The Travel Bag Winner? Red Oxx!

and the winner is . . . Red Oxx!

Last month I posted about how I was trying to find the perfect travel bag for carry-on (nothing with wheels as they just add weight, you lose 1/3 of the space for the wheels and handle, and it will not fit in European carry-ons). Both bags I examined were wonderful. In many ways, they were even comparable–the weight, the thickness, the quality. I even considered keeping them both, though could not justify this to myself (at least for now!). While the Tom Bihn Aeronaut seemed a little more stylish and eye-catching, I really do not want to draw any attention at all to my travel bags. The more attention, the more somebody, somewhere, on some airline will want to measure or weigh or otherwise examine my luggage, potentially delaying me or separating me from my luggage during the flight. You see, style for me translates as attention, and I do not want to attract any of it, for any reason, when I travel.

To be honest, the other deciding factor that had me settle on the Sky Train from Red Oxx, besides this bag feeling a little more rugged, was what I perceived as being stronger backpack straps and hardware. Nothing plastic in sight, the straps had solid metal hardware, felt a little more padded, and appeared to be more firmly attached to the bag itself. Let me be clear, I cannot carry any bag for long on my shoulder, as it will throw off my alignment and leave me nursing knots in my back. I am fully planning to use the backpack straps as I navigate the public transportation, trains, and walking to and from airports (not to mention navigating between terminals), as I move to and fro for the academic conferences I attend. Filling this bag with 20 pounds of clothes and books to test it as I walked around my apartment clearly showed me the Sky Train would be the hands-down winner carrying this on my back. Of course, only time will tell, so expect an update after my next travel in September.

Now I settled on a bag, all that remained was to get the assorted peripherals to help me organize the minimal load I will carry. That box just arrived, so let me share what else will travel with me (all in the colors I ordered to fit together!).

For my computer, I ordered the Metro Briefcase:

For my toiletries, I ordered the Tri-fold Shave Kit:

For my socks and such, along with assorted small items (like a clock, slippers, vitamins, etc.), I ordered 2 Nomad Shave Kits:

For my electronic items, such as chargers, camera, cords, adapters, and the like, I chose the Lil Roy:

And finally, the Travel Basket so I can have a central place in the hotel room to put my wallet, watch, hotel key, and such when I am in the room (as these things always get spread around since there is not a central home for them):

The colors of all these items fit nicely together, and will help me organize (and locate) things along the way.

I spend  a lot of time thinking about travel, due in part to the fact that the trips I take are often very busy and commonly involve a number of side excursions. The less I have to consider how and what I transport while on the way to seeing what I am really traveling to see and experience, the better. Let’s hope all this gear from Red Oxx will work as I am planning; I am confident it all will.

6 thoughts on “The Travel Bag Winner? Red Oxx!

  1. Awesome post! I shall follow your advice and order for me too. Yay! Then I can share what a short, somewhat in shape woman thinks. 🙂

    1. Thank you, Christiana, for your feedback. I must say that the month it took me to order and then try the main bags and still struggle to decide was surprising. I thought this was going to be an easier decision, though these bags are such good quality and impressive that you could not go wrong with either.

      However, as I mentioned above, I am glad I went with Red Oxx, and am confident that its products will meet my anticipated needs. I do think that having an organizing system inside the bags continues the focus on having only what is needed for a trip, as well as everything in its place.

      Jeffrey

  2. Redoxx does make an awesome product. I do think the backpack straps are a bit lacking.. Did you look at the MEI executive overnighter or voyageur? Just curious.

    1. Thanks for the comment, Chris. What did you not like with the backpack straps?

      I had not seen the MEI bags before; they had not come up in any of my searches, though they do look great!

      Jeffrey

  3. Nice post! I”m looking for a new computer bag because my Franklin Covey leather briefcase is heavy and the handles are starting to shred. I’ve carried it quite a lot and it has held up well but I’d like something lighter. I’ll be checking out Red Oxx.

    1. Thank you for the comment, Angela.

      Red Oxx products seem amazingly well-made, and while I also use computer bags from Waterfield in San Francisco, I wanted something to travel with that will match the look and feel of my larger luggage. Will let you know how it lasts when I travel to London again in September for a conference.

      Jeffrey

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