Note that if you go from a foldable to a duffel or backpack format, weight tends to go down for the same outer measures, as demonstrated by the Eagle Creek and Osprey which I have inserted as a reference. For more info on each bag please see previous posts. For our American friends: 1oz = 28g and 1lb = 453g

Rolling:

Travelite Delite - 1900g (semi-hard) ca. $150 but not available in the US
Landor Hawa Sub0G - 2177g (soft) ca. $100
Heys X-Case-NS - 2182g (hard) ca. $90
Antler Wheeled backpack - 2200g (soft but quite structured) ca. $135

Non-rolling:

Up to 2lb:
A. Saks 21" exp. - 545g $52
Campmor Essentials - 793g $33
Rick Steves Classic - 907g $80

Up to 3lb:
Eagle Creek 20" Sport companion duffel - 1018g ca. $80
Patagonia Burrito MLC - 1151g ca. $120 (garment bag)
Tom Bihn Aeronaut - 1230g $200
Patagonia MLC - 1332g ca. $140
Rick Steves Convertible Carry-on - 1360 (3lb) ca. $90

Up to 4lb:
Osprey Porter 46 - 1416g ca. $100
Tatonka Flight case - 1450g ca. $110 (available in Canada, Europe)
Tough Traveler Tri-zip - 1500g $270
Tom Bihn Tri-Star 1550g (smaller than Aeronaut but heavier) ca. $240 :(
Easy Going Carry-on - 1636g ca. $185, if you can find it
Ebags Weekender - 1640g ca. $56
RedOxx Airboss - 1770g $225

Or, the royal solution, A. Saks 21" expandable bag plus Samsonite Micromover cart (1007g/ $40) coming in at 1552g together. This makes it the only rolling solution under 4lb, under 3.5lb to be exact. To top it off it is also under $100 and the wheels can be used for other things or the bag carried without wheels.

It is interesting to see that there are really good alternatives to the hyped Bihn and RedOxx brands. Sure, the warranty might not be as good and the quality might not be as high.

But the A. Saks is three times lighter than the Airboss and costs more than four times less.
Rick Steves Classic weighs only 2/3 of the Tom Bihn Tri-Star and costs only 1/3. Those are hard facts to consider.

And at a fabulously low $33 and less than 2lb. the Campmor Essentials is a totally painless entry into ultralight luggage and onebagging! At $56 the ebags Weekender convertible is a fantastic deal for such a full-featured and lightweight bag, too.

My personal favorites would be the Travelite for the wheeled, the A. Saks for ultralight, the Patagonia Burrito for garment bag and the ebags Weekender as a convertible.

Till

Sale on Patagonia MLC (non-Burrito). Patagonia is now offering the old MLC style with the oval pocket for half price in all colors on their website. THey came out with a new model. Practicalhacks.com has a comparo. Personally, I like the new model less than the old one. It does not have the oval organizing panel and the colors are less interesting, although the brown is alright.

This is certainly a great bag in the convertible field.

How about the 14 ounce, 2100 c.i. Lightweight Duffel from Patagonia? It has concealable backpack straps as an option. I've use this to beat the scale on trans pacific flights with 7 kg carryon limits....

The Patagonia Lightweight Duffel and also their Travel Backpack are considerably smaller than the packs discussed here. So, obviously, if one goes to a smaller bag and a MUCH lighter material the weight will drop. In addition, duffels and backpacks also are a bit harder to pack neatly and more cubes and folders and such will be needed which then ruins the weight advantage. After all one could use a crushable Kiva or Totes duffel or backpack in the 200g range. Or just use a plastic bag from Target. ;)

It really seems like the A Saks and the Campmor are the champs when it comes to packing features, carry features and weight to volume ratio in a still rugged material. Still the old MLC at that price is a nice deal.

Till

The LIGHTEST bag might well NOT be the best. Other factors to consider include:

Damage resistance especially if the bag gets checked.

Ease of packing; the smaller the pack, the more important a wide opening or openings.

Wrinkle protection for clothes (slobs need not worry about this one.)

Zipper quality; a broken zipper in Zanzibar is alliterative, but inconvenient to say the least.

Comfort of carry; not all handles and straps are created equal as your shoulder will tell you.

And several other factors. A typical load of clothing and gear can easily have a vlaue of $2000, after considering shoes, dress clothing, electronic and digital gear, and the cost of any given trip of a week or more will be far above that. So, not getting the optimal bag for one's needs seems like false economy to me.

Alan, you're a man after my taste. Your reasoning follows mine to a T. Besides, the Zanzibar zipper is priceless. :)

You have outlined in brief words while I (and many other here) are so obsessed with luggage.

For this challenge, we were obviously looking just for that, a very light bag that would still fulfill those reasonable criteria.

I do think that in the super light and very affordable category the A. Saks and the Campmor Essentials are probably the best bet.

Of course, there are many individual factors that will influence one's personal weighting of those criteria. One might value packability higher and another may give more weight to durability or price. This is actually why it helps to have lists like this. Once you define a criterion you can rank the list. When you combine several important factors/criteria and establish the corresponding rankings, you can then easily select a product from those lists based on your individual weighting.

Actually, Brad, wouldn't it be need to have a luggage selection diagram or even a little app on your site that works like a decision tree and spits out a selection of bags after you have answered a number of questions? Of course, ebags and luggageonline have similar selection filter features but I am talking about a selection of real aficionado bags here. The Diane Furstenberg zebra print satchel won't show up. :)

Food for thought. Thanks for the inspiration.

Out of curiousity I have applied what I have learned reading this website and the kindred www.onebag.com, over the last few days, to my last trip to Hawaii during September.

That was made using an expensive and very lightweight large rolling suitcase, a Rimowa Salsa 29-inch,which costs twice what the Redoxx Air Boss costs. I recall that my case outbound came to 43 lbs. as measured by my Balanzza digital scale, (including the pillow I added to fill out the top of the plastic case, trying to avoid its being damaged) My wife's Rimowa by the way, came off the carousel in Kahului with a split in one corner.)

By looking carefully at what I actually USED (or needed) during that warm weather trip, including a few alternative choices, I find that it all could have easily fit, for the entire eight or nine days we were on Maui, into something like the Air Boss, an outfit which including that suitcase, which would have come to...17 lbs.

Clearly I have been doing something WRONG. I don't intend to make the same errors in the future. Interestingly, when I traveled to and from college, and then medical school, 1967 through 1975, the suitcases I had were fabric Boyt cases, with zippers, without wheels, of course, that my late mother bought for my sister and myself.

Plus ca change, c'est la meme chose!

By the way, I should regardless again thank my wife for giving me my Rimowa for our anniversary a year or so ago. For really extended trips with more elaborate needs, such as a cruise where formal wear is needed, there remains no substitute for such a bag, as its better to use ONE large bag, rather than two small to medium-sized ones, especially with the newer baggage rules.

I should also again thank her for the Travelpro 22-inch Rollaboard she got me for Christmas a few years prior, though neither of us would again ever buy a small bag that weighs over twelve pounds! The 29-inch Andiamo expandable case I bought her a number of years ago, that weighed EIGHTEEN pounds has long since gone to the Cancer Society thrift store of course, along with my fourteen-pound 26-inch Travelpro case.

And yes, there is of course more to love than luggage...as my wife and her jeweler can confirm!

Yeah, the heavy monsters are not in anymore. But your Rimowa has one of the best volume to weight ratios in the market. So you're good there. Seems we have similar luggage preferences.

I got a Travelpro Plat5 22" roller, too. See my review in the review section. I also have a 32" Rimowa Topas that was a gift. And I recently bought a 28" expandable Andiamo mostly because the price was too good and I needed a soft-sided replacement for my big Mandarina Duck, which is still serviceable but on its way out.

The reason I still have those huge cases (that, frankly, hardly fit in my car) is that I sometimes need to haul stuff between my mother's home in Berlin and the US or between my home and my partner's home. I call them relocation suitcases. They get used 2-3 times a year. I also know that I will have to move several more times in the next 10-15 years. I figure all the suitcases that I have amassed will come in really handy then. I can store bulky stuff like jackets and shoes in the Andiamo. Even a big vase would fit in there and be safe. Smaller and fragile yet heavy stuff can go in the Rimowa which protects the contents very well and is easy to roll even when very heavy.

Otherwise, light is the way to go.

Alan, welcome to the world of light travel. I believe you will singing it's praises in no time.

Now, of course, the fun starts.....have you decided on which bag you're going to get?