Over the last 15 years, I have had the privilege of conducting business in over 30 different countries. Many years ago, I consciously decided to be a one-bag traveler which means I travel with carry-on only (aka no check in luggage). This has many benefits including:

no excess baggage fees
no worries about lost, delayed or damaged baggage
no waiting at the luggage claim conveyor belt

Planning is essential

To be a one-bag traveler (which I highly recommend), I had to take some time and decide what I pack and how I pack it. I'll link to some of my past articles later in this post but I want to talk about a company I discovered and love: Eagle Creek. They make modular packing solutions which will cater to all travelers (whether you travel carry-on only or check in large family size rolling suitcases.

My luggage is the Air Boss (Airboss) or SkyTrain by RedOxx. My packing solution is by Eagle Creek.

Why I love Eagle Creek

I have bought and travel tested dozens of different travel organization products, from locally made items to some of the biggest brands; Eagle Creek is one company that has always stood head & shoulders above its competitors. Every Eagle Creek product I have used has always been well designed and manufactured. The true test for me has been the hundreds of flights and thousands of kilometers their products have travelled with me around the world. From a one hour trip to Toronto (Canada) or a 30 hour jaunt to Shenyang (China), their products have kept my personal items clean, safe and organized.

Eagle Creek Pack-It Cube Medium review

Depending on my destination and the purpose of my trip, I always travel with some assortment of electronics. The Pack-it Cube has proven to be an indispensable companion that organizes and protects my items.

The case itself is soft with a molded top, support structure sides, nice re-arrange able padding/separator and a soft device caressing fleece lining.The medium size seems to be the ideal size for me. It is big enough to carry what I need yet small enough so I can pack it in my carry-on luggage.

Here you see how I pack my Sony HD Camcorder, the power cable, my Joby GripTight and my Glif/Serif mount (last 2 for my iphoneography and the Joby supports my Sony Camcorder).

Here you see how I pack my Steripen water sterilizer, D-Link small WIFI router, my universal power-plug converter, my Ledlenser V2 - DUAL COLOR FLASHLIGHT, Ethernet cables and power adapter.

The last configuration I wanted to share with you includes my Veho 360 portable bluetooth speaker, my Force Guard hotel room lock, my Ledlenser flashlight again, my external 4000mAH battery pack with tips and my Defcon1 motion/theft alarm.

Verdict

I love the Pack-it Cubes and after spending hundreds of dollars on competing products, I have stuck with this model. After dozens of trips and a generous helping of abuse, the Cubes look brand new and perform like they did day 1. My electronics are organized and well protected. If you buy them from any of the online retailers, the price is about $30 which is incredibly reasonable for something that is going to give you years of use. There are cheaper look alike products out there but every cheap alternative I have tested ripped, didn’t properly protect my devices or just didn’t perform like I expected it to.

You'll notice that all my cables are tied up and tidy. I use the 6" Hook & Loop Cable Ties (velcro) from Monoprice.com

One warning: *beware of shady unauthorized resellers *because you may just get a knock-off / counterfeit item. I bought a cube from a “reputable” US ebay seller and when I compared the finishing and materials of that item to the original, the differences were huge. Get the original, you’ll be glad you did.

My review of the Red Oxx AirBoss carry-on luggage

March 18, 2012TravellingEdward Kiledjian

I recently completed a 15 day business trip that took me to 5 cities on 3 continents (more than 24,000 air miles return). This trip was an amazing opportunity to conduct some real world tests on some cool items I had been wanted to test for a while.

My first review will be about the Red Oxx Air Boss.

Why One Bag travel?

This is a question I received anytime someone heard I was traveling with only a carry-on bag. The answer is simple: convenience. With a carry-on, you are not worried about damaged, delayed or lost baggage. While others wait at the carousel to pick-up their luggage, I am already in the taxi half way to my destination.

As soon as I decided to be a one bag (onebag aka carry-on only) traveler, I started searching for the ideal bag and that bag was the AirBoss by Red Oxx. Let me state right here that this bag was everything I expected and more. It proved to be a phenomenal bag that I will use and abuse for years to come.

The rest of this review will explain why I chose the Airboss.

Ease of movement

I needed a bag that maximized available carry space all the while staying compliant to the different carry-on size/weight rules imposed by the different airlines I was going to use. In addition, I needed a bag that could easily be taken from the plane to a taxi, subway or tuctuc (a gas powered rickshaw).

No Wheels means the bag would be lighter, offer more internal carry space and be much easier to transport throughout. The Airboss can be carried using it’s extremely comfortable “Claw” strap or hand straps. I found that the Claw strap was comfortable and stayed in place (i.e. didn’t slide off my shoulder when moving).

No backpack Since this was a business trip, I may have needed to bring my bag into the office and find a backpack to be un professional. Luckily the Airboss met this requirement too.

Solid no nonsense construction

I expect my bag to log thousands of miles over the next couple of years and as such, it must have strong reliable zippers, seams (aka stitching) and fabric.

The Red Oxx AirBoss uses incredibly strong YKK #10 zippers. These are the biggest luggage zippers I have ever seen yet operate very smoothly. I can’t stress how well these zippers worked even when the bag was completely full. Red Oxx also adds a monkey’s fist zipper-pull knot to each zipper making them easier to grab and pull.

The seams are well sewn using thought dependable fabric. Every snap or metal hook seems industrial grade. When I first saw the bag, I knew it was well designed. When I started using it, I was convinced this bag would be with me for the long haul.

This is a great opportunity for me to share with you their incredible no nonsense guarantee. Regardless of what happens to the bag, simply send it back to them and they will repair or replace (no questions asked). Red Oxx clearly believes in their product and it was refreshing to see such an amazing warranty.

The compartments

The Airboss has 3 separate compartments. There is an outside compartment on each side that open completely when the bag is lying on its side. This was great because I separated my clothes into 2 piles which meant I didn’t have to unload all of my clothes every time I landed in a new city. For shorter stays, I could simply unload one of the sides (each having an assortment of pant and shirts. I use the bundle packing method and used jeans, shorts and t-shirts as the core for each bundle.

Each of this compartments has 2 compression straps to keep your clothes in place (minimizing wrinkles).

The center compartment is supported by closed-wall cell foam padding which was a great place to store my underwear, bathroom supplies, medication, shoes and belts. All the airlines I flew allowed me to have a carry-on and a personal item (aka laptop bag) therefore I kept these separate but I could have easily carried my laptop in the center compartment as well.

I wish the center compartment had some kind of compression strap also to hold a laptop or tablet in place. Also the bottom of the center compartment is not padded.

Just enough storage

While shopping for luggage, I was amazed at how many compartments/pockets some bags had. The reality is that too many pockets means each is smaller (limiting what can be carried) and making it more complicated to find that you are looking for. The Airboss has the 3 compartments mentioned above, plus a full size zippered pocket on one side, a full size snap protected pocket on the other and a small vertical pocket designed to store your boarding pass. Obviously Red Oxx used the KISS principle when designing this bag and it shows.

My fully loaded Airboss weighed in at 20 lbs.

Fitting the Airboss in the overhead compartment

My trip had me using North American carriers, European carriers and some really small no-name Asian ones. Regardless of the plane I found myself in, the Airboss easily fit into all of the overhead bins.

Verdict

Over the last 15 years, I have logged close to 1 million air miles and as such have gone through dozens of bags and suitcases. I can say without a doubt that the Airboss is king. Sure $225 may seem expensive at first but once you experience the quality, dependability and versatility of the Airboss, you will certainly consider it a bargain.

Unless you want a backpack style pack or one with wheels (not sure why you would) then this bag is for you. I love their warranty so much, I am disappointed other manufacturers aren’t taking notes.