I travel a lot… Like 40 flights a year, a lot. The riggers of that travel, particularly air travel where suitcases have a rough and tumble life, means that they are a line item on my annual budgets.
So when I find one that holds up for longer than a year I sit up and take notice. In this particular case (pun intended), it’s the Rip Curl F-Light 2.0 Global 100L bag.
What I like about the Rip Curl F-Light 2.0
What I really like about the Rip Curl F-Light 2.0 series of bags is the clamshell design that separates the bag into two halves. The bottom half is protected with a solid rigid structure making it ideal for items that need that extra bit of extra protection. Almost like having a hard shell suitcase.
While the top half was soft and fairly flexible, so on longer trips I could stuff in some extra clothes if required, but on short trips, I could use the compression straps to really shrink the size of the bag.
The 100L version at 80cm tall was long enough that I could fit my full-size tripod inside without any issues. Which was another serious consideration for the work that I do. Being able to put the tripod in the bottom half of the bag also meant that it was somewhat protected. Something that the photographers out there need to keep in mind when looking at luggage options.
Another thing to note is that the bag was really well built. Despite being light, as the name implies, I never once had an issue with the handle or the wheels despite being dragged across a variety of surfaces, including gravel roads, that I’ve seen destroy other bags in the past.
What I don’t like about the Rip Curl F-Light 2.0
I did find that the inline skate style wheels, while being more robust than some of the other wheels I’ve seen on other suitcases, tended to be a bit noisier particularly on hard floors. In all honesty that’s only really an issue when trying to get out of the house quietly for an extremely early morning flight. But something to keep in mind none the less.
Not so much an issue, because most suitcases have this same design, but in an ideal world a couple more internal pockets would be handy. Two big sections and a small pocket on the top of the bag give a lot of versatility, but to keep small items from getting lost you’ll need to invest in some packing cubes which are how I manage my luggage.
Is The Rip Curl F-Light 2.0 Any Good?
The Rip Curl F-Light 2.0 really held up to the riggers of regular travel. In the end, it did succumb to a damaged zipper which forced me to decommission my particular one, but that’s not a fault of the bag’s design. More so just the reality of travelling as much as I do, conveyor belts, baggage handlers etc.. will eventually take its toll. As well as the occasional pushing the structural limits of the bag by overpacking it myself.
But is it any good? Yes. Any bag that can put up with my travels has to be a good investment and I would recommend it.
Interested in getting one yourself? Check out the latest pricing on the Rip Curl F-Light 2.0 Global 100L bag over at SurfStitch or Amazon
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