Backpack vs Cargo vs Voyage-Air

[gitnoob]

It's summer. Time to travel. With your guitar, of course.

I thought you might be interested in a size comparison.

Northface backpack on the left, CA Cargo center, Voyage-Air VAOM-01C on the right....

[dkoloff]

I had a cargo and enjoyed it but was not as comfortable withthe size.....love my Voyage air even if the case is a bit bulkier. It helps to take of the computer section of the bag.
Now if I had a carbon the size of a CA OX that had the Voyage Air hinge.....perfect!!!!!!! Still waiting for Harvey to get smart enough to start contracting the hinge to other manufacturers.

[gitnoob]

Yeah, an OX with a retractable neck would be perfect.

I was surprised by the size of the Voyage-Air. People talk about stuffing it under the airline seat in front of you. My backpack doesn't fit well under the seat. I must be taking the wrong airlines.

[AllThumbsBruce]

Originally Posted by gitnoob

I was surprised by the size of the Voyage-Air. People talk about stuffing it under the airline seat in front of you. My backpack doesn't fit well under the seat. I must be taking the wrong airlines.

This is why I went for the Brunner over the Voyage Air, despite having to make do with a much smaller guitar. The Voyage Air is ingenious, well made and the one I played sounded fantastic. Having a laptop sleeve in the backpack is also a huge plus for me. But I also can barely stuff a backpack under the seat in front of me - specially when I sit on the aisle which tends to have a pretty narrow slot under the seat in front. I am not sure the Brunner will even fit under there, but should know soon - mine arrived at the local post office this morning so I should get it in time for a trip next week!

Thanks for posting these pictures.

[seannx]

When you zip off the lap top part, the Voyage Air case is much slimmer, and surprisingly compact. It would fit under most seats, if there was no longer space in the overhead bins. Having played and taken smaller travel guitars (Little Martin, Speedster Electric) on trips, the difference a full size, well made acoustic makes is a huge, no compromise, upgrade.

[revive]

The 'issue' with Brunner is you have to remove the neck completely and re-attach it. I think it's quite a bit less convenient than Voyage Air's folding neck.

[gitnoob]

Originally Posted by revive

The 'issue' with Brunner is you have to remove the neck completely and re-attach it. I think it's quite a bit less convenient than Voyage Air's folding neck.

The folding neck is easy to work with, but it adds a lot of bulk to the package.

I once saw a home-made travel guitar in which the neck stowed away *inside* the guitar body. I think it was secured to the tail block. Seems pretty close to ideal. Makes you want to build one yourself, doesn't it?

[revive]

Yeah VA looks really bulky, although it's still acceptable and practical.

Originally Posted by gitnoob

The folding neck is easy to work with, but it adds a lot of bulk to the package.

I once saw a home-made travel guitar in which the neck stowed away *inside* the guitar body. I think it was secured to the tail block. Seems pretty close to ideal. Makes you want to build one yourself, doesn't it?

Now that's a great idea. Btw what do you think about the VAOM1C's tone? I think at some point I'll get either a 1C or an 06, though I'm leaning towards the latter because of cost & because I've tried it and it actually sounds really good.

[harvl]

Originally Posted by dkoloff

I had a cargo and enjoyed it but was not as comfortable withthe size.....love my Voyage air even if the case is a bit bulkier. It helps to take of the computer section of the bag.
Now if I had a carbon the size of a CA OX that had the Voyage Air hinge.....perfect!!!!!!! Still waiting for Harvey to get smart enough to start contracting the hinge to other manufacturers.

I'm smart enough but unfortunately ....."other manufacturers" are not

[gitnoob]

Originally Posted by revive

Btw what do you think about the VAOM1C's tone? I think at some point I'll get either a 1C or an 06, though I'm leaning towards the latter because of cost & because I've tried it and it actually sounds really good.

The tone is nice, but I wish they would have outsourced the build to Eastman -- then it could have been my only guitar.

When I got my Cargo, I didn't immediately fall in love with it. The tone is ... different. Eventually, I fell in love with the Cargo due to the robustness, ergonomics, and pretty-good tone for the size of the box.

I haven't yet fallen in love with the VAOM. The zero-fret appears to affect the tone of the open strings. The neck profile is a little beefy compared to, say, Martin's MLO. The area where they cut the neck in two is unfinished/unsealed, which seems odd from a moisture/stability standpoint.

But it sounds a lot more like a traditional guitar than the Cargo. I plan to use it for an upcoming trip. I'll let you know if it gets gate-checked.

[revive]

Good luck gitnoob. Please report back with a review

Man you have a good taste. I seem to like all the guitars you like (or vice versa?)

[actaylor]

Just returned from a trip with my Voyage Air. I flew on four different aircraft: an Airbus 319, a Dash 8, a Saab and an MD -88. The Airbus and the MD-88 are typical airliners and the case fit in the overhead easily. On the Dash 8, I detached the laptop portion and stored it in the overhead while putting the guitar under the seat.

The Saab was probably as small a turbo-prop as you'll find in use by the airlines. The guitar fit in the overhead! I put the laptop portion under the seat in order to easily access reading material during the flight.

It was a very easy trip with the Voyage Air. I couldn't be more pleased.

[revive]

Originally Posted by dkoloff

Still waiting for Harvey to get smart enough to start contracting the hinge to other manufacturers.

Maybe Harvey doesn't do that because he IS smart. Licensing the hinge to other manufacturers would create a predatory impact to Voyage Air. Imagine if Martin or Taylor makes guitars with folding-neck. They would kill Voyage Air.

[gitnoob]

Originally Posted by revive

Man you have a good taste. I seem to like all the guitars you like (or vice versa?)

Heh. It's a simple formula. Gadget freak + guitar freak + international trip + VAOM on sale = new purchase.

[revive]

Originally Posted by gitnoob

Heh. It's a simple formula. Gadget freak + guitar freak + international trip + VAOM on sale = new purchase.

you forgot one factor.... a penchant for variety