My Fishpond

During the year before I began graduate school at CU-Boulder and work at Changes In Latitude Travel Store, I traveled to Georgia for one week each month.  I was completing an internship with a regional magazine there, which I still write for today (and luckily get paid to do so). Each time I went back, I packed in a massive 28" rolling duffel bag (mind you, this was before the dawn of fees for checked luggage).  

The turning point for me happened shortly after I began working at CIL.  A woman came in to the store to buy two new 28" suitcases.  She already had two at home, but decided she needed two more for her 14 day trip to Italy!  No wonder they started charging people for checked bags!  Anyway, this is when I decided that if I was going to help people learn how to pack light and efficiently, I better start practicing what I was preaching.  This, I decided, had to start with a new carry-on wheeled suitcase - something I had never owned before.

Close to one year after I began researching my options, CIL began carrying a new line of luggage: Fishpond.  The Colorado-based company originally designed fly-fishing accessories, but later decided that fly fishermen travel and thus added a line of luggage to their catalog.  Thank goodness - because their products are excellent!  They are incredibly well-designed, styled with bright colors and offered in a variety of shapes and sizes.

I chose the 21" Lariat Carry-On Wheeled Duffel in orange and green.  I love it!  It holds the most out of any carry-on suitcase that CIL carries - a great feature for the newbie to "carry-on only."  It is durable - they offer a lifetime guarantee.  It looks great - have I mentioned the fantastically bright colors that make yours stand out from the drab black ones?  I even received a compliment from a lovely TSA agent who was searching my bag last Christmas for its look and organizational components.  

I pop my plastic bag of liquids in the top front pocket, my laptop in the bigger front compartment and save the smaller front pocket for my special treats at the airport: an US Magazine and Budget Travel.