Stahlsac Cayman Brac Carry-On whith wheels (W419-B)

I'm thinking about getting one of these for my next trips to the Caribbean. I like to carry my bcd, camera, strobe, dive computer and regulatots on board the airplane. Just wondering if anyone here has one of these carry-ons and what their experience has been. I'm also considering the Akona carry-On (AKB176 and the Pinnacle Hybrid Carry-On. Thanks.

Bob

We have 2 wheeled Stahlsacs and am vey satisfied. A fiend had one split a zipper after 2 hard years and it was replaced. A good product.

I'm a big fan of Stahlsac bags too. The ones they are coming out with now are very light weight and sturdy. Best bags I've ever owned, but I don't have exactly the same bag you're looking at.

The Akona bag is a couple of inches over the allowed carry-on size with Continental Airlines and American Airlines (45" L+W+H) so you might want to check the allowances for your favorite airline. You might get away with it a couple of times, but airlines are really cracking down and I personally would not take any chances buying a new bag that I know is too big.

Just one thing to consider. It appears that this is a soft sided bag. A bag of that size may attract attention at your check in gate. Especially if it is full and probably over the carry on weight allowance.

This means the airline may make you gate check your bag. It would end up with the other luggage. This doesn't necessarily mean that it will get gentile treatment. I had a hard sided carbon fiber carry on. It was well below the size of this bag or the maximum allow carry on size. They still made me gate check it on a smaller jet. It was smashed to pieces. Also because they often don't give you a claim ticket the bags can get lost. I had one that they took an hour to find. They were giving me a lot of grief because I had no claim ticket. Only strong instance on my part got them to look for it and find it. This was a domestic flight. You could imagine how helpless you might be in some third world country.

If I put a camera, strobe or housing in a carry on I use a hard case such as a storm case or pelican case. If I think these might be too big for the airline I have a small padded photo backpack that will hopefully not attract the attention of airline staff.

Bob,

What kind of camera system are you trying to carry on?

Bob,

 

What kind of camera system are you trying to carry on?

Mike,

I have an Olympus E-410 with Oly E-03 U/W housing and an Inon Z-240 strobe. I pack these along with my bcd (Sherwood Avid) in an Aqua Lung mesh bag that I carry on. All this stuff weighs in at close to 35 lbs and after carrying it through the airport making connecting flights, my back and shoulder starts screaming like hell! So, my quest is for a suitable carry on bag with wheels. Will make my back/shoulder a lot happier and I won't have to listen to my wife complaining about my aches and pains.

Bob