 - Big, Strong, Practical: Constructed of rugged, water-resistant 1000 denier nylon, it features a large 2500 cubic-inch main compartment, plus three outside pockets (small, medium and huge) - perfect for often-used items.
- Handy Extras: It includes a pair of mesh bags for smaller items, and a clip-in security pouch (which you can also clip inside your Appenzell or Civita Day Pack).
- Compression: Two internal and four external cinch-tight compression straps will keep your load compact and close to your back, not sagging like a sack of potatoes.
- On Your Back: It easily converts from a smart-looking suitcase to a handy backpack, with comfortably-curved shoulder straps and a padded waistbelt.
- As a Suitcase: When you want to use it as a suitcase (or check it as luggage in "expanded" mode), the straps and waistbelt safely tuck away in the back.
List Price: $99.95 
Product Description: Rick Steves' Convertible Carry-On, the most versatile carry-on bag you'll find. As Rick's favorite, he had no problem living out of it for three months every summer. This large 2,500 cubic-inch bag features three outside pockets - perfect for often-used items. Includes handy extras: a pair of mesh bags and a clip-in security pouch, and both internal and external compression straps. For extra capacity, just pull open the full-perimeter expando-zipper, and its capacity jumps to 3,000 cubic inches. The Convertible Carry-On easily converts from a smart-looking suitcase to a handy backpack, with comfortably curved shoulder straps and a padded waistbelt. To use as a suitcase, the straps and waistbelt safely tuck away in the back (or check it as luggage in "expanded" mode). Note: This bag does NOT have wheels. Customer Reviews: Rating: 
Date: 2008-07-08
Perfect for a two-week Europe trip
I just returned from using this pack for a two-week trek across four European countries, and I was extremely happy with it. By the end it got heavy and I somewhat wished I'd got something with wheels, but I am a very short and small female, so that's to be expected with any large bag. This was generally the perfect travel pack.
There were so many expanders and pockets and nooks in this bag. I underpacked at the beginning, knowing I would accumulate things as the trip went on. By the middle of the trip, I thought the bag was totally full, though I kept shopping. Somehow at the end of the trip, I was still able to fit everything into this bag. I used certain techniques such as rolling clothes and stuffing my shoes with small items to utilize the space, but I was still amazed that this one bag could hold all my belongings in addition to a ton of extra stuff.
The bag itself is lightweight, with tons of convenient zippered pockets. It fits perfectly in overhead compartments in airplanes. It has handles in all the important places. I mainly used it as a backpack when going from place-to-place, though used the top handle to drag it around the security lines at CDG airport when my back was getting tired.
I strongly recommend this bag if you are on a budget and need something light and roomy. I saw a similar bag from a different brand, though with a hard foundation and wheels, at REI, but it was double the price. I was on a budget and went with this bag, and while those wheels may have been handy from time to time, I was extremely pleased with this bag. It was durable, expandable, and did the job. I will gladly use it again for both long and short trips. Rating:
Date: 2008-07-06
A Great Travel Bag!
Rick Steves Convertible Carryon Bag is the best bag I've found. Steves knows how to design bags for people who travel for a living. Given the current reality of the airline industry, people will want to learn how to travel light. This bag is the one to use. Rick Steves has refined this bag over the years and has thought of everything. I highly recommend this bag. Rating:
Date: 2008-06-26
Best bag for travel
I wanted to have a bag that would carry everything I needed that would be a carry on. This bag more than fit the bill. I was able to use it as a backpack when walking through airports but I could easily and quickly store the shoulder straps when I needed to check the bag plane side on the smaller planes. Because I was traveling with several other people, including babies, I was responsible for holding all of the passports and boarding passes. Having so many different size pockets allowed me to have easy access to these things plus my personal items. I also felt that everything was quite secure while on my back. My first trip with this bag was for only 5 days but this fall I will be traveling for 2 weeks and I plan to use this as my only bag. Rating: 
Date: 2008-06-13
this was a mistake for me
Buying this suitcase was a mistake for me. In reading up before a trip to Venice, Italy, I read that wheeled suitcases make no sense in locations with uncertain terrain and that a suitcase like this (carry handles + shoulder strap + backpack straps) is much more practical.
Wrong. I wound up having to buy a trolley to strap this onto which was difficult to manage when going up and down steps. Looking at all the Europeans in Venice, they had wheeled suitcases. And they weren't having the problems I was.
As far as construction goes, it seems to be well made and sturdy. Plenty of pockets plus an expandable gusset. It seems a bit large, though, for carry-on luggage that actually has to be carried. When packed it was pretty heavy and toting it around, even by all the alternative methods, was literally a pain in the neck.
Henceforth this suitcase is banished for use in car trips only. Rating:
Date: 2008-04-01
Overall a great bag.
This is an almost perfect carry-on bag. It's very light, but well constructed. Lots of well placed pockets. Expandable when necessary (I have not used this feature yet). I have not used the backpack straps yet because the handles are well placed and well padded. The shoulder strap is also well padded and works fine for long walks through airports. The backpack straps are probably best suited for walks through town. This bag works best with Rick Steves packing cubes. The only thing I would change is the orientation of the zipper on the main compartment, the "hinge" is on the bottom of the bag, meaning the flap opens long ways. If you have a lot of stuff in the outer pockets this is a little awkward. |
