Customer Reviews

Eagle Creek Travel Gear Tarmac 25 Wheeled Travel Bag

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

One UPDATED note about this review: It appears that since I bought my Tarmac 25 bag in 2007, Eagle Creek has tweaked this bag - and seriously redesigned it in 2011. This review was written before the 2011 changes. The newer ones (pre-2011) have an easier to use add-a-bag strap connection, a built-in shoe compartment, and perhaps a slightly different kind of fabric in some parts. However, I believe that this review of the earlier version of this bag is valid and useful, because the bag I saw in stores up till the 2011 change, seemed to be nearly the same as the bag I own.

I've had my Eagle Creek Tarmac 25 bag, in the Palm Green color, since March 2007. I gulped a bit at the prices of the Eagle Creek luggage, but I was heading out for a month-long tour in foreign countries. The itinerary included ten commercial flights, meaning ten opportunities for my one allowed checked bag to be bounced, jounced, dropped and smashed while out of my sight. I just didn't want to risk having a cheap suitcase fall apart while I was on tour on the other side of the world. As noted, the tour company allowed us one checked bag (with strict size and weight limits) and one carry-on which because we'd be on small planes and buses, couldn't be the typical wheeled 22-inch US domestic carry-on type. So I got this bag and the Eagle Creek Travel Gear Small 08 Tarmac Flight Bag (or the 2007 version thereof, not sure if the "08" designation makes any difference except type of nylon).

This bag not only took the big Down Under tour in stride, it's since been to S. America (where an aircraft cargo hatch door was slammed down on it, broke the TSA lock but the bag is unscathed except for a zipper pull tag that was easy to replace, didn't hurt the zipper itself), Asia, the UK, and various places in the USA. it still looks great, and the gray and green colors make it a little easier to spot on the baggage claim carousels than the universal black. Someone said this line of luggage looks too "backpack-like" for them, but I like it.

At the time I was shopping for it, there weren't as many lightweight luggage choices as there are now that US airlines are more aggressive in enforcing their luggage weight limits. But if I had it to do over again, I'd still buy this bag. It's a quality item in all respects. It's lightweight but very sturdy.

I like the inner compartment organization. I've packed using packing cubes (the Eagle Creek and eBags brands), and sometimes a packing folder - and sometimes without those aids. But the inner compartments and the snug-down straps in the main compartment allow for packing my stuff securely. The bag when empty and when properly packed is very stable and easy to maneuver on its wheels.

The wheels: they are not the cheap-looking little smooth plastic wheels I see on so many bags. These are large rubber wheels, with treads. They are well-placed, at the sides of the bag, and the whole area is reinforced with hard plastic so that you can wheel this thing up and down stairs without ripping the fabric. I've gotten used to wheeling my Eagle Creek bag smoothly along at a good pace, while people around me with other kinds of rolling bags, are fighting to keep theirs from tipping over or getting stuck. The flight bag I mentioned above, slips over the handle of this bag and together they make a nice single unit that's easy to roll along. I'm not sure I'd want to take the London Underground between the airport and my hotel, with less stable and easy to manage rolling luggage. But I've done it with this bag and its matching flight bag, no worries.

This is a great bag. I have one I've used for a year. I actually ordered it for my husband, but I started using it. Now I'm ordering another one for him.

I have been using Eagle Creek bags for a decade now and have been very pleased with them. For me the biggest selling point for the Eagle Creek bags is the No Matter What damage repair policy. When my Eagle Creek backpack has been torn or damaged by airlines, I put it in the mail to Eagle Creek and it came back either repaired or with replaced parts. In my opinion, this policy shows the quality of the Eagle Creek products and has saved me a lot of money which would have been spent on replacement bags.

I now travel for work more than for adventure and I decided to get a rolling bag. That it would be an Eagle Creek bag was not a question, but rather which one. I have used the Tarmac 25 for long, round the world trips and have not been disappointed. The bag has ample room for packing and the main compartment can be expanded by 15% easily if need be. There are two compartments on the front of the bag that can be used to store items that can be accessed without opening the main compartment. Inside, there are more compartments for storage. I have been very pleased with the ease of organizing my clothing and equipment.

The bag is very durable with hard, plastic at the corners where the bag takes the most abuse from the baggage handlers. After several round the world trips, these plastic wear points have deep gouges in them, but the rest of the bag is in very good shape. The handle is easy to raise and lower. The large wheels are very sturdy and are very durable. I have wheeled the bag along cobblestone streets without it tipping over. All of the compartments have large zippers which are easy to zip and have rings for locks. There is also a built in shoe box for keeping shoes separate from your clothes.

The information which comes with the bag has suggestions for other Eagle Creek products which can be used to organize your packing. These include the Eagle Creek Travel Gear Pack-It Tube Cube for socks and underwear, the Eagle Creek Pack-It Half Cube for socks and underwear, the Pack-It 18" Packing Folder Color: Marine Blue Plaid for dress shirts and slacks, the Eagle Creek Travel Gear Pack-It Double Packing Cube for t-shirts, jeans and sweaters, the Eagle Creek Travel Gear Wallaby II Organizer for toiletries and the Eagle Creek Pack-It Cube for t-shirts and jeans.

The Tarmac 25 is perfect for week long trips, but maybe too big for weekend trips, depending on how and what you pack. I would prefer one of the smaller Tarmacs for a weekend trip.

Overall, I am very pleased with the Tarmac 25 and I would not hesitate to recommend it. The Tarmac 25 may be more expensive than other bags of the same size, but the No Matter What damage repair policy, the durability of the bag and ease of organizing the bag all make it worth the extra cost.

I researched the net as you are now, and found this case to be the most recommended for my purposes. I was traveling to Italy for 10 days and needed something durable, yet spacious, and I wanted a lighter weight bag so I wouldn't have to pay extra for my plane trip.

This bag was dependable and I love that the wheels have a 360 radius so if you pull the bag in the wrong direction, it still moves with you. Because of the weight, I came in far below the weight limits and was able to slip two bottles of wine in it to bring home. Get a unusual color because mine was easy to find at the baggage claim and I was off and running.

This is a great suitcase. Light weight. durable. An adult child appropriated my old Tarmac 25 and I went straight to Amazon to get another. This new version seems lighter with some internal improvements. The actual seller was Luggage Pros and the transaction itself went just fine.

After doing extensive search on a new suitcase, how could I pass the Tarmac up. Checked tons of sites, watched the youtube videos available.

Unfortunately the exterior of the luggage ripped on the FIRST trip. Again on the second.

Exterior material is too weak for how luggages get handled at airports.

Spacious yes, movement excellent. Exterior material thumbs down.

Yes Eagle Creek has an excellent warranty, but with so much travel I dont have time to ship it away and wait for a return.

I recently took this Tarmac 25 on an almost 2 week trip and with no complaints what so ever. It has high quality construction, with a well thought out design. The shoe compartment is especially nice along with the other inside compartments. It rolls easily when full and the handle is plenty long enough for easy maneuvering. I really have no complaints with this bag. We have 2 of these bags and the handle was damaged, not badly, on one of them on a trip and Eagle Creek sent us a replacement handle for free. I was very satisfied with Eagle Creek's customer support. I highly recommend this bag for anyone looking for one this size. We shopped around a lot and found that Amazon had the best price and shipping policies.

I own both Eagle Creek Travel Gear Tarmac 22 Wheeled Travel Bag & the Eagle Creek's 15" Round About Wheeled Tote
Since I was taking a cruise AND Eagle Creek was discontinuing the palm color I decided to purchase the 25 in. bag. It
didn't arrive in time for the cruise so I have not used it. I was surprised how large the bag was but that is because I am
use to traveling with only a 22 in. bag and a tote. (I will say I was nearly the only person in my group using only a 22 in.
bag -- most had the 25 in.)

I am sure the 25 in. will be every bit as good bag as the 22 in. I have used extensively. The biggest pluses: the wheels are large & sturdy
making it a breeze to roll around, the expandable handle functions extremely well and it will stand alone (not fall over) when the wheeled
tote is attached to the handle. Another advantage of the 25 in. is my heavy duty New Balance shoes (WR1123MC) will fit in the shoe
compartment while they do not in the 22 in. bag.

Although I have not had to use Eagle Creeks life time warranty I like the fact that I can. I am a 76 yr. old 5 ft. 2 in. female and highly
recommend the Tarmac series.

I have used this already 4 times in 6 weeks. And it works great, it is light and forces me to be organized. Love it and will buy more pieces to accompany it.

I have owned an Eagle Creek Tarmac 22in suitcase for going on 5 years now. I travel at least 60,000 - 70,000 air miles per year for business and pleasure, so it takes a beating. Except for a few smudges here and there, it still looks and performs like new. A couple years ago I had a problem with the pull-out handle and Eagle Creek fixed it promptly for no charge. The bags are not cheap, but the unconditional lifetime guarantee makes them worth every penny and more. My wife, who travels as much or more than I do, has gone through 3 or 4 suitcases in the same time (Travel Pro & Samsonite) and in the end has spent considerably more than I did on the Eagle Creek. We just purchased two of these Eagle Creek Tarmac 25in cases for a trip to Italy and they lived up to all of our expectations. Besides being very rugged...they are VERY easy to pack too. I highly recommend the Eagle Creek Tarmac luggage.