Comments on: Best Carry On Travel Luggage – Tom Bihn Tri-Star Bag

By: Eric

Eric — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:15:19 +0000

Hey Walt, I am the proud owner of a Tri-Star, and have found that Eagle Creek’s 18″ Fold-It fits perfectly in it! I have used the Fold-It for dress shirts, dress pants, sport coats, and occasionally a suit. I carry it as my only bag whenever possible, but I find that I usually have to trade my gym shoes for a pair of swim goggles. Tennis shoes just take up too much room with my laptop and other business crap I have to carry.

I have also used the Tri-Star as a daypack, but it’s a bit large for what you described.

By: SoCalGal

SoCalGal — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 04:41:55 +0000

You know what, Walt? The Tri-Star, with it’s third compartment for laptops, wouldn’t be as good to convert into a backpack as would the Western Flyer. The Western Flyer is a little easier to sling around, but is also highly water-resistant. I’d recommend that Bihn Bag for your backpacking travel needs.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:09:27 +0000

Hi SoCal Gal,
Another good thing about the Tri-Star is that it is pretty lightweight (when empty) – I think it’s just over 3 pounds. So, that is also a real plus to consider. I love the idea of the Tri-Star because when my husband & I vacation (and we’re with you guys – we go with carry-on & avoid checking luggage whenever possible), we really like the option of the bag-turned-backpack.

Also, thinking about Walt’s question above – even though I haven’t tried the Tri-Star (yet!), I was just at the Tom Bihn site, and they have a LOT of photos of the features on this bag. Just from looking at it, I would bet it would be a great way to organize and carry the stuff you mentioned. But, I would go to their site and look at those photos so you could get a decent visual.

It definitely looks like a real high quality bag, and we appreciate your in-depth review.
Cheers!
Kath
(PS: Love the play fort!)

By: Walt Atwood

Walt Atwood — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 04:52:55 +0000

Hey SoCal Gal!

I just followed a link from the Tom Bihn blog to your article on the Tri-Star.

Do you know of anyone who used the Tri-Star for business air trips, and used a packing folder or garment sleeve to carry business attire in a Tri-Star as a carry-on? This last March, I had a garment bag’s zipper fail while I was in a hurry to get ready for a return flight at 3:30 AM. Were I closer to awake, I would have screamed! I’ve been searching for a great, multipurpose carry-on-type luggage ever since.

Also, has anyone tried unpacking their Tri-Star and using it as a daypack/urban backpack? I’d be curious as to how well it works for business and casual use, especially when it’s not heavily loaded. I usually carry one or two digital point-and-shoot cameras, a small notebook, checkbook, a couple walkie-talkies, flashlight, folded shopping bag, and maybe an iPod and a few other personal items in my cheap backpack/daypack.