Another carry on question

[elvishlucky]

We're flying to FL next month and I'm desperately trying to choose a carry on diaper bag for my 1 year old. I'd like something large, as I'd like to pack as much of his clothes and gear as possible in case our luggage is lost.

I *think* a Fleurville Mothership, Timi & Leslie Large BeBe, or Lexie Barnes Mothership would do the trick. Any pros and cons for those bags? How do they compare and which would you recommend?

Is there anything else that would fit the bill? (And perhaps be a little less expensive? :) )

Any advice you ladies can offer would be wonderful! Thanks!

[hudsonam]

I have an Eagle Creek Parent Survival Pack that works well as a carry on bag, and it was only $30 on sale. I got it at www.campmor.com. Not sure if they still carry them though.

[hudsonam]

Sorry, double post!

[maurenemm]

I don't have any experience with those bags. But, I recommend the LandsEnd Do-it-all for travel. It is large and inexpensive.

[tobycat]

How long of a flight? Layovers?

I would not worry about packing ALL his stuff. If your luggage is lost, you are not going to remote area and can replace stuff if necessary. Trust me, you will be busy enough with a one year old that you don't need the extra hassle of a ginormous carryon bag. Plus, if your bag is too big (some airlines are really enforcing this), you will have to check it.

I have flown with a one year old and used either a Tumi Beauty Satchel (opens really wide, easy to find stuff) or a Lexie Barnes Darling. Both were more than adequate space wise. THe Darling has the advantage of sippy/bottle pockets on the outside.

Candice

[elvishlucky]

Flight is about 6 hours total with a 2 hr layover included in that time.

I checked on the requirements for carry ons and it has to be

Less than 40 lbs
Less than 45" when you add length, width and height
Fit into a 20" x 14" x 9" space

Will the bags mentioned work?

Thanks for the responses so far...

[audball]

Not glamorous, but the LE backpack did the trick for us. 2.5 hour flight with a layover that extended an extra 1.5 hours - thankfully, we packed extra dipes and wipes. But PP is right - the airport or whereever you are traveling should have supplies you can buy.

It was comfortable, cheap(er), and could hold quite a bit for the $. I like it so much I am considering purchasing a second for DH to carry (we carried one LE backpack and a T2 messenger for this trip). We will have an 11 hour trip with at least one 2 hour layover. I checked out the dadgear backpack, the Sherpa, the Eddie Bauer backpack and a few other backpack styles and this one was a great value.

ETA: We have a 4 year old and a 2 year old, so we need to be hands free. If you don't need that, there are lots of other options out there, but we found the backpack worked great for stuffing under the seats. That may be an issue for a mothership!

[chubbycheeks]

I have none of this bags, but the only thing that I have heard others mention is that they may get scratched with the vinyl coatings. Not sure if that is a concern for you.

I did a plane trip with two and used the Skip Hop Dash. Another option may be a Timbuk2 messenger bag.. no internal organization but real durable and they usually have them on sale at REI or Sierra Trading Post if you aren't too picky about colors. I think next time we travel, I will go the T2 route, as I actually wished my Dash was a little more open inside and did not have so many pockets (love it for daily use, but travel was a bit different).

Oh, there is the new Skip Hop Duo Double as well! That bag looks neat, and BIG!

[writeleigh]

My all-time favorite travel bag is the CHelsey Henry Weekender, which they have at Overstock right now. I did a review with pics of it fully oaded a long time ago, but here is the link to it if you want to see pics of it packed.

http://www.windsorpeak.com/dc/dcboar...ng_type=search


Bag at overstock:

http://www.overstock.com/sm-chelsey-..._ti-82124.html

[gcampbell72]

How about a Timbuk2 medium messenger bag? PLENTY of room and very easy to carry..and, most importantly for me, I can leave the flap open, slide it under the seat in front of me and very easily see and access all of our stuff.

Cathy