Rufus Roo: a bag-of-holding coat for beating airline luggage limits

Rufus Roo jackets are designed to help you beat airline luggage limits (given that they seem to be British, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that this was inspired by the awful RyanAir, which treats travelling with luggage as an oligarch-grade luxury and charges accordingly). It's designed to let you carry your shoes, changes of clothes, laptop, reading material, and wine and food in a series of pockets stitched throughout.

Stylish wearable luggage ideal for Holidays and Short Breaks, great for carrying the kids stuff, Commuting to work, Shopping without bags, travelling to Music Festivals or to Sports events.
Lightweight* in a range of sizes comfortably fits most adults or children when worn over clothes and fully loaded.

Rufus Roo (via Oh Gizmo)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

MORE: Clothes • fashion • Happy Mutants • luggage • travel • uk

More at Boing Boing

The technology that links taxonomy and Star Trek

Hackers prepare for first "national holiday" in their honor

http://www.facebook.com/people/Katrina-van-Malksvig/100000571611598 Katrina van Malksvig

neat idea in principle, but I’d hate to be behind some clown wearing one of those vests in the security check queue!
- AlexG55
  
  No, it’s simple. Just dump the vest (and contents) in one of those plastic trays, the same as you have to do if you’re wearing any other sort of bulky jacket.
  - http://www.facebook.com/people/Katrina-van-Malksvig/100000571611598 Katrina van Malksvig
    
    FWIW, round here they often make you empty all your pockets (including the pockets of any coat you put in the tray)
- peterblue11
  
  why? U take the whole jackett off, not the individual items. no more time to wait.
Chris Mannes

Wow, I’d much rather just use a ScotteVest. http://www.scottevest.com/v3_store/Carry-on-Coat.shtml
- digi_owl
  
  While true, for a european this will be a easier to get alternative.
- http://www.facebook.com/mollyclendon Margaret Louise Clarke
  
  Not available in Canada
ComradeQuestions

I’ve always wondered, if I flew somewhere for a ski trip, whether I could get around luggage limits by just wearing all my ski clothoes, boots, helmet, gloves, goggles, etc. on the plane.
http://twitter.com/cbuchner1 Christian Buchner

Fully loaded this ressembles a belt or vest filled with plastic explosives. I wonder if that’s just me – or if that’s also the security checkpoint personnel…
http://twitter.com/beacantor beacantor

Stylish? Really?
- capsteve
  
  you took the words right out of my mouth…
Tom White

Although we Brits use them often, Ryanair are not British, they are Irish.
peregrinus

Lightweight “*”
Private Private

Hope he’s got lube in one of those pockets. He’s going to need it.
Max

Don’t try and carry bottles of wine hidden in your clothing through security checks! You’re liable to qualify for a rubber glove treatment and quite possibly get guns pointed at you.
http://twitter.com/Luke1972 Luke

That’s one ugly jacket.
Symbiote

I’ve done this, except using trousers with massive pockets. I think they’re called cargo pants, not sure.

But anyway, security don’t care how many bags you’re carrying, so I put the ‘extra’ in strong plastic carrier bags to go through security. Then I fit it into my pockets to take onboard. Once onboard, it can go back in the bags.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=5310808 Christopher Locke

I would really hate to sit next to this guy on the plane. He’s not going to want to stuff that jacket under the seat in front of him and get it dirty, while risking his wine falling out of the pocket. So he’s going to wear that thing through the whole flight. With his extra shoes over one armrest, his change of clothes over the other armrest, and his kitchen sink rubbing against my leg.
woodly

$10 says this is the same company that invented those gigantic (read: stylish) pillows that you’re supposed to put on your tray table.
http://mordicai.livejournal.com Mordicai

“Because damn it, you why should the rules apply to YOU? Opting out of society– totally hip & cool! Be a huge jerk to the people in your airplane row…today!”
- P1rat3
  
  - because the rules are always right, huh? The airlines are to blame for charging $25 for each checked bag. As long as they keep trying to nickel and dime us for every little thing that used to be part of the package (and on top of already inflated prices), you’re damned right I am going to take as much as I can as carry on.
  - http://mordicai.livejournal.com Mordicai
    
    No, because I am sitting on the airplane next to you. Because being a huge jerk is being a huge jerk. If you want to be upset with airline service, pursue other means of travel, or write letters, or do something that isn’t rude to the other people. Feeling entitled to more than you are being offered & using that as an excuse to wear goofy coats– nyah nyah, I got you on semantics, airlines!– is not just annoying, but rude to your fellow travelers.
    - 秀平月
      
      Get off your soapbox for a second. Who says you have to act like a jerk if you wear something like that? It’s just a jacket and won’t take up _that_ much more space. (Never got the impression that space is a huge problem in an airplane cabin BTW; YMMV if you travel to holiday destinations though.)
      
      Even though I don’t agree that airfares are really “inflated” as some people here say, transporting a checked bag that’s heavier than 23 kg doesn’t cost the airline the 30 euros per kg(!) that many airlines charge these days. If they insist on inventing ridiculous surcharges to make the basic fare appear cheaper they pretty much have to expect that folks will exploit loopholes.
      
      (I usually travel with no checked baggage and a backpack that fits comfortably under the seat in front of me so please don’t hate me if you are unfortunate enough to sit next to me. Also, wouldn’t the “airplane next to you” technically be a different plane and thus not really affect you?)
      - http://mordicai.livejournal.com Mordicai
        
        This is the same as the people trying to cram their ridiculous carry-on luggage in the size checker, loudly proclaiming “it fits!” I’m not on a soapbox, just a guy who has traveled along side people who have taken advantage of the “carry on” bags & made the next several hours of my life cramped because of their selfishness. I’m like you– I travel with no checked baggage, a carry-on I toss in the overhead & a backpack I stow under the seat. That is well & good & displays courtesy & an awareness that people besides yourself exist– & I’ve been on flights where that attitude is nowhere to be found.
        
        Again, I’m not defending– or damning– airlines. I don’t know their sales analysis, & I’m willing to believe they are tossing the customer under the wheels in order to eke out another buck– whatever. If you want to write letters, or boycott, or whatever, that is all well & good– but this is only rude to the people sharing the flight with you.
        
        (Should there be a hyphen in there? A comma? I mean– you are right that it is an ambiguous sentence, but is it grammatically wrong? I get that you are being playful– I just can’t figure out how to unstick it!)
      - adamnvillani
        
        “Never got the impression that space is a huge problem in an airplane cabin BTW”
        
        Well, not if you’re flying first class, or are the size of a typical 10-year-old child, I suppose.
      - 秀平月
        
        We were talking about space dedicated to baggage storage, which should be obvious from context frankly. Same goes for Mr. Moderator who I trust has a good handle on the contents of both the story and the comments. No reason for childish allegations really. Right back at ya.
        
        Seat pitches could obviously be better, to put it mildly.
      - Antinous / Moderator
        
        We were talking about space dedicated to baggage storage, which should be obvious from context frankly
        
        I had the impression that a lot of people were concerned about having to share a row with someone dressed like the Michelin man.
      - cdh1971
        
        Michelin Man – yes, this.
        
        I assumed that one would wear this thing to be able to also take the one carry-on – which would go overhead, and the one laptop-bag sized ‘personal-item’ which would go under the seat.
        
        Of course maybe this thing could go on top of the carry-on in the overhead, but the last few flights I’ve been on have been filled to capacity – including the overheads.
        
        Although this might be not that practical for flights, it might be useful for taking long walks on trails or perhaps day hikes or minimalist overnight hiking. I hate taking backpacks if I can help it and this might fit the bill.
        
        Also, I find the wine bottle carrier (2 bottles!) to be highly relevant to my style of hiking.
      - cdh1971
        
        I just looked at the website pics. I wouldn’t be caught _dead_ wearing this in an airport (although it doesn’t look that bad) — but I would feel perfectly comfortable wearing this on the trail. They really should re-think their marketing. I am thinking about buying one specifically for the trail actually. But it would definitely go in my checked baggage.
      - adamnvillani
        
        Space in the cabin dedicated to baggage storage is a problem, too, especially since they decided to start charging for checked bags.
      - Antinous / Moderator
        
        Never got the impression that space is a huge problem in an airplane cabin…
        
        Lucky you. How are things at the Lullaby League these days?
Lobster

I bet the TSA would LOVE these. “Oh that? It’s just my everything.”
opmaroon

I do this, but with a ski jacket filled with lenses, flashes and other hardware. And yes I do feel smug, particularly when everyone else in line has needlessly removed their shoes, whilst fretting about the size of their bags and whether their plastic cosmetics bag is of the correct specification.
allybeag

Why would you want a change of clothes and shoes while sitting in an aircraft? Can’t people just put on the clothes they plan to travel in? I obviously don’t fly often enough, ’cause I just don’t get it.
SomeGuy

I wouldn’t credit them with the design however seeing as how they were beaten to the concept by Captain Kangaroo, Professor Irwin Corey and Harpo Marx to name a few.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000028488497 Lynda Gutierrez

The extra clothes/shoes are more likely insurance against lost luggage (or as the airline puts it “delayed.”) It happened to me on two trips in a row (several years apart and different airlines.) This coming March my son is getting married and you can be sure I’m carrying the dress I’m planning to wear to it.!)
RobDobbs

I have a ScottyVest. It’s okay but it’s not really suited for everyday use as it gets a bit dirty and wrinkly. There are magnets in the pockets for example (keeps them closed and makes it that much harder for pickpockets), but they always want to stick to my truck – and picks up any dirt with it.

They travel great though. I’ve never had any problems with security in terms of having too many pockets. Though it was a challenge for them to find the lighter hidden in one of the 19 pockets I had on me once. The jacket I have hold my iPad and phone, along with a magazine, tickets, bottle of water, sketchbook, pencils, sunglasses, wallet and various other bits. And it doesn’t bulge out and look stupid… well, if I jam a camera in the pocket, which is large enough, it looks a little daft.

And you still get to take on your 1 or 2 bags. I recommend these type of jackets if you have to travel at all. You just put all your metal in the jacket and you only have one thing to pick up after security.
Eric Ruppel

In Canada, I’ve discovered that the trick is that whatever the second piece of carry-on is, it’s “professional equipment”. Not sure if this applies anywhere else.
BrotherPower

“Bag-of-holding.”-snicker-

And then I guess you can take it off when you get to your seat-of-sitting.
technogeekagain

I’ve used photo vests for essentially this purpose. The biggest advantage was that I could toss the whole thing through X-ray without having to take time to empty other pockets or stuff them again.
Maggie Koerth-Baker

I’m holding out for a briefcase that’s bigger on the inside.
- StumptownGeek
  
  I’m holding out for luggage that’s lighter on the outside as well. It’s not going to help me much to be able to put 50lbs of stuff in a briefcase if it still weighs at least 50lbs.
cservant

Might as well wear those sumo suits but with the stuff out replaced with clothes.
efemmeral

This is a weird guy thing. Most women would choose to resemble a pack mule over looking like the michelin man.
Petzl

Recommended: if you bless it, it holds 20% more.
digi_owl

it sadly appears that most of their model wears a size larger then their body size should suggest, in a effort to maximize carrying capacity. Once one size down to a more fashionable fit, it appears to be bascially a cargo vest with some extra large pockets on the outside.
Kevin Moquin

A side note – why pick on RyanAir? People can now travel all over Europe for half nothing. Do we really expect airline prices like that without some strings attached?
cdh1971

I am not that big so I might be able to get away with this – but I’m a guy who is 5’7 and 145 lbs. By one measure I’m in the bottom 10 percent of size for American men. Any bigger I could see this being a problem. But their list of things to fit in it includes a laptop – how is this even possible to pull off? Also, I find myself having to sometimes run through airports to catch connecting flights – I cannot imagine comfortably running in this thing if it’s fully-loaded – although it might look/sound amusing enough to onlookers. At least my carry-on has wheels and doesn’t make my body overheat. Also – what the hell do you do when you leave the airport? – Walk around in this thing?
http://johnmc.net/ johnmc

Minor point – Ryanair, not RyanAir.