My new Akona <10lb bag

[deco_martini]

I took the plunge and got an Akona <10lb bag. I took a load of simon malls gift cards I got from my old employer as gifts, converted them for use for internet purchases, bought a bunch of amazon gift cards with them, and then used Amazon to buy the bag from a retailer.

Thoughts:

Big spacious bag. I had the Akona Evolution before and it had lots of space but getting stuff in and out of it was a pain. The compartments just got in the way. The <10lb bag doesn't suffer this at all.

There are fin pockets on the sides, but they are too small for my Atomic fins. No problem since theres plenty of space inside the bag.

Zipper. When you zip the bag up, it becomes difficult to zip when you get to the top where it curves around. Add to this the fact that the bag has a seam over the zipper up here and it gets funky. I hope they fix this in later revs of the bag.

Wheels. My evolution had large rolling beer cooler wheels. One of them fell off after 2 trips. The <10lb bag has roller blade looking wheels and one of the ones on my bag is slightly askew. We'll see how it holds up on my trip to Belize next week.

Overall I couldn't be happier with this bag. Featherlight and with one huge space inside. The zipper could use some work and apparently wheel assembly could use some quality control.

 

[Paco II]

Been a month since your posting, and wondering if your opinions of this bag have changed at all, one way or the other.

I've been looking for a carry-on bag that will hold the basics: bc, reg, fins, mask, and a small amount of clothing. Finding something that my Atomic fins will fit in has been a challenge, so your post caught my eye.

Also of importance is something low profile, which I like about this bag. I want to take it on the plane, and get no grief about it's size. Do you think it would 'pass the test'?

 

[coralcruiser]

Been a month since your posting, and wondering if your opinions of this bag have changed at all, one way or the other.

I've been looking for a carry-on bag that will hold the basics: bc, reg, fins, mask, and a small amount of clothing. Finding something that my Atomic fins will fit in has been a challenge, so your post caught my eye.

Also of importance is something low profile, which I like about this bag. I want to take it on the plane, and get no grief about it's size. Do you think it would 'pass the test'?

I suggest you look into buying a 28" soft sided suitcase.... no marking or fin pockets to identifiy the fact that dive gear is in it and you can find them weighing in empty at just over 7 lbs. I have one that I bought on sale at Mervyn's (don't know if they have them where you live) for $60. It fits my atomic splits, boots, mis.cive gear, clothes, books, toiletries, etc and comes in under the 50 lb checked bag limits. So far the one I now have has been on 3 internatnional dive trips. The one I had before that lasted for more than 12 years of airline abuse and cost about the same!!

 

[Paco II]

I've looked at those, but it's really the low profile aspect of the <10 Akona that looked interesting. I haven't seen anything like that before.

 

[deco_martini]

Its a low profile bag, but its too tall for a carryon really. I bought this bag before the airlines went nuts about scuba equipment. In retrospect I might have bought a plainer bag with the way the airlines are going.

 

[Hawkwood]

The Akona <10lb bag has no markings on it that would identify it as "scuba" gear. There is a small Akona logo, but that is it. We've used ours a few times. Easy to pack and so far has held up well. We plan on buying a second before we head to Bonaire in November. Our other bag is also a soft sided roller bag, but not made specifically for dive gear. It holds the gear, but requires more thought when packing:

MEC Fast-Track Rolling Duffle - Mountain Equipment Co-op

 

[John_B]

Its a low profile bag, but its too tall for a carryon really.

I was thinking the same thing. Unfortunately for me, anything that will hold my fins will not work for a carry on. And if other airlines follow AA's lead on charging for even the first bag then there is going to be a LOT more carry on luggage in the overhead bins. (sigh)

Still this looks like a nice bag for how much it weighs and how big it is...

 

[Paco II]

Interesting about the Akona being too tall. As John_B indicated, perhaps I should give up on a bag that will hold my Atomics (they're pretty long).

Don't want to derail this Akona <10 thread. I'll start another to ask about carry-on size recommendations.