Kevin said:

Michael W. said:Costco house-brand "Smuggler" wheelie, about 15 years ago, never let me down whether wheeled on or checked. Since I've moved more towards soft luggage for carryon, this is now my checked bag of choice. Less than 100 bucks when I bought it!

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Michael, I've heard really good things about the Costco house brand luggage…  wonder who makes it??

I used to know – it was one of the quality makers. I haven't seen the 22" wheelies, Costo brand, at Costco for quite a while. About a year or two ago, they had 24 (26") inch check through wheelies but no carryon, then they had 22" wheelies but branded, IIRC, with a Winnebago-style "pop up top" for expanding capacity – something I don't like as much as the old fashioned zip-em-shut styles. I don't know why Costco seems to be neglecting wheelies lately, they used to own the mass market….now they just seem to be carrying this brand or that brand.

I liked the Costco version because they culled the best features from the best bags, left out all the annoying "features", and priced it really low.

Maybe they are waiting to see if TSA/Congress comes up with some new uniform standards for wheelies? Costco's old wheelie is clearly "illegal" it satisfies the most common published domestic airline requirements only if you disregard the bottom wheels, side handle, and top handle. That's one of the reasons I picked up an 18" Briggs & Riley – it IS "legal" if you take into account its actual envelope….

Not sure what you mean by Costco house brand but if you are talking about Kirkland, which I think you are, the maker was Paragon/Pathfinder which just went belly up earlier in 2009. I don't know for how long they were the OEM for Kirkland but I'd say at least three years. Andiamo is the luxury daughter of Paragon/Pathfinder.

The new Kirkland Signature 22" roller is very similar to Tumi. According to hearsay on FT, it is made by the same OEM as Tumi luggage. I'd be inclined to believe that.

My favorite single bag is really a very difficult question and thus answer. If I could only have one bag I'd probably buy something like the Eagle Creek Switchback Max22 because it can do everything.

Otherwise, as a roller, I haven't seen anything that was more thought through then my venerable Travelpro Plat5. It's a thing of genius.

On the non-rolling MLC side I'd probably go with the Briggs Riley 235x.

As a briefcase/day pack/ laptop case the Briggs Riley BB107 is about the most versatile thing I've seen. Can be carried in three modes, stows a ton, looks professional and is even "checkpoint friendly" although this is a feature I feel is more of a marketing gimmick on just about any bag. It is discontinued and can be picked up at around $100 which is the most screaming deal on this kind of bag ever!

As a messenger, laptop, day pack, PHOTO bag the Tenba Small (or big) Messenger Satchel is unbeatable. Tough as nails, huge storage, very versatile, great organization and very easy access. Lightweight to boot. Many colors available. Around $100, too.

In the duffel bag range, I'd say that the discontinued Valoroso VD25 is one sweet bag. Perfect build, great looks, just the right size of compartments. Otherwise the Eagle Creek ORV series is probably hard to beat with the Take 2 28" model being the most interesting because it has two bags in one.

Till

Well, I have an Air Boss, and it's fine, as it goes. However, I still find myself resenting its weight and bulk when I'm at the airport, and packing things that I don't really need, or indeed use at all. My day-to-day bag is a Gator, and recently did a three day trip to Rome with just what I could carry in that*. It was bliss – I felt so unencumbered, and I never once wished for something I'd left behind.

I do have a bag fetish, however. That Western Flyer jobby looks interesting …

*packing list available on request

I second Kevin's request!

Sorry for the delay – here's the beef:

Firstly, a few caveats, etc:

- When I go to Rome, I start from London. So it's a two hour flight, hopefully. I usually travel on EasyJet – their rule is that carry-on has to fit in their sizers (22x15x9, I think), but there's no weight restriction as long as you can carry and lift it. However, they have a one-bag-only rule, even requiring goods bought in Departures to fit in that one bag.

- I wear a pair of trousers, shoes, a fleece and a coat, which have to do for the whole trip

- I'm generally travelling to stay with friends, or at a hotel, so there are items I don't have to take because I know I can borrow one if I need one at the other end (eg, a laptop).

- I'm a great advocate of "take half as many clothes and twice as much money" idea. Civilisation reached places like Rome a long time ago, earlier than many other places, in fact, and they have shops where you can buy anything you might otherwise take "just in case". Chances are, though, you won't need to. Either way, I only take something I know for sure I'll need.

- If something really takes my fancy, and it's too big to fit in the bag on the way home, I post it back.

OK. Clothes first: 3 each of shirts, underpants and socks. These are the wrinkle free, travel variety, packed as a tight bundle with the pants and socks in the centre. This fits nicely in the bottom of the main compartment of the Gator, coming about halfway up.

Next, an Eagle Creek quarter packing cube containing my electric razor (charged), a toothbrush, hairbrush, spare glasses, tissues and aspirin.

Another Eagle Creek quarter packing cube containing spare batteries for phone and camera, an iGo wall charger with tips for the electronics, USB and iPod cables, and a flashdrive containing some important files.

Internal side pocket: Sony eReader, a couple of slim Moleskine notebooks, pens and maybe a phrasebook if I feel my Italian's a bit rusty.

Front pockets: camera (Panasonic TZ5) and iPod (Classic). If I'm feeling juvenile, maybe a Nintendo DS Lite and a couple of games.

Rear pocket: paperwork – Passport, boarding passes, etc.

End pocket: sunglasses

3-1-1: Small bottles of shampoo and shower gel, small tube of toothpaste – I'll leave this behind if I know the hotel is providing, though.

Things like keys, wallet, and phone (Nokia E71), etc, I keep in my pockets, although I'll make sure they're in my coat pockets when I go through security. Thanks to Vodafone's data roaming policies, I can do everything I need on the phone – email, web browsing, Google maps – for GBP5 per day.

I try to keep the weight down to about 5kg (10lbs), in which case you hardly know you're carrying it as you dash through Fiumincino for the Leonardo Express. The first trip I took with the AirBoss (three days in Prague), I took far too much, and it weighed nearly 15kg. That's a mistake you only make once.

I'd like to say I hope that helps, but I realise I'm probably not typical.

Tony said;

the One Bag has turned out to be incredibly versatile. Provided I'm not carrying a suit or the like, I can easily do 4-6+ day trips with it

Wow!  I use a One Bag as my daily driver.  Its a great, versatile bag and is the second part of my two bag RJ approach.  How much do you pack for 4-6 days?  I can't get more than two days worth in it (two shirts, one pair of pants in the back compartment and underwear, etc in the front compartment).  I bow to a master packer.  Can you share your packing list and how you pack?