The Frequent Flyers' Journal: Customer David B.'s travel experience with the Bolt Briefcase

"The Frequent Flyers' Journal" chronicles our customers' experiences while traveling the world. This is Note #1. 

On the Bolt Briefcase: 

" I fly frequently, and my medium Bolt Briefcase is a dedicated airline "personal item". I leave it packed, and it is at my feet on every trip. It replaces a wider Briggs & Riley expandable cabin bag, which also fits United's 9x10x17 personal item sizer. I own various smaller organizers made from the same Bolt waxed canvas, so I couldn't resist  buying a Bolt. It is also a spectacularly practical bag.

The rollerboard handle sleeve fits snugly with no unwanted play. I make scant use of outer pockets, so they are always free for temporary storage. I keep an eye mask in one of the front pockets, and I shed paper such as completed boarding passes into the back magazine pouch. The zippered outer pocket is perfect for emptying pockets before TSA security (like the "SpeedThru" pocket in Briggs & Riley bags). I leave my pocket contents there for the flight, especially if I have an overnight bed.

To protect my iPad Pro even when out of the Bolt, I keep it in a Dash Sleeve, next to the padded inner Bolt pocket where it could fit. I use that pocket instead for other flats, such as a clipboard, and a travel docs pouch. Moving forward, there's room for a klean kanteen, Bose headphones, and a few small organizers (e.g. Finn Wallet 29 for artist pens), some items using the inner front pockets.

If I overfill the Bolt, the back stays flat, but shapes push against each other toward the front, making it harder to use the outer pockets. Better not to overfill! The rigid interior walls of my larger B&R cabin bag prevented this, but I resented the extraneous features and got lost in it, never learning where everything went. One adds organization to the relatively spare Bolt interior via separate organizer pouches, which I prefer. I know exactly where everything is, and I love this bag!"
                                                                                                                 - David B.

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