Comments on: Convertible travel pants: make sense or just make you look like a tourist?

By: Adam Schwartz

Adam Schwartz — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:16:40 +0000

A short pants review:
(well, the pants are short too, I hemmed them as I am just 5’8′.)
After my sept 15th comment I bought the t North Face Paramount Convertible Pants, they work rather well except for too deep front pockets. There were also almost too many pocket options, I kept getting things lost in them-not that I am ever paranoid in NYC. The asphalt colour worked well, and I was able to wear them 4 damp days in a row in NYC without any issues, smell or otherwise. I also splurged on Patagonia’s Continental pants, in henna. These are dressier, while still cargo, and feel great. They are less “technical” than the north faces and do not zip off. I have worn them so far about 5 days in 2 weeks and no problems yet!

By: Michael W.

Michael W. — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:55:27 +0000

There is a review on this blog about the Rick Steves Classic … just use the search feature.

I just saw the Steves Convertible (I own the Classic) at a luggage store and it isn’t worth the extra money.

IMHO the Steves Classic will work fine (as it has for many Euro tourists) if you always carry it with you – but it is not nearly as robust as the AirBoss (I don’t have the AirBoss but I have several other pieces from RedOxx) if you decide to start checking it through. A big plus, to me, on the RedOxx line are the non-”spilling” (read about this at onebag.com) zippers that greatly increase the tamper resistance of the RedOxx products.

The RedOxx Small Aviator Duffel is only $35 for a “bare naked” suitcase style duffle with NO shoulder strap or backpack strap options. It is rugged enough to check, and that’s what I’m doing tonight on my flight to Asia! However, you need a cart or strong arm and shoulder if you are going to lug it around.

What you might do is get the Steves Classic for carryon, and a EXTRA Small Aviator Duffel (only $30!) which you can stow in the Steves Classic until you are filled up with souvenirs and have to check at least one bag home!

BTW this is my favorite travel site, although Kevin does occasionally stray into non-travel gadgets and other interesting, albeit distracting, stuff.

By: Adam

Adam — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:43:53 +0000

Thank ya’ll for the comments. Is the a comparison of the air boss, sky train, tristar, aeronaut, Rick steve’s classic back door and finally the convertable carry on?
I think all of them except the air boss have backpackability, and the later 2 are the cheapest.
I am mildly worried about Kevin’s comment on the air bosses possible too large size. Are the rick steve’s worth buying, how much worse are they than the first 4, and what other questions should I be asking?

By: Miguel Marcos

Miguel Marcos — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 06:03:36 +0000

> I think the issue is totally overplayed.

Amen. It’s far more important how you behave and integrate with the people of the place you’re visiting.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:42:29 +0000

Adam –

I think the issue is totally overplayed. Wear what’s comfortable and versatile, and the convertible pants couldn’t be much more versatile. I even wear them playing golf on cool mornings, zipping off the legs when it warms up. If you want to go the minimalist route when packing, they can be an important part of your arsenal.

As for bags, you can’t do much better than the Air Boss, although it may not meet the Euro carry-on regs. The Bihn Tri-Star is more likely to be ok with European airlines, but it’s not inexpensive either. One thing you might want to check out are the bags available at overstock.com They occasionally have terrific bargains on quality bags.

Best of luck, and travel safe!!

Kevin