Happy New Year to all my faithful readers!  It has been a busy holiday season, but now it is time to get back to business.  For the first post of 2013, I thought I would share an alternate use that I recently discovered for my Filson 257 Briefcase Computer Bag.

As I stated in my earlier review, for many people the Filson 257 is a little too large to carry everyday (unless you have a unique situation that requires the extra room).  However, in addition to a briefcase, I think it makes a great carry-on bag too.

I am known by friends and family to be a very light packer (and a borderline minimalist), but my travel philosophy is always focused on packing only the essentials and trimming clutter when at all possible.  As you can see from the picture (taken after unpacking from a recent trip), I was able to fit the following items into my Filson 257…

• Packing Cube*
• MacBook Air
• Kindle Touch
• Nalgene 16 oz water bottles (x2)
• Beats Audio Headphones
• A hardback book, a legal pad and some pens

*I am easily able to fit two casual outfits, two pairs of underwear and socks, as well as a few toiletry items into the Eagle Creek packing cube by rolling my clothes.

Granted, not everyone can get away with packing this light, but this system works remarkably well for me on short getaways.  The Filson 257 has just enough internal organization, coupled with a spacious main compartment to fill this role quite well.

This bag now serves a dual role in my Filson collection (as both a daily-use bag and as a carry-on bag), which makes the cost ($275 USD) much easier to justify for those on a budget.

Bottom Line: don’t think of the Filson 257 as merely a briefcase.  It is a versatile chameleon in the Filson lineup.