The Highs: Over the top Red Oxx materials & build quality; multiple pockets; rugged good looks
The Lows: Locking zipper sliders on the bottom zipper of the pass-thru panel would be nice
The Verdict: A studly “quick trip” or gear bag that also happens to be a solid value
The Safari-Beanos PR4 didn’t get off to a particularly auspicious start when it arrived at Practical Hacks Global Headquarters. I glanced at it for a few moments, noted the now-familiar Red Oxx quality, thought “it’s awfully small,” and put it back in its shipping box where it languished for a couple of weeks.
This past weekend I got it out of the box, began packing it with some clothing, and promptly fell in love with the little beast. Let me skip to the punchline: this is a tough, remarkable, quick trip (1-3 nights) or gear bag.
There are a few bags in my arsenal that I return to time and time again, and the Red Oxx Air Boss is high on that list. I love the thing, but if I’ve got a complaint about the Air Boss, it’d be its spartan, minimalist approach – 3 main compartments and a couple of cavernous zippered pockets. I find myself wishing that the Air Boss could accommodate my little electronics (iPod, point and shoot digital camera, ear buds, etc.) and 3-1-1 liquids bag more conveniently, and I’d really like a secure key retainer or at least a small pocket for my keys as I’m one of those sorts who checks for his car keys a minimum of 37 times a day when traveling.
Despite the fact that the tagline on Red Oxx’s PR4 page is “Graduate to Minimalism,” this bag has a bunch of pockets (7 in all) and is minimalist only in respect to its lack of internal padding. The pockets don’t add a lot of weight, and they’re handy for small items and compressible articles of clothing. More on that later; for now let’s take a look at an overall shot of the PR4 and its specs.
This of course is Red Oxx’s proprietary “Safari” color combo – what else would you want for a bag with “Safari” in its name?!
The PR4 is the smallest in a series of four Safari bags – the PR4, PR5, PR5.5, and PR6. The PR6 is nearly a yard long (31″) and can carry 70 pounds… just to give you an idea of the extent of the product series. As you’ll note below, the PR4 is 19″ long and 9″ wide.
Specifications
- Fabric: 1000 weight urethane coated, Dupont certified Cordura nylon
- All zippers #10 YKK self locking
- Thread: #92 bonded SolarMax nylon
- All seams double stitched and bound
- 304 welded stainless V ring
- Stainless steel Mil spec snaps with Red Oxx logo
- Zip knots on all zippers
- Heavy duty luggage tag
- Embroidered patch logos
- Double box stitch on carry handles
- Pass Thru panel to use with wheeled luggage; can double as an extra pocket
- Comes with a Red Oxx Claw strap
- Available in 12 colors
- Dimensions: 19″L x 9″W x 9″H
- Weight: 3.35 pounds
- Capacity: 1,539 Cubic Inches
A Photo Tour
Right up front is a 10½” wide, 6″ tall pocket that’s perfect for small items such as your passport, boarding passes, and even your car keys:
On the opposite side is a “Pass-Thru Panel:” open the twin zippers to the appropriate width, and you can use this panel to mount the PR4 to the handle of your wheelie. If you don’t use a wheeled bag, close the bottom zipper and use this as another pocket that’s identical in size to the front pocket. It’d be handy if the lower zipper’s sliders were the (overlapping) locking type so you could secure them with a small lock or a wire tie. Do this with the current zipper, and the zipper pull tabs stick out prominently; as this is the side of the bag which will likely face your side, that’s not great. If you were never going to use this panel to hold the PR4 on a wheelie, I imagine you could just remove the metal pull tabs and zip tie the sliders, although that seems a bit extreme.
A close-up of one of the end pockets. Each measures 8½”H x 9″W x 3¼”D, perfect for underwear, socks, and lightweight tee shirts. On the front is a zippered pocket that measures 8″ x ~7″ and is fine for an iPod, ear buds, chap stick, and the like:
A view of the panel which serves as the opening to the main compartment. Twin zippers and quarter turn stainless steel latches secure everything inside. Also of note is the triangular stainless V ring; your ID/luggage tag can be attached to the lower section, so your shoulder strap’s snap hook won’t rub against its cord. One other important note: unlike the Air Boss and some other Red Oxx bags, the PR4 does not feature any padding; if you were thinking that this might make a great camera bag, look elsewhere. Red Oxx’s Sun Chaser is a better option. This aspect of the PR4 was probably part of my initial reaction to the bag – when empty, it tends to collapse on itself a bit.
The briefcase handle features stainless Mil-spec snaps; it’s quite comfortable:
The super-tough version of the Quake Industries Claw strap included with the PR4 is a great strap for this bag, as loads shouldn’t get much above 13 pounds or so:
A close-up of the top panel closures and V ring; everything on the bag has a satisfying heft. This end of the bag features a couple of extra D rings – you can see one of the left, below. These enable users to lock the main compartment: just use a small lock between the slider’s metal pull and the D ring.
A detail shot; the materials and workmanship on all Red Oxx bags are simply beyond belief – these things will likely outlast you!
From a security standpoint, it’s worth noting that the YKK chain type zippers used on the PR4 and other Red Oxx bags are completely resistant to spreading open as the result of the bag being over-packed, and are totally resistant to pilferage, should you lock the slider’s hasps together. The distinctive “Monkey’s Fist” pulls utilized by Red Oxx are also prominent in this shot:
How large is the Safari Beanos PR4?
Here the PR4 is flanked by the Air Boss (L) and Bihn Tri-Star. The Air Boss’s capacity is 2184 cubic inches; at 1539 cubic inches, the PR4 has approximately 70% the capacity of its stablemate. (The Safari-Beanos PR5 is more directly comparable to the Air Boss: it’s right at maximum allowable carry-on dimensions, and its capacity is 2400 cubic inches.)
As I’ve previously mentioned, if you’re doing business casual or casual travel, this bag could easily handle 2-3 night trips; if you’re an ultralight packer, you certainly could go longer – much longer – with the PR4. I took a very quick pass at packing a few items in the PR4, and did a quick video overview; it follows.
A quick video tour…
One thing I forgot to mention: I’d placed a rolled up pair of nylon shorts in one of the end pockets, along with my “dry” toiletries (razor, deodorant, etc.) (The lighting is horrible in the room I’m using for videos – all the colors are washed out. I’ll work on this!)
I’d obviously taken a casual (read: careless) approach to putting a few items of clothing into the PR4 for this video; I decided to revisit packing the bag, taking a bit more care as I did so. It turns out that a medium packing cube, placed on end, fits the PR4 very well:
Above: from top to bottom – medium packing cube, Asus netbook in neoprene sleeve, rolled-up sweatshirt; a lot of room is left over. Note, of course, that full size laptops will not fit in this bag. Given the lack of padding in the bag’s bottom, care should be taken if you’re using it with a netbook (read: don’t drop it on a hard floor from a height of two feet!).
Here I’ve added a 6″ x 9″-format paperback; there’s still space in the lower right for underwear, socks, and perhaps a lightweight (polyester or polypropylene) tee shirt or two. By the way: file folders, placed in the PR4 vertically, fit perfectly.
Wrapping up…
I’ll be doing a quick overnight trip to Cincinnati in another couple of weeks, and can’t wait to use this bag for that trip. As most of my travel is business casual, all I need to do is pack an extra shirt or two, perhaps a spare pair of slacks, underwear, etc. and I’m basically set. With the PR4, I’ll still have room for my iPod Touch, my netbook, and a couple of folders and a notepad, a book, and will likely have room left over.
How to sum up the Safari-Beanos PR4? Perhaps one of Red Oxx’s customers said it best in a user review:
I had my first opportunity to travel with my Safari Beanos Bags — from Richmond out to Colorado, around Colorado and then back home. They endured the indifference and abuse of luggage handlers, cab drivers and the like without a whimper or scar. Now, more than ever, I appreciate the thought and design, not to mention quality and craftwork that went into their making.
Let’s face it: we live in a disposable society. We have disposable cameras, disposable diapers, disposable dishes, the laptop you buy today will be essentially obsolete in half a dozen years, and if a tube-type TV stops working, we throw it out. In that context, the PR4 is a breath of fresh air. The thing oozes quality, is built like a brick house, and its safari-inspired style is timeless. What’s that worth to you?
The PR4, like all Red Oxx products, is made in Montana and is backed by a lifetime warranty. At $175, it’s a solid value. Also, consider what it’s not: it’s not made offshore; it’s not made from recycled soda bottles; it’s not overpriced.
See the PR4 at the Red Oxx site: Safari-Beanos PR4
Oh yeah: what or who is Beano? Beano is apparently a neighbor of one of the principals of Red Oxx, and is a guy who likes pockets on his bags. If true, the series of bags ought to be named Safari-Beano’s; in any event, thanks Beano!
If you’ve used Red Oxx bags or would otherwise like to add to the discussion, please do so by commenting!
The Fine Print: I have no connection with Red Oxx; I was provided a sample PR4 to assist in the writing of this post.
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This is a guest post from Practical Hacks reader Berg, in which she provides a detailed explanation of how she approaches packing the Outdoor Products Essential Carry-on.
First, I just wanted to thank Kevin for the chance to post here! I appreciate it.
What I’ve discovered about the Outdoor Products Essential Carry-on is that the sagging or floppiness comes almost as much from the way you choose to carry the bag as it does from the way you pack it.
I packed about 14 lbs in this bag, and in this first picture, I’ve got it by the briefcase handle. Carrying it this way seems to make the bag sag more than any other method. Using the shoulder strap (I’ve got the OpTech SOS strap on mine), the bag doesn’t sag as much as you think it would, though there is a slight shift.
Moving on to the backpack straps, which work well. Even just using one strap, the bag hardly sags at all. In fact, out of the three carrying methods, this one seems to sag the least (and was the most comfortable, at least for me). This may have more to do with how I packed the bag, but even so, for a bag without structure, it does pretty well:
By the way, I am turned slightly away from camera in the above left picture, just so you don’t think the bag sticks out that far behind me. I didn’t overload the front pockets with trinkets, either, just a few small guidebooks and my 3-1-1 bag. Obviously those outside pockets will bulge a little bit if you load it up with lots of odd-shaped items, but they didn’t poke out too badly with what I had in there, as you can see.
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As reported in the NY Times, Gary Leff’s View from the Wing blog, and in this FlyerTalk thread, British Airways and Chase are rolling out an incredibly lucrative sign-on bonus for a BA Visa Signature card. See the details at The NYT by clicking on the image below or on this link to Gary’s blog:
The card does have a $75 annual fee, but 100,000 miles are enough for two trans Atlantic coach tickets… not a bad trade-off.
UPDATE: Here’s a direct link to the offer: Earn 2 Transatlantic Reward Flights
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One of the things which popped up at BFads.net this week is a preview of a sale W-M is conducting tomorrow. Six items are featured at fairly substantial discounts:
If you’d like to see more detail about this sale, visit BFads.net feature on it by clicking here.
The deal on the Xbox 360 is particularly attractive, as it includes a $100 Wal-Mart gift card. I don’t believe that you can actually use the gift card toward the Xbox purchase (as BFads.net suggests), but it’s a solid deal nevertheless. Click the link above for more details.
The Fine Print: I have no connection to Wal-Mart or BFads.net
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The Highs: Tiny, beautifully designed, 2.9 oz., 10,200 BTU/hr., competitively priced
The Lows: Like many canister stoves, struggles in the wind at times
The Verdict: A very solid option for backpackers
Canister stoves have become popular with backpackers for a number of reasons: they’re compact, lightweight, easy to use, durable, and reliable. One of the most compact stoves is the Optimus Crux, yet it puts out an amazing 10,200 BTU per hour. Weighing in at a mere 83 grams, the Crux is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand:
…or in the recess of a butane/propane canister:
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The Highs: Good looks, handsome colors, Patagonia brand & green philosophy
The Lows: Tiny zipper pulls, quirky design features, DNA of Patagonia pricing team all over this thing
The Verdict: A nice daypack with a price tag that’s not for the faint of heart
I recently had a chance to check out Patagonia’s Crosstown daypack. Patagonia positions this as a “full featured” daypack for daily use, hiking, school, or vagabonding. Available in a couple of distinctive colors plus black, the bag continues both Patagonia’s admirable use of recycled materials and quirky, bewildering approach to product design.
Before we dig in, let’s check out the Crosstown’s specs:
Specifications
Here are the specs, straight from the Patagonia website:
- Large, zippered main compartment has fully padded, suspended, self-adjusting laptop sleeve and separate internal mesh organizer sleeve
- Second zippered compartment has office organizer pockets
- Front catch-all sleeve provides easy access to documents, tickets and other important materials
- Side organizer pocket with detachable keychain
- Stretch-woven water bottle pocket
- Fleece-lined top pocket for sunglasses or electronics
- 3-D spacer-mesh straps and back pad wick moisture, dry quickly and allow air circulation; shoulder straps have slots for clip-on attachments; adjustable sternum strap with built-in safety whistle; waistbelt; web carrying handle
- Body: 150-denier 100% all-recycled polyester double weave. Lining: 200-denier polyester. Both have a polyurethane coating and a DWR (durable water repellent) finish. Shoulder straps: polyester 3-D spacer-mesh
- 768 g (1 lb 11 oz)
- 20″ x 11.5″ x 6″
- Computer sleeve 15.5″ x 11.5″ x 1.5″
- Made in Vietnam
A quick photo tour…
Immediately apparent on the front of the bag is a fairly large open pocket; Patagonia calls it a “catch all sleeve” and suggests it’s for boarding passes and similar items. As it’s wide open (no zipper, no Velcro closure), I’d be hesitant to put anything of much value in it. One thing you can’t see in my photo below is a pair of compression straps that Patagonia put on this surface:
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The Highs: Capacity, low price, features, low price, 3 carry modes, did I mention low price?
The Lows: When your executor reads your will, this won’t be mentioned
The Verdict: A perfectly serviceable carry-on that’s a killer value
If you’re looking for an economical carry-on that’s perfect for occasional use, quick weekend jaunts, or for use by a student or young adult, you really ought to check out the Outdoor Products Essential Carry-on. No, this bag will not cause gnashing of teeth or insomnia over at Red Oxx, Bihn, or Briggs & Riley headquarters, but then again they don’t sell stuff that goes for south of $35, either.
What you get for your 33 bones is a basic two compartment bag with 3 carry modes (briefcase, shoulder strap, backpack straps) that is quite commodius. I put 3 full size bath towels and 5 hand towels in the main compartment, and another 3 hand towels in the secondary compartment before taking the photo below; there was a fair amount of room left over.
Will the bag last for decades? Uh, no. Will women swoon and small animals run away when you approach with the Essential Carry-on slung over your shoulder? Hardly. But within its own limitations (lighter duty materials, polymer hardware, light weight), it’s a decent bag and at the price, a compelling value. Think of it this way: you can buy 7 of these for the price of one Air Boss.
Before we dig in, let’s take a quick look at the bag’s specifications.
Specs
- Airline regulation size carry-on – 21″ x 13″ x 9″
- Capacity: 2,825 cubic inches
- 500 denier Cordura Plus® nylon fabric; water repellent
- Rubber briefcase grip
- Stowable backpack straps
- Detachable shoulder strap with “non-slip” shoulder pad
- One main compartment with compression straps and zippered mesh pocket
- Front pocket for 3-1-1 bag or magazines, etc.; includes a couple of pen slots & simple storage pockets
- Zippered accessory pocket for travel documents, pens, etc.
- Fabric pulls on zippers
- Storm flap on main zipper
- Umbrella loops under accessory pocket
- Polymer hardware
- Weight: 1 lb. 12 oz.
- Made in Vietnam
A quick photo tour…
The main compartment opened. Note the compression straps on the bottom, and a zippered mesh compartment on the opposing side:
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Although my home office desk is pictured here, this is really a post about my desk at work. Tired of the clutter, crumpled Post-It notes and pile of pens & markers near my phone, a vertical file full of folders I never looked at, three 5″ high piles of file folders relating to “current” projects, two bobbleheads (yes, two), miscellaneous notes scribbled on scraps of paper, a Visine bottle, a gum container, and so forth — on Friday afternoon I spent about 2 hours clearing my desk at work. I wish I’d taken a “Before” photo; at present there’s a phone, speakers, flat panel display, keyboard, mouse, one pen, and nothing else… sort of like the image above, but with fewer things on the desk.
Behind the scenes, I need to reorganize my files and either a) scan, electronically file, and toss or b) simply toss – a bunch of files. I’ll do that this week when I’m not fielding comments about how I obviously have nothing to do since my desk is empty. The simple truth: although I’m organized by nature, I’ve fallen into the trap of tolerating clutter in a couple of places: my workbench in our garage and my desk at work are the best examples. It may be a combination of too much stuff going on and not enough storage space, but no matter what the case, it’s sloppy and undisciplined, and I don’t want to tolerate it any longer. (Another, related truth – I own too much crap. One of the things I need to do this fall and winter is go through each room, earmark stuff to get rid of, and either sell it, trade it, donate it, or throw it out. )
So I’m going to spend some time over at unclutterer.com for some tips, reorganize my files, and strive to leave the building each evening with a desk that looks like an experiment in sensory deprivation. I’ll let you know how I make out via a post or two.
Oh… in case you think I’m exaggerating, here’s a quick shot of my workbench (it’s under there somewhere)…
Dirty laundry aired, on to some interesting links I’ve come across lately…
Here’s something, given what I’ve written above, that will help; perhaps you have some gadgets that you no longer need as well: How to Recycle Your Gadgets from the Matador Network.
OK, if nothing else, this post from Zen Habits (sorry, MW) has made me really curious about Dr. Bronner’s soap: The Beginner’s Guide To Minimalist Travel. Have any of you used this stuff???
I’m a bit prejudiced in favor of the packing lists I’ve been using – and offering via our FREE Downloads page – but if you want to try another approach, check out PACKWHIZ. There are several templates to get you started, or you can create your own. Note: you need a Google/Gmail account to sign in, and to enable you to save your lists.
For those of you who like to cook, a great little post from Gizmodo about kitchen knives (and knives in general): You’re Doing It Wrong: How to Properly Buy, Maintain, and Use a Knife
(NOTE: links are to the iTunes Store) — Another couple of neat apps for your iPod Touch or iPhone: Nikon’s Learn & Explore. There’s little chance you’ll miss the fact that this app is from Nikon, but it’s chock full of wonderful images and helpful hints. NASA hasn’t always done such a marvelous job from a PR standpoint, but their web initiatives have been solid; another illustration of how they’ve smartened up is their iPhone/iPod Touch app: NASA – it offers mission updates, high quality videos, and extraordinary photographs.
Looking for exotic places for your next travel destination? If yes, definitely check out Atlas Obscura – a “collaborative project with the goal of cataloging all of the singular, eccentric, bizarre, fantastical, and strange out-of-the-way places that get left out of traditional travel guidebooks and are ignored by the average tourist.” The site is easy to navigate – you can search by continent and country – and endlessly fascinating. You adventure travelers out there should love it!
That’s all for now. Look to site for a few new reviews this week… have a great one!
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Just FYI – Jos. A. Bank is running a 50% Off sale Friday and Saturday only. They do this a few times a year, and it’s a great opportunity to grab a deal. I’m a big fan of their Traveler button down shirts which, as the name implies, travel well with minimal wrinkling. Just click on the image below or the ad to the right to go to the Bank store. Note – I am a Jos. A. Bank affiliate.
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This is turning out to be shoulder strap week… in lieu of a comparo, I thought I’d post a few quick shots of several well known shoulder straps. Let’s take a look:
Above, the Victorinox, new Absolute Strap from Tom Bihn, the Briggs & Riley Flexible Shoulder Strap, and the old style Absolute Strap. The Victorinox is a nice strap with an interesting “grip” feature on its underside, but the short length of the pad isn’t a plus, and it doesn’t flex much at all. The Briggs & Riley is a handsome strap with leather accents, but I personally find it a bit too narrow and as a result it cuts into my shoulder a bit. It has a fair amount of flex. The old Absolute is still a gem.
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