I like the look of those bags, Leon. Thanks for the heads-up. I'll be checking into them.
My old employer, the USFS, has made me an offer I am finding quite difficult to reject, re contracting in as a climbing/sawyer instructor. WAY more $$ than I could have imagined. I don't really need the dinero, but it's always been some of the most rewarding work I did back then. I hope it goes through.
Anyway, the air travel back then, all the hassles with schlepping a gear bag or two of climbing equipment cross-country through two or three airports was always a pain in the azz times 10. Those bags look the treat.