Just returned from 7 weeks in SE Asia and my AK 144 bag looks as good as new, mainly to the fact that I used the travel sleeve which is now looking a bit warn and with some slight holes in it, I figure I will buy a new sleeve when the time comes. I made 16 flights with it covering the following countries: Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand and I'm fairly certain it got the hell banged out of it as some of the ground crews in these countries could give a rats a_ _!, but it only shows minor abrasions near the wheels. I'm convinced this Akona gear is tough as nails, the only drawback was the weight of my bag which was never less than 26 kg. and over 30Kg. on the trans-pacific flights. One note, I did carry my reg. in it's bag as 'carry on', I would never trust it on the outside of the bag itself. I locked up every compartment with TSA locks and never had a problem. As a frequent long distance traveler I'm convinced this must be good gear!
