Maharajahs and Monte Carlo--which TB bag?

[Globetrottngal]

Hi all,
I have a trip to London/Venice/Monaco in May and a 14 day trip to India in July. I am looking for a new carry-on bag to use as my main piece of luggage. I need to travel with my new Surface Pro as well.

In India, we are staying at 5 star palace hotels so I'd like something maybe a little less backpack-y, student hostel-type bag. Same for London and Venice. Both trips are part business, so I cannot travel with just a few pairs of Columbia pants and a couple of shirts.

Considering the A45 (not fully filled) or the TriStar. As a plus size woman, my clothes take up a lot of room and weigh quite a bit. I would love to avoid using a rollerbag as well, but I have never been able to pack everything in a carry-on and keep it at the 7kg weight limit.


I am thinking the TriStar as my carry-on, with my small CB, and a small roller bag (checked). Or I could try to use the A45 as my one bag with either a Stowaway or a Pilot (hiding my Cafe bag inside).

Any advice?
Many thanks!
P.S. do anyone know how to stay logged in on the forums for more than 5 minutes? I composed to above post, and before I could post it, I was kicked off the forum and had to log in again.

[Cristina]

Hi all,
I have a trip to London/Venice/Monaco in May and a 14 day trip to India in July. I am looking for a new carry-on bag to use as my main piece of luggage. I need to travel with my new Surface Pro as well.

In India, we are staying at 5 star palace hotels so I'd like something maybe a little less backpack-y, student hostel-type bag. Same for London and Venice. Both trips are part business, so I cannot travel with just a few pairs of Columbia pants and a couple of shirts.

Considering the A45 (not fully filled) or the TriStar. As a plus size woman, my clothes take up a lot of room and weigh quite a bit. I would love to avoid using a rollerbag as well, but I have never been able to pack everything in a carry-on and keep it at the 7kg weight limit.


I am thinking the TriStar as my carry-on, with my small CB, and a small roller bag (checked). Or I could try to use the A45 as my one bag with either a Stowaway or a Pilot (hiding my Cafe bag inside).

Any advice?
Many thanks!
P.S. do anyone know how to stay logged in on the forums for more than 5 minutes? I composed to above post, and before I could post it, I was kicked off the forum and had to log in again.

There is at least one other current Tristar vs A45 thread going right now so I would encourage you to check that out, but it comes down to your packing style and if you use packing cubes. One major difference is that the A45 is easier to live out of at your destination but the Tristar can fit a laptop in the center compartment (in a DLBC even, don't know about Pilot) and the A45 isn't set up for carrying a laptop.

But what I really came to say was that I had the same login problem until I switched to the Tapatalk app for iOS, and it was a problem no more. It's also really easy to upload photos from the app.

The main drawback for me is that I can't go find that other Tristar thread and paste in a link from the app, but it should be easy to find, probably under Questions About Bags, as it is quite recent. (Edited to add yes that's where it is but there is another recent one I am thinking of that I can't find. Try googling: Tristar vs A45 forums.tombihn.com
I find things easier this way than with the in-forum search.

[aedifica]

P.S. do anyone know how to stay logged in on the forums for more than 5 minutes? I composed to above post, and before I could post it, I was kicked off the forum and had to log in again.

When you logged in, did you check the box to stay logged in? I had the same trouble if I logged in without checking that box, but after checking the box I can't remember having to log in again. I've stayed logged in for weeks or maybe months. (This is on an iPhone, using Chrome and Safari.) It does mean you need to actually log off if you don't want to stay logged in when you leave the page.

[Globetrottngal]

There is at least one other current Tristar vs A45 thread going right now so I would encourage you to check that out, but it comes down to your packing style and if you use packing cubes. One major difference is that the A45 is easier to live out of at your destination but the Tristar can fit a laptop in the center compartment (in a DLBC even, don't know about Pilot) and the A45 isn't set up for carrying a laptop.

But what I really came to say was that I had the same login problem until I switched to the Tapatalk app for iOS, and it was a problem no more. It's also really easy to upload photos from the app.

The main drawback for me is that I can't go find that other Tristar thread and paste in a link from the app, but it should be easy to find, probably under Questions About Bags, as it is quite recent. (Edited to add yes that's where it is but there is another recent one I am thinking of that I can't find. Try googling: Tristar vs A45 forums.tombihn.com
I find things easier this way than with the in-forum search.

Thanks! I am reading/following that TriStar/A45 thread. I do love my packing cubes and love that TB cubes are made for specific bags.

[Globetrottngal]

When you logged in, did you check the box to stay logged in? I had the same trouble if I logged in without checking that box, but after checking the box I can't remember having to log in again. I've stayed logged in for weeks or maybe months. (This is on an iPhone, using Chrome and Safari.) It does mean you need to actually log off if you don't want to stay logged in when you leave the page.

I do not see a Stay Logged in box. I have a remember box, but not a stayed logged in box. I typically use the forums on my desktop, not a mobile device.

[aedifica]

I do not see a Stay Logged in box. I have a remember box, but not a stayed logged in box. I typically use the forums on my desktop, not a mobile device.

Yes, that's the box I meant! I couldn't check what the text by the box said without logging out. :-)

[Globetrottngal]

Yes, that's the box I meant! I couldn't check what the text by the box said without logging out. :-)

Thanks to you, I did figure it out. To me, "remember" means remember my log in info the next time I visit, not keep me logged in!

[aedifica]

I'm so glad!

[GoStanford]

I can't comment fully on all your choices, as I don't have all the bags you are considering, but I did make a trip to India in December for about the same time period, also staying in nice places, and took my A30 and my Pilot as a carry-on bag. I had the luxury of having relatives in the area part of the time, so I was able to do some laundry at their place, but the hotel rates for laundry were not bad. I agree it's a good idea to have some nice clothing options so that you can enjoy the restaurants and other amenities in the hotels, plus you will need your business attire.

Regardless of the bag you choose as your main luggage, I think the Pilot is a worthwhile option as a carry-on bag. A big reason for this is that it has that separate vertical zipped pocket for a water bottle, which is a critical item to carry when traveling to Europe in the summer and to India at any time so that you can stay hydrated easily.