Sorry, missed this. The only problem that I see with this bag is the increased width. If I am using an AirBoss for my main bag, do i really want a second bag hanging off my shoulder? I want to put the bag that will be under my seat and will also be the bag that I carry as my daily bag at my destination, inside the AirBoss, and I don’t think that this bag will fit. I may be getting the Metro.

At around 38 linear inches this is about the maximum for a personal item in my experience. Some airlines don’t specify any measures, others are between 35 and 38. The BR strap looks perfect on that bag, by the way.

Michael, while I agree with most everything you say, I would say that Briggs is not the best example when you talk about paying for a brand name. If you compare comparable models e.g. Airboss to 235x. You will see that they are in the same price range indeed. The BR will offer even more features, an even more thought out approach to ergonomics, a nicer look and the brand name plus an equally good warranty at the same price or perhaps 10 per cent more. There are only two possible downsides to BR. The ultimate durability might not be quite as high as Redoxx but is still among the best in the business and their “simple as that” warranty makes this almost a moot point. For carry-on luggage which stays in your careful hands all the time, ergonomics and looks are more important and the BR range more than makes up on that for what they lose perhaps on ultimate durability. The other downside is that they are manufactured in Far East. While the political side of that issue persists, I have never seen BR knock-offs.

A better example might have been Tumi whose Alpha series has similar merits to the BR baseline series but is roughly 30% more expensive because of the name.

That said, the Tumi 26141 is an iconic design and completely excels in everyday use. I would not be surprised if it ended up in the design section of the MoMA.

It does seem to be on the more masculine side and I am not always a big fan of velcro everything just because it’s not as easy or fast, however if safety and security are important, then velcro works great I believe.

Fantastic photos as well!!