Reviews of Rick Steves Classic Back Door Bag

This is a guest postal service by Practical Hacks subscriber & frequent commenter Michael West. from the Bay Area in California. An experienced traveler, Michael offers great insight into 2 Rick Steves travel bags…

Two months agone, I purchased Rick Steves' nicely redesigned and upgraded convertible carry-onÂbaggage/backpack chosen the Classic Dorsum Door bag.  At $79 it'southward a steal, as Kevin admits in his detailed review Hither

I intended to utilize it for a trip to Thailand where, among other things, I was to compete in a jiu jitsu tournament.

But guess what – the  Classic (to the right) turned out to be Also big – who would have idea its legal carry-on size (45″ maximum total for length, width, and depth) – would plow out to be as well much for a week long trip!? And that'southward even Later trial packing it with all the gear I needed for the jiu jitsu contest!

And then after I returned from my trip, I searched the Rick Steves' online Travel Shop some more, and read this description of one of his day packs, the Appenzell:

Child-Friendly: It'south also the platonic "inferior big purse" for kids who aren't prepare to lug around a full-size ix″ x 21″ 10 14″ carry-on pocketbook.

"At present that's intriguing," I thought. "I wonder if it might work for me, fifty-fifty though I'm far from a 'child'…."

7 twenty-four hour period trip to Thailand with one small bag – Non the Steves Archetype!

My story begins when I decided I only had to travel to Thailand to compete in the very former guys' sectionalisation of a regional Brazilian jiu jitsu tournament.

I idea I had way likewise much gear to even dream of traveling with just comport-on baggage. I mean, carrying on all the stuff the average person simply needs for a regular vacation is already tough plenty, right? Much less packing beefy sports gear.

But later on reading Kevin's persuasive arguments and helpful tips, and trying some "bundle wrapping" of clothes, and reading up at Dyment's "one purse" site, I decided to give information technology a endeavor and ordered the Steves' Classic (photo above right) and began trial packing information technology in earnest.

Past trial packing the Classic in advance of my difference,  I learned that "war machine rolled" wearing apparel take upward much less infinite than whatsoever other grade of packing. This isn't a style of packing that Kevin recommends for regular clothing because it wrinkles clothing like mad, but with a beefy jiu jitsu "kimono" or "gi" it's perfect, because wrinkles don't matter. After armed services rolling the gi, information technology took upwardly MUCH less infinite in the Steves Classic than it has EVER taken upwardly in my gym bag.

So I put my regular wearing apparel and all my other stuff in the Archetype, but the Classic was still mostly empty. Embarrassingly empty.

Apparently for years I have been senselessly checking bags in the past when there was admittedly no demand to do so! Information technology's a question of figuring out what you really "need" vs. what you lot "might" demand.

So for my jiu jitsu trip, I ended up sidelining the Archetype and just using an old duffel.

On the style dorsum I carried on fifty-fifty less, considering I checked the gi and all the useless "extra" vesture I thought I needed just never used, putting them all in the "souvenir" bag I brought along.  So it turned out I simply needed a one,400 cubic inch tote to carry the balance of my stuff back to u.s.a..

Yeah, 1,400 cubic inches was all I needed:  that's a tote, a day pack, or a messenger bag.

Next trip: the Steves Appenzell

As soon as I got dorsum, I revisited Kevin's commodity on using a mean solar day pack as his sole deport-on bag for curt business organisation trips. Then I revisited the Rick Steves travel store website and ordered his "perfect for the kids" Appenzell twenty-four hour period pack, pictured below.

Different many packs yous see in stores, the Appenzell has an optimally rectangular shape (6″ x 18″ 10 13″) that maximizes storage volume and packing strategies. The employ of thinner materials, and use of padding only on the back panel and straps, insures that the Appenzell has an "honest" 1,400 cubic inch volume. Heck, even the laptop sleeve is only minimally padded – you employ your clothing for extra cushioning. Maximum efficiency!

Based on my hasty return flight packing, 1,400 cubic inches is optimal, and I've since verified that with trial packing experiments with the Appenzell.

CAVEAT: For future trips to SE Asia, I also plan on using a modest flight bag for my "seat side" items, those odds and ends (like neck pillow, very thin pullover, ear plugs, toothbrush) which I similar to keep at seat level during my flights, and too to shift some "heavy" items out of the Appenzell, like books and power bricks. I can likewise move the "x-ray opaque" items to this flight handbag, which means if I put my DVD player in the Appenzell, it should sail through ten-ray inspection without having to remove information technology. The Red Oxx Gator is my current choice of optimal, well-made flight bags – based on Kevin's comments on Ruby Oxx quality, I decided to cut to the chase and invest my money with them.

Appenzell: Compelling alternative to a conventionally sized bear-on

• Unlike conventional solar day packs and equally mentioned in a higher place, the Appenzell is very "rectangular," which allows very efficient folding and packing of clothes into the master compartment, which is spacious. Fifty-fifty a pocket-sized taper makes rectangular "bundle wrapping" impractical with nearly twenty-four hour period packs, so don't underestimate the importance of the "correct shape." Kevin'south fantabulous road-map, with pictures, explaining bundle wrapping is here.  Believe me, bundle wrapping really stops wrinkles dead, and the thing I like about it nearly, is that it lets me pack the week before and non worry about stuff coming out of my bag looking similar I slept in it.

• Right above the principal compartment there is a second compartment (umbrella peeking out, in the pic below and to the right,) which has a total-length zipper forth one side, in which I can stow a jacket or sweater if the weather'south absurd or if I'll be on a long, overly air conditioned flight. I like not having to rummage in the main compartment for my jacket. It's also a natural space to put a mag or papers.

• There is a lower front pocket which has a keychain retainer and an organizer panel for pens and minor electronic devices. In that location are also 2 useful upper pockets. Since I plan to use the Ruby-red Oxx Gator for "tin't live without 'em" seat side items, I may not need the actress organization provided by these 3 extra pockets/ compartments, but they don't add together to the bulk of the pack so I'd rather take them than not.

• In that location are no waist belts or sternum straps to dangle in the way and nowadays a messy appearance.  Besides not presenting a neat appearance, they seem to grab on door knobs or wedge into cracks…  almost always when I'm in a bustle! Permit'due south face information technology, this pack is for ultra-mobile travel, not for traversing a glacier, and does fine but with a pair of shoulder straps. And in fact these shoulder straps are nicely padded and so is the dorsum panel; this pack is a comfortable conduct.

• The mesh canteen containers on each side of the pack have useful sure-fire straps and volition easily hold a brusk water bottle (as shown in the picture above on the right), paperback volume, or sunglasses. Exist careful, though, the mesh panels don't run upwards the side of the pack equally far as you might like, and things might slip out if you don't continue the pack upright.

• The materials look nice, but are designed for maximum efficiency – thinner nylon, one way zippers except on the main compartment (not two zippers to open from either finish). A prissy impact is the employ of sturdier ballistics nylon on the "foot" of the pack for added durability in the heaviest wear area. I much prefer the "functional minimalism" of this travel pack to the more luxurious appearance of more expensive day packs, which are overbuilt, over-padded, and under-useful.

• There is a useful laptop compartment which I can use for either for a full-fledged laptop or for a DVD actor. Please note, though, that while the pack console has ample padding, the front end console of the laptop console is pretty thin and y'all should plan on having clothes in the main compartment to provide extra cushioning on the far side of the laptop, or use a thin neoprene "jacket" for the laptop.

• The Appenzell offers reasonably decent, only not perfect, access to its larger compartments. The problem is, the zippers don't go all the way down the side on the main compartment, so that means the pack only opens halfway. I piece of work around this problem past putting my bundle wrapped clothing into a flat, sparse athlete'due south cinch sack before I insert information technology into the Appenzell. These price less than $ten, or y'all can just employ a recycled plastic bag from a retailer. Either selection lets you fill the main compartment to its corners, which is optimal for bundle wrapping.

• Finally, although the Appenzell is large plenty for use as your chief carry-on handbag, it'south also innocuous, and modest enough, to serve as a "personal sized" bag in add-on to a wheelie if you are taking the proverbial kitchen sink and not just the utensils on your trip. The primary matter about the Appenzell is that it is large on the inside while actualization pocket-sized on the outside.

I highly recommend the Appenzell for travel use by adults, non only kids, if: (i) yous are fanatical near traveling ultra light; or (ii) if you are going on a shorter trip; or (iii) if your trips will require checking some luggage anyway, but you want from a few days to a week's worth of wearable and supplies in our deport-on purse, and then you can survive until whatsoever lost or delayed luggage is delivered to yous.

All this for $39! ...(and the online buzz is y'all tin can sentry for this to continue sale from time to time, too.)  For additional details including a selection of 5 colors, CLICK Hither.

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Source: http://www.practicalhacks.com/2008/10/23/review-2-rick-steves-carry-ons-79-backdoor-classic-vs-39-appenzell-day-pack/

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