Customer Reviews

Rick Steves Convertible Carry On

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

We have one of these bags from 5+ years ago that worked wonderfully on a trip to Europe so I eagerly ordered another for a trip this winter. The design and color were great and I quickly packed for 10 days with room to spare. The morning of the trip I went to extract the shoulder straps to carry on my back to the airport and discovered that the ring to which one shoulder strap should attach was stitched so poorly that the ring flew off before I got the bag up. I had to carry it by its handle, like a 25 pound briefcase. It survived the airport just fine though. When I arrived and started to unpack it, I discovered that the zipper stop on one side was so poorly sewn that the zipper pull simply flew off the end as I opened up the bag. To be able to close the bag and return home, I sewed it with carpet thread as best I could and it survived the trip. This is a fantastic bag but I have a lemon or else the quality of the construction has completely fallen off. Check your bag over carefully before you leave on your trip!

I was looking for a bag that could hold at least a weeks worth of clothing, and yet could fit in the overhead while doing it. I saw this bag on one of Rick's programs, and set out to find it. That search ultimately led me here.

I Bought this bag for a week long vacation in Italy and it worked out perfectly. The bag is a well thought out, and intuitive piece of luggage. It is also very comfortable even when loaded down. The hidden shoulder straps and waist band are a must have as the wait increases. That option of alone makes the bag a good buy. It also has many many compartments for storing small items like papers, or other important documents, as well as large odd shaped items.

I was able to fit 4 pairs of pants, some daily and dress shirts, a pair of dress shoes (sz14), a camera tripod, laptop, full size toiletries, and upon return, different trinkets/gifts I had picked up along the way...carry-on. All in all, this will be the only bag I reach for when I have to do any travelling. Highly recommended.

Huge, apparently sturdy and well-made. And most importantly, not a question with flight check-in, regarding its ability to be considered a carry-on bag. Highly recommended. I also have some Rick Steves' microfiber bath and hand towels which I've used for camping for years. They are very good and dry so fast without any trouble. So far, I would recommend Rick Steves products to anyone.

I travel internationally several times a year and always carry-on, regardless of length of trip. I have been using a 22" Eagle Creek rolling bag for years. I purchased the Steves bag because I was going to be on a boat with limited stowage and wanted to be able to crush it down. I also was going to be on uneven terrain, so wheel use might not be fully useful.

I stuffed this bag with my gear and found that it ballooned in depth from 9" (the legal limit) to 14". The cinches on the side were inadequate to help compress it. I then took the same gear and put it in my Eagle Creek roller, which, with much better designed compression straps, compressed down to 10". As well, the semi-rigid sides of the Eagle Creek bag kept the width more or less to the 14" requirement. As an added benefit, I will be able to roll it where there is an even surface.

Steves' bag is really nicely appointed with a plethora of zip pockets and easy to load, but I have had enough arguments with gate agents to know that I'd not get by some of them with this one. Hence, I returned it.

I would note that the quality of the bag is not premium (i.e. zippers, etc.) although for the price, it is hard to complain about that.

If what you primarily want is a backpack, I would pass this by and get something specifically designed as such, preferably with an internal frame. The advantage of this one is that it's more rectangular and opens further than your typical backpack and is therefor much easier to pack, especially if you're going more business casual than urban warfare. Also the straps tuck away nicely so they can't snag on on passing objects, small children, etc.
I did an unplanned test of this pack by loading it up full with excessive clothing and electronics and walking 5 miles doing "laps" at the airport. (I had time to kill and needed the exercise.) It carried the heavy load admirably all things considered, and it does seem to be well made and thoughtfully designed, but like every other frameless pack I've ever tried it does a poor job of shifting the weight onto your hips where it belongs. (Though be sure to loosen the bottom compression straps before tightening the waist band, then re-tighten the compression straps; this helps considerably.)
I bought this because I was looking for a suitcase without wheels. Wheels are great if you need them or want them, but they come with a price. You literally pay for them (they have to add to production cost) but they also take up space and add weight. For years I had the perfect, simple, small carry-on bag but it finally gave up the ghost. I searched in vain for a replacement, finally settling for a very nice hard shell wheeled Samsonite roughly the same size, but naturally it doesn't hold as much. The wheels and the collapsible handle take up room that I'd rather have for payload--essentially an extra pair of shoes or the equivalent. I saw this bag in an airport luggage shop (saved over half buying from Amazon) and thought I'd try it. I still rather have my old bag, but this one is the best thing I've found so far, and if I ever have to carry it a long distance cross country or on city streets I'll be happy to have it instead of my old bag or its over-engineered replacement.

I purchased this bag recently for a 2 week trip to Europe. My bag does not seem to have the quality problems some other users described. The price here was much better than on the Rick Steve's website. The large padded straps are nice so that even when the bag is full it does not bother my shoulders.
I packed a weeks worth of clothes, a regular towel, and extra shoes in the non-expanded mode. I had no problems carrying it on with American, RyanAir, and Aer Lingus. It might not look like it will fit in those metal sizing measurements, but since it is a soft bag, just give it a little shove and it slides right in.
Overall I am very pleased with my bag and will definitely be using it as my main traveling bag due to the fact that it holds a lot and still can be carried on.

I bought this back pack from Amazon.com in February for a trip mid March and it was OK for my outbound trip when I just carried it by the handle a short distance in the terminal. But on my return trip when changing planes in Dallas Airport I had a very long walk between terminals so I tried to use the shoulder straps, only to have the right strap fastener on the bottom of the pack rip right off when I tried to sling the pack over my shoulder. On inspection I noted that the fabric loop that holds the plastic ring on the left bottom was heavily stitched and reinforced, but the one on the right that ripped off had not been reinforced at all and so easily pulled out of the one line of stitches . It was extremely uncomfortable to have to carry the full pack a long distance with only one strap and it kept slipping off my shoulder. I would never purchase another product in the Rick Steves line!

I am not the kind of guy that likes to tow dorky looking wheeled luggage around airports. This backpack is amazing. It is light but sturdy. It adjust both for your body and for your stuff. It has so zippers and pockets it nearly defies the laws of physics. My teenage son and my co-workers all of whom have wheeled luggage all want one instead.
I would not however recommend this backpack for anyone who was not in reasonable good shape.

I've owned the bag for three years. Actually I've owned two of them.

Pros:
- Excellent design
- Good fabrics
- Lightweight
- Good service
- Fair price

- Stitching is unacceptably poor
- Lightweight zippers
- Heavy, fragile zipper pulls
- Plastic hardware
- Gaudy branding

BLUF: On the first trip out the door the stitching separated where the lower right shoulder strap meets the zipper on the corner of the bag, on three separate seams, threatening to spill my stuff all over an Eastern European street. On inspection most of the seams, even at stress points and going through multiple fabric layers, were joined with a single lightweight stitch. This simply ain't gonna cut it when one carries all of one's continental possessions upon one's back. I contacted RS and they suggested I find a cobbler who could likely make repairs. Sage advice. And presented so quickly I have to wonder if they offer it frequently. I instead whipped out my housewife and got busy sewing. There was a lot to sew. Poly fabric is lightweight and strong with a nice dobby weave, but that meant that it quickly unraveled when the stitching pulled out. I used an overhand locking whip stitch to dissuade the seams from further divorce. RS immediately sent a replacement, it was waiting for me when I returned from the road.

The design is good and well organized. It meets the The IATA-spec'ed carry on dimensions; these are not ideal for a backpack. Too thick and too short. This means the load tends to move towards your butt when bag is worn vertically. This can be somewhat overcome with careful packing and compression. However the side compression straps only come 2/3 of the distance toward the front of the bag, meaning compression will be sketchy. An unavoidable consequence of the expansion zipper. Other bags can have full thickness anterior-to-posterior straps that allow for much better load control. Coupled with a lack of any support from the padding this results in a bag that is not ideal as a backpack. But it will work as one. Of course if the bag is unzipped to expand volume this problem grows exponentially as the load moves further from one's back. I'm of a mind that a better approach towards expanding past carry on size might be modular bags that strap onto the bottom/top of the pack. But my view is admittedly perverted by years of carrying stuff on my back professionally.

There are many thoughtful and useful details in the design and fabric of the bag, such as heavier waterproof fabric on the bottom, air permeable padding on the front, four useful pockets, dual handles. But he zipper pulls are both heavy and fragile, though one could run a lock through them it would be somewhat pointless as they'd break off with a strong twist. I like Steve but I don't appreciate having his name immovably embroidered in large letters on the back of the bag. It's like a sign saying "Hello crooks, scalpers and terrorists! Stupid American attached to this bag waiting to get taken advantage of!"

I don't see the embroidery on the photos of the current bag, and the zip pulls seem different. SO maybe things have improved. HOWEVER I would not buy this bag again unless the stitching has been rectified. Perhaps it has but no way to tell until one gets one's hands on the thing.

This is a great traveling bag, but I'm petite so it was a bit large for me. Its very unlikely that I could ever use this bag for travel that requires me to carry it for long. Otherwise, it has served me well.