Customer Reviews Timbuk2 Co-Pilot - Small

I love the Timbuk2 brand, and have purchased 2-3 products from them. High quality, great look. This luggage has the same high quality and great look. However, luggage of this size (I have the Medium) in a clamshell design is a nightmare if you're traveling with more than one stop. It's simply too large to open and manage in small apartments or hotel rooms. It doesn't fit on the standard luggage racks in hotel rooms. It doesn't fit on a chair. You need to lie it on the floor or the bed to open it, and then you're basically stuck unpacking the whole thing. It's too tedious to "live out of" or just store things in during your stay, because it's so unwieldly to get stuff out of (or put stuff in). You have to move onto the bed or crawl down on the floor to open it. I'm not blaming TB2 for this. It's a high quality bag, and their pictures and advertising are accurate and reliable. I did my research and bought this product seeing what I was getting. I just didn't realize what a difficult design this is to use. I've tried this on three separate trips, and I hate it. It's too expensive (and not sustainable) to simply throw away or buy a replacement - but I will be looking for ways to us one of my other existing bags when I travel.

Bought one many years ago but started showing its age so I decided to get a new one. Quality in the retractable handle and the wheels just is not the same, disappointed in this one. Good suitcase but has some issues.

I live on the road for an average of 7 or 8 months out of the year and have used this bag as my main bag while traveling for weeks on end I typically pack around 10 to 12 days worth of clothes in it, the average weight of the bag loaded is 42 to 45 lbs That being said I have gone through one set wheels ,first the wheel sheared off. Now I currently have a groove in each wheel where the wheel is being cut from the point of a screw that is used to mount the wheel assembly to the bag The bag needs a handle or grab strap on the bottom to help when loading into a vehicle When the bag is loaded and you close it to zip it up, the top section is so soft it collapses on itself, making it difficult to zip I also find the mesh dividers kind of a pain in you use them to store extra items in them Lastly when you open the bag,the flap for the front access panel will get creased if you don't take your time and smooth it out as it is laying there Does it hold a lot and look good, yes Is the shoe pocket on top handy, yes Is the front flap nice to access last minute items, yes Unfortunately I think there are more negatives than pros for the bag especially at the price point

Attractive, seemingly pretty sturdy (though see below), good interior layout, like the shoe pocket. Negatives: 1) Second entry point from the front I never used it, and if you're going to go to the trouble of clocking your bag, this means you will need two locks. 2) It is NOT carry-on size in Europe. If they make you put in a cage to test this before boarding, the protruding wheels will force it out of compliance. This happened to me on Lufthansa. If this happens to you on a budget carrier, the extra fee could easily make your flight budget no more. Minus one star. 3) A brief 1 second wobble rushing down a rough sidewalk caused the exterior lower corners to get chafed to the point of breaking through the black exterior coating. Even much cheaper bags have these points reinforced for this reason. Minus one star.

I love everything about it but because I'm always carrying another bag or rolling two bags (lots of international traveling), I HATE how this is a 2 wheeler. I wish it had 4 wheels. Otherwise great bag.

This is my fourth timbuk2 suitcase. Though I love the option of this roller bag with the zipper for easy/quick laptop entry I am so disappointed with the top handle sizing. It is a jokewhen comparing it to the same "pilot roller case" that I got from you two years ago. Shame on you for changing it in the handle aspect. I only hope the money you saved in doing this allows you all to sleep tonight !! B

Bag has been on not dozens but rather over 200 flights in the past two years so it has traveled a lot and held up fairly well. Recently my front zipper snapped off and the zip portion was damaged. While I do not have the tools to replace and repair a zipper I know many places do. I sent my bag in for warranty or repair. I figured there was a high chance timbuk2 would charge me for the zipper repair but wanted to keep from purchasing a new bag so I could reuse my old one. The key for the efficient use of resources is to reuse and recycle as a last resort. Not sure if any one will read my review but I would not purchase another timbuk2 bag for this reason.

Its a great carry-on suitcase for the most part. The wheels are outstanding, The not so grate: even the small one is 4cm to tall for quite a few airlines which have 51 cm x 40cm x 23cm restriction. this does not meet that, and more airlines are now changing to this restrictions. Telescopic handlebar is flimsy as well and has been sinse I got it in 2016! If Timbuk2 fix those isses I would recomend it to others, which I have in the past. Just not sure I can because of new restrictions now. I have traveled extensivly over the years and ever the moste renown brands I have had in the past wont last as long. I have used Travelpro, Tumi , Samsonite proffesional and the wheels makes the whole differnce for me.

I am a flight attendant and fly often. I use packing cubes to keep my clothes organized. The space provided in each side is quite shallow. I do wish that the bag was a little larger and or deeper. That is a big deal for me. What I do love about this bag are the wheels, the wheels are amazing. It feels smooth when pulling, or pushing it back. It does not feel as heavy because of it. I also like the little pocket at top for easy accessible items to be retrieved or put away. Although I love that pocket, it takes up space in the little space that is available. I love the handle, when pulling the bag as it is comfortable to grip and it has a tennis racket handle feel. I would love it if the partitions to each clamshell side were a little more structured when you open each side it's very flimsy. It's basically like a net, it gets a bit messy retrieving things with a flimsy cover.

Amazing product and was my #1 suitcase but the retractable handle button will not engage so I can't expand or contract the handle.

OK, so I screwed up and ordered 4 suitcases when I only wanted 2. They refused to modify the order. The suitcases were a wedding gift. Then, they only allowed me to print one return label....then after three more requests they sent me a second label...which I had to snail mail to the gift recipients, so that they could load them up and return mail them. Product A+ Customer service F-

Most bags now have a padded laptop area but this one doesn't. It is also somewhat of an unusual shape being much narrower and longer than a typical commuter bag.

I travel 3-4 days a week and like the bag on the first trip. Maybe a couple of suggestions please, First a heavier zipper all around especially on the top flap/pocket and secondly a longer telescoping handle. Being 6'3" a couple of inches longer would be nice

Although the bag overall is a solid build, Timbuk2 does make some rather misleading claims... The Wheels are most certainly not Skateboard wheels. They have a proprietary bearing, the axel is too small and in order to fit skateboard wheels substantial spacing will be required. I think this should be addressed if they offer "skateboard wheels" as one of their feature sets. Secondly, you will require a luggage tag. The slot provided will not a standard business card, but ideally it should fit up to a credit card sized identification tag.

This was a clumsy piece of luggage. I am returning it to get one that has spinning wheels.

I love the size of the bag, love the top pocket for toiletries and the from zip. The inside compartment is great too. I'm 4'9" and when I put a laptop bag on top, the bag gets really heavy to roll. Because I'm short, I the bag has to be closer to my heels and I trip on it. Also, the wheels seems to a wheelie when one wheel is not touching. Hate this. It would be great to have a 4 wheel spinner on this bag and if this happens, it could be the perfect carry on bag. (I'm a business traveler and do not check in bags. I fly 300K miles a year)

I'm a top tier frequent flyer. I travel a lot & demand a lot from a bag. This is the best there is - but it has lots of short comings compared to my Eagle Creek 22" Rambler which the don't make anymore & I miss a lot Pros This bag delivers best bangfor buck -for a carryon bag in terms of capacity lightweight & easily maneuverability The Cons 1. The zips" don't glide smoothly. Lets see if a bit of silicon spray helps - but requires an extra jarring heave ho to make them glide smoother 2. The Inner linings The lower clam isn't lined The upper clam is but the separation fabric is not air tight. That means odors from used clothing in the upper clam can easily transfer to the lower clam 3. Capacity Its the best but could be improved. An expansion zip is required to get this to go from 50l to say 55-60l 4. Extendable handle It does not reach high enough. That's a massive issue. The Eagle Creek 22" goes an extra 2 inches that helps massively with a). Ergonomics b). Carrying a 15.6" Laptop back is almost impossible to strap on the back of this bag. That's because your fingers are jammed between the extendable handle & the back (when bag is mounted on the bag with extendable handle at full extension. So this bag & Laptop back pack is going to be a problem 5. Carry handles The bag is good with all round carry handle. But fitting more than 3 fingers through could be an issue They are skinny & cheaply made & need to be more durable ergonomic if have 40lbs of stuff in there

I've used the Copilot Medium suitcase on two business trips so far. First, I think it looks nice and is very roomy. I especially like the small compartment near the top handle, where I can put liquid toiletries or other things I want easily accessible for TSA screenings. I also like the side access panel, so I can easily change clothes before my flight, when I'd rather not wear my business meeting clothes from the day. It's a nice well made bag, and may be too big for a 2 night stay. My biggest issues with the case are in the sections that are separated from each other, and isolated with zippers. I spend too much time opening and closing zippers. The compartment idea sounds good, but it's not so practical. Also, the main zipper doesn't move as freely as I'd like. Lastly, the handle doesn't fit well through the loop on my Timbuk2 messenger/laptop bag. I struggle to get the messenger back over the handle of the Copilot, so I have only one thing to carry going through the airport. Lastly, I got a pretty good deal on the bag, but it went on sale for a lower price 2 days after I made my order, and Timbuk2 would not do a price adjustment for me. Bad customer service, if you ask me.

Clamshell design is nice, but the handle takes up too much space on one side, but overall a nice amount of room for belongings. The biggest negative is the weight. It's really heavy compared with my last Nike II departure, same type space, but it was much lighter.

I have had two Co-Pilot luggage bags. Bag holds a lot for travel and is stylish. It is also mostly durable. Unfortunately, I have had problems with the retractable handle on both bags. I replaced the handle twice on the first bag. The handle on the 2nd bag literally came apart while traveling and I had to buy a new bag at the airport and transfer my clothes. Since I could not travel with two bags one broken, I had to have the airport discarded it. I took a picture of it and sent to customer service to see if they would replace or help me with a new bag but they would only send me another handle for a bag I no longer had. Very disappointing for a loyal road warrior customer.

I travel a lot, weekly flights, mostly domestic, some international. The fabric has been tough and wears well, some holes starting to form on the corners. The handle sucks big time and is very frustrating to operate, sticks constantly. It finally broke while traveling internationally. Had to carry my bag through three airports to get home. Service was good to get it replaced. New handle is in the mail.

Needs grab handle on bag face. Needs greater stiffening around zip perimeter. Needs zip accordion expansion bellows.

I travel a lot. These bags are pretty good. The fabric is tough and wears well. The organization options could be much better. Its pretty simple. Zippers are good quality, wheels are decent and replaceable. The handle sucks. Bad. It sticks right from the start and is frustrating to operate. Then, it breaks. I have had three of these bags and all three the handle has failed. It's garbage. So, add all these things together and you get a okay bag. My handle just broke yesterday and despite being covered by warranty, I will not be getting a new bag. On to the next bag.

Big Timbuk2 fan! Love my TSA approved Messenger bag... Have purchased two of them!! Thought I would try out a carry on bag.. Love the look and efficient use of space. I've used the bag for a couple trips now - finding the skateboard wheels to create too much drag, the zipper for the middle area sticks requiring some finessing, and wishing there were buttons inside the small pocket so I could simply flip out my toiletry bag... The bag fits soo much better in overheads than my old bag, good upgrade hoping for a 4wheeled glider in the future!

I'm not happy with the way you access the bag ,the bag has to be opened with both halves spread out like a clam to retrieve articles in the back half .even though there is a top zippered flap for a portion of the bag