Let’s not overthink this. For local flying you can easily stuff your essential flying gear into your favorite backpack and carry on. But since that might not be the best for fetching accessories in a pinch, there’s a lively market for flight bags.
Since pilot gadgets have gotten smaller, you may not need a full-sized flight bag. When you only bring a headset (or two), iPad, action cam, flashlight, transceiver, water bottle and snacks, packing light in compact flight totes makes a lot of sense. They don’t take up a ton of space in the cabin, they’re lightweight and they’re a good way to organize your gear because they have pockets custom made for the stuff we bring along.
But they aren’t cheap so we demand high quality and durability. The good news is that all of the compact totes in our long-term test pool continue to soldier on—even the abused zippers. Models include the Sporty’s iPad bag, MyGoFlight PLC Sport and the Flight Outfitters Lift. We can easily recommend them and the good support that backs them. Always looking for more to test, we tossed two fresh models—a MyGoFlight and an ASA—into the long-term pool and after a half year of use, we like the quality.
MyGoFlight
Known for high-quality accessories, MyGoFlight manages to keep its line of flight bags fresh and improves them by listening to feedback from the field. Its latest freestanding compact tote is the $99 PLC Commuter made from ballistic nylon. It measures 11 inches high by 14 inches wide by 6 inches deep and weighs a touch over 2 pounds. Designed to carry one full-sized headset, we like that it can handle a 13-inch laptop computer, plus it has quick-grab exterior pockets for holding a transceiver and a water bottle. The laptop and iPad compartments are separated—a good thing.
Another good thing is that MyGoFlight ditched the cable-attached handle on its bags in favor of soft leather-top handles and they feel more durable. It has YKK zippers (YKK Fastening Products is a respected name for all things fastening), and there’s also a shoulder strap and a luggage pass-through flap. Like all MyGoFlight products, it has a one-year warranty against manufacturing defects. See www.mygoflight.com.
ASA
Fresh is a model from ASA—the $199.95 AirClassics Crew Trip Bag. The company said it’s designed to accommodate all crew member essential gear and it was designed from crew feedback. Made of weather-resistant ballistic outer material and a nylon interior, the tote measures 11.5 inches high by 14.0 inches wide by 7.5 inches deep and weighs 2.45 pounds.
Since the bag is really designed for flight crews, it can better accommodate a couple of smaller over-ear headsets instead of a full-sized model, though we stuffed a Bose A30 and an iPad inside with no problem. It can accommodate a 13-inch device in the inner padded pocket. The front lanyard-equipped organizer pocket works well for storing a wallet and keys.
The bag has a durable, high-quality feel as we’d expect in the $200 price point. We particularly like its magnetic closing handles. It has a five-year warranty. Visit www.asa2fly.com.
After press time, we received the $129.99 100LL Flight Bag and began long-term testing. For now, see a hands-on demo of the 100LL bag in the Aviation Consumer video.
