It's In The Bag

& AKB188 <10 lbs. Bag" class="border" />

Packability The AKB176's fully padded main compartment lid hinges at the bottom of the bag, so we could fold it completely out of the way when loading the shorty wetsuit, clothes, camera and sandals. The lower front lid compartment is shaped to accommodate Akona's optional regulator bag, which we used to pack our regulator rig, dive computer, mask and backup light. While not required, the reg bag is worth the extra $31 for its additional padding, and because it can be removed and carried separately. The smaller, upper front lid pocket has a built-in organizer for cell phone and other extras, plus offers easy access for a TSA-approved toiletries bag. The side document pocket accommodates plane tickets and boarding passes. Completely loaded, the AKB176 weighed in at 20 pounds. Note: While a computer is not part of our carry-on gear inventory, the AKB176's easy-access laptop sleeve is a nice bonus.

The AKB188 <10 lbs. Bag is lightly padded with internal and external compression straps to keep gear from shifting while reining in unused packing space. The large main compartment stowed our 3mm fullsuit, BC and two pairs of fins and remaining gear. Clothes went into the two side pockets, adding some additional padding to protect the dive gear. This left the internal mesh pocket and deep front lid pocket available for additional items. Fully loaded, the <10 lbs. Bag weighed in at 38 pounds, so you can pack extra clothes and still be within the 50-pound weight limit.

Performance When packed, both bags stand upright. The <10 lbs. Bag is rock-solid, but the carry-on can be a bit wobbly due to the weight of the regulator bag pulling it forward. Locking tow handles allow excellent control in turns and tight spaces, both pushing and pulling. The <10 lbs. Bag's large padded handle on top and double-duffel straps let us heft the bag up with ease. Meanwhile, the AKB176's laptop sleeve has a zipper on the side of the bag, making it easy to access when going through security checkpoints. The bag's top handle is good for carrying the bag down a narrow airplane aisle and lifting into an overhead compartment.

Bottom Line This luggage combo comes pretty darn close to perfection. The 47-inch total linear length of the AKB176 falls in the middle of the 45- to 51-inch maximum allowed, so be sure to check ahead with your airline.

akona.com

& Aqua Adventurer Rolling Duffle/Backpack" class="border" />

Packability The Island Hopper's roomy, well-padded main compartment has internal hold-down straps, a reinforced base and a lid that hinges at the bag's base for easy access. This was where we packed our regulator rig, computer, shorty wetsuit, shorts and shirts, along with mask, snorkel, camera and hat. The lower front lid pocket was perfect for our sandals and backup light, while the upper front lid pocket provided an easy-access spot for our TSA liquids bag. Four external compression straps cinched the load into a compact package that weighed in at 20 pounds. That left the bonus Companion Backpack free for the really crucial travel stuff like munchies, iPod, books and magazines.

The Aqua Adventurer offers a clamshell-style main compartment. The base half, lined with hard plastic and fitted with compression straps, is where we put both pairs of fins, the 3mm fullsuit, beanie and backup mask. We loaded BC, T-shirts, a few shorts and primary dive light in the soft-sided upper half. That left our booties and remaining shorts for the lower end pocket, which gave the bag much-needed support for maintaining stability when standing upright. The upper end pocket, side pocket and internal mesh pocket remained empty, but at a loaded weight of only 39 pounds, you can fill them up with extra clothes or souvenirs.

Performance While the Island Hopper stands stable upright, the Aqua Adventurer tends to tip over if the lower end pocket is not adequately filled. But once that's worked out, both bags behave nicely on the move. The Aqua Adventurer's top lift handle, double duffel straps and hard plastic base handle make it an easy bag to heft. The Island Hopper, with handles on three sides, lifts into overhead compartments with ease. And don't forget the bonus Companion Backpack that you can remove from the Island Hopper at the boarding gate and take to the seat with you. Note: All Armor bags have backpack straps that come in handy when crossing terrain too rocky for wheels.

Bottom Line The Island Hopper/Companion Backpack combo gives you two carry-on bags for the price of one.

armorbags.com

& Excursion Roller Backpack" class="border" />

Packability The Excursion Roller Carry-On Backpack's main compartment's zipper opens only two-thirds of the way toward the base, which somewhat limits packing access. It also doesn't have any padding to speak of. But it's a roomy compartment--all carry-on gear except sandals fit easily. Sandals stowed in the half-mesh lower lid compartment. The upper lid compartment is an interesting design; it can be used either as a shallow pocket, a deep pocket or an expandable fin pocket that will fit a pair of kickers up to 27 inches long. We used the pocket in its shallow mode for our TSA liquids bag. There's also a shallow rear pocket on the back of the bag that would be good for tickets and boarding passes and maybe a book. Fully loaded, the bag weighed in at 20 pounds.

The larger Excursion Roller Backpack has the identical pocket configuration as the Carry-On, everything is just larger. We packed our full-foot fins on the sides of the main compartment to add support to the soft walls, then loaded in the BC, 3mm fullsuit, all clothes, backup mask, and booties. This time we used the upper lid compartment in its expandable fin mode, where our XL open-heel fins fit easily, and left the half-mesh lower lid compartment empty. We also didn't use the padded rear pocket, which is about twice the size as on the carry-on, with plenty of room for a stack of magazines and a book or two. Loaded, the bag weighed in at 39 pounds, so the empty pockets could easily be put to use without exceeding airline limits.

Performance With a wide base and a low center of gravity, the Excursion bags were among the most stable bags in this review when standing upright. The wheels glide smoothly over virtually all terrain, rugged skid pads protect the bases, and the locking tow handles provide optimum maneuverability when in motion. The big Excursion has web lift handles on the top and base; the little Excursion on the top only. Both offer backpack straps for off-roading.

Bottom Line As a luggage combo, the Excursion twins deliver the goods. However, the larger check-in bag could use a side handle to make lifting easier, and the smaller carry-on could use a handle on the bottom for stowing and removing it from overhead compartments.

deepseeinc.com

& Cruise Backpack Pro" class="border" />

Packability We were able to split up our carry-on gear between the Cruise Journey and Cruise Office with room to spare. We used the Cruise Journey for our clothes, packing everything except sandals in the largest primary compartment, which also features a laptop sleeve. In the middle compartment we packed the sandals, and then stashed the hat and TSA baggie in the front compartment, for a total weight of nine pounds. This left numerous secondary pockets, pouches, detachable cell phone holder and internal sleeves for organizing small items. Dive gear went into the briefcase-style Cruise Office. The large center compartment is well padded, offers a laptop sleeve, and provides excellent protection for the regulator rig, dive computer, camera, backup light, mask and snorkel. The shorty wetsuit fit nicely into the rear compartment. This left the front compartment free for books and magazines, plus a number of smaller pockets sized to fit anything from playing cards to iPods. The Cruise Office weighed in at 12 pounds.

The Cruise Backpack Pro is a big traditional dive bag that easily swallowed our checked-bag inventory. The main compartment is deep, well-padded and fitted with hold-down straps. It took our BC, 3mm fullsuit, backup mask, primary dive light and clothes in only about two-thirds of the available space. The two fin pockets were each large enough to hold one open-heel plus one full-foot fin. A smaller side pocket was sized perfectly for a pair of booties and a beanie, leaving the two front lid pockets empty. So loaded, the bag tipped the scale at 41 pounds, well within weight limits.

Performance Splitting the load--and the weight--of the carry-on portion of our system, we put the Cruise Journey in backpack mode, then hung the dual-handle straps of the Cruise Office over the Cruise Backpack Pro's tow handle (the bag also comes with a shoulder strap). This makes for an easy walk to the ticket counter because you only have one roller bag to contend with. In spite of its size, the Cruise Backpack Pro behaves well on the move, stands upright on its base and provides good stability when winding through crowds. It offers a soft top handle and hard plastic base handle for lifting and comes with backpack straps.

Bottom Line We liked this approach to travel because it not only breaks the load into three very manageable chunks, but the Cruise Journey and Cruise Office can also be put to use at the gym or office. Our only caution: pack the Cruise Backpack Pro with a scale close by. It has a lot of cargo-carrying capacity and would be easy to overload.

mares.com

& Cargo Ultra Bag" class="border" />

Packability The Cargo Carry On is a compact carry-on with a reinforced, well-padded main compartment that uses a clamshell design to create upper and lower packing sections. The upper section handled all our carry-on clothes secured beneath a zipped nylon flap. In the lower section we packed the regulator rig wrapped in the shorty wetsuit, then laid in the snorkel, camera, backup light and sandals. This sealed with a zippered mesh separator fitted with three mesh pockets, two of which were used to stow our mask and dive computer. The front lid pocket is perfect for an easy-access TSA liquids bag and boarding passes. Completely loaded, the bag weighed in at 21 pounds.

The Cargo Ultra Bag also has a clamshell-style main compartment. The larger lower section is where we put our open-heel fins along with the 3mm fullsuit, booties, hood, BC and primary light. A solid divider zips closed to keep gear in place. In the upper section we packed all our backup clothes, which took up only a fraction of the available space. This section zips closed with a mesh divider. A backup mask stowed in one of three mesh pockets, and our full-foot fins stowed in the two external fin pockets. Fully loaded, the bag weighed in at 41 pounds.

Performance These are rugged bags built for traveling. Strategically placed padding and plastic reinforcement panels provide superb protection. All corners are fortified with plastic bumpers. Both bags proved to be very stable on their wheels, remained well-balanced when loaded and were easy to control through twists and turns. The big Cargo Ultra Bag offers handles on top, lid and base for lifting onto scales or inspection tables. The smaller Cargo's handles on top and side provide well-positioned lift points for carrying the bag down narrow aisles, and a plastic handle on the base aids in removing the bag from the overhead bin.

Bottom Line This combo is perfectly suited for our travel strategy. The Cargo Carry-On clean lines make it appear small, but it has some serious cargo-carrying capacity. So does the Cargo Ultra Bag; in fact, it wouldn't hurt to have a scale handy when packing, because it would be easy to overload it.

oceanicworldwide.com

& Endeavor Roller Bag" class="border" />

Packability The Hybrid's roomy main compartment handled our entire carry-on gear inventory except for sandals, which went into the mesh pocket on the inside of the lid. The bag doesn't have any side padding, so we wrapped the hard gear in a shorty wetsuit and clothes to provide some protection. The Hybrid also has a padded laptop sleeve that ties into the main compartment and is accessible via a zippered slit at the top of the bag. Four external compression straps cinched down the 20-pound load. Bonus: the Kangaroo Daypack is a cool extra bag that zips onto the front of the Hybrid. Its small front pocket is perfect for a TSA baggie, and its nice-sized main compartment offers plenty of room for books, mags and munchies. It also has a padded laptop sleeve.

The Endeavor Roller Bag handled our checked-bag gear like it was designed for the job. The bag has basically one cavernous main compartment with plastic side stiffeners to maintain its shape for easy loading of the entire inventory. Four external compression straps attached to the lid create a very secure closure. The bag's only other compartment, a small front lid sleeve, could fit a logbook, owner's manuals or the like. The lid also sports a zipper track to accept the Kangaroo Daypack. Fully loaded, the bag weighed in at 39 pounds.

Performance Both Pinnacle bags have reinforced bases that enable them to stand up rock-solid when fully loaded. The locking handles offer excellent control in tight turns, both pushing and pulling. With grab handles on top, side and base, plus backpack straps and a removable shoulder strap, you have lots of lifting and carrying options with the Endeavor. So too with the Hybrid with its top and base handles and backpack straps. The Hybrid's external laptop access lets you get to your computer without having to open the main compartment. The bag fits easily in an airline overhead, while the Kangaroo Daypack goes to the seat with you as your airline-approved second carry-on.

Bottom Line This luggage combo was one of our favorites because of the simplicity of the Endeavor's single compartment packing scheme, the Hybrid's convenient laptop sleeve and bonus Kangaroo Daypack, and the fact that both Endeavor and Hybrid are sized perfectly for our travel strategy. Note: You can buy the Hybrid without the extra Kangaroo pack, but we think it's worth the extra cash (only about $35) because it integrates so well into the overall system.

pinnacleaquatics.com

Packability The Dive 'N Roll is three-bags-in-one: a hard-shell Roller Case, a carry-on Travel Bag and a Backpack. The idea is you roll the complete system to the ticket counter, check the Roller Case, carry the Travel Bag/Backpack to the plane, stow the Travel Bag in the overhead and the Backpack in your seat.

The Travel Bag's shape is similar to a garment bag but much more rugged. Its single main compartment with a large inner mesh sleeve is where we stowed all our carry-on gear. The bag's elongated shape makes it a bit more difficult to pack than other carry-on bags, plus it has no padding, so we packed to cushion regulator rig, dive computer and other hard gear between shorty wetsuit and clothes. The bag is very light by itself, so fully loaded it weighed only 15 pounds, the lightest of all our carry-ons. This left the zip-off Backpack's two compartments for TSA baggie, books, magazines and snacks.

Meanwhile, the Roller Case portion of the Dive 'N Roll accommodated our checked-bag gear and clothes nicely in its single hard-shelled main compartment. The hard sides offer plenty of protection for gear and make packing very easy. It took the load without having to do any stuffing and weighed in at 39 pounds.

Performance The beauty of this bag is that you have only one roller bag to deal with as you're winding through the airport terminal. Its box-like main case creates a very stable bag, both on the move and standing in line. However, the tow handle doesn't lock in the open position so you're limited in your maneuvering to pulling the bag only. The roller case has a top and side handle for easy lifting. Meanwhile, backpack straps, web handle and light weight make lugging the Travel Bag to the boarding gate easy work, and once separated from the backpack, its long, thin shape stows easily in the overhead.

Bottom Line When it comes to transporting gear, it's hard to make it any easier than the Dive 'N Roll. But we'd like to see a locking tow handle on the roller case to make maneuvering in tight spaces easier.

scubapro.com

& Jamaican Smuggler" class="border" />

Packability The Cayman Brac was one of the more spacious carry-ons in this group. The rigid-walled main compartment opens like a clamshell offering a lower section fitted with compression straps and an upper section sub-divided into two mesh compartments. We packed the shorty wetsuit, regulator rig and snorkel in the lower section along with shorts and swimsuit, then secured the load with the compression straps. The camera, mask, dive computer and backup light fit into one mesh compartment of the subdivided upper sections, with shirts and hat in the other, leaving plenty of room for more stuff. Sandals went into the large lower front lid compartment, leaving space for a book or magazine. The upper front lid compartment has a built-in organizer for tickets, boarding pass and business cards. It's also easy-access for a TSA-approved toiletries pouch. That left the small utility pocket free for a cell phone or iPod. All loaded and weighing in at 22 pounds, we still found plenty of extra packing space, and that was without using the two-inch zippered expansion panel that increases main compartment volume by about 400 cubic inches.

The cavernous main compartment of the Jamaican Smuggler features a zippered lid that hinges toward the top of the bag so it can be folded out of the way for packing, and sidewall and bottom battens for protection. This is where we loaded both pairs of fins, BC and 3mm fullsuit. Shirts went into the mesh pocket on the inside of the lid. Everything else went into the outside lid pocket leaving plenty of extra room for small items that might get lost if dropped into the main part of the bag. After cinching down the load with the external compression straps it was obvious the bag could have taken a whole lot more cargo. Loaded, it weighed in at 38 pounds.

Performance When packed, both bags are well-balanced cargo carriers. The molded bottom, lower side stabilizers, and internal base support on the Jamaican Smuggler contribute to its solid feel. The web handles on both ends and the double-duffel straps offer plenty of lift options at the check-in counter. The Cayman Brac is one of the most stable bags of the bunch when standing upright, and is near bulletproof with plastic reinforcement on its lower corners. Its curved tow handle sets the bag farther from your heels, creating a more comfortable towing position. The padded handles on top and side and plastic handle on the base help when lifting the bag into the overhead compartment.

Bottom Line The Cayman Brac is the priciest carry-on in this round-up, but you get a lot of plush padding, packing features and cargo-capacity for your money. The Jamaican Smuggler is a lightweight, simple design, with more packing space than you'll probably be able to use without incurring overweight charges at the ticket counter.

stahlsac.com