The f'lite bag costs $209.99 here and it weighs in at 12 pounds, so the Origami bag is the winner on both counts. Additionally, the Origami bag is fully lined and has 360 degree dinner wheels.

Yes, you can mount a taillight on the back of our trailer.


Here is a photo our our Crane 8 pulling the trailer. The Crane 8 fits nicely within the case for travel.

Looks nicely thought out. I remember when Bicycling! first ran an article on the Bike Friday with its trailer/suitcase for self-contained travel, including to/from the airport. It got me interested in folding bikes and I bought one of theirs about a year later. It hasn't been getting quite as much use lately as when I was going on lots of business trips, but I'm glad to have it available whenever I travel - and the trailer/suitcase has come in handy on a number of occasions.

1 more pound Is nothing when you are.touring

In your post, you seemed happy with your Samsonite at 12lbs, but thought our Origami Traveler is too heavy at 11lbs. One pound of capacity could be taken up by some extra clothing our a souvenir of your travels.

I like the idea of all these cases and choices. I would sooner adapt a Pelican case though....
One thing you have to think about is arriving at an airport with a bike friendly culture, like Basel Mulhaus (sp?) there is a bike path from the airport to Switzerland, France or Germany.. NYC/JFK is a bit trickier but I have done it.

Hey Scooper, have you tried keeping your seat in the seat tube? I've found it works fine for me if you twist the saddle a bit more. I have a Brooks B17 with a cover on it.

We looked at using Pelican cases as well, but they are very heavy and more likely to exceed the 62" linear limit that the airlines impose.

I am not saying your case is to heavy I just would like to have a lighter case,by the way my samsonite I never used like a trailer only to transport the bike on planes.

Paul,

Any chance you could post a few pictures of the new Origami Gazelle packed into the larger case?
That combo may be ideal for a friend who is concerned about disassembly for travel.

Yes. I should be able to take some photos in the next few days.

OK, I finally had time to mess around with the Gazelle and our travel case. Although the frame fits neatly into the case, the disc brakes present a challenge that the vee brakes on the Crane 8 do not. The rotors make it too difficult to pack the wheels without fear of damage, and the caliper on the front fork makes to impossible to nest the fork neatly between the rear dropouts. The Crane 8 and the our travel case were designed in parallel, and they work beautifully together, so they are the best combination for those who wish to travel with their Origami.

Have you tried a Bike Friday in the case? The Pocket Rocket has 451 wheels rather than 405 (I think), so it folds a little bigger. Having said that, I love the idea of hand luggage that fits inside the bigger case for travel. I'd pass on the trailer idea, but nesting cases could be just what I need for a trip later this year.

No, I do not have a Bike Friday to try.

Shame we are so far apart. I would volunteer to check it out for you.

Did you ever post a picture of the folded bike inside the case?

I have a BF case that is about 20 5/8x29x10 (not exactly square). So, the only dimension that appears tight is the 20"/20 5/8" dimension. If you let the air out of the tires, they should fit into a 20" case.

BF also uses an air-hose coupling for their trailers, and it would be nice if a compatible coupling was made.

This is the Crane 8 packed in the case.
The wheels fit without deflating the tires because they go in on a slight angle.

The wheels should fit without deflating, but deflating is always an option.
We use a very sturdy trailer hitch.

I've been trying something like this with my Raleigh Twenty. I got the Bike Friday trailer frame and hitch (not the luggage). Picked up a thrift store suitcase, attached the trailer frame. The bike fit in with pretty extensive disassembly. The trailer wheels were not fitting in easily. So bike and trailer parts, except the trailer wheels, went into the suitcase. I used a duffle bag for the trailer wheels and all my camping gear, clothing, etc. It seems the capacity for my duffle bag was very close to the capacity of the suitcase, which makes it very handy. At my destination, I assembled the bike, attached the trailer frame to the suitcase, and emptied the duffle bag into the suitcase trailer. If my suitcase had survived the baggage handlers without damage, it would have been great. As it was, it worked, but I needed a new suitcase the next time around. The next time, the suitcase came through fine, going to and from my destination with one transfer on each end of my journey. My bike didn't work properly, but that is not the fault of this system, but rather a problem with trying to use cutting-edge gearing systems on a 40 year old bike frame.

So things that I've learned from these trips that might inform your luggage choices:

While I like the matching luggage, I would still prefer a soft, collapsible bag for non-bike items. It holds more, weighs less, and folds up out of the way when you transfer everything to the suitcase trailer.

Waterproof is nice. I know my first suitcase trailer was not waterproof. I doubt my new one is, but it hasn't been tested yet.

I hear that zippers are a failure point when loading large cases up close to the weight limit. I haven't had a problem with mine yet, but I also add a luggage strap to take some of the burden off of the zipper. I can't tell if your case uses a zipper or not. I imagine a zipper also can create an entry point for water.

In spite of having a fairly large case, I still seem to end up with more gear than the case can hold. I like the idea suggested earlier in the thread that the case be made with the idea that more items could be carried on top. This could be as simple as strap or bungee attachment points. Carrying items on top of my suitcase trailer has never been a problem from a weight perspective, but it can be tricky to get items securely attached. On the other hand, I pack too much. It's probably a better policy to limit your luggage to what can easily fit inside the suitcase trailer.

On the whole, I like the idea of your system. I like the Bike Friday system, too, but it does sometimes look a little expensive for what you get. I also like how your trailer breaks down. The trickiest item to pack in the BF system is the longest piece of the trailer frame. I'm sure it fits fine in their, preferred suitcase, but for ease of packing, I wish it broke down a little smaller.

Good luck. I think it's a great idea.

I don't know of any suitcase that is waterproof, but many are water resistant. The zipper can let water in, but you would have to be in a pretty severe condition to get anything significant into the case.
The case, and its zipper, hold up very well. I frequently jump up and down on one, kick it, and invite others to do the same to prove it durability. One case was loaded to about 65 lbs. and dropped repeatedly from about 5 ft. with no damage and no failure of the zipper.

The longest piece of our trailer kit is only about 21" long, so there is no problem fitting it within the case.

I believe the case used by Bike Friday is a hardshell with some kind of clamp, rather than zippers. It seems like that would make in less likely to take in water. Some zippers are made to be water proof or water resistant, but I would expect most of them to take in some water in a heavy rain. But then I haven't tried it yet. When shopping for luggage, almost every case I looked at that had a zipper had at least one review complaining that the zipper had failed when the bag was loaded up. It seemed like for durability, a zipper was not the preferred closing method if you were carrying any weight. That said, I went with a zipper because it was cheaper, and I just hope it's strong enough. It certainly held up on the first trip.

If money were no object, I'd go with a stronger closing method that's less likely to leak, but that doesn't mean that a zipper is a bad way to go. If I waited until I could afford the best possible set up, I'd still be waiting for that first trip. I think finding something affordable that works is a good way to go, and keeping it priced lower than Bike Friday's system should make it a very attractive deal.

Is there a picture of the trailer packed in with the bike? This would be a key aspect of this item. I've packed my Dahon MU P8 in a standard suit case but the fit is tight. What size are the wheels for the trailer? How does it attach to the suitcase?

This could open up a few travel opportunities for me and my wife.

Thanks

I can take a photo of the trailer and bike both in the case. The trailer wheels are 12 x 1.75 so they don't take up much space.

The trailer parts slip together and snap with buttons, then it is connected to the case with three bolts that make the whole assembly rigid.

My wife and I just bought the Origami trailer/case. I hate to sound simple, but do you have an instructional sheet for assembly? We're guessing that the case must be drilled to accept the trailer attachment. It would have been nice to have included a drilling template or marks on the case showing where to drill, at least.

just that the original poster can see that there are actually also other than origami trailers available :-)