Muji 3-Way PC Bag review

Muji help you beat airport carry-on rules

1 September 2006 11:03 GMT / By Stuart Miles

With the UK's airports still suffering from stringent security rules, Muji has launched a 3-Way PC Bag for the business traveller keen to still get their fix of gadgets in flight.

BAA's current rules are fairly simple. Any bag taken on board a UK flight must be 35cm deep, 45cm long and only 16cm wide. That means most rucksacks or over indulgent briefcases are out.

In steps the 3-Way PC bag from Japanese no frills shop Muji available in black or grey (pictured). The bag comes in at 30cm x 40cm x 6cm meaning that it's ample enough to fit in your 15-inch laptop along with spare shirt or paperwork without breaking the rules.

The 3-Way in the title refers to the three ways you can carry the bag and these are via the bags regular handles, via its over the shoulder strap or better still, via the hidden rucksack straps tucked away behind a zipped compartment.

Inside and there is a padded element for your precious laptop and a completely separate compartment for storing other documents or a change of clothes - albeit as long as they aren't to thick. Elsewhere the bag features another zip, which allows you to expand the bag further if you've got too much paperwork.

The option to tuck away the handles you aren't using is welcomed and inside there are plenty of simple compartments so things don't get lost at the bottom.

Verdict

Overall the canvas bag is very well made, with a sense that this is going to last you a couple of years rather than just a couple of trips.

With insurance companies categorically stating that they won't insure laptops in the hold, and current restrictions on hold baggage so tight, Muji's offering offers business travellers a great way of getting their essentials on board without breaking the rules.

In fact, the bag has proved so versatile in our tests (we flew to Sweden and Germany in our tests) that if you're only heading for an overnighter you'll still be able to pack and run when you disembark from the airplane.

Top marks.

Score

Review Recap

Made by: Muji
Price as reviewed: £25
The good: Well made, three carrying options, suitable to taking on a plane
The bad: You're not going to get much in here
Quick verdict: Muji's offering offers business travellers a great way of getting their essentials on board without breaking the rules
Score
Winner