I suppose Cerberus is
unofficially supported by the WALLYE Tactik
@Ankacat What are your first impressions of the bag? I've been excited to get feedback from our first wave of orders for that.
(Also, bummer about the a/c, hopefully that gets straightened away fast...)
Happily the a/c was a prompt maintenance fix the next morning, yay for relatively simple problems that are somebody else's job to actually repair.
Wallye Feedback:
Setup/packing
The bag worked like a charm on its first trip, though I had to refer back to the promo video to figure out which way was inside/outside for the large insert. Packing my setup for overnight saw me using just the sides of that insert with the top panel folded down to allow Cerberus to poke out of the top and enable loading. I wound up having a small amount of space in the front of the main compartment for my headset bag and mouse, as well as just enough space on the side to squish in the full-length keyboard bag (Logitech K310, not very thick) and my rolled-up mousepad before zipping that section up. All remaining cords were easily tucked in to the zipper pocket on the side flap and the zippered section of the luggage strap. With either a lighter build or had I been using the bag in backpack mode instead of duffle mode, I would have put my tablet screen into the bottom pouch to fully stow the entire portable setup in one bag; instead it went into my backpack/purse as the Cerbie is 17-18 lbs.
Comparing to previous travel solution
In comparison to packing everything up in the sewing bag from last fall, I felt like I had more useful room in the Wallye due to the optimization of space for carrying computing equipment instead of sewing equipment; the sewing bag had a little more space in the main carrying compartment but the additional zippered sections in the duffle were larger and more secure. The sewing bag would pull ahead in airport security in the case of removing Cerberus for individual binning to run through the machine, but only because of needing a single lift to remove the case instead of up, sideways around feet, and out; both situations require unpacking other items stowed in the main compartment and any smaller/"dimensionally optimized for this bag" cases like the MachOne wouldn't have this sort of issue.
Handling/Handles
Handling of the Wallye in transit was great on all levels. The shoulder strap was both easy to adjust and comfortable, it was quite easy to bring the bag down and back up to my third-floor apartment with no noticeable "day after" soreness. I neglected to try it packed in backpack mode but when I tested the straps out while setting up the bag post-delivery they were quite comfortable. It may have been for the best that I chose duffle mode instead of backpack mode for carrying Cerberus, when I put Cerberus in another large backpack and then wore it for proof of concept fun I almost fell over backwards
.
I outright love the side handle, it's functional and comfortable when pulling the bag out of odd corners you've stashed it in or for carrying it around upright; the lack of an additional handle on the other side means no falling over as well as easing keeping track of which end you've packed as "front".
The pockets next to the two "primary" carrying straps are great, as they both eliminate the problem of handles flopping around/rubbing against your leg while using an alternate carrying method but also provide some quick-access storage compartments.
Overall opinion
The Wallye v2 is definitely everything I was hoping it would be when I pulled the trigger for it; I love well-designed, good looking bags and particularly multimodal ones with plenty of pockets. I'll definitely be using it for future travel of all sorts, since it seemed just as at home stuffed in the car with my/the boyfriend's overnight goodies and electronics as it would be nestled in overhead cabin storage on a plane. Plenty of slack in the adjustable straps for shoulder and backpack mode means that it'll fit just as well on both big and small people, though it's a little visually comedic for me to be carrying a square-edged backpack that's bigger than my torso (minus shoulders).