Sub 1 kg carry-on bag (not backpacking)

I've yet to do business with him but it sounds like Zimmerbuilt is pretty flexible when it comes to custom work.

Goruck Shadow SD25 probably too small, but is under 2#.

12" W x 20" H x 6.75" D

You didn't mention a laptop sleeve….

I was using a pack for trips, but found I liked dragging the two wheeler around.
However, the pack is nice when you go to a stall.
Maybe I need to put a tail hook on my belt and attach the handle to it.

When I read the OP, I think I misunderstood that you were looking for something other than a backpack.

My last trip on the puddle jumper through the Pacific, I took my MLD Prophet. I like that it's frameless and easy to smoosh under a seat or around other luggage in the overhead. 25lbs is a lot for a carry on and it's difficult for me to gauge how much room you'll need although I think anything larger than the Prophet won't meet the airlines' specs as a carry-on bag.

If the Prophet would work for you, you can have Ron add an inflatable frame. What's nice about this feature is that you can leave it deflated while you're on your flight or transiting airports and inflate it when you need to need to carry it a while.

Take a look at the Tom Bihn Western Flyer in 420d dyneema. It weighs in at 985g in the backpack strap configuration.

I own the ballistic nylon version of this bag and have racked up entirely too many airmiles on weekly commutes around North America over the last two years. It's the perfect size for 4+ days on the road and I usually throw my 14" laptop in there to one-bag it for trips of 3 days or less.

I jacked up my back in a paragliding accident when I was young(er) and dumb(er). This bag gives me no problems whatsoever.

Eins.
I was looking for a light durable carry on last year. I contacted Zimmerbuilt to see if he could build something to suit my needs. Chris got back to me within an hour.

My request was a hybrid duffel/pack of no more 38L with reasonable durability. I wanted the bag to have clean lines and be light weight. I had a general idea of the features (minimalistic) I wanted from looking at the Wolverine Duffel on the Alpine Threadworks website.

I gave all this information to Chris and he gave me a few suggestions. Ultimately what I ended up with was a hybrid/pack duffel 11" x 7" x 22" made with Xpac VX21, with a full length #5 water resistant zipper.Total weight of bag was 14.25 oz as measured by Chris. I am able to carry the bag as a normal duffel or backpack style ,depending on how I adjust the carry strap/shoulder strap. I ended up with two stretch mesh outer pockets on the outside to carry guide books , water bottles etc.

I just returned from a four week European vacation where I used the bag as my only piece of luggage. I did not carry more than 18lbs in the bag. Because of the fabric choice (suggested by Chris) and dimensions of the bag I found the pack to meet all my carry on requirements.

Last time I checked Campmor was the only company selling them now but the Outdoor Products Essential Carry On is a really nice lightweight bag for the price. Last time I checked, it was only about $35. It has a large following on the "one bag" websites. I used mine last year for 10 days in Italy "credit card touring" with my wife and it was the perfect size. It has the pack away backpack straps too. They are okay for short term use, but I would not use them for much more than a walk through the airport. I think it weighs less than 2 lbs.

Thanks for your replies so far.

@ Ian B:
I've had a look at the website of Zimmerbuilt and think that they seem rather promising to be able to build me a custom bag. I'll send them an email today.

@Tim Zen:
The Goruck bags are probably too small indeed. I do travel with laptops a lot, but I find that the middle compartment of my Air Boss accommodates a laptop adequately enough, so a separate laptop sleeve is not strictly necessary.

@ Ian B again:
I'm not looking for a hiking pack indeed: too many straps, too many pockets. Plus some of my travels are for business, though for business I need to take overalls and PPE's rather than a suit, so I would like the bag to look smart and not like I'm going hiking, hence the Tri-Zip design mentioned in my OP. So the MLD packs are not what I'm looking for.

@ Stuart:
The Tom Bihn Western Flyer is a bit too small, I think. Since my travels involve weddings and baptisms as well as going to the beach and mountain biking, I find myself stuffing my Air Boss to bulging well beyond the airliners allowed carry-on dimensions. However, since at boarding the bag is hanging leisurely on my shoulder, I find that the ground stewards doesn't even give my bag a look, while many much smaller roll aboard's get redirected into the checked luggage.
I do like their Tri-Star, but would like to have it lighter.

@ Gary Daugherty:
As said, I like Zimmerbuilt. Do you have some pictures of your bag?

@Andy Anderson:
Due to the side pocket of the Essential Carry On, it doesn't use all the space it can use for luggage, so I don't like the design, but thanks for the suggestion.

Eins

From you OP I take it you want a bag specifically in the class of "maximumlegal carry ons", but one that you can carry like a backpack in a pinch, since the air boos is a great bag, but only has a shoulder strap. You are looking for the option to carry your travel bag like a backpack when practical, yes?

For light, yes Patagonia offers one of the best striped-down bags for carry on. It can be used as a backpack in that it has hide away shoulder straps. The latest version of their M.L.C. (maximum legal carry on):

http://www.patagonia.com/us/product/transport-mlc-45-liter?p=48109-0

Ouch, looks like they have beefed if up over the years. My 10 year old one weighs significantly less than a kilo. I'm shocked, shocked I say to find Patagonia screwing up beloved gear by tweaking the design for little apparent reason. ;-)

If you want serious durability and what's more a FRAME and BELT then here is a possibility, The MEI Voyageur (actual spelling):

http://www.meivoyageur.com/
http://www.onebag.com/leisure-bags.html

This one has a suspension system which may or may not be overkill for what you want to carry. 3.5 lbs if I remember correctly. No torso sizes of course – one size. Sized like a day pack. Mine has a torso size of about 18.5 inches. VERY beefy shoulder straps and hip belt, and internal aluminum stays. If you have to you can carry 50 lbs in this one. This is the only travel bag with a suspension I was able to find. You have to order one of these special and it take about 3 weeks. The Voyageur it probably the one you want to get if you are traveling abroad or nned to strap your bag to a camel somewhere. Air Boss degree of bulletproofness and you can lock all the exterior zippers with combination locks if desired. But looks like even the M,L.C. has been made beefier so that it isn't the light weight alternative to this one anymore.

I'm sure if Chris or Joe at Zpacks started with this basic design and went all ultralight on its A** one like this could be made with weight in mind for about a pound. Unfortunately, lightness is NOT on the radar for stuff like this – at least as we obsessively interpret it here at BPL. If you find anything commercially made in this very well defined class of bags at a kilo there is a good chance it wll be piece of crap unfortunately.

I have both of them if you have any questions or would like some pictures.

But the best place to ask this question might be on one of the "onebag" sites.
They might know if anything new popped up in the last year of so.

Arcteryx just made some new travel bags. Check out the Covert Case. Weighs 1kg @ 40L with backpack straps and no external frills whatsoever.

I just bought the Index 10+10 and it's a nice piece of kit.

Zappos has it on sale.

Eins. Sent you a PM

@Marko Botsaris:
The MEI bag hasn't been on my radar for quite a while, though it is a nice bag indeed. I do find it heavy though and still would like something more light weight.

@Max Dilthey:
The Arcteryx might actually have a few frills too little. I do like a few options in a bag to organise the stuff it has to carry.

@Gary Daugherty:
Thanks for the PM

Eins

I use the Eagle Creek Digi Hauler as my one bag when I go travelling:
http://shop.eaglecreek.com/digi-hauler-backpack/d/1241

I use a GG Kumo for this sort of thing. I think it's 11-14 oz. It's also very sturdy and holds a little or a lot quite well.

I received a reply from Zimmerbuilt that he cannot make such a bag for me. I was hoping he could, so I'm a bit disappointed. Still I appreciate his consideration.

Best carryon I've found are the travel backpacks from Tortuga. They have a light internal frame, good shoulder straps and hipbelt. They're also convertible – have a hidden zipper that zips away the straps and hipbelt so you can use it "suitcase style" while bringing it on the plane so you don't whack people going down the aisle or struggle to put it in tiny overhead bins. They're excellent TRAVEL backpacks and are the maximum legal carry-on size. I've used one traveling around the US and Europe recently and have been very impressed. The regular is 44L and 1.6KG, so a bit over your request, but they have a lighter Tortuga Air model that is 27L (expandable to 35L) and 1.1KG. Haven't used the Air but I can vouch for the regular.

http://www.tortugabackpacks.com/collections/all/products/tortuga-travel-backpack

ospreypacks might also be an option, though I'm not sure if they suit your needs – they have some lightweight models and also some with straps

I use an osprepacks ozone 46 – it's the lightest carry on (new model is not marked as carryon anymore, not sure why) bag with wheels I have found, I love it

My travel trips vary from a weekend to almost a year — cities to villages to rough trail day hikes — from 32F and up.

— my main pack, and…
— my day pack

My total pack weight is around 11 lbs. So really, any well-made day pack / school bag will do for a main travel pack. And any ‘packable’ will do for day pack. I love the ability to just “get up and go” — or hop off trains at unplanned stops. With full size packs — and esp. if heavy — you would want to find a hostel first just so you can unload. And that’s a good way to kill spontaneity. And also, no need to line up for baggage X-ray — and no chance of airlines losing your luggage.

The ultralight philosophy is just as important when traveling as when backpacking. Anything more than a carryon and daypack is excessive in almost all cases. I've had friends who backpack UL but seem to forget that as soon as they get on an airplane for a non-hiking trip ;)

Would you guys add some hiking or other outdoor activity during your international trip? I do, so my travel gear includes my hiking or even my climbing gear. To put it simply, what I want for a travel pack is “lightweight but tough enough, all-round(good for from urban to outdoor), panel-loading, top-loading, comfortable to carry, carry-on, modular expansions”. Actually, for this purpose of use, I’ve launched a kickstarter campaign before, and it just successfully funded.

FULL DISCLOSURE:
I’m one of the founders of HANCHOR brand.
—
Jangtian Shieh(Syoten)
HANCHOR outdoor gear design Co. Ltd.
http://www.HANCHOR.com

What volume do you need?

A Rick Steves convertible suitcase/backpack is 1180g. It expands past maximum carry on size with a zipper and has tuck-away shoulder straps and hip belt.
https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/carry-on-backpack

I went through the same process over the past two months. I came very close to pulling the trigger on a Tortuga travel pack but between the 30$ shipping to Canada and the horrible exchange rate right now It was just too much for me to pay and I ended up buying a GG Kumo off gearswap. This pack is so comfortable and gives me ample room for my year long trip, can't wait to carry that s**t on!

@syoten:

Congrats on your crowd funding — and best of luck bring your baby to market!!

Now back to topic… when I hike and travel, I basically just pack as if I was hiking, and then add:

1. one change of clothes (tee shirt, pants, undies and socks)
2. one pair of lightweight beach flip flops for beach and hotel wear
3. documents (passport, bank cards, itinerary, tickets, etc.)
4. tablet and charging stuff

As you can see, traveling on top of hiking really adds very little extra. I just make sure to bring hiking clothes that look good in town — meaning I avoid clothing with that exaggerated outdoorsy look. And I hike in trail runners — so picking a dark color, they are just as comfy and nice when wearing in town.

For 3-season hiking trips up to a week, I can pack everything into my carry-on size backpack (the old Mountainsmith Ghost) — and I check my poles and knife into a long cardboard tube.

http://www.seatosummit.com/product/?item=Ultra-Sil+Duffle+Bag+&o1=0&o2=0&o3=324-36

2.8oz for 40L?

Ben, and seven days of food? Sounds too small of a pack for weeklong backpacks.