captive apple

Is that the “executive”?

hockeypilot44

Luggage Works bags are junk. They last 2-3 years tops these days. I've had the $99 costco bag that they don't make anymore for 5 years and it's holding up fine. Briggs and Riley is the way to go. Warranty for life. They cost twice what a LW bag costs but long term you come out ahead. Bonus is you don't look like a douchebag pilot when traveling out of uniform. If you already have LW, you'll see. Screws will start coming out, handle will start jamming, seams will start fraying, frame will bend, and zippers will break. It really is low quality. On top of that, it weights a ton and will scratch your car if you bump the paint while putting it in the trunk. I've never understood why pilots keep buying them. 20 years ago, Purdy Neat made a solid bag that lasted forever. No longer the case.

Guac

I don't know, I know a lot of people with LW bags that have had them 5-10 years and haven't had to do much to it. I'm sure it'll be a great bag and happy I spent 1/3 of what a B&R bag costs.

cessnajockey

I have the LW bag (not premier), and love it. It held up great for my 135 job with a ton of commuting and jamming it into poorly designed bizjet baggage areas. As long as you take care of the bag it'll last a long time. Fantastic support from LW as well.

mambonumber5

which discount are you referring to?

PilotBases

This. People buy them because they buy them. The metal is overkill with no more flight cases. At best, buy the plastic frame. Holds up, doesn’t rust, scratch, or burr. The metal ones are overpriced, overweight pieces of junk.

trip

Yes, 22", unless your long-hauling on a freighter with 14-16 day trips, then you might want the 26" for all your unmentionables.
I used my unspent uniform allotment to purchase my last one.

brocklee9000

Absolutely untrue. The old Strongbags (we’re talking the model from like 5+ years ago) didn’t fit most airline bins, but that’s because the former 22” was bigger. Even in a mainline first class bin, you had to put it sideways lengthwise. But they pared it down ever so slightly, and the Vortex 21 (current model) fits anywhere. My Strongbags fits any bin I’ve put it in. The only bins I haven’t personally tried are E145, ATR, Dash-8, (also A380 and 747, but only because I’ve never been on either in my life). Anyway doesn’t matter, point is the Vortex fits anywhere, including the flight deck if you take a mainline jumpseat. I bet you can even put it in the CRJ chart bin.

OP, the plastic frame LW and the SB are about the same price and about the same weight. The metal LW are a lot more. I bought my SB back in my regular passenger days and it was amazing (aside from the old version being a little too big). It’s been more than dutiful in this career. The SB is actually a 5 sided box made of metal plates bolted together, instead of the more kind of open metal frame of the LW. It serves two benefits, I think. One, the LW can have a propensity to bend or warp; the SB won’t, since it’s basically a solid aluminum box. Secondly, since all five sides are hard and solid, you can’t overpack it, and it’ll fit any bin.

No matter what option you choose, don’t get the side pockets! It’s not an option with SB, but don’t get the side pockets on a LW.

Guac

Next question is I'm trying to find an electronics bag that will hold my 17" laptop and flight gear. Does the LW electronics cube fit a larger laptop?

buzdof

i have the LW premier multi-purpose cube and it fits my 15.6" laptop snugly. It looks like the electronics cube is about the same size so I doubt a 17" will fit.