Chart bag suggestions (CRJ)

[SkiDawg]

I am looking for a new chart bag. Something a little better than the Office Depot special, but not breaking the bank either. IF I could spend less than $100, that would be great.

I know this has been posted on here several times, but if I could get some useful responses, it would be appreciated! Thanks.

 

[ILLINI]

I use the Samsonite catalog case which has worked pretty good for me for the past three two and a half years. It's not the highest quality, but it has held up pretty well and it's more durable than the cheaper Costco or Office Depot cases. I think I paid about $100 for mine. I bought it online but I can't remember the website anymore (but it wasn't the Samsonite site). Do a search for Samsonite catalog cases and i'm sure you will find it.

 

[SiuDude]

The Flight Station in Atlanta usually has some "seconds" from Luggage Works. I was able to get the ballistic nylon case for $80 a few months ago.

 

[No Delay]

If you are in ATL, I have a ballistic flight bag for sell. $60. I used it for about 7 months. It is in pretty good shape. Works well in the CRJ.

 

[bizzum]

I got the luggage works plastic case, I have had it for 2yrs now and still going strong, it has plastic runners on the bottom so the bottom dont fall out, it is a great bag, and you get them for i think 89.95 from the stopoverstore...

 

[HoserASA]

I keep buying the damn office Depot special, like $30-40 bucks. I've always had to replace the handle, strengthen it, and finally took it home and did a major handle modification job on it. Works good now. The bag holds up well, just the handle can't stand up to all that pilot crap we have to haul around. If you buy one, expect the handle to break for sure, if you have to carry the load we do at ASA anyway.

Hoser

 

[AWACoff]

Just go to Menards/Home Depot/etc. after you buy your new flight kit. Break the handle off and install a shed door handle. That way you don't have to carry around a broken flight kit. The handle always breaks off on the first day of a 4 day trip. Always.

AWACoff

 

[CFIse]

I keep buying the dang office Depot special, like $30-40 bucks. I've always had to replace the handle, strengthen it, and finally took it home and did a major handle modification job on it. Works good now. The bag holds up well, just the handle can't stand up to all that pilot crap we have to haul around. If you buy one, expect the handle to break for sure, if you have to carry the load we do at ASA anyway.

Hoser

I don't suppose you could post some details on the handle mod? My handle broke, I "repaired it" by adding some metal to strengthen the connection and then the handle disintegrated where I'd drilled it. So now I use the good old rope handle which looks awful, but until I can afford a new case is going to have to do.......

 

[sleddriver77]

I noticed that the screw spacing on the office depot "flight case" handle is exactly the same as the screw spacing on the top handle of a LuggageWorks roll-aboard. I had an Office Depot special that the handle (gasp) did NOT break off of before the bottom started to fall out of the thing. I decided to replace it with another bag, and woldn't ya know the handle broke off the new bag after about three weeks! So, I took the handle off of bag "one", and installed it on bag "two". Now, the bottom is fixin' to drop out of bag number two, but that #$%^ing handle is still going strong!! When/if it finally does break, I think I'm just gonna use the original "strap" handle from my LW roll-aboard that I removed when I ordered the one with my name embroidered into it. Or, I may get a matching one with my name embroidered.

Here's the way I'd go about fixing the handle without totally *&#%ing up the entire bag:

(Make sure to obtain the luggageworks handle before you do this)
The four gold plated studs you see where the handle attaches are each held in by a screw which you cannot access the head of without performing a little "surgery." You will need a hobby knife (X-Acto) to cut around the vinyl covering the countersunk screw heads. You will probably have to sacrifice the business card pockets on the one side of the lid to get to the other two screws. Some or all of these screw heads (they're Phillips head) may be full of the glue that holds the vinyl to the plywood, so you may need the X-Acto to carve that out of the screw slots. The plywood is thin and of poor quality, so do your best not to damage it while performing your "surgery." Go to your local Home Depot/Ace/Menards/Lowes Flight Bag Repair Parts Center and get some 3/4 inch Number 8 or 10 screws, FENDER washers (that's a wide-area washer, for those not familiar with the term. In other words, a great big washer with a little bitty hole; big enough os course, to fit the screws you selected) and of course, LOCKnuts to fit the screws. The wide area washers do two things; they spread the load across more of that weak-ass plywood, and they help hold down the loose edges of the vinyl you cut into to remove the old screws. In fact, if a guy had access to a small strip of thin steel or aluminum, a ruler and a drill; he might want to use the strip of metal in place of the fender washers on the INSIDE of the bag. Obviosly, the fender washers need to be on the outside of the handle to keep the screws from pulling thru. And when the bottom finally does fall out of this bag, you can keep your new handle rig for use on the next office depot special!! The plus side of this whole arrangement is that you get to change your flight bag stickers every year or so as you wear the bottom out of yet another bag!!

(I sure hope somebody does this. I took FOREVER to type, and I ain't all that fast of a typer.)

 

[CFIse]

I(I sure hope somebody does this. I took FOREVER to type, and I ain't all that fast of a typer.)

Hmmmm - that's not the part that's broken on mine. The "post and bar" seems to be holding up fine. The actual handle broke where the plastic araps around the bar.