How big is that bag… really??

In my review of the eBags Mother Lode TLS Mini 21, I mentioned the Air Boss in passing, specifically with regard to capacity.  I thought I’d take a quick shot of those two bags along with the Landor & Hawa Sub-0-G:

According to the manufacturers, here are the claimed capacities for each:

• Air Boss:  2184 cu in
• Sub-0-G:  no specific claim made; my estimate – ~2280 cu in
• TLS Mini 21:  2752 cu in

(Note that the Air Boss is soft sided and was not fully packed; also, the expansion gusset in the TLS Mini was collapsing on itself.)

Many manufacturers seem to rely upon simple linear calculations when computing capacity.  Bags like the Air Boss or Sub-0 are well suited to that approach; if a bag has many curved or sloping surfaces, a more sophisticated approach is required.  The only accurate way to measure capacity on such bags would be to fill them with some sort of light, uniformly shaped material like plastic pellets – and then measure those pellets in a container equal to a cubic foot, or something similar.

Exacerbating this issue is the fact that most bag websites show products out of context – that is, they use studio “beauty shots” and there’s usually no point of reference so you can get a sense of how large the bag actually is.  As a result, we’re reduced to studying the dimensions and trying to make an educated guess.

And speaking of which, sometimes they simply get the dimensions wrong, or fudge them.  The most egregious example I’ve run across in this regard was with the last gen Patagonia MLC…  which was actually considerably smaller than the claimed dimensions.

What can we do as consumers? A few things come to mind:

• Carefully check user reviews – users will often write about what they packed, how many days they traveled with the bag, and so forth
• Check sites like FlyerTalk, OBOW, and – I would hope – this site.  The comments on FT are frank and unfiltered, and bloggers are able to make direct comparisons between different bags – something you’ll never find on bag manufacturer’s websites, at least at this point
• Ask the Customer Service Department at the company you’re considering buying from pointed questions about features and capacity – if they’re good, they’ll get you answers; best to do this with the manufacturer vs. a reseller
• Exercise your rights – if you’re disappointed, send it back, Google the name of the firm’s president, and send him or her a complaint letter/email

What are your thoughts on this issue?  Ever receive a bag only to find out it was smaller or different than you expected??  Please join the conversation by commenting.