purduej

I had a Briggs and Riley, but repairing it 3 times a year got old fast. Commuting is kind of rough on a bag, but nothing like living in a city without a car. Dragging it through snow, banging up and down the subway steps; it's easier on my bag now that I commute. I have the SB 22 inch bag which is very rarely too small for even a five day trip. It's only a problem with a 40hr layover in Quebec in the midst of winter when you really want boots and a down jacket. It's held up great through 5 Chicago winters without a car and only had to send it in when a screw rusted and broke. And then only because the screw extractor broke off in the screw.

gtechpilot

The new Strongbag is a much better version and has relatively few issues comparatively. I've been beating the crap out of mine for six months now and it still looks and works like new. Lifetime warrantee on frame and parts, 3 year warrantee on the canvas.

MR JT8D

Whatever you do, don't buy a Luggage Works bag, I hate mine!!! Too long and you'll struggle each and every time you have to put it in the cockpit.

olympic

Not us airbus guys LOL ...

BTW

On a serious note .. does LW have an laptop patch?? Such a pain when I have to open my bag and take it out at security.

rotorhead1026

Agreed. My 22" Vortex II looks like new after two years, and it's been all over the world. It's a bit more durable than my old LW bag, which held up reasonably well but constantly had zipper and stitching issues. The handle never quite locked correctly, due to the aforementioned cheap screws.

I don't think anything will long stand up to the abuse a regional pilot's bag takes, though. Best get something cheap and replace it often.

It's true the 22" Strongbag won't go into the overhead lengthwise most of the time. If that's a factor, there's a 19". It holds about the same as my old LW, since it's a bit thicker.

Meccathor

Both the LW Stealth computer bag and the LW Stealth suiter bag have laptop pouches. I use the suiter bag and the pouch will fit a 15" laptop fine, but it's not padded. My buddy uses the Stealth computer bag and its laptop pouch is padded.

www.flybystore.com has some youtube videos that show the pocket.

LuggageWorks Stealth 22 NG Computer 106NG - YouTube
and
FlyByStore.com - LuggageWorks Stealth 22" NG Suiter 105NG - YouTube

olympic

Thanks Mecca .. not sure which one to get yet .. definitely going for the LW though. I have been reading the LW Stealth 22' is durable and lasts long, plus it fits in the overhead.

skyxbomb

Can anyone with SB 22' confirm whether it's too large for overhead cabin without having to shove it in sideways? I've been back and forth about LW and SB. Both seems to be well made but if SB has trouble in the overhead bins then that's a no no especially for a commuter that boards last.

zildjian_zach

In my experience as a now seasoned 2-leg commuter, the Strong Bags will fit in most overheards length-wise, as long as you go handle in, wheels down and away from the bin latch mechanism. There is a certain generation of overheads on the Boeings that it wont fit, but I can't figure out which. On CO it fits all the 735 bins, all the new drop down 738/739 bins, and 1/2 of the remaining 738 bins. It fits every DL 738 bin I've seen, and all 752 (UA/CO/DL) bins. The 753 bins are hit or miss. I haven't had any problems on the Airbii.

Like I said, more often than not, I don't have an issue though. Just once and a while you have to be "that guy" with the sideways bag. Overall I love the bag. There's an un-padded slot in the front for your laptop. I use a padded laptop pouch for mine anyways, so the lack of padding is no big deal. The handle is telescoping, but it's metal and has worked just fine for me. The only thing I wish they would change are the rail sliders on the back which are plastic and not terribly durable. Otherwise, I'm a happy camper with mine.

skyxbomb

You are awesome! SB it is. I commute mostly on the airbus.