1-3 day business travel choice - Aeronaut 30,45, or possibly Synapse 25?

[roguefury]

Howdy,

I do tons of travel for work, mostly domestic (US), but some short jaunts oeverseas. For long(er) haul journeys, I use a Rimowa roller and an TB 11" Ristretto for my MBA and accessories. For short journeys - 1-3 days of travel - I've yet to find the 'perfect' single bag. I'd love to get some feedback, based on this typical packing list:

- 1 Blazer (not wrinkle-free, but fairly wrinkle resistant)
- 2 Wool dress pants
- 2-3 Non-iron shirts
- 2-3 sets of undergarments
- 1 Dress shoes (size 9.5)
- 2-3 Dress socks
- 2 running socks
- 1 set workout clothes
- Toiletry kit
- Macbook Air 11"
- iPad Mini
- Power cords, Lightning cables, etc

I usually wear a pair of dark blue jeans, a pair of running shoes, belt, and shirt (long sleeve in winters, short sleeve in summer). I'll toss in a Patagonia jacket (varies from season to season as to which I carry), for informal use.

I'd love to put all this into one item for more efficient short haul travel. I have TSAPre access, so I'm not too worried about having to unpack and repack stuff at TSA.

Ideally, I'd love to squeeze the Ristretto into the bag, so I have that as my work briefcase, but I also have a compact sleeve style case for the MBA (this one) that can be used to carry the laptop in business settings.

I've carried all of this (minus the Ristretto) in a backpack before, but it felt like the bag would explode.

So, which TB bag makes the most sense?

Aeronaut 30 - The logical choice, based on the list above, but it may not have room for the Ristretto, although it will work well with the sleeve I listed above.

Aeronaut 45 - Probably will hold the Ristretto and all of the items above, but the bigger the bag, the greater the tendency to overstuff it.

Synapse 25 - I'd probably have to reduce the list above and move the MBA to the sleeve, but I figured it may be an option.

Thoughts?

[blackbird]

Because it's for work, have you thought about the Tri Star or Western Flyer? The only reason I mention them is because I think they'll fit every item on your packing list, and help keep your clothes as wrinkle-free as possible. Also, they could double as a briefcase in the office, with the added bonus of backpack straps for when you're rushing to catch the next plane. You may even want to add a couple of packing cubes, too, just to give your clothing that extra wrinkle protection.

Out of the three you've listed, I would go with the Aeronaut 30. It might be the priciest, but it probably would be the one to best fit your needs.

[tpnl]

+1 for @Blackbird. The Tri-Star should cover it all. Remember, you can even slip you MBA 11" in the backpack strap pocket and your IPad Mini in front pocket if you need more room. You could use your Ristretto as a Packing cube too.
I think the A30 should be ok - might be a bit tight for your Blazer - but I do not have an A30 (yet). A45 is ok too and a no-brainer.

IMHO, I would be concerned whether the S25 would fit all your clothes - but may work if you carried the Ristretto separately with all your electronics gear.

Hope this helps

Cheers!

[roguefury]

Thanks for the feedback. For some reason, I hadn't considered the Tri-Star. I thought it was 'too big', but it seems like a good size. I've watched several video reviews of the Tri-star and am impressed with the planning, and capacity, of the Tri-Star. I suppose the biggest negative is that it is heavier than the other bags.

One, somewhat unrelated note, I have the Eagle Creek Garment sleeve, which has dimensions of 21"x13"x2", and it doesn't fit any of these bags, or my Rimowa. I've had pretty good success packing my blazer in packing cubes (reversed) to minimize wrinkles, but I thought it was curious that that garment sleeve doesn't really fit anything.


Amazing to see everyone of the Tom Bihn bags is backordered...

[jeffmac]

+1 here for the TriStar as well. I have almost that exact packing list in a TriStar for a lot of 3 day trips and I end up flying little Embraer commuter jets a lot. A reasonably packed Tristar will even fit under the seat on the A (single seat) side in a pinch.

If you are moving electronics to a second bag (the 11 inch MBA works well in a Co-Pilot) then I recommend getting a large packing cube backpack. This makes packing clothes in the center section way easier...I do this when I am packing a lot of clothes in the Tristar.

[roguefury]

Thanks.

I've decided to go with the Tristar (black/wasabi) as the logical option. It's on backorder until mid-September, but I hope I get it sooner!

I'll update this thread with pics when I get the new bag

[itsablur]

Thanks.

I've decided to go with the Tristar (black/wasabi) as the logical option. It's on backorder until mid-September, but I hope I get it sooner!

I'll update this thread with pics when I get the new bag

Congrats! None of the options was really a bad choice anyway.

[roguefury]

Congrats! None of the options was really a bad choice anyway.

Thanks!

I may end up with an Aeronaut soon after, as I saw my wife eyeing it when I was researching options.

[itsablur]

Thanks!

I may end up with an Aeronaut soon after, as I saw my wife eyeing it when I was researching options.

LOL. I think my wife knows when she sees the TB site up on my screen, or sees I'm reading forum posts, that a bag purchase is imminent. That's why I try not to visit here for stretches; everybody here are terrible enablers...

[monkeylady]

LOL. I think my wife knows when she sees the TB site up on my screen, or sees I'm reading forum posts, that a bag purchase is imminent. That's why I try not to visit here for stretches; everybody here are terrible enablers...

Please tell her to take pity on us---we have nothing more interesting to do....

[Melissa]

I think you made a great choice! I just wanted to pipe in that although the Ristretto (I own the one for an iPad-so perhaps smaller than yours) will fit in the Aeronaut 45, it takes up ALOT of the interior space. And, since the Ristretto is set up as a computer bag (with the heavier duty padding for computer protection), it really doesn't function well as a packing cube. I keep mine separate and use as my "personal item" with my Aeronaut 45 as my carry on.

[roguefury]

Melissa,

I agree, the Ristretto too bulky (hard to call that thing bulky, but in this case that's the appropriate term) to squeeze into a Tristar. I'll go with the sleeve I mentioned in the OP, which has a couple of pockets and a strap, as my MBA solution with the Tristar.

I'm hoping TB can magically close out their backorders and ship my bag already!! I mean, I'm already strategizing on the optimal carry structure for a bag I don't have, and won't have for months!