I am currently undertaking a design project for my final year at Lund University (Sweden) and would very much like to hear opinions on existing carry - ons, what works and what doesn't and where you feel a product or service could be improved. Any information would be extremely useful in helping me develop an idea.

Thanks

Sam Rapp

www.onebag.com good site to review.

Very much depends on travel style am sort of a flashpacker

so I prefer a soft med/large wheeled backpack that

I can carry on/slide in seat in front of me

Some airlines like Spirit charging for overheads already

Just a matter of time B4 the others do...

Luggage charges are amazing these days Delta charges

$200 to fly bags for a family of 4 so look for

thoughtfully designed carry ons but not too big

to become predominant. In addition electronics/security like

Concealed cushioned IPAD pockets would be super nice for me.

Hope this helps good luck,

I like the 4-wheelers that I can push along rather than straining the should by always pulling. Also like a clam shell concept for packing on both sides rather than just the 1 deep space.

I like Rick Steves' 21" with wheels. It is light weight and has a handle on the bottom making it easy to lift up into the overhead bin. I can pack all I need for a six week trip along with a csmall carry-on. Insteresting that you are in Seweden as we found that in Scandinavia ( on SAS) we were the only ones who carried on.

polycarbonates are great -- light weigh and sturdy -- but inconvenient because there are no outside pockets. I've seen one brand (I <i>think</i> Ricardo) that is a sort of hybrid polycarbonate on the back side and regular rip-stop fabric on the front w/ pockets. Light weight but w/ places for documents/reading material etc in outside pockets for convenience.

Also inside all the hard sided polycarb bags I've ever seen, the designers have it wrong.

Sort of difficult to explain but here goes: There are a solid divider flap and stretchy straps (similar to many soft sided bags). But they always put the flap on the 'top' side and the straps on the bottom side where the struts for the handle are. The handle takes up space on the 'floor' of the bag and creates sort of troughs. That is the compartment where irregular/hard items would naturally go. Shoes, hair dryer, non-liquid toiletries, those sorts od things. But because there are only straps those kinds of things won't stay in place.

If the solid flap was on the bottom it would hold in all the bits and pieces, and the straps on the top would hold in the folded (or bundled) clothing.

That seems sort of confusing but hopefully you get what I mean . . .

It must fit the sizer boxes. What airline you choose, I'll let others discuss. I've read somewhere that Ryanair has a vertical box and it's harder to fake fitting inside?

I prefer the spinner bags but I've always wished the the front wheels could be folded into the bag to allow an extra couple of inches or so when putting it in the overhead. Design it so that the wheels fold in somehow when the handle is pushed in.

I just saw a bag advertised for 79€, made by Samsonite and 'approved" by Ryanair.
I'm not recommending it as I haven't used it, but you can check it out and see what you think:
http://www.ryanair.com/en/news/ryana...d-carry-on-bag

just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has replied this information is extremely helpful

Make it REALLY light!!! but w/ wheels. Sometimes we are only allowed 15 lbs and if the case weighs 5 that does not leave much room for your stuff...netbook, kindle,extra glasses, meds etc Some of us are old and need wheels as airports only get larger!!

Why not just a nylon bag w/ no frame, but w/ wheels....since its a carry on it does not need to be built so sturdy. Also it needs to be 18 inches inc. wheels!!!

Now where can I buy the bag?

Regarding light luggage, there isn't any weight mentioned in the description for the Ryanair/Samsonite bag I posted about and I haven't found it referenced in an article on the internet. Interesting, isn't it? I suppose they made it very light but it will still seem to be heavy when considered against Ryanair's carry-on weight restriction of only 10kg.

If I were redesigning carryon bags I would take notice of the featurs above, but I would also try to rethink:

1. how bags are supported.

Soft bags like duffels offer little protection to items inside, are awkward to move, and look sloppy. How does one get the convenience and "stuffability" of a soft bag and the protection of a firmer bag?

Could the bag have a perimeter frame, built into the seams so that all the sides remain malleable but the bag still has shape? Could the support be a very lightweight truss? Polypropylene? Carbon fiber? Kevlar?

2. capacity and flexibility:

Wheels take up room in overhead compartments. Could the wheels pop out of the frame and store inside the bag to save length in the overhead? They would take up no more room in the overall scheme of things.

Handles that snap in place when raised allow bags to be pushed but require two hands to raise and lower the handles for taxis or security machines. Handles that do not snap into rigid forms can't be pushed to get over a door threshold or when needed on a bus or subway. Handles on four wheel bags are generally too short for tall people (6' or more). How could you rethink a handle that would solve these problems, still without creating extra length or taking up too much cargo space?

Clamshell (hard) bags offer good protection at the expense of poor space utilization. Softer bags are more space efficient but offer poor protection, particularly to electronics, medical devices, etc.

Many people use inner bags (Eagle Creek, for example) to pack small items. Could these be redesigned to form a system of perimeter and surface padding around delicate items in soft bags? Could manufacturers offer a system of fitted protective pads the way Hartmann offers fitted garment sleeves? In the right material, these could double as exercise mats in a hotel room.

Could hard bags be redesigned to be more versatile, providing a foldout laptop or writing "desk"? Could they have multiple separately openable compartments so one could retrieve books or headphones without opening the entire bag?

Could bags, soft or hard, be made in modular increments? One twelve inch module would be the "personal carry on item" of airline announcements. Two modules could make a 23" bag. Two end modules with a joining module between, could make a 28"-34" checkable bag.

Anything useful here? I have lots more ideas.

This was a fun exercise!

It must be lightweight.
Fit in the smallest overhead.
I like organized compartments to find things easily.
Padding to protect an IPad
I use my rolling carry on as a foot rest. Makes a much more comfortable flight.
I like a system where I can detach a compartment holding things I might want during the flight and put the rest in the overhead bin.
Fabric that cleans easily.
Unique colors.

Love my Tumi Vapor but the protruding wheels lose too much space. The four wheels should be partially recessed and permanantly affixed as retractable wheels would have too many moving parts.


http://www.tumi.com/product/index.js...ndSrc=paramNav

For me, personally, it doesn't have to be large. I always check a bag (or 2) so my carryon is really only for my laptop and my sudoku and crossword puzzle books! In my luggage closet, I have a variety of bags that I have used as a carryon, and they vary as much as any regular luggage varies! The item I select will depend on whether I'm on a small commuter plane to get to ORD to fly onward, or if I am going directly from ORD. If going directly, then I'm certain to be on a bigger plane with bigger overhead bins, and can use something with wheels and maybe have room for other things besides above named items.

I don't think I could travel having to use the same pieces of luggage everytime. (I'm a luggage collector )

The best I've found is a folding shopping bag with wheels like this one (though not in this colour & a bit larger)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Habitat-fo...-/310343839296

It's lightweight, folds to nothing and can be adjusted to virtually any size to fit any sizer.

I can even use if for shopping

I think it depends what kind of traveling you are doing what luggage is best and most appropriate.

A businessman packing a suit and dress shirts for meetings would want a different kind of luggage than me going on a beach vacation.

For me say for Hawaii or Mexico my carry-on is a fabric tote that will double as a beach bag after arrival. On the way home, it's usuallly just a shopping bag with handles (reusable or paper) filled with my souveniers.

My husband carries on everything I tell him to. Please do not include him in your project - I don't want a swarm of paparazzis by my door