I can't say enough about the high quality and durability of this Briggs & Riley wheeled garment bag (and the other two B & R bags I own). The outer nylon will never rip, it is armored at the right places, the handles are solid, the interior fabric is sturdy, and the zippers are second to none.
This bag has enough capacity to hold 3 suits, 3 shirts, socks, underwear, tee shirts etc. for 3 days, and have a little room left over for an optional clothing item or two. The inside liner has a dedicated tie slot, and various mesh and non-mesh pouches. Two button-on pouches that fit in the otherwise unused space above the garments' shoulders help maximize space. I can get 3 pairs of underwear in one and 3 pairs of socks in the other.
The bag rolls easily and fits in an overhead compartment. The outside pocket has a handy easy-access slot-like pouch inside in which to keep cosmetics/fluids that need to be quickly removed for security, and there's ample room next to it to fit one of: a folded light jacket, or a couple of files, or a magazine and a laptop (use a padded sleeve, there's no padding in the outer pocket of the bag) or even, in a pinch, an extra pair of shoes.
The bag has one drawback: when unfolded, it is about 2-3" too short to accommodate my suit jackets (46 regular) when they are placed on hangars. The bottom edges of the suits have to be folded back on themselves, and the result after traveling all day is wrinkles. I tried hangars with very short necks, but it still left an inch or so of overlapping suit at the bottom. I nearly sent the bag back, but I was so impressed by its obvious quality that I played around with it until I discovered it will (just) accommodate my suit jackets if I carefully lay them out with NO hangars and use the built-in garment holder straps to secure them in place. This actually works quite well--my suits arrive unwrinkled--but it adds a couple of extra minutes to packing and unpacking.
When the bag is folded up, the problem dimension becomes width, not length, so I think Briggs & Riley could have designed the bag to avoid this problem while still meeting carry-on size limitations. A certain other high-end bag manufacturer does, in fact, make a rolling carry-on garment bag that is just about 2" wider than this one. If you are taller than me (5"11), or about my size and don't want to hassle with the careful folding of your suits when you pack, I suggest you look at that bag. A normal-sized woman, or man 5'9" or less, could use this bag with no problem.
If not for the slightly-short unfolded length, I'd give this bag 5 stars."..." Read more
- Chuck Darwin in Walnut Creek, CA