I have heard so much about the heated Kulkea Thermal Trekker, which I’m sure is a great bag, but it's hard to imagine ever parting with my SP Pro. Previously I carried a Transpack boot bag; it was definitely functional, but my new Kulkea bag upped the function big time.
My first concern was carrying it on flights. It’s a big bag. I mean big: 61L. I decided to try it out on a trip, knowing that if it wouldn't fit in the overhead compartment, I could just pull out my boots and check the bag. I packed it a little bit light so there was a little room to squish it down if needed. I wear size 13 street shoes, so my boots are fairly large; they normally have to be tipped inward to fit in the overhead. To my surprise, the Kulkea was easier to fit than the Transpack. The disclaimer is that you can't pack it full; there is no way it would fit. When I traveled in the past, I carried my boot bag plus my backpack with my electronics and such in it. Now I just carry my Kulkea, as it has room for all the extra stuff.
Off the plane, it has been even more exceptional. Did I mention it was big? One of my friends described the inner compartment as cavernous. It holds everything I need it to. I’ve gone away for an entire weekend using just that bag. The quality seems superb: I haven’t been gentle with it, and it still looks brand new.
As silly as it seems, I do think a little directions pamphlet for some of the features would be helpful. At first I could not figure out how the jacket strap worked. It had to be repaired after a friend whose name will not be mentioned (@Andy Mink) broke it trying to figure it out, but we finally discovered how it was supposed to work. Some type of directions would have saved some stress.
- Who is it for? Someone needing or wanting lots of space to carry everything they could ever need.
- Who is it not for? Someone who could actually fit inside of it or who requires a heated boot bag.
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