Recommend a Flight Bag?

[GeneralT001]

Looking for a good flight bag than can comfortably hold the charts/pubs and headset.

[ArtVandelay]

Charts, pubs? What are these things?

It’s 2021…we have electronic flight bags nowadays.

;-)

[GeneralT001]

I hear that....reading material for those long legs

[GeeBee]

The best and most durable, and what I carried for the last 5 years of my professional flying career is this. Durable as heck, and well designed.  Don't let the price scare you. If you go to the Tumi outlet stores during Christmas you can get it for about 150-200. I can carry two iPads, and a Bose A20 in it plus a plethora of optional reading material. It is so good, I have two of them, one for airline travel and one for my plane. Added bonus, if you loose it, and the finder locates it the S/N will get the bag back to you.

https://www.tumi.com/p/expandable-organizer-laptop-brief-01173051041/. 

 

[philip_g]

My wife got me one slightly larger than a briefcase that I really like but can't find a link to. It has pouches for headsets and a spot that fits my iPad mini perfectly. It could be a little larger but I like it. I'll keep digging.

 

I give up. I think it's a flight outfitters bag that isn't made anymore. They have nother one that looks perfect for me called the lift xl. My guess is it replaced mine. I like mine because it has zipper pouches in the front that open to a bag inside the bag for headsets. They take up a lot of room when they're in the bag but when they're not the pouches collapse and take up no space 

Edited December 6, 2021 by philip_g

[exM20K]

3 hours ago, GeeBee said:

The best and most durable, and what I carried for the last 5 years of my professional flying career is this. Durable as heck, and well designed.  Don't let the price scare you. If you go to the Tumi outlet stores during Christmas you can get it for about 150-200. I can carry two iPads, and a Bose A20 in it plus a plethora of optional reading material. It is so good, I have two of them, one for airline travel and one for my plane. Added bonus, if you loose it, and the finder locates it the S/N will get the bag back to you.

https://www.tumi.com/p/expandable-organizer-laptop-brief-01173051041/. 

 

Funny.  I have an older version of that from the early 90’s.  It held the four binders for my Jeppesen Full  East coverage.  I still use it daily with a laptop sleeve for work.  This thing is going on 30 years of daily use.  Top notch.

-dan

Edited December 7, 2021 by exM20K

[ZuluZulu]

I've tried a number of them (including the Brightline, MGF, and others) but this one has been my favorite.  I never use it anymore now that I'm no longer renting, though, so let me know if you're interested.

https://www.flyingmag.com/flight-outfitters-simple-clean-centerline-backpack/

[exM20K]

4 hours ago, GeneralT001 said:

Looking for a good flight bag than can comfortably hold the charts/pubs and headset.

I have this as my flight bag.  Headsets live in the plane, but I find it nicely sized for iPad, stratus, kindle, power cords, extra batteries, car/hangar keys, nuts, protein bars, water, flashlights, pens, travel johns, barf bags, PLB, handheld, etc.  https://www.sportys.com/flight-gear-ipad-baga.html

very compact and seems to be well made.  It would hold some charts and a few paper NOS plate packages, but do they even make those any more?

-dan

Edited December 7, 2021 by exM20K

[Ragsf15e]

I like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Flight-Outfitters-Lift-Bag/dp/B00YYK3UCM/ref=asc_df_B00YYK3UCM/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312140517066&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5832071950990711076&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1027639&hvtargid=pla-523049771710&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=62501500059&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=312140517066&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5832071950990711076&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1027639&hvtargid=pla-523049771710
 

flight outfitters bags are well made and not too pricey.

[GeneralT001]

Thanks for all the recommendations. In the end in went with this only because it seemed large enough and I liked the colors

https://www.avworld.ca/lift-xl-bag.html?source=googlebase&gclid=CjwKCAiAhreNBhAYEiwAFGGKPBBHnQy5KVDMxI8PlAUOQZOE7dQn6QRe8GQUUf6hza59IhO2mitTDxoCl4oQAvD_BwE

 

[ilovecornfields]

13 hours ago, ZuluZulu said:

I've tried a number of them (including the Brightline, MGF, and others) but this one has been my favorite.  I never use it anymore now that I'm no longer renting, though, so let me know if you're interested.

https://www.flyingmag.com/flight-outfitters-simple-clean-centerline-backpack/

I’ll buy it from you if you’re not using it. My son is starting up flying lessons again so I’m trying to get him his own gear. He’s learning in 172s because the Mooney gear isn’t robust enough for his carrier landings.

[201er]

18 hours ago, GeneralT001 said:

Looking for a good flight bag than can comfortably hold the charts/pubs and headset.

I prefer WingX. It holds all my charts, POH, and other info. I leave my headset in the plane. I think I have one paper sectional in a seat pocket to use as a sun shade. Ipad doesn't do much good for that.

[Hank]

This is mine. Large center pocket, small radio pocket on each end, and love the fold down "desk" area with lots of little pockets.

[DCarlton]

Hopefully the OP won't mind me taking a tangent but .... where do you guys keep your log book?  Are you hardcopy or electronic?  Do you leave it in the plane or take it back and forth in your bag?  

[philip_g]

26 minutes ago, DCarlton said:

Hopefully the OP won't mind me taking a tangent but .... where do you guys keep your log book?  Are you hardcopy or electronic?  Do you leave it in the plane or take it back and forth in your bag?  

I switched to electronic a couple years ago. I use myflightbook or whatever it is and back up to dropbox. It was a fun trip down memory lane entering all my flights going back to 1999. It's not ideal but when insurance asks for some weird combo of times, it's sure nice to click a few boxes and have a total for them.

Edited December 7, 2021 by philip_g

[philip_g]

3 hours ago, GeneralT001 said:

Thanks for all the recommendations. In the end in went with this only because it seemed large enough and I liked the colors

 

I think you'll be happy with it, based on my experience with the bag I have from them. One little thing, they smell a bit weird. It's like a strange plastic smell. It's been years and I still smell it.

[Ragsf15e]

1 hour ago, DCarlton said:

Hopefully the OP won't mind me taking a tangent but .... where do you guys keep your log book?  Are you hardcopy or electronic?  Do you leave it in the plane or take it back and forth in your bag?  

No reason to keep it in the airplane. I keep my originals at home in my safe.  I do everything electronically on a basic spreadsheet.  There are lots of good options.  Only reason I take out the originals is for flight review signature or some other endorsement where I want a wet signature.  I end up scanning it and keeping electronic copies of the page too.

[Skates97]

1 hour ago, philip_g said:

I switched to electronic a couple years ago. I use myflightbook or whatever it is and back up to dropbox. It was a fun trip down memory lane entering all my flights going back to 1999. It's not ideal but when insurance asks for some weird combo of times, it's sure nice to click a few boxes and have a total for them.

I second the www.myflightbook.com option. I started using it early in my PPL training. All kinds of options for reports and keeps track of your currency. Instructors and DPE's can sign your entries (assuming they are marginally tech savvy). I still have my paper logbook that gets signed for flight reviews but that's about all.

[philip_g]

18 minutes ago, Skates97 said:

I second the www.myflightbook.com option. I started using it early in my PPL training. All kinds of options for reports and keeps track of your currency. Instructors and DPE's can sign your entries (assuming they are marginally tech savvy). I still have my paper logbook that gets signed for flight reviews but that's about all.

For anyone interested in switching, I found the easiest way was to put all my old flights into a spreadsheet and import that. 

[Unit74]

I use a genUwine Marine Corps BAG, HELMET, AVIATOR, 1 Each.  Have done so for 20 years. I’ve got a couple of them. 

[skydvrboy]

As for flight bags... my wife found the previous version of this one at Goodwill for $2.99.  It suits me well for the price!

https://mygoflight.com/products/flight-bag-plc-sport-2018-edition

P.S. We have a college flight school in town so Goodwill regularly has cheap pilot gear left behind by students who quit.

[EricJ]

1 hour ago, skydvrboy said:

As for flight bags... my wife found the previous version of this one at Goodwill for $2.99.  It suits me well for the price!

https://mygoflight.com/products/flight-bag-plc-sport-2018-edition

P.S. We have a college flight school in town so Goodwill regularly has cheap pilot gear left behind by students who quit.

I think that's the one I have and I love it.   I had the next smaller one until one of the zippers failed.  They're awesome bags, especially for a $2.99 GW score. 

 

Edited December 8, 2021 by EricJ

[Ragsf15e]

17 hours ago, Unit74 said:

I use a genUwine Marine Corps BAG, HELMET, AVIATOR, 1 Each.  Have done so for 20 years. I’ve got a couple of them. 

Ha! I use the USAF version which appears to be exactly the same!  Except it’s not quite as professional looking for the work airplane so I got a nice looking one that has less room and is harder to find things in.

[RobertGary1]

As a CFI I have to chuckle at  75% of the pilots out there that carry these massive bags with all kinds of stuff. Personally I got the smallest bag I could find. Headset, kneeboard, and iPad is really all you need. I keep some training overlays for teaching but that's about it. Backup charts are on my cellphone. If I lose the iPad and cellphone that's extreme enough I don't mind asking ATC for an approach briefing.

 

-Robert

[ArtVandelay]

I just use a generic backpack, I also carry clothes,etc for an overnight in a hotel when traveling. I don’t leave my A20 headset in the plane.