Stairville SB-140 Bag 580 x 260 x 260 mm

I think these will be OK. I was expecting a padded bag to have a little bit more padding to be honest. These are like to be better at protecting equipment than any holdall you might buy on the high street, but I would have appreciated even more protection.

What is great and not apparent from the picture is that the opening of this bag is larger than the top dimension - in other words, not only does all of the top hinge open, but part of the front and part of the back too. That should make getting things in and out much easier than it would be in a standard holdall.

I like the fact that there are the normal handles on both long sides (for normal, one-handed operation) plus small ones on both ends (for carrying between two people maybe, or dragging) and even a shoulder strap, so there are plenty of carrying options available.

The thing that is a bit disconcerting is how these bags smell. They are made from a type of plastic that smells a little bit. It's not strong, but it's not great if you like to sleep with your equipment! OK, maybe that won't really be a problem.

I'm not sure how useful the pocket on the front will be; it's quite long and thin. There is no pocket at either end, which might be a useful addition if they are ever redesigned. I was wondering whether there would be an end pocket the full size of the end, because the pictures of this bag reminded me of a holdall I own which does have this feature.

Remember that the padding that is present makes these bags a little less flexible than you might expect from other things you have handled. That's no bad thing because it is the protection that is built in which is making it like this, but have it in mind when you are considering buying them.