Gear + Gadgets

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Eagle Creek Flip-Switch Wheeled Backpack 22

By Judi Dash

Special to The Miami Herald

Eagle Creek is kind of the Superman of luggage, capable of converting from one kind of bag to another — minus the phone booth. The newest innovation is the versatile Flip Switch Wheeled Backpack 22, great when you’re on a roll or hoisting the bag up and down steps. The roomy carry-on’s backpack straps and hip belt can be folded into an external zippered pocket when not needed. Or, to free up that pocket and lighten the load, the straps can be detached and stowed elsewhere. The front-panel suspension system helps with weight distribution. Considering this bag has solid wheels, sturdy rubber bumper guards, a telescoping handle, a slew of pockets, big lockable double zippers, and generously padded backpack straps and sternum belt, the 6.5-pound weight seems something of a miracle.

Eagle Creek Flip-Switch Wheeled Backpack 22 (EC-20394) in black, slate blue or ochre is $275 at www.shop .eagle creek .com; 888- 824-9460.

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Gear + Gadgets

Got your backpack

Always improving its lines of luggage for the adventurous, Eagle Creek has fine-tuned its new Afar Backpack to be all business and a pleasure. About the dimensions of a standard wheel-aboard bag (12.5 inches by 20.5 inches by 8.5 inches deep), the Afar weighs in at a mere 1 pound, 11 ounces. It is equipped with a slew of great features: well-padded contoured shoulder straps, a tuck away padded hip belt, adjustable sternum straps, external compression straps and a sturdy top grab handle. A padded breathable mesh back panel makes for comfy cushioning. The back panel cleverly incorporates a zippered padded compartment for a laptop (up to 17 inches) that doesn’t broadcast your precious cargo to would-be thieves. The spacious main zippered compartment is blessedly unstructured, three roomy external mesh pouches are great for jackets, water bottles, snacks and maps, and a very well-designed zippered front organizer pocket has pouches and elastic slots for a cell phone, camera, sunglasses, pens and other essentials. Double-lock zippers, hidden slip pockets for documents, and reflective accents for nighttime visibility are smart security elements. Available in a dreamy slate blue, sunny ochre and basic black.
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