So I'm gonna do this again, and I'm sure as soon as I do Blogger's gonna go ahead and choke up the original.
So sue me.
p.s. It's boring, but it's all I've got, 'cause I'm TIRED. (but I'm also in Seattle as I write this so I'm HAPPY. and full of SALMON. and MOCHI ICE CREAM.)
(and COFFEE.)
to reprise:
Folks sometimes ask me about what kind of luggage I travel with -- this morning I wrote this up for a friend while camped out at O'Hare waiting to board and thought I would share it here.
Disclaimer: I've been told my luggage sucks by an authority on the subject for one reason alone -- none of the pieces described here comes with a lifetime guarantee. And it's true: they don't.
to: a curious friend
from: suttonhoo
re: my baggage
shots of the coach tote and kiva carry on attached. I strap my laptop onto the kiva in a little kelty carrier that I got cheap through the rei outlet. (it has a shoulder strap that I tuck away until I need it.)
got the kiva cheap too -- 100 bucks on clearance about 10 years ago. the bottom front is frayed where it flipped on me (it has rollers) when I was running to catch a train in philly and I dragged it on the wrong side for a little too long. other than that it's held up great. there's a little suiter inside that folds out -- I can usually get two suit coats in there, maybe two blouses and three pairs of pants before it strains. that's just the suiter: there's room for other stuff in the body.
this is the second kiva I've owned. the first was equally brilliant -- bought it for a sailing trip in thailand -- soft-sided, converted to a backpack, remarkably tiny on the outside and voluminous on the inside with cool hidden pockets that I'm pretty sure saved me from a hotel room theft when one of my traveling buddies had cash stolen from his. the bag was stolen in a smash & grab in wicker park here in chicago -- I was on my way to the airport. I still miss it.
the coach tote didn't come cheap, unfortunately. I bought it for a trip to paris about 5 years ago for around $300 (wow. it's been awhile. time to get back to paris.) and haven't regretted it. it goes with me to central america too -- remarkably understated for a fancy piece of luggage. & amazingly durable.
tucked inside my tote is my freitag messenger bag. I'm deeply in love with my freitag. you can see a pic of it on detritus in the sidebar on my dopplr widget -- I used it for my icon. have you seen these? they're made of recycled european truck tarpaulins, so each one has a unique pattern; the shoulder strap is the stuff they use for seatbelts and the bag is rimmed in recycled bicycle inner tubes. it doubles in size if I need it to -- just pull out the inner lining.
I usually travel with just my kiva, laptop and freitag (sometimes I'll sub a different purse or briefcase for the freitag depending on the company I'll be keeping), but this week I'll be away for five nights and am also packing my grama's b-day present so I brought the tote. this is everything: I didn't check a bag.
every rare while the tsa or a gate agent will give me a hard time about the laptop, and I'll snug it into my freitag or tote in a hurry. but usually they don't mind because the kiva's super skinny and the whole stack is no larger than a standard carry on. keeping it clipped like that makes it super easy to move through security and to pull it out to work on the plane.
sorry you asked? ;)
p.s. when I need more room I check a victorinox that I got on clearance (also from REI). I don't love it, so I can't rave about it, but it does have some nice details: converts to a backpack even though it's a roller bag, and the roller handle design is quite nice. never has as much room as I want it too, though, and it's just a smidge too big to carry on, which bugs me a little.
but it was cheap. and turns out it's pretty durable.
