Ristretto or co-pilot

[zk17]

Having hard time deciding between ristretto or copilot..

[daisy]

hmmm, what do you need to carry?

I love my ristretto and am tempted by the co-pilot but it's just a little bit 'suitcasey' for my tastes.

[Badger]

hmmm, what do you need to carry?

I love my ristretto and am tempted by the co-pilot but it's just a little bit 'suitcasey' for my tastes.

Right. It's hard to know what advice you're looking for (or even if you want advice?) without knowing your carry needs. In general, the CP is quite structured (like Daisy, I think of the CP as "the tiniest suitcase ever"). I do think, however, that the new iteration of the Ristretto is also quite structured, with the bumped-out front pocket. If you carry a coffee cup or water bottle, the CP might do a better job of accommodating that; it's sort of hard to tell from the photos how much the Ristretto gives, especially in front of the built-in cache.

[gonty]

I have a Ristretto for iPad (older version) and have stopped using it in favour of my medium cafe bag and am thinking about getting a Co-Pilot.

I found it didn't carry quite enough for me and was too hard to get things out of the Ristretto. It all gets pulled a bit tight for me once I put a few things in. Of course, plenty of other people swear by it, so it may just be me.

There are two things stopping me from the co-pilot: I'm not sure about the style, and it's not quite big enough to fit A4 papers comfortably (the Ristretto can't do this either).

Jonathan

[nukediver]

I actually have both the Co-Pilot and Ristretto for iPad (original version), and I have to agree that the Ristretto is a wee bit too tight for an EDC for me. The Co-Pilot was my go-to bag for awhile, but I just got a Large Cafe bag and am using that or my Synapse every day instead. Both the Ristretto and Co-Pilot, while wonderful bags, are just a bit too structured for me, as I'm always grabbing last minute items on my way out the door. I suppose that if one needed to really limit the daily clutter carried around, the structure of the Co-Pilot or Ristretto would then work best. I know none of this helps, but it's just my two cents (and experience)....

[DQBunny]

Whereas I found the Ristretto to be great for me, so much so that I ordered a new-style one after gifting the older one to a friend. I was able to take a lot with me including knitting. I felt naked going to the UK once because all I brought on the plane with me was the Ristretto. It made for a very light trip!

[daisy]

Whereas I found the Ristretto to be great for me, so much so that I ordered a new-style one after gifting the older one to a friend. I was able to take a lot with me including knitting. I felt naked going to the UK once because all I brought on the plane with me was the Ristretto. It made for a very light trip!

That's some serious one-bag travel!


My iPad ristretto is the 'vintage' version also - it was my EDC for 6wks travelling in Europe last year and also my seat-side bag for the 24hour flights to get there. On days when our hotel had a safe, I left the iPad and various other small valuables behind, otherwise I carried it all in the Ristretto. Actually was more of an ADC as it was rarely not attached to me!

I tend to carry the same things organised the same way every day - so structure works for me.

[DQBunny]

That's some serious one-bag travel!

I wish! I should say that was my only carry-on. I checked a larger bag because we were slowly moving my husband's things to the US at the time.