Backpack/Shoulder Bag combo question

[sidiki]

I abandoned the idea of getting a Synapse 25 as a travel bag but I am currently looking at a couple TB options like the Western Flyer and the Aeronaut 30 for all-around travel bag goodness...BUT the shoulder bag/backpack combo set up on both raises questions.

When do you use 'shoulder mode' versus 'backpack' mode? I get the appeal in the versatility of those options but in reality why would I, for example not always carry my aeronaut as a backpack OR a shoulder bag....when do you guys switch or swap out between the two options? why?

I love the idea of a dedicated travel backpack and yet I see the value of an over the shoulder option in some scenarios yet my tiny brain cannot rationalize the two together...maybe it's the all egg nog

[AVService]

I carry my T.S. a lot and sometimes it is too heavy for extended shoulder carry plain and simple.
Lets say it is loaded heavy and I am in the Airport and can shoulder it to the gate and sit and wait.
I board the plane and all is good.
Then I need to switch planes in Atlanta maybe which may be a monumental hike and without extra time to walk slowly as it always seems to work out.
This is where I might switch to BP mode so I can run more easily with the load on than I ever could from my shoulder!

I also will fly somewhere to pick up a car and I have no actual idea where it is?
I BP up then to make an easier hands free carry as I wander seemingly aimlessly for the car in a sea of cars.

Step away from the Egg Nog,it is not too complicated!

Same exactly with the A45,it can pack much heavier than I like on shoulder if I need to walk any real distance but it is much more handy on shoulder too most of the time.

[G42]

...maybe it's the all egg nog

Nuthin' wrong with eggnog!

I took the A30 to Ecuador this past autumn. When I was moving through the airport, on the train, etc, I had it in backpack mode for handsfree ease. I left the absolute strap attached, but under the fastened grab handles.

When the bag was going to be stowed in the below bins of a bus or a boat, I zipped away the backpack straps for their safety and carried it that short distance with the absolute strap and/or the grab handles.

When in the same hotel room for several nights, I again kept the straps zipped away and out of my way.

Basically, I use the backpack mode for longer continuous carry and the absolute shoulder strap and/or grab handles for short distance carry and when I'm worried the backpack straps will catch on something.

Hope that helps, if not, add more eggnog!


Cheers!

[MJMEBLOM]

Nuthin' wrong with eggnog!

I took the A30 to Ecuador this past autumn. When I was moving through the airport, on the train, etc, I had it in backpack mode for handsfree ease. I left the absolute strap attached, but under the fastened grab handles.

When the bag was going to be stowed in the below bins of a bus or a boat, I zipped away the backpack straps for their safety and carried it that short distance with the absolute strap and/or the grab handles.

When in the same hotel room for several nights, I again kept the straps zipped away and out of my way.

Basically, I use the backpack mode for longer continuous carry and the absolute shoulder strap and/or grab handles for short distance carry and when I'm worried the backpack straps will catch on something.

Hope that helps, if not, add more eggnog!


Cheers!

I do the same as G42. I like to have all straps tucked away for when the bag is stored on planes and buses. I generally carry the bag BP style, but being able to tuck the BP straps away are a must.


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[Fulton]

+1 on backpack mode when the walk is far or serious.

I packed a four-year-old to Charleston by plane. The strap worked fine from my friend’s car into her house or through calm, short TSA lines. But hands free was amazing when I had to steer a kid through a parking lot to a shuttle bus or when I had to make time down the concourse to our gate. The backpack let me nudge him down a plane aisle while carrying my bag — without any fuss or smacking into seated passengers.

Weight matters. I have to admit that I don’t think I’ve ever used the straps on my Western Flyer. But that’s because it is smaller and never gets heavy on me.

[Kaadk]

I don’t have one of the convertible bags (yet) but back in my Pre-TB days when I’d sometimes use my Swiss Gear backpack there’s been times I wished it had a shoulder bag option. Mostly when on subways, trains, buses, that kind of stuff. Places where it’s crowded and it’s easier to have the bag in front of you instead of on your back where you can end up smacking people upside the head if you turn wrong.


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[Kelly S]

I thought smacking people in the head was part of the fun!!

[BWeaves]

I more likely to smack someone in the head in shoulder carry mode, when I get off balance or turn around.

[TRD]

I wear my A30 backpack style 99% of the time. The only exception is when I wear it on a subway or in another crowded public space. Then I wear it cross-body with an Absolute Strap and carry it in front of me. Yes, I have mini combo locks on all three A30 zippers but in a crowded urban area likely rife with pick-pockets I like full visibility of what I’m holding.

[BWeaves]

I also like crossbody, hold the bag in front of me in crowded areas. Backpack mode is for running through the airport or when people are not pressed up against my back.

[bouncing]

I use my Aeronaut 30 in duffel/shoulder strap mode 90% of the time using the absolutely amazing Absolute Shoulder Strap. That shoulder strap is the best one I've ever used. I find that this lets me access the pockets easy, I switch shoulders occasionally for comfort, and I can put it down easily.

In the rare event that I use the A30 in backpack mode, it's when I'm in it for the long haul, like when the bus only takes you within 5 miles of your hotel and you have to hoof it through the wilderness for a distant abode. (True story: the exact moment that I converted from wheeled to carried luggage was when that happened exactly!)

If you want a travel backpack, I would actually reconsider your choice of an Aeronaut. It's not the best backpack. The way it load means the weight might be uneven and there's no option for a load-bearing hip belt. I also don't find the backpack straps are that great on the Aeronaut. They stay out of the way because they're minimal, but since they are so minimal, they aren't very comfortable long-term with a heavy load. TBH, I don't think TB is the best at larger backpacks; for that I would consider Minaal or Osprey.

[imperator]

I use WF in shoulder mode when it is "professionally appropriate"; EDC at work or meetings, or where I need to get stuff out of my bag while walking around. Travel almost exclusively in backpack mode due to weight, and I wrap the shoulder strap around the bottom of the briefcase instead of detaching it while in backpack mode; this only works when the bag is full.

[Loohoo]

I took my WF to Europe last summer and it was maxed out for 11 days (no laundry), so it was pretty porky. I carried it with the strap/handle on the shuttle but when I got into the airport, I unzipped the backpack straps and up it went - which was great because it took a while to get to the gate. I zipped them back in at the gate, then back out again once we landed - just takes a second to do it and off you go. FYI, the WF wasn’t uncomfortable in backpack mode, which surprised and delighted me (which is one reason it’s now my go-to travel bag for anything over 2 or 3 nights).

[Kaz]

Basically, I use the backpack mode for longer continuous carry and the absolute shoulder strap and/or grab handles for short distance carry and when I'm worried the backpack straps will catch on something.

Me too. About 90% of the time I use my Aeronaut (whether A30 or A45, depending on the trip) in backpack mode, which is the most comfortable way for me to carry the weight. I put the straps away for functional reasons, and sometimes also aesthetic ones; I love how the Aeronaut sans BP straps is consonant with my aesthetic for urban environments.