Customer Reviews

High Sierra Carry-On Wheeled Backpack

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

 

 

Bought this for vacation trip to be able to carry everything on my back.
Functionality: Outstanding. Main bag fits in overhead compartment and holds clothes for a couple days. Wheels are good, and it's reasonably comfortable as a backpack - not for outdoors hiking, just navigating airports and harbors and general travel. Day pack is easy fit under seats and extremely well organized with pockets in exactly in the right places. AND - it will carry a laptop with a little room to spare. It took one or two times to master zippering the two bags together, but it seems to be a very good design. The entire combo together is surprisingly comfortable given the substantial load it carries.
Manufacture and workmanship: Great for the money, though this is not Gucci or TUMI, either. Seems like pretty good materials and is assembled very well. It looks like fairly heavy duty though one plate has already bent a little. I will use it for business trips no problem and the day pack is fine for carrying stuff from hotel rooms to meetings.

I travel a lot, and wanted to have a small suitcase that would be my signature, small check-in/carry-on one that I can rely on on each of my travels.
I have a High Sierra backpack (picked that brand on a whim), and besides very thin inner compartment linings, it was perfect - lots of compartments, very tough and rugged exterior, strong yet light, comfortable yet secure.

A good backpack once on worn makes you feel like you're carrying your house on your shoulders, but with ease of mind and comfort. Those who travel often (not for business) know what I'm talking about. When you just up and go, your very best friend is your backpack. It is the ONE thing that you clutch on to and never forget. I stuff everything in it, from small household/travel necessities, to my PSP, netbook/laptop, DSLR camera, to important documents like visa, passport, tickets, money, etc.

So it was extremely important that I picked the right suitcase. I looked around, from SwissGear to Targus. But since I already have a High Sierra, I thought I'd give them a chance and look-see to find out what else they have to offer, and found these 2-in-1 suitcases. There were 3 styles I was going to choose from, but in the end I chose this one because it was the highest model in the right size for what I needed.
But when it arrived I have to say I was a little disappointed. Don't get me wrong, I love it, hence the 4 stars, but I'm not IN LOVE with it.

First of all, the zipper pullers are big and strong, yet the zippers themselves didn't quite have that smooth and quality "roll" that high quality zippers should have. If you know anything about high-end fashion/accessories, you know that good zippers are paramount.
Secondly, and very related, I am disappointed in the attachment/detachment mechanism between the day-pack and the suitcase. It is attached by a zipper, that when you have the 2 packs attached, is fine. But once you have them separated, it is not easy to attach them again. In a hectic airport check-in scenario, you don't want to be all frustrated fumbling around trying to attach or detach them.
And finally, for its price, I expected a little more out of its material quality. It is very strong, thick, and tough, but it doesn't have that high-quality feel to it. Remember that you can get good full-sized suitcases for around $50, so for something that is double the amount, it does not correlate well between price and quality.
These gripes aren't very big, however, and within them I stated the good things as well. And also, the handling and transportation mechanics are very good - strong, sturdy handles (both the lifting, and the pull-out ones), and awesome, smooth, and strong roller wheels. It is not too heavy either, so for guys it should be no problem when worn on the back. I can't say the same for the ladies, or even for guys after you put in some extra-thick jeans, towels, jackets, etc., but hey, that's why they have the pull-out handle and wheels.

In the end, I still love it and will keep it. The idea is very novel, and I'm sure it will save me more than once down the road in a tricky airport situation, as well as being very practical in actual usage.

You should definitely check it out, and you should check out its cheapest cousin High Sierra Carry-On Wheeled Backpack with Removable Day Pack

I am an engineering/environmental chemistry major and without car so I have to carry my books that I need for the day with me. Between 4 full-sized hard bound textbooks, 2 lab manuals, 5 notebooks, a netbook, a water bottle and various assorted supplies a backpack just won't cut it (unless of course I want back problems for the rest of my life). After looking for months to find a bag that could organize my supplies, not feel like I'm lugging a trunk around, and would be heavy-duty enough to take the daily grind I found this bag. School is just getting started so I'm not sure about how well it's going to hold up over the semester but I do know that all my stuff fits and is well organized. The bag seems well constructed and unlike other reviewers, I have no problem detaching and reattaching the day-pack from the main bag. I'll update this review as the semester progresses.

UPDATE: (May 2011)

This bag has made it through 2 college semesters and is still going strong. It is very durable, easy to organize my books, work and supplies into and I have received a lot of compliments on it. Also, more than a few fellow students (young and old alike) who wanted to know where I got the bag from. Definitely the best set-up I have ever had for school. Worth every penny and more. I expect to get several more semesters out of this bag since it's not even showing any signs of wear and tear yet. And if you wonder how much use it's getting....I have 19 units this semester and NO online classes. :)

This bag is made of polyester, so it scratches and gets tattered easily. I was rolling it down a sidewalk and hit a bump causing the bag to turn and scrape its bottom corner against the cement. The scuff shredded a small quadrant of the material. Overall the bag was ok, but I will have to be very wary of rough edges in the future.

The first trip we took I spent twenty minutes trying to zip the backpack to the suitcase. It just wouldn't start as the little tab that slides into the zipper slide wobbled around. The second time I tried to zip the backpack onto the suitcase, the little wobbly thing just fell off. Now this item has a good warranty and they may repair it for me but I now have to take the time to contact the company, box it back up, make labels for it and take it to the UPS store to ship it back. My time is valuable and I'd probably be better off to just consider it a loss and buy a different brand than High Sierra. I would never buy another one of these. The quality control is very bad.

Update - I sent the suitcase back after talking to the company. They made it really easy and I received the new product very quickly. I am increasing my review to 3 stars, but the quality control should still be increased to avoid these problems for the consumer.

The wheels etc. add too much weight to the bag. It could have been made out of lighter materials. Anyway its too unwieldy to be dragged. And too heavy to be carried.

its a great item besause de size its perfecto for the carry on at the air plane

I decided that for my first trip to Europe, I wasn't going to lug my college duffel bag with me. This bag more then sufficed. As I was initially going to purchase a rolling bag and a back pack, this bag fit the bill on both fronts. This bag is built like a tank. The outer fabric seems almost bullet-proof. The Wheels handled the cobblestones of Prague like a champion. I was worried they might fall off, but they didn't even wobble. The back pack zips off quickly and easily from the wheeled compartment and the strap on the backside slips over the extended handle to keep you moving once you clear security. I'll sum it up this way: this bag makes me want to take more trips

Our family bought three of these to travel across Europe. The quality is quite good, and the bags are big enough to get a few days worth of clothes and things to keep kids busy on long flights. It is small enough that an eight year old can carry it with ease and big enough that a 12 year old can get enough stuff in there.

This bag is great. The bag is light, sturdy, and looks fantastic. I was able to pack 5-days worth of items including some gear for cooler weather. The zippers were sturdy and I am confident they will endure my stuffing and over-stuffing of the bag. The day-pack is small, but perfect for a second carry-on or for actually being a DAY pack. I really liked how it fit nicely over the handle of the larger bag. The straps are a bit odd (kind of stiff) on the day pack, but I sense that they will become more comfortable over time.

I am really pleased with this purchase and would recommend this bag to anyone looking for a good bag to avoid checking luggage for up to a 1-week trip.