Akona 9 lb Super Lightweight Roller Dive Bag

[tctmd]

This is a shout out to any Akona Reps out there...

Regarding the new Akona < 10 lb super lightweight roller bag (Welcome to AKONA Adventure Gear!),

Are there any available on-line reviews for this product? Also, some distributors say the bag is available 8/25/8, but the Akona website says it's release is "January" (1/08 or 1/09?).

Also, does anyone have any particularly good/bad experiences with this or other Akona dive bags?

Thanks!

[deco_martini]

These have been out for a while. I have one, its an okay bag but the zipper gets tough near the top of the bag where it arcs.

My only suggestion for akona would be to make it look less like a dive bag since airlines are getting snarky about dive equipment.

[TC]

Haven't seen that one but I've broken zippers on both of the prior Akona bags I've owned. Won't go there again.

[Bratface]

Get an Armour bag. They are tough and have sturdy zippers.

[mruseless]

Stahlsac makes a bag very similar in specs to the Akona. Its called the Jamaican Smuggler. It weighs 9.4 lb empty, and has very good zippers. It's all black and doesn't look like a dive bag. And Stahlsac has a better warranty that Akona.

[tctmd]

Thanks for all your comments.

I contacted Akona to ask about the flimsy zippers and they assured me that they have fixed that problem in the newer version:
"The newer version will be arriving with our next shipment next month. There is no change to the name or the part number it is simply an inline change. We changed them from YKK plastic to YKK Bronze zippers."

I really liked the Stahlsac bags (particularly the Truk Laggoon, sleek and sturdy) but just need enough room for one XS set of tropical gear at this time and don't quite yet need as much size as the Stahlsac bags offer. I will look at them again if I upgrade in the future or need to start packing gear for two.

After searching far and wide (including outside of "dive gear" bags, as some people have suggested), I narrowed my choices down to the following:

-Stahlsac Truk Lagoon (28"x18"x13", 6552 cub in, 11.5 lb)
-Akona 10 lbs Roller (29.5"x18"x9", 4624 cub in, 9 lb)
-LL Bean Quickload Upright XL Duffel (26"x16.5"x11", 5238 cub in, 7 lb 11 oz)
-Eagle Creek Cross Roads 25 (25"x15"x10", expands addit 2.5", 3750-4690 cub in, 8 lb)

My requirements were:
-sturdy wheels
-sturdy handle
-durable zippers
-not too heavy
-preferably including hideaway shoulder or back-pack straps

The Eagle Creek Cross Roads 25 offered everything I wanted (minus a shoulder strap). It's lightweight, has sturdy wheels and has zip-away padded mesh backpack and waist straps. It's about equal in size to the Akona 10 lbs bag, but a little lighter and I expect the back-pack straps will come in handy for the occasional off-road adventure (such as my recent trip to Little Corn Island, which has no roads/cars and is mostly made up of winding muddy trails).

Thanks again for the comments!

-T.