Category: Reviews

Two years ago, Gate8 sent me their Tri-Fold Garment Bag for review (read the review). I was impressed! As a frequent business traveler for over 10 years, I felt I finally found a bag which was a perfect fit for a quick business trip where I just wanted to pack a suit, a few shirts and a laptop.

They just released an updated version of the Tri-Fold Garment Bag, now called GATE8 Garment MATE, and have sent me the new version to see how much it improved.

As the saying goes, “if it ain’t broken, don’t try and fix it”! When I initially reviewed the bag, I did find a few faults, but overall it was an excellent bag. To my delight, the updated version kept all the features I originally appreciated:

Size & Weight

The old bag was 55cm x 32cm x 7.5cm while the new bag is 53cm x 36cm x 15cm – i.e. almost double in width, but still within the maximum limit of 20cm imposed by most airlines.

The weight also increased slightly, from 2.8kg to 3.2kg, meaning you’ve got less weight to pack in before you hit the 10kg limit, common with most airlines.

Considering this bag is intended for short, 1-3 day trips and you will be travelling light, these changes are minimal and should not pose a problem.

Travel Comfort

One significant improvement with the new bag is the length of the trolley handle: the designers added an extra 10cm, bringing the total length to 103cm. I am 1m80 (6ft) tall and the handle on the old bag was too short for me – the new bag is a significant improvement!

The wheels have also been updated: they are bigger and more silent, contributing to a much smoother “ride”.

There is another little addition to the bag: in-built luggage tag, allowing for your name, address and telephone number. Since this is hand-luggage, there is little chance of the bag getting lost during the flight, but it is always handy in case the bag gets misplaced in the hotel/conference conciergerie.

Laptop Bag

The underlying principle of a detachable bag for a 17″ laptop is still the same and still such a brilliant idea! There are two handy improvements however:

1. The zip attaches/detaches on the side instead of at the bottom, making it much more practical to remove and, in particular, to attach the laptop bag to the main bag.
2. There is now a security-friendly, transparent, plastic toiletries bag included within a dedicated pouch inside the laptop bag. As you know, at the security control, they’ll ask you to remove your laptop and to put your toiletries outside in a transparent bag. Now you can remove both at the same time in one go. (Just must remember not to pack too many toiletries, or it will be too bulky.)

Garment Bag

Same crease-free design, same useful pockets for shoes and dirty laundry, same hanger space for a suit and several shirts. All of the things I loved in the original bag are still there. But the designers realised there was some extra unused space in the corners above the shoulders and have added two detachable corner pouches, very handy for placing those tricky small items like socks and underpants.

Price

This is the best bit: the old version cost £170 and the updated, improved version is even cheaper at £149 £75!! So, you get a perfect business travel bag with even more functionality and comfort for a lower cost.

Running an international flight search engine, I am a frequent business traveller. But my problem is always how to pack. If I take my standard cabin-size luggage, I inevitably have to iron my shirts and my suit when I arrive at the hotel. And if I take the suit bag, I have to check it in (I am one of those people who like to print my boarding card, get to the airport 40 mins before my flight and go straight to boarding gate).

A friend suggested I should have a look at Gate8 Luggage. He said their Tri-Fold Garment Bag is small enough to fit as hand luggage, but big enough to include two suits and a 17” laptop. I checked out a few reviews, all were very positive. OK, let’s try it.

UPDATE: Gate8 released an improved version of this bag. Find out what changed

When the bag arrived I was impressed! It measures 55 x 32 x 7.5 cm (22″ x 13″ x 3″), which is the standard hand luggage size for most airlines. It weighs just 2.8 kg, so even with the airlines only allowing 10 kg hand luggage, I still have 7.2 kg, more then enough for a suit, couple of shirts, pair of shoes and a laptop. It costs £170, but you can see this is quality: made of premium ballistic polyester, with super strong YKK zips and a 5 year warranty.

I thought the detachable “zip-away” laptop case was a great idea (haven’t seen it anywhere else). It means I can leave the main bag at the hotel or conference hall cloakroom and take just the laptop with me for the meeting. And it even has its own shoulder strap. Love it!

As I unfolded the three parts of the main case, I found a multitude of pockets – for all my ties, socks, underwear and accessories – and even a dedicated pocket for a pair of shoes.

The main compartment can efficiently take up to two suits or 5 shirts and keep them crease free. There was also one little clever add on, hidden in one of the zipped pockets: a detachable hook, so you can hang the case directly into your hotel wardrobe without having to unpack everything.

I also asked a female colleague for her opinion. She immediately liked the manoeuvrability of the case, with a telescopic handle and large wheels; the fact it was so light weight; the main compartment to keep her dresses crease-free; and the pocket for a spare pair of shoes. The only real downside she found was that it did not have enough space for her toiletries, but then again, these days you can’t take too many liquids in the cabin bag, so I didn’t think that was so much of an issue.

My verdict is that this is a very clever piece of business luggage and of the highest quality. I have been a business traveller for over 10 years and this is the first time I found a bag which fits every criteria business luggage should have.