****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I've owned the smaller Lift flight bag for several years and absolutely love it. It was getting too crowded as I added a variety of things that I felt were important so I was very excited when I heard out about the new larger Lift XL and XL Pro bags that are based on the Lift bag. I've had an opportunity to use the Lift XL Pro bag in the Cessna A185F taildragger that I fly at work and my own Maule MX-7-180 taildragger.Pros:I really like the Lift XL Pro bag. It does an admirable job of neatly organizing my headset, cables, iPad and yoke clamp, logbook, flashlight, fuel tester, portable transceiver and a host of other aviation items.I like the fact that the center compartment is longer and has a separate pocket for my iPad Mini 4 in its Pivot Case. I am able to carry a wireless Bluetooth keyboard in a protective case to use with my iPad on the ground. The smaller Lift flight bag cannot fit the keyboard.The elastic mesh pockets are larger and more numerous on the XL Pro than the Lift bag so I didn't have to stuff them as much as the Lift bag. The headset compartment and separator fit my Lightspeed Zulu 2 headset well and allow me to put my logbook and airplane flight log in the compartment beside the headset. The Lift XL Pro is narrower than the Lift bag and a bit easier to carry without bumping it against my leg as I walk. The number and arrangement of compartments are well thought out and effective.Cons:The open side pocket that is designed to slide over the handle of a rolling suitcase is an innovative idea. I like it but the top gapes open a bit due to the expansion of the bag with contents stowed inside. I don't have anything in that compartment right now but it still gapes open. A zipper top to the compartment would fix this.The mesh pocket on the outside end that is meant for a portable aviation transceiver is a bit too small. My iCom A24 fit nicely in the non-mesh pocket on the Lift bag but it took a lot of effort to get it into the XL Pro's mesh pocket. The rubber cover on the transceiver accessory side connector kept getting hung up on the elastic top of the mesh pocket and I had to stretch the elastic so much that I was worried that I would rip it. I like the idea of a mesh pocket instead of the Lift's solid fabric pocket. The transceiver can be turned on and the mesh would make received signals more audible, but the pocket needs to be about 1/2" bigger.I feel that the XL Pro is a bit too large. The Lift bag is 10.5" wide and the Lift XL Pro is 18" wide. That makes the Lift XL Pro a bit large when cabin space is at a premium with multiple passengers and baggage. One of the reasons that I like the Lift so well is its compact size. A happy medium would be 14" width with the other dimensions the same as they are now. I realize that the Lift XL is designed for two headsets rather than one and this probably drove the width dimension. I only carry one headset and I leave the passenger headsets in my Maule or in the Cessna at work. The removable divider would still be useful to fit my logbook in the space beside the headset.Overall impression:This is a high quality flight bag that is designed well and made well. Building on the popular Lift bag but adding more room is a great idea. Reducing the width would make it less bulky in a crowded cabin. The other cons listed above are not serious problems but a good bag could be made better in my opinion.This is a pretty decent bag and fits all of my flight gear perfectly. I was surprised at how much I could fit in the bag, it has a lot of compartments which I like, and the design and colors are really sharp.My only critique would be the material inside is like a felt type material that catches hang nails and dry skin etc, so I'm not a huge fan of that part as I'd prefer more of a nylon material. But I understand that they used that material for the velcro dividers that it comes with, but I didn't use the dividers because they just got in the way, so the liner is a bit much for me.But it's a minor thing and may not bother most people, I'm just not a fan of that material to begin with so I may be a bit biased in that regard.Otherwise it's a great bag. I did order a different shoulder strap right away because some reviews seem to hint that the strap might break so I found one that seemed a bit more sturdy to avoid the issue from the get go.But definitely recommend the bag overall as I've tried other bags and couldn't find anything that came as close to this one at fitting all the specific gear for flying.Initially, I was pleased with the flight bag. There's a decent amount of space, and everything stays organized. However, after about 2 months of use, the handle has begun ripping from the bag and continues to get worse. I imagine the other side will begin to rip as well. It would be an awesome bag if this did not happen. I tried reaching out to the company regarding this issue... As of writing this, they have not responded.I remember seeing a review before buying this, and that mentioned this issue. I didn’t think it would happen to me because I don’t abuse my stuff and try to take care of my things.... this bag has not had a hard life and has only been in use for about 2 months.The rest of the bag seems to be holding up ok.Overall, I would not recommend getting this flight bag.It would be a 2/5 star review, but I know most people don’t read those.*INITIAL REVIEW ABOVE*The company did respond. Their respone was sent to my junk mail.. it did take them a little while to get back to me, but they did! They replaced the bag with the tear. The new bag is holding up well... 5/5Me agrado por la comodidadLove everything about this flight bag except the cheap foreign construction standards ... one of the zipper handles fell off the first day, and, while that is frustrating, I still use it every day and it is the perfect size for what I need. Holds my full size headset just fine (not sure what other folks are complaining about), the water bottle holder on the side is only for small water bottles (which I actually use for sunglasses case), lots of pockets inside. It's pricey, but exactly the size I wanted with lots of pockets. If this one were to get lost/stolen, I would order another one the same day. If the zipper handle had not fallen off, I would give it 5 starsIt has the room for what you want in your flight bag as long as you are digital. You can carry a sectional or two..only room for one Headset. The orange interior should be on your MEL..so easy to see your hear.The design of the bag is great, not perfect but overall well thought out. The way the bag is made with the quick access pouch on the one side, the lip on top doesn't cover the pouch so it ends up bulging out and is always open. The space and capacity of the bag is great but I wish it had more structural integrity and acted more like a briefcase.It looks great and the build quality feels good. Enough space to fit everything you need for the flight. The only drawback I would say is it doesn’t have space for a bottle outside.I bought this for my husband that recently started flying again and he loves itIt’s just perfect , the best gift ever
