Old School Carry All vs Parental Unit?

[nolegrl]

I was wondering if anyone had both the old school carry all and the parent unit and can weight in on which would be a better personal bag.

When I fly, I use a backpack as my carry on and like a secondary bag for my underseat bag. Ideally a crossbody bag would be the best option for a secondary bag since it wouldn't get in the way of the backpack. The parental unit fits this bill perfectly and stays sleek across my body even when packed out. It looks like the old school carry all might end up getting a bit bulky if it gets over packed. Is this assumption correct? I typically pack my personal item bags as tech bags (tablet, Nintendo switch, battery pack, headphones, snack from airport) so I don't imagine it would get as bulky as if it were packed with clothes.

If someone has both bags and can take some pictures of them empty and then packed out, that would be great! Thank you!

[nolegrl]

I don't have both bags yet (just the PU), but my gut says that if you don't need the extra space (22L vs 13L, I believe?) then your best bet is likely with the PU. It looks as though even if you under-fill the OSCA, it is wide enough at the bottom that you'll still have more bulk even with a smaller load.

Hopefully someone who has both can provide more info!

Thank you! That's what I figured as well, the cut of the OSCA looks wider so it will retain that wide shape. The advantage of having more space of the OSCA is that it wouldn't be as packed out as the PU is for my usual load so that's nice and it gives me some extra room if I got a sandwich or something and wanted to throw it in.

[Cristina]

nolegrl In addition to the difference in size, they’re wildly different in terms of packing style. The PU is great for a lot of items no larger than a 12oz soda can or a 16oz soda bottle, but the OSCA is a big open space with two side tall and slim spaces. If you wanted an OSCA, I’d maybe put a Side Kick in one of the side pockets to organize small stuff.

I would be happy to approximate the sort of stuff you want to pack in it, if you would like!

Edited to add: I just reread your first post and it seems like you already have a PU, is that right? My PU is fully packed right now so I’ll take a pic of it with the OSCA as soon as I am able to.

[Surrealle]

Oops. I had deleted my response and hoped no one saw it, lol.

Reason I deleted it is because I realized that the center compartment of the OSCA might be similar in depth to the PU, so if you leave the side pockets empty it might end up being roughly the same "bulk". If that makes sense..

You'll still have a lot more built-in organization with the PU though, if that's a factor.

[Cristina]

nolegrl I have some pics. When totally empty, the PU and OSCA are very close in size. When half full (of towels) the OSCA appears much the same size as the PU. In Halcyon, they both have a lot of flop and your hunch that they would kind of take up less space when not fully packed is spot on.

A half-full PU fits in the center compartment of the OSCA. Because one curves up like a smile and one curves down like a rainbow, they aren’t the greatest bag-in-bag pairing but I have specific situations where I might actually employ this and carry them this way as my “personal item” (though by train so I really just mean my hand/EDC/purse item).

So really, the difference comes down to the layout and pocket structure (and the internal volume of course).

Here are some pics featuring an empty Black Halcyon PU, a half-full Nightwalk Halcyon PU, and a Nightwalk Halcyon OSCA: (fingers crossed my upload works this time)

1. OSCA and PU, both half full
2. Empty OSCA on empty PU
3. Half full PU inside OSCA
4. Empty PU next to empty OSCA

[nolegrl]

nolegrl A half-full PU fits in the center compartment of the OSCA. Because one curves up like a smile and one curves down like a rainbow, they aren’t the greatest bag-in-bag pairing but I have specific situations where I might actually employ this and carry them this way as my “personal item” (though by train so I really just mean my hand/EDC/purse item).

Thank you! That is something I didn't consider at first, but putting my purse in my personal item would be nice. I currently use a LGD and it sounds like that would fit just fine in the OSCA if the PU fits.

[nolegrl]

nolegrl
Here are some pics featuring an empty Black Halcyon PU, a half-full Nightwalk Halcyon PU, and a Nightwalk Halcyon OSCA: (fingers crossed my upload works this time

Thanks for the pics! The first picture is actually pretty telling. The PU looks stuffed even when it's half full. The OSCA looks more like you'd expect for a half full bag. I don't love the over-packed bag look so that's a point to the OSCA.

[Cristina]

Thank you! That is something I didn't consider at first, but putting my purse in my personal item would be nice. I currently use a LGD and it sounds like that would fit just fine in the OSCA if the PU fits.

Thanks for the pics! The first picture is actually pretty telling. The PU looks stuffed even when it's half full. The OSCA looks more like you'd expect for a half full bag. I don't love the over-packed bag look so that's a point to the OSCA.

The LGD does fit quite comfortably in the centre compartment. It also fits in the side pockets if you do not mind it being tucked under the flap (because the side zippers are partway down the wall of the bag instead of at the top).

Yes the PU does always look fuller than it is, especially one this new. I think all those pocket walls help it keep its shape.