Swany Wheeled Carry-On Luggage reviews

Two very different bags with unique features
 

Swany's founder suffered from polio, and wanted a bag that was convenient to trundle and which could double as something to variously lean upon and sit on.

Nothing existed on the market and so he invented the product he needed.  The result is the distinctive Swany series of bags.

Swany Walkin'Bag Stick Chair Cart

Product 32912

The EZ-Swany Stick Chair Cart combines a light weight wheeled bag with a small seat.

Unfortunately, the emphasis truly should be on the word 'small'.  It has a very small seating area and is very low to the ground.  Comfortable for short people and children, but not for adults and certainly not for anyone, ahem, 'packing a few more pounds'.

The bag has a small carrying capacity, can't be securely closed, and has no external pockets or other features such as are common on regular carry-on bags.

After being impressed with the Walkin' Bag (below) we had high hopes for this bag, but were disappointed.  Unless you absolutely need the seat, and are of small size yourself, this bag is not recommended.  It is expensive and under-featured.

Price and availability

$180 direct from their website.  A Google search might reveal alternative discount online sources.

Warranty

Swany offer a five year non-transferable warranty, excluding wear and tear and abuse.

This is a disappointing level of coverage for a premium priced bag.

Official size

21" x 11" x 9" (41" total)

Measured maximum external size

21" x 12" x 9" (42" total) - this is carry-on legal for almost all airlines.

Measured internal size

16" x 11" x 7.5".

This is small compared to almost all other bags reviewed, and also a lower percentage of total space than for most other bags.  The actual bag part of this unit is soft sided on all sides and so can stretch a bit to take unusual shapes that might be larger in one or two dimensions.

On the other hand, the closure at the top is very unsatisfactory.  There is a drawstring that pulls the top of the bag partially - but not completely - closed, and in the process, reduces its volume.  Then the fold over flap, which from the picture appears to be buckled to the side of the bag is actually held in place by a weak magnetic closure.

There is a danger that the flap could open and items to fall out of the bag.  It is absolutely not a bag that could ever be checked for this reason

Expandability

No

Weight

6.7 lbs claimed.  Tests to about 7lbs.  Very light.

Construction

The bag is constructed of 1500 denier Teflon coated polyester microfiber fabric.  The frame/seat is a mix of aluminium and plastic, and the bag is held to the frame by velcro loops.

Construction is a mix of screws and rivets.

The bag has thin plastic boards on three sides inside to give a little impact protection.  The base and back of the bag is protected by the carry handle/seat frame.

Color choices

Black or wine

Handles

One handle (the telescoping/towing handle).

Note there are no feet on the main bottom of the bag, just its four wheels.  Conceivably, if leaving the bag on a slope, that might mean it would roll away if unattended.

Towing Handle

A two piece telescoping handle, which locks in three positions at 32.5", 28.5" and 24.5".

These heights are too short for most adults.

The handle seems reasonably solid and has no more than a normal amount of wiggle in it, but is not very smooth in opening and closing, and sometimes was hard to release the lock.

The handle is mounted outside the bag but seems sturdy enough to resist most normal damage.

Wheels

Like the Samsonite Sahora, this has four wheels on its base, all mounted on castors that can turn in any direction.

The wheels are all completely exposed, and measure about 1 3/4" in diameter and 5/8" in width.  They spin freely, and have a slightly curved profile.

Stair skids

No, indeed the non-smooth exterior of the frame makes this bag ill suited for dragging up stairs.

Outside compartments

None

Inside compartments in base

The bag has a single open mesh pocket, measuring about 7" x 7.5", at the top of the bag.  It can't be secured shut.

Inside compartments in lid

None

Suit carrier included

No

Other Removable holders inside

No

Waterproof compartment

No

Packing Straps

No

External carry hook/strap

No

ID holder

No

Other features

The big feature of this bag is its folding seat.  Unfortunately, we found the seat too low to the ground and the actual seat to be too small in size, and the bag made an unstable base for the seat.

The seat is 13.75" above the floor level.  By contrast, regular office/home chairs are 17" - 18.5" high.  Most normal and tall people will find this too low to conveniently sit down, too hard to stand up, and uncomfortable while so seated.

The seat itself was small - about 8.75" x 7.5".  This compares with regular chairs that measure about 16" - 18.5" in both width and depth.

A danger was that when going to sit on the seat, there was a possibility that the bag would roll back as you lowered yourself onto the seat, causing you to end up on the floor.  If using the seat, be sure to press down on the front of it so as to cause the rubber friction pad to firmly engage on the floor, before sitting on it.

While seated, the experience was not very comfortable, and the seat didn't feel very strong or secure, and indeed, the seat/bag tended to swivel around in a circle, pivoting on the one rubber friction pad in the front.

The seat is rated to hold 400 lbs.

Swany Quilted Walkin'Bag 22"

Product 00990

As you can probably tell, we were disappointed in the Stick Chair Cart (above).  However, this bag is a much better product, with plenty of extra features.

The most distinctive feature of this bag is that its handle is on its long side rather than its short side (see photo on left).  This gives it more stability and it is claimed the bag is six times easier to roll than a normal bag.

The bag has just about every feature you'd find, and a few that are not commonly found elsewhere.

Size wise it has one very problematic dimension (19" instead of 'official' airline max of typically 14") that might give you trouble when trying to carry the bag on board planes.

Price and availability

$180 direct from their website.  A Google search might reveal alternative discount online sources.

Warranty

Swany offer a five year non-transferable warranty, excluding wear and tear and abuse.

This is a disappointing level of coverage for a bag that is premium priced and which otherwise offers a great deal of potential.

Official size

22" x 15" x 8" (45" total).

Measured maximum external size

22.5"" x 19" x 9" (50.25" total) - this is illegally large for most airlines, especially on the 19" dimension.

Measured internal size

21.5" x 14.5".  Depth of base is about 8" and depth of lid is about 1".  Can slightly overpack the lid but not the base.

The bag has moderately large radius corners, slightly reducing the overall space inside.

Expandability

No

Weight

11 lb claimed.  Actual weight about 11.5 lbs.

Construction type

Water repellant treated nylon in a fine weave.

The four small sides are solid, made from honeycombed plastic, covered with the fabric.  The bag is described as being able to withstand 188 lbs of pressure (whatever that means).

Almost all components are riveted rather than screwed.

There is ribbing on the outside edge and this thickens around the corners.

This is described as a 'quilted' bag and there is some minor 'quilting' - sewn padding - of the two large sides of the bag.

Both pairs of zips have locking eyelets through which you could run a narrow padlock hasp.

Compartments are all lined.

Color choices

Black

Handles

Two, plus extending handle.

Has four feet on the short side adjacent to the carry handle.  If you are placing the bag down at rest, you might want to turn it 90 degrees so it rests on the feet and doesn't move away, rather than leaving it on its base with four wheels and no brakes.

Towing Handle

Three section telescoping handle that extends to 36" and to several shorter lengths also.

This is much shorter than normal tilt and pull behind type wheeled bags, but is perhaps okay because you are more likely to wheel the bag at your side rather than tilted and pulled behind you.

The handle feels sturdy and has some wiggle in it, which the manufacturer says is normal and ensures easy movement.  Hmmm.

Mounted internally and well protected from external forces.

Wheels

Like the Stick Chair Cart, this has four wheels on its base, all mounted on castors that can turn in any direction.

The wheels are all completely exposed, and measure about 1 3/4" in diameter and 5/8" in width.  They spin freely, and have a slightly curved profile.

This means you can move the bag either as a normal 'tilt and tow behind' type bag, or you can propel the bag with all four wheels on the ground, with the bag alongside you (as shown in the picture at the top of the page).

If going down the aisle of a plane, you'd want the bag to be in front (or possibly behind) you, with the narrow side rather than wide side across the aisle.

Stair skids

No.  It is not recommended to drag the bag up stairs.

Outside compartments

There is one open sleeve compartment on the back of the bag, measuring about 21.5" wide by 12" deep.  This compartment is not gusseted at all so can't hold anything very thick, but is great for sticking a newspaper or something thin like that.

There is one compartment in the front that runs the full width and most of the height of the front, and with a zip that opens all the way across the top and two thirds of the way down each side.  This measures about 22" x 14".

Inside this compartment are a couple of zip closing mesh web pockets, each measuring about 7" x 8", and a couple of larger sleeves behind, measuring about 9.5" x 8".  There are also two narrow sleeves, each suitable for a pen.

One distinctive feature of this bag and front compartment is a zipper that opens between the front compartment and an inside compartment.  This is intended as allowing you access to eg a laptop computer, that is kept with more protection inside the body of the bag, but which can be accessed without needing to open up the main part of the bag.

Inside compartments in base

There is a zipped pouch measuring 19" x 7" that is fastened to the back of the bag by a couple of snaps.  This is presumably a 'wet things' pouch.

There are no other compartments as such, but there is a suit carrier and three other smaller bags, discussed below.

Inside compartments in lid

The lid has a mesh pouch with a full width zip.  Loose inside the pouch are a shirt bag and two shoe bags and also a zip which opens through to the external compartment discussed above.

Suit carrier included

Yes - a tri-fold carrier.

It has a loop and hanger at the top, and two mesh pockets on the back.

It has wire stiffening around the four sides of the inner most of the three folding sections to help it keep its shape.

Other Removable holders inside

In the lid are three bags.  Two have drawstring closures and are described as shoe bags - it might be possible to fit a pair of shoes in each bag, depending on the size of your shoes.  The other has a zip closure and measures 16" x 15" and is described as a shirt bag.

Fixed by velcro to the base of the bag are three removable pouches with webbing fronts and zip closures running down the middle of their long sides.  Two measure about 13" x 5.5" and the third measures 12" x 4.25".  These fit in the three recesses around the two parts of the carry handle and provide a clever way of packing things into those difficult to fill spaces.

Waterproof compartment

The bag that is fastened inside the main compartment by two snaps.

Packing Straps

Two elastic 'V' straps that meet with a fastener in the middle of the base.

External carry hook/strap

No.

For a bag that has just about everything else, this was a surprising omission..

ID holder

Yes, attached via a loop to the handle.

Other features

Also comes with two miniature padlocks which are not TSA approved.  Don't use these.