The Western Flyer Carry-On: Q&A

[Heidi Jill]

Very nice bag! I really like the red - I hate the way most luggage tends to come only in black - yuck!

[miri]

This bag looks intriguing, but I'm wondering about the sling design vs. a backpack type thing. In the past, I've found that sling bags aren't that comfy or attractive if you are a very curvy person.

[pretzelb]

(Psst, if I take the Aeronaut as my carryon, will the WF count as a personal item? Anyone?)

I was wondering this as well. I'm not sure if there are specific size restrictions for the personal carry on item. I know there is for the "big" carry on but seems like the personal one is subjective.

[apyang]

(Psst, if I take the Aeronaut as my carryon, will the WF count as a personal item? Anyone?)

I've never had a problem taking a Brain Bag (which from the description is bigger than the WF) as my personal item (on domestic flights) with an Aeronaut as a carryon.

[moriond]

Western Flyer takes Size 4 Brain Cell but not Size 6T?

Hi,

I was looking through the list of horizontal brain cells that appeared on the sales page for the Western Flyer, and I noticed that the Size 4 is listed, but not the Size 6T. I'm guessing that's because the 6T is slightly taller (13.0 × 12.3 × 2.4 inches or 331 × 312 × 61 mm for exterior dimensions) compared to the Size 4 brain cell (13.8 × 11.7 × 2.3 inches or 350 × 298 × 58 mm) -- an extra 0.6 inches (12.3 inches vs. 11.7 inches) or 14 mm (312 mm vs 298 mm).

This likely means that I'll have to move my ThinkPad T series laptops out of the Size 6T Brain Cell and back into my older Size 4 Brain Cells if I travel with a Brain Cell inside the Western Flyer. Others might like to know about this (see my post about ThinkPad laptop fits to the Brain Cell when the new size 6T came out).

[Darcy]

I'm guessing that's because the 6T is slightly taller (13.0 × 12.3 × 2.4 inches or 331 × 312 × 61 mm for exterior dimensions) compared to the Size 4 brain cell (13.8 × 11.7 × 2.3 inches or 350 × 298 × 58 mm) -- an extra 0.6 inches (12.3 inches vs. 11.7 inches) or 14 mm (312 mm vs 298 mm).

That's correct: the calculations for the pattern of the Western Flyer led us to believe that the Size 6T Horizontal Brain Cell wouldn't fit well in the Western Flyer.

That said, I just tried clipping a Size 6T Horizontal Brain Cell in the Western Flyer and it does fit. It's a tighter fit than the other sizes of Brain Cell that clip inside of the Western Flyer, but it does fit. As far as I can tell, it doesn't put any extra pressure on the zippers. (There are a few sizes of Brain Cell that may seem like they should fit in certain bags but we don't list them as fitting in those bags because the corners of the Brain Cell may put extra pressure on rounded zipper edges of the bags, which, over a few years, could cause the zipper to wear out in that area.)

Tom will look at how the 6T fits in the Western Flyer before officially announcing that it does fit: he likes to make sure that the Brain Cells not only fit, but fit well inside of the various larger bags. I'll keep you updated: thanks for bringing this to our attention.

[Darcy]

Update: Tom says the 6T does fit in the Western Flyer. I'll add it to the Western Flyer page.

[moriond]

Update: Tom says the 6T does fit in the Western Flyer. I'll add it to the Western Flyer page.

Yay! Thanks, Darcy.

[mojo]

re ballistic nylon fabric used

This may not be the correct thread, but I was very interested in the explanation of ballistic nylon on earlier postings. It seems that the fabric made from 1680 denier nylon in Asia is much thinner than the 1040 or 1050 denier ballistic made in the U.S. If it is a heavier weight (denier) shouldn't it result in a thicker fabric? Is the explanation possibly that the U.S. yarn is made from many more, but much thinner filaments than the yarn used for the Asian fabrics?
If my explanation is correct, does this mean that the 1050 denier fabric is both more flexible and stronger than the other? Do you have the number of filaments in the U.S. standard ballistic yarn (or the thickness of the filaments?)

[Tom Bihn]

Yea pretty close: the 1680 "ballistic" is woven of a single yarn of 1680 denier nylon, while the 1050 domestic fabric is woven of two 1050 denier yarns. Both fabrics are of comparable thickness, and in terms of flexibility or "hand" as we call the stiffness, both can be finished to be either soft of firm.
Anyway, this explains why they are called by different names. Why they perform differently is less clear to me. I do know that the 1680 can look crappy after only a few months use. I will ask my fabric guru John Ball when next I see him to explain more, and I will post again here soon!

[Darcy]

1680 ballistic nylon looks cheaper to me than 1050 denier ballistic nylon.

[mojo]

Thanks so much for the feedback. I think I have found out that some ballistic is woven with two strands of yarn per weave, and I think that is called "hopsack" weaving. Some is woven with one strand per weave, and it might be called "oxford" but I am not sure. However, I have measured the good stuff - 1040 denier, and the fabric is about 25 thou thick, yet the asian 1680 is only about 18 thou thick. That is the mystery to me. I had supposed that in the weaving of two strands the two yarns are side by side, so no additional thickness would result, but maybe they are twisted together and then woven? If so, that would explain it. I look forward to the explanation from your guru.

[moriond]

New Review of the Western Flyer at OBOW is out

Is that the one that went to OBOW? They promised an upcoming review.

Yes, it is.

One Bag, One World has posted a review of the Western Flyer

[onebagger]

OBOW review

Brad from OBOW here. I'd welcome questions about Flyer through my blog, but would also be happy to answer any here. I'm continuing to use the WF and am finding it to be quite versatile.

[onebagger]

There's one thing I failed to mention in my review. Since the WF is a bag that zips around three sides, you have to exercise some caution if carrying a heavy load of books or a computer (in or out of a sleeve) unless you are using a secured Brain Cell. I had my heavy Dell laptop in the Flyer in a cheap open-topped sleeve that came with my wife's university-supplied Mac briefcase. It was, of course, unsecured and when I picked up the WF with the top of the compartment unzipped the weight of the leaning laptop caused the zippers to unzip down the sides and the Dell hit the floor. It was undamaged, but the moral is this: use a Brain Cell and buckle it in or make sure you have the compartment zipped before you pick it up. This does not indicate a design flaw. The WF is versatile, but is still primarily a travel bag. Its strap and handle placement between the two compartments mean that it won't behave exactly like a purpose-built briefcase. I'm still using mine everyday as a laptop bag and it's great to be able to stuff large books or clothing items in the opposite compartment. It keeps a lot of stuff out of my truck seat and floorboard.