Barbershop For Hard Cases - Part Four - Just Carry On...

This one popped up on the radar in Murray Street - and it was completely unexpected - the online catalogue for the main Barbershop site did not list it at all. It was only when I looked at the images provided by or Australian wholesaler - C.R. Kennedy - that I was able to get details for this case. Well, this is magnificent. It is known and the " Heritage " and it surpasses even the " Quiff " as a period piece. Because make no mistake about it - this has gone well past the point of being a little handbag to haul to the shops - this is full-blown period travel luggage. The only other place you see things as wonderful as this are strapped to the rear of vintage cars. The term " Carry On " on the Kennedy site suggests that it is suitable for in-cabin packing on domestic flights. These specify either 105 or 115 cm as a linear total of length, width and height. The " Heritage " comes to 106.5...I guest there might be some wiggle room there - but not on the small commuter services that go between regional centres. As with everything, it would be best to determine this before you present at the airport with it packed full. The weight may also be a factor, as both domestic airlnes have a 7 Kg limit for the overheads. And therein lies a problemo - the " Heritage " has an immense capacity to absorb photographic bodies and lenses. I can imagine someone going well over the 7 Kg with a professional pack in there. It might be wise to pay the airline some especial fee for cabin carriage in some area that is not above the seats - perhaps they have this. I know when I had to tote a ceremonial broadsword to Victoria, the cabin crew locked the box containing it in with the captain of the aircraft for safe keeping. Okay, air travel aside, this is elegant carriage anywhere on the ground. You pay an elegant price, as well, but in the class of luggage that this aspires to, the price is about 1/5 of the boutique designer shops. You might wince at the camera shop cost, but if you go round to Prada or Louis Vuitton, you'll come back with a different point of view. If you are at all concerned about saving money, I would recommend that you pair it with a red hat and a blue duffel coat and write " P.B." on the outside... I can hear them screaming in C.R. Kennedy's...cancel that last thought - the " Heritage " is not just a bear bag. The leather straps, stainless steel buckles, and metal hardware are first-class. The stitching on the re-inforced edges and corners is better than first-class. The Italians do leather stitching better than anyone else in the world, and some of the angles that they need to do are tricky. I particularly liked the smaller touches - the leather memory card holders have two holes - to let you see what you've got in there and to allow you to take the cards out with two fingers. There's an iPad or MacBook slot and extra paper or card sots. The internal divisions are extremely soft and thick, and you could easily use this as a photo overnighter or weekender to the classier sections of the country. Sometimes makers of bags tell us that their camera ones have been made to deliberately not look like they hold valuables. In the case of the barbershop " Heritage " I would not let it out of my sight for a minute...because no matter what they say, the quality of this product suggests that something very valuable indeed is inside. Note: It might be best to reserve this one for motor travel...