In my review of the RO Mini Boss, I mentioned that one of the things I hoped RO would consider is adding a backpack option to the Mini Boss. In some respects, the TB Western Flyer is this iteration of that suggestion. The WF is not the same as the MB, but it is similar.  Here is a comparison of their basic specs:

Dimensions

Fabric

Capacity

That’s fairly comparable, but there are some important differences:

1. First, the bags are visually different, strikingly so. Both look roughly similar to a large, thick briefcase, and can be carried briefcase or grocery bag style. But the MB has a robust, rugged appearance, emphasized and reinforced by its shiny large claw buckles on the shoulder strap (if you’re using it), it’s oversized YKK zippers, and the heavy visual feel of it’s xxxxx fabric.I love the rugged appearance of the MB, especially in the duotone Safari colorway. And it doesn’t just look more rugged; it is more rugged.  It’s also heavier.

2. Structurally, the bags are similar each has two main zippers running the long axis creating two storage compartments. Unlike the MB, Both compartments on the WF open full clamshell, but the front compartment has a built in divider, attached by a zipper, creating two compartments. Though I thought I would dispense with the divider when I bought the bag, I like this feature. It helps keep the bag upright while packing, and it creates some natural organization by encouraging you to segregate your items. Unzippingthe divider doesn’t allow you to remove it, so you can get it out of the way if you need to put something in the front compartment that requires most of the length of the compartment, but short of cutting it out, not using the divider  doesn’t save any weight. One could choose in fact to use this compartmentalization instead of packing cubes. As I was packing for this trip, I thought about doing so in the net rest of shaving a few grams, but I like using packing cubes. They prevent everything from scattering if your bag is opened, intentionally or otherwise. They facilitate organization at your de#tination(s), and they help keep the interior of your bag cleaner longer.

3. Mechanicals & Materials. Both Red Oxx and Tom Bihn use YKK zippers, which is a very good thing. But they don’t use thE same zippers. RO uses #x on the MB, while TB uses #y on the Wf. Those zippers on the MB are a big part of why it feels bombproof. 

4. Feel & Balance. The main handle on the MB is more robust than the main handle of the WF. But the WF’s main handle feels just as good in your hand. The WF has handles on both ends, and while they look slightly puny, they are both functional and appear well-constructed. The MB’s single handle on one end is slightly more robust.

Day 1 Travel: 2 Flights, Car Rental, & First Hotel

1. The flight out today is at 7am, so that means getting up a little early. The WF and SE are fully packed and ready to go.  It is trivial to walk out to the car with my partner who has sweetly offered to take me to the airport rather than leaving the car there. As other one-bag travelers recommend, I have the Side Effect packed with everything I will want/need on the plane—except the handful of raw macadamia nuts that I forgot—and I am wearing it while driving. This way, at TSA security, all I have to do is lift it off my shoulder and put it on the conveyor belt. Nothing to remove from anything.

2. The Sacramento airport is farther away from our home than the Oakland/SFO airports were from my home in the Bay Area, but not unreasonably so, and traffic here is never as bad as in the Bay Area. Normally, I take the red eye heading back east. But today, I had the first flight out, and I don’t recall ever seeing the Sacto airport so jammed. Even the pre check line stretched a ways. And while there were some folks signing up for Clear and using it, there was no waiting there. I was through security in two minutes. Clear: highly recommended. 

3.  When loaded up, the bag is slightly thicker than an average briefcase might be, but no worse and definitely lighter than some of the document cases I carried in my litigation days. It’s comfortable to carry either horizontally or vertically. I didn’t bring the shoulder strap on this trip. I figured I was likely to either hand- or back-carry it. And for me, single-back-strap is still more comfortable than a shoulder strap. I don’t like bags that hang on my hip. In the hand, the thickness of the bag does not interfere with my walking gait. 

4. Like just about every other case with hidden straps, the backpack straps on the WF are easy to get to. Their attachment points at the base of the bag are a little harder to reach than the Red Oxx Mini Boss. And unlike the Sky Train, they are made of plastic (Fastex, I think). To my mind, this is an advantage to the Westwrn Flyer. Plastic is lighter weight, and Fastex is more than robust enough for this application. I also find the WF buckles easier to connect and release. 

And like every other convertible backpack bag, I cannot seem to put the straps away without more of a bulge than I would like. Part of the reason for this, of course, is that when the bag is shipped to us, it’s easy for the straps to seem more streamlined when tucked away. 

More to come.