Patagonia MLC Wheelie Carry On - 2500cu in - 2008 BCS

My son and I traveled to New Zealand in late November 2009 for a 2-week stay, during which we traveled extensively on both islands in a rental car (3,500 KM). I purchased the Patagonia MLC Wheelie (one-handle version) on sale after first buying another brand of wheeled backpack. A test packing of the first one showed it was clearly too small, and I didn't like the fact that the main zippers only came halfway down the bag. It was real hard to get stuff in and out of the lower half. I found the Patagonia MLC after searching and reading all the reviews I could find. I also purchased the Patagonia Lightweight Travel Tote (black) and these were the only luggage items I took with me, as I wanted to have carry-on bags only. Both worked fabulously well and I was completely happy with the quality and performance of both these items. I loved the multiple compartments of the MLC, which kept things organized, and the tote bag was also very convenient. I carried two water bottles, video & digital cameras, and rain gear in the backpack during an all-day Lord of the Rings tour in Wellington, and was grateful the tote was so lightweight, as we were climbing up and down Mt. Victoria and went to many other challenging locations. (I'm 60 and fairly fit, but whew!) My Patagonia bag & tote were the best purchases I made. LOVE them both and will travel with them again!

I'm surprised to see the negative reviews on this bag. The complaints about the size are completely unfounded. The bag's volume is no secret, you can find the cubic inches published in many places. If you're looking for something larger, Patagonia makes a few other options you may want to look into.

I've had one of these for a year or so now and have used it a few times while traveling to New Jersey, Chicago and Las Vegas. Each trip was 3-4 days and I took only the MLC Wheelie and my computer bag. This bag had no problem swallowing the necessary clothing needed for each trip.

Now to address a couple specific issues; I actually liked that the inside of the bag was divided by the handle, it made for easier organization of the small stuff. This isn't the MLC, so yeah, it has a handle and has to make up for it somewhere. And I'm pretty sure Patagonia used larger than standard wheels on purpose to make the bag easier to handle (they mention them specifically in their description).. It's not like they just did it as a joke.

At any rate, I wouldn't put much credibility in a lot of the complaints. Most of them are petty and sound like they come from someone that hasn't had/used the bag long enough to qualify to review it.

It's a Patagonia bag and you can expect the same Patagonia quality and service. I've had an under-seat gear bag for probably 12 years now and I still use it a dozen or so times a year. I'm looking forward to saying the same thing about this bag in 10 years.

I recently bought this bag and took it on a weekend trip that involved a bus ride, a local rail, a plane, a subway, a train, a car, and a couple miles of walking. In short, it's about perfect for such a trip, and though I had problems with the handle, I'd still recommend the bag (at least at the SAC price).

I'm 6'2" with a long stride, and I for one was pleasantly surprised by how long the handle extended. It has two extension lengths, the longer of which was more than enough to allow me to walk quickly and without any bumping (which has been a problem with nearly every other bag I've ever used).

Perfect size for a weekend trip (full business suit ensemble and extra pair of shoes included) - it has a nice, sloping, backpack-style form factor which nestles into sloping overhead stowage bins perfectly. Buy it, and you'll never be the jerk who puts your bag in sideways or gets everyone PO'ed while you repeatedly try to slam the hatch shut on your boxy suitcase.

Cons: The laptop sleeve compartment was a bit small for my older (read: kinda thick) 15.4" widescreen dell, it wouldn't zip all the way shut. It could use a handle on the bottom for pulling it out of overhead racks/bins and a handle on the side for carrying up stairs. The extension handle on my bag sucks - it started out a little finicky, worked great for about 2 hours, then became a pain to use. It requires a lot of jiggling and both hands to extend or close. I'm sure this isn't the norm, but I'm upset at the prospect of waiting a month and paying $15 shipping just to get it repaired and back to me in the condition I should have received it in initially. Eventually I'll probably get frustrated enough to send it in. I nearly gave it 3 stars because of this annoying (but small) problem. Without it, it'd have been a solid 5.

This is a VERY poorly designed bag (AKA crap). Advertised as the largest allowable carry-on size, but nowhere near as big as the ones virtually everybody else on the plane carries. What little space the bag actually SEEMS to have from the outside is seriously whittled away by the telescoping handle, which runs down the inside of the bag lengthwise, effectively dividing it into two unusably small compartments. No flat bottom for laying folded clothes against, and certainly no good place to protect a laptop. And it's not as if the space loss gets you anything in return... the handle is big and bulky, but doesn't extend long enough to allow you to wheel the thing around without having it bump against your heel every step. The wheels are too big for such a small bag, too. My girlfriend and I had a good laugh at the thing before I boxed it up to send it back - a tiny little bag with big wheels and a short, thick, stubby handle. Then I stopped laughing when I realized I was out $18 for shipping + return.
DO NOT BUY THIS THING. IT TRULY SUCKS, AND I GUARANTEE YOU WILL RETURN IT.
Patagonia should stick to making surf shorts.