ULA Circuit cabin/carry-on luggage?

Hey, I've been thinking about trying out a ULA pack and had thought about the same concern wrt the Circuit – I don't want / need the extra beefiness of the Catalyst.. The logical option I've been considering was just to check in the bag and carry on the stay? I can't imagine there would be any issue carrying it on your person…

I'm not sure about whether you'd be able to take the stay on as hand luggage. But do you mean checking your bag with the frame-hoop in? I think you'd have to pack it inside another, robust bag to protect the hoop. The impression I get Chris at ULA (who by the way has been fantastic , answering my barrage of questions) is that the hoop is actually a 5' long pole, which you'd obviously not be able to carry on board!
I too don't particularly want to go for the Catalyst and the Circuit seems perfect. I'd love to find a realistic way of carrying it on board a flight. ULA also do the Camino, and if you fly regularly it may be worth considering.

As someone who took a Circuit as a carryon on a crowded red-eye flight last week, I promise it can be done. I had no problem fitting it in the overhead turned either way, and, honestly, it fit in quite a bit more easily than most rollers. I just put it in bottom first to take advantage of the way the pack tapered. No one batted an eye.

It's worth noting that it wasn't packed super full (had the top rolled down to the top of the hoop), but I did have my full kit and a bit of food with me.

That's good to know. However as I travel mainly in Europe, where the regulations can sometimes be strictly enforced (and they often charge for checking a bag), I'd be anxious about risking it, as the length of the medium size Circuit is 2" longer than the usual regulation 22". Apart from this, the Circuit seems to be my pack of choice. Silly to let air travel determine my choice of pack, considering I fly perhaps four times a year, and I hike for weeks or months! So if I go for the Circuit I just need to find a way to transport it when flying.

I took my circuit as a carry-on on a flight to Costa Rica and had no problem fitting it in the overhead bin even on smaller planes. It wasn't very full granted.

I had no problem with my large Catalyst.

The max dimensions for most jet airliners are 22 x 14 x 9 (or 45 when added up). No one will bat an eye if you are an inch over here or there. And even if you are a few inches over on one dimension, it still won't be a problem if the other two dimensions are under the maximum.

No problems with my Circuit, but my preference is to bring my Conduit (now the CDT) because of the frameless, flexible design. It molds to almost any storage compartment. If fact, the conduit is my go to pack for travelling over seas, regardless of whether or not I am hiking.