Timbuk2 Travel: Want to help us design our new travel line?

How would you augment the Commute to make it travel ready? Size? More pockets? How much room do you need for clothes?

Do you wheel or not? Is your ideal travel bag a backpack? A built in clear plastic bag is a good idea- some companies are starting to offer that.

Right now I use a datadump day pack and a chrome small messenger bag as my main travel bags, and can fit most anything in both of them and they work really well for security. I am looking for a slightly larger, hard shell wheeled case that I could put one or both of those bags in but haven't found anything.

I love the laptop section on the daypack - only thing that would make it better would be if the two front pockets didn't eat up inside storage room.

For quick business travel, I would love to have a simple modular piece that can hold a folded up blazer and dress shirt. Flight 001 has some modular items designed to fit in suitcases that could be a good source of inspiration.

I dont need alot of room the compartment size of the laptop messanger is about the right size. The problem I have with the laptop messenger is that my laptop is not fully protected, the top of the laptop is even with the top of the sleeve that it rests in, and that there are no external pockets. Take the medium laptop messenger give the laptop compartment a full top flap ( cover the laptop like the sleeves do ), and add the external pockets of the commute ( plus a small back pocket that is some what hidden ) and you have the perfect traveling laptop bag / bag.

I wheel when I can, and recently bought a carryon with backpack straps. That's a lifesaver when shlepping another wheeled bag (often I check bags then ninja thru TSA with laptop and camera bag).
Ditto comment above about reinforced laptop compartment. I would like the same for my lunch! Something to keep my sandwich from getting squashed would be nice.

So you would pack a small messenger inside your dream bag for utility once you're at your destination? I hear you on internal storage...

Yes, exactly. The small messenger bag is for daily walking around stuff and so on occasion when I've taken a larger bag I just pack the messenger bag inside it.

extra straps are a good idea. I just bought some Ziploc Containers with Snap 'n Seal Lids which keep my sandwich smush-free in my messenger bag. http://www.epinions.com/content_17882...

i typically travel for work for 5 days at a time and have to bring dress shirts and trousers with me in addition to all the gear i need for my job (laptop, digital camera + flash, video camera, batteries, cables, memory cards. currently this requires a two bag solution, and i'm not sure i'm against that.

1 bag is the track daypack which is the exact perfect size for all my gear. my number one love as a security line ninja is the fact that the laptop compartment is separate and has its own zipper. i can keep the rest of the bag packed up and still grab my laptop out. i am not one for lots of compartments and bags inside of bags,which is also why i love the track. it minimizes packets. (i do, however pack a small bag with a media player and noise canceling headphones so i don't have to keep the track under my seat on the plane.) i tried to replace it with another bag. i couldn't, and wound up buying a new one. all that gear gets heavy when i'm lugging it around all day, so only backpack style bags work for me - no single shoulder solutions. have i mentioned i love the track?

i would agree with other poster here however that your laptop compartments could use more protection than they currently offer. and to sean bonner's idea. i might even like it if the compartment actually separated into something like you laptop sleeve that i could just carry with me if i wanted to take my laptop down the street for a coffee without unpacking all my gear

the other bag is a roll aboard with two equal sized compartments. one is just a big space for tees, shoes, skivvies, etc and the other is the space for nice clothes. it has hanger hooks and this fold out compartment the magically origamis your shirts, jacket and trousers to fit inside this seemingly impossibly small space. Despite the fact that it's small enough to carry on, i've been forced to check it many times and it has not stood up to the abuse well.

why have i told you all of this? because it will explain what i'm looking for: a rolling bag that has two compartments and is bomb proof. like old gorilla + samsonite commercial durable. one (or both) of the compartments should be configurable for things like dressy clothes, a foam insert to protect gear or similar things. it should have wheels. two wheels is plenty. they shouldn't come off. ever. or maybe they should be so easy to take off that you can do it in a few seconds and save yourself the pain of them being ripped off by baggage handlers.i don't need a high tech collapsible handle that (a) takes up space in the main compartment and (b) eventually breaks. it should be shorter than 22" long so it fits in overhead bins the *right way*.

if you could design a gear bag that integrated into it for when i'm shlepping all my crap all over who knows where, that would be icing on the cake.

Especially since the Timbuk2 retail space is right by Flight 001 in Hayes valley. They could do some serious competitive research.

I often travel for 5-7 days at a time, usually for work, usually across a border. Currently I use two bags:

1. Tumi expandable small laptop bag. It has loads of pockets, good padding on the laptop compartment, and just enough room for the gear I usually take with me.

2. Briggs and Riley 20" expandable roll-aboard. The handle's on the outside, and it expands out when I need to check it. Inside this bag are a set of Eagle Creek packing bags and folders, which takes care of most of my clothing.

3. If I'm going to have time to run around the city I'm in, I'll pack my little Freitag messenger bag inside my roll-aboard.

I can zip through security and the airport, and don't kill my shoulders. There are some drawbacks with these:

- I would love a separate laptop compartment, a better (more accessible, more shape-holding) ticket/passport pocket, and a water bottle/travel coffee mug pocket on the laptop bag. Also, the Tumi bag doesn't work for biking (my old Dee Dog handles that when needed), and ideally it would be a backpack instead of a shoulder bag. I'm considering the B&R laptop backpack as a replacement.

- The roll-aboard works really well, but a garment pocket in a 20" bag would be welcome. Also, while B&R's hardware expanding system is more stable, it takes up too much room. Zippers are the way to go for this. The extra room taken up makes it harder to fit the travel packs together nicely.

So, if you jump into bags and do the travel packs, make sure they're all sized to fit nicely together. Having some small pockets that are easily accessible (for tickets, liquids, magazines) are super useful. And make sure it's all airline-proof.

i tend to use both a wheeled bag and a backpack

Suggestions:
1. Outside zippered pockets would be ideal/most crucial to ad. You do not have a messenger bag with this yet. It is a hassle to have to open your existing bags to get at something you need. There are many other competitors that you can model this after. You would need a large enough outside pocket(s) to fit magazines, airplane tickets, etc.
2. Padded laptop section.
3. Outside water bottle holder, etc.
4. Messenger style only. Large and extra large sizes with customizable colors. Need more than 1 size for those who would consider this their main duffle bag when traveling.

Ever try the Commute? It has most of the features you are after...

Interesting. Would you want a separate laptop compartment in the Tumi bag or the B&R rollie? Or both? How is your 5-7 day trip different than a 2-3 day trip as far as your bag needs?

Also, when you use your expansion, does that put you over the limit for carry-on in size or weight?

A separate laptop compartment in the Tumi bag. B&R has a backpack (http://tinyurl.com/2nt4w7) that seems pretty close to what I want.

A short trip doesn't change my bag needs as much as whether or not I need to bring the laptop with me (which I almost always do). I usually pack light, maybe 4-5 days' worth of clothing, and do laundry wherever I am traveling to. If I'm going for a day or two, I'll take the Dee Dog with a couple of travel packs and be done with it.

Using the B&R's expansion puts me over the carry-on size, but it's super useful for bringing back souvenirs or whatever.

The B&R bag: http://tinyurl.com/2h4mxk
The Tumi bag: http://tinyurl.com/2y4nu5
The Freitag bag: http://tinyurl.com/3ax488

I travel a lot for school (study abroad) or just family vacations.
1. A bag with a separate zipper for my laptop would be awesome.
2. A little "hidden" zipper pocket on the outside (not so noticeable, but easy to get my passport/plane tickets out of)
3. A side pocket for a water bottle/ipod/phone
4. multiple styles (ie: messenger, backpack, duffle, rolling) for different travelers.
5. LOTS of different colors.
6. Wanna make suitcases too? It'd be great to have a timbuk2 suitcase amidst all those black ones!

You seem to be going for two of the more premium brands in travel in term of classic styling and quality.
What would you be willing to pay for your ultimate computer backpack or rollie with Timbuk2 durability?

Are different features alone enough to make a travel line? What about sizing? Should we focus on maximum legal carry-on sizes in the assortment you named in #4, or a wide range of sizes that overlap with our existing successful products like the messenger and the commute?