Product Description
Organizer section holds a variety of business essentials. Divided file organizer. Main compartment includes removable padded case to accommodate laptop computer, additional interior pockets hold computer peripherals. Rear compartment elastic garment restrains hold clothing for overnight travel.
Color:Aubergine… More >>
Samsonite 4-wheel Spinner Overnight Carry-on Bag Computer Case – Aubergine
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I will get the worst of the criticism out of the way first. Although this is a very nice bag and I have had good experiences with Samsonite luggage quality justifying it’s premium pricing, this bag seems a little vulnerable in two areas. As noted on other Samsonite spinner totes based on this lineage, the handle seems less sturdy than I could wish. I do not necessarily disbelieve the reports of broken handles on Silhouette and X’ion spinner totes now that I have seen this earlier cousin, the spinner office on wheels models are positively infamous for broken handles. I own a larger Samsonite Spinner garment bag that is much more solid when being pushed than this small spinner and it is almost exclusively due to that bags adequately strong telescoping handle as compared to this one. The wheels also seem a little less solid in motion than my garment bag, but I believe that is a good thing. I think the lack of rigidity in the running gear of this bag has to do with the wheels being mounted on two seperate halves of the bag which opens down the middle so that the forward half of the bag sort of tilts forward.
I say this arrangement is good because it is one key design feature that makes this bag so conveniently useable as a carry on. It is made to open standing upright and the way it does so is wonderful. Size is everything to this bag. I am a frequent international traveler and have a small amount of indespensible paperwork and items that I must not take the chance of loosing enroute, which therefore can not be checked. I usually have a checked bag that I take a few sets of clothes in, but if that were lost I can always get by for several days with just the items in my carry on. I pack my carry on in such a way to ensure this is possible while hopefully not crippling myself under it’s weight. As you might imagine that is difficult to do with a laptop computer and it’s charger in the carry on. I keep buying lighter laptops but the burden of lugging a carry on around those large foreign airports during layovers is still the second worst past of trip, only behind the ten hour or longer flight segments. I have carried on bags in the past that were large enough to be questionable as to whether I could find space to stow them. At my age that type of overpacking is no longer worth the fight. I check a reasably small bag and carry an even more reasonably sized bag.
The spinner bag reviewed here is only unique in that it is a four wheeled spinner. If it were a two wheeled pull behind bag of the same size it would be one of many. However, I have graduated from two wheeled bags forever, I hope. I have unhappy memories of running over my own heels with bags I was pulling behind me, or of two wheeled bags that tipped over while making turns. The first time I pushed a four wheeled spinner beside me through an airport I was hooked. However finding a spinner bag that is small enough to fit under a seat if the overhead bins are full is actually a real challenge. Most of the smallest spinners are taller than they are wide and if forced under a seat would protrude into my foot space to a degree that is beyond tolerability on a transoceanic flight in an economy seat.
This bag has one other advantage over the type of small 18″ upright hardsided spinner bags that so many Japanese women seem to use so effortlessly. The advantage to this ‘not’ being an upright bag is that the three compartments of this bag open up clam shell style while the bag is standing upright on its wheels. If you pack everything into this one bag, you needn’t lay it on its back and flop the other half over to open the bag to get a computer out for x-ray screening (or anything else you might need to get out of the bag). There just never seems to be enough space to open a big bag with people crowded around you at the x-ray belt.
It is so nice to be able to open the top zipper on this bag and reach in quickly to retrieve one or two things while the bag is on the belt (without taking over a large area). The action is seemless and is more important than description implies.
My previous carry on bag was a leather bag very similar to a doctor’s bag with the rigid frame around the mouth when it opened, you know the old alligator mouth bag. Being a little larger than a real doctor’s bag and having a shoulder strap it was about the best compremise amongst non-wheeled bags as a carry on that was not difficult to stow onboard the plane. It was cavernous compared to it’s exterior size, but oh my – how I hated the strain of carrying it hour after hour once it was loaded with computer and all. I have been looking for some time for a four wheeled rolling bag that has small enough exterior dimensions to fit under a seat, but with at least one good sized compartment in which to actually pack some clothes. I would say that roughly 50% of the volume of this bag is in the main center compartment. There is room there to pack something nearly six inches thick without straining that compartment or seriously affecting the shape of the other compartments. Just try to pack a pair of shoes into one of the file-like compartments of a carry on bag that was actually built as a briefcase (as so many are) while still carrying something rigid such as a laptop in the same bag, it is quite uncomfortable for both you and the bag.
Inside this rolling carry on is space for a stack of clothes and or odd sized items roughly 14 inches by 10 inches by at least 4 inches. My shaving bag fits in this space along with a change of clothes or two and even a change of shoes if forced. Forward of that main compartment is the briefcase like compartment that is intended to carry the laptop computer and other full page files. A removable computer sleeve is included, but it is sized for a 15″ machine and I don’t know anyone who travels alot that takes along a computer that big except the Macbook Pro owners, of whom I am not one. My 12 incher fits well in there in my own sleeve, along with some other files, without rattling around too much. If I had a netbook I would have to put it one of the file pockets within the compartment to keep it in place. This computer compartment is all of about 2 inches thick so it is more than a file folder pocket. Lastly, the frontmost pocket is just that, a thin file folder pocket, so it is good for wallet, passport, phone and ticket storage but if I tried to actually pack anything in there thicker than a book it would likely crowd the pocket such that my travel documents were no longer easily accessible.
You can think of this bag as capable of holding not more than two days worth of things, however, with a laptop included anything else in a bag seems to get heavy and bulky at an exponential rate. Being able to roll that weight along beside me instead of hand carrying it is priceless on a long layover. Four wheel bags are in a league of convenience in motion over and above your basic cheap two wheeled pull behind. And this spinner although not truly large inside, is at a graet advantage in that it is definitely ‘firmly’ within the realm of a carry-on once it is time to find storage in the plane. This bag is even a touch shorter in length and is much more convenient to roll than the squarish little pilot’s cases that the flight crews often use for their carry on luggage. This four wheeled bag will turn to roll down the narrowest isles so you just never need to pick the bag up to clear an obstacle while walking. And as to wheeling it through a tight crowd of people, two wheeled bags could never compare. I only lift this bag to put it on the x-ray belt. Other than that it usually traverses everything in it’s path one way or another.
Like I said, it’s closest cousin, the spinner office on wheels, is known for broken handles and this one might be in that category as well if I’m not careful. I think the newwer Silhouette and X’ion spinner totes have handles that were paid more attention to during the design process. But neither of those can match this model for perfectly proportioned size. The X’ion tote in particular is enough taller that it gets top heavy and you can read customers complaints about that bag tipping over and falling on them when they are seated at the gate with the X’ion bag is completely still – it just keels right over. Likewise the Silouette and Office on Wheels spinners are taller bags than this, although not as tall as the X’ion. The Office on Wheels spinner does the same tipping over forward trick if noticably heavy laptop in in place in it’s designated compartment. This bag is solidly balanced even when open even if there is a heavy computer in it’s place. This bag is not quite as large inside as those cousins are but those bags are just a little to big to fit well under most economy seats if needs be. This bag was guaranteed by Samsonite to fit the airline definitions of a carry on. So if you get into a tight spot with one of those economy seats that has an oddly shaped small underseat space and overhead is not available, you can make the stewardess figure it out because your bag is within regs and at least half of the people on board take bags that are bigger than the standards allow. If a bag needs to be bumped into checked storage, yours will not be the one to go.
Size is everything and almost the only thing that matters in the design of this bag and no other spinner bag is better sized – or should I say no other is a better compromise of size.
Rating: 4 / 5
I have had this bag for 6 months and it has held up very well, even the pull out handle although it seems very rickety. I have a bad back and this briefcase has saved me having to pick up a heavy case in narrow airplane aisles. I actually does fit my monster 17″ laptop although I had to buy a separate neoprene skin with handles instead of the laptop case that came with it. The zippers do smooth out with a little use. The back compartment holds lots of peripherals and bulky books and notebooks. I wish the front section had better pen holders and more useful compartments.
the pull out handle works well when dragging the briefcase, but feels wobbly when pulling the case along sideways whether beside or in front of you. Samsonite would do well to give that handle more lateral stability
Overall a great bag.
Rating: 5 / 5
it has been a great buy !! awesome case, have enjoyed it a lot, been getting “tat is a great bag” every day .
Unintended when i ordered it , but a nice color !!
Rating: 5 / 5