I traveled to India with the Victorinox Trek Pack Plus convertible roll-aboard/backpack and loved how easy it was to convert between the two. I could roll it through the airport upon arrival and then just throw it over my back as I walked along the streets of Varkala searching for a hotel room.
The full size is 22 inches, just small enough to use as a carry-on. By packing the few clothes that I carried into a compression bag, I had plenty of room for books, video camera, iPod and gifts for my hosts.
The main section includes a couple of mesh pockets that are perfect for business cards, receipts, loose change and other small items that would get lost otherwise. There’s an outer pocket that I use for magazines and a book as well as a smaller pocket where I can pack a pair of shoes (or laptop cord, snacks and anything else I want to access quickly).
The day bag that comes with the Trek Pack Plus can be zipped to the front of the bag (see photo) though I tend to carry it with me.
All in all the bag held up very well and it’s by far the best piece of luggage I’ve ever traveled with, mainly because of it’s convertibility.
One note of caution is that the handle is quite long which causes the bag to trail behind you a bit. When you’re pulling it through the airport, keep it close to you so as not to trip other travelers.
In February, Victorinox launched a new line of bags, their Emotion 360 4.0 line. While their website hasn’t been updated yet, here’s a photo of one of these new bags.
These are reportedly lighter and include a suspension system that lifts the bag off of the traveler’s back.
Travel Well!
P.S. – Here’s me at the airport 🙂