Flying With a Brompton - What Bag?

[simonhill]

Anyone any suggestions for what bag to use for flying with a Brompton? Not proper touring, but basing in different places and then cycling around. Probable bus between stops then cycling with luggage to accomodation so nothing too heavy or bulky.

The hard cases are obviously the best, but expensive and not very portable when on the bike. Brompton's own padded bag looks good, but also expensive at £165. Again it is quite heavy (3.5kgs) and bulky when folded.

There are plenty of cheapo soft bags about, all around the £20 - 30 mark. Not much protection, but If lined with cardboard then might be OK. Lightweight and fold up small for carrying. The Rhinowalk one on Amazon looks reasonable.

In the middle are more expensive models, including one from Carradice, which will certainly be good quality.

Alternatively I could cardboard box and then dump and look for another box for return.

Any thoughts or suggestions welcomed.

[rualexander]

Ikea Dimpa bag is a popular choice, cheap and cheerful but works well, and you can line it with cardboard or something for extra protection.

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/dimpa-stor ... -10056770/

https://www.google.com/search?q=ikea+di ... 00&dpr=1.5

[SimonCelsa]

Decathlon do some fairly voluminous bags around the £30 - £40 bracket.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/basic-hoc ... 47&c=BLACK

I have no direct experience of this bag but more food for thought and another to add to your 'maybe' list.

[Sweep]

Ikea Dimpa bag is a popular choice, cheap and cheerful but works well, and you can line it with cardboard or something for extra protection.

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/dimpa-stor ... -10056770/

https://www.google.com/search?q=ikea+di ... 00&dpr=1.5

Is the dimpa strong enough for lugging the bike around in? Brommies aren't light.
I have flown with brommies, in a hard case - expensive, heavy, not ideal and i was staying with someone so storage no problem.
I have also used a soft bag padded. I thought that was from carradice and cost me £40 to £50 but my memory may be faulty. Will try to dig it out and check.

[geomannie]

In my limited experience of cycling with a Brompton, you can get away with a soft bag if you line the sides with strong stiff cardboard to give extra protection. On arrival the cardboard can be discarded.

Problem is finding more cardboard for the return journey. I didn't and damage occurred.

[simonhill]

Hi Chaps, thanks for the replies.

In the end I opted for the one from Amazon and I have been pleasantly surprised. It arrived next day and is made of stout nylon, lined, with edging and webbing underneath to strengthen the bottom. It says it's 600d nylon, which is less than Carradice at 1000d, but at 3rd the price, I could get through 3 and not be out of pocket. It is branded Rhinowalk in a tasteful army green. Plenty large enough for a Brompton with rack and also room to put in cardboard protection plus a bit of other stuff. Link at the bottom.

I looked at the Ikea bags. They are good value but I think they are more for storage in car or train, etc rather than flying. Plus not so easy to hide a bike when taking it as standard baggage on a plane (sports equipment costs 2 or 3 times more).

I was tempted by a Halford's' one, but they didn't take voucher on the net. Just as well as close inspection showed no reinforcing straps underneath.

Thanks again and hope my research (??) helps.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Selighting-Fol ... r=8-2&th=1

[veets]

That Rhinowalk bag looks really bulky to have to carry with you while basing from place to place by bus.

I've done a lot of one-way trips with my Brompton, and the second-best system I've found is indeed the IKEA Dimpa bag. Remove hinge clamps and pad/protect the sensitive bits, then line with cardboard for the flight out. For the flight back I've been carrying a suitable length of "inflatable column cushion packing." Like at this link https://www.amazon.com/Cushion-Packing- ... B078Q1T9ZT I managed to source some wider stock, which is very hard to find but very useful. With approx 80-90cm width, it can be wrapped around the bike and the ends folded in and taped for full coverage. With 60cm with, there's more taping involved.
It's like an inflatable bubble wrap, and very sturdy. As long as the bike has a light overwrap, it works great. I ended up covering the exposed bolt ends on the wheels and have had great success. Many advantages: it weighs next to nothing and a length of it folded down takes up the space of roughly a greeting card. The "columns" are individually sealed, so if any one is compromised, it's independent of the others. In other words, the whole wrap doesn't deflate with a single pinhole. The main disadvantage is that it's single use, so I save it for the flight home and just use the Dimpa Bag otherwise, when necessary.
The Dimpa bag is plenty strong to haul around the Brompton The sewn-in handles are very strong. The fabric itself is not super-rugged, but for the price it is easily replaceable when damaged. And it packs down small and light.

I say second-best system because I'm almost finished with a custom system I'm tinkering with. I'll report back when I have news and photos to share.

[TrevA]

Ikea Dimpa bag is a popular choice, cheap and cheerful but works well, and you can line it with cardboard or something for extra protection.

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/dimpa-stor ... -10056770/

https://www.google.com/search?q=ikea+di ... 00&dpr=1.5

Is the dimpa strong enough for lugging the bike around in? Brommies aren't light.
I have flown with brommies, in a hard case - expensive, heavy, not ideal and i was staying with someone so storage no problem.
I have also used a soft bag padded. I thought that was from carradice and cost me £40 to £50 but my memory may be faulty. Will try to dig it out and check.

I store my Brompton in a Dimpa bag at home and in the camper van, but I don’t think it’s up to proper transport. The bag itself is quite flimsy and rips easily, and has no padding at all. Might be ok for a train journey but I would say it’s a no-no for air travel.

It does have carry handles.

[rualexander]

Ikea Dimpa bag is a popular choice, cheap and cheerful but works well, and you can line it with cardboard or something for extra protection.

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/dimpa-stor ... -10056770/

https://www.google.com/search?q=ikea+di ... 00&dpr=1.5

Is the dimpa strong enough for lugging the bike around in? Brommies aren't light.
I have flown with brommies, in a hard case - expensive, heavy, not ideal and i was staying with someone so storage no problem.
I have also used a soft bag padded. I thought that was from carradice and cost me £40 to £50 but my memory may be faulty. Will try to dig it out and check.

I store my Brompton in a Dimpa bag at home and in the camper van, but I don’t think it’s up to proper transport. The bag itself is quite flimsy and rips easily, and has no padding at all. Might be ok for a train journey but I would say it’s a no-no for air travel.

It does have carry handles.

Lots of people use the Dimpa for air travel no problem.
I've used mine for air travel once, no problem.
Easy to pad it out with cardboard or a cheap closed cell foam mat.