Lightspeed Aviation - The Markham, Leather Flight Bag | 4111, Leather, M

My husband is a private pilot (as a hobby) and for years had carried all of his flight related items in an old nylon bag that he was given in when he first went to flight school 15 years ago. His old bag had started to show signs of wear and he couldn't fit his iPad, headset, charts, and other essentials into it so he was carrying multiple bags to the airport each time he went flying. Ordinarily he is impossible to shop for but this year I thought it would be a great idea to get him a new flight bag for his birthday! After reading multiple forum reviews and amazon reviews (about as exciting as watching paint dry) I settled on the Lightspeed Aviation bags. I had a tough time deciding between the Gann and the Markham but ultimately went for the Markham (figuring if it was too small he could return it). SO glad I did! The Markham is plenty big enough to fit his iPad, charts, and headset (even in it's case). The front pocket has pen holders and a place for a notepad/logbook which is very handy. The side pockets will easily fit his iPhone, keys, and a water bottle. The leather on this bag is SO much nicer than I expected. I thought it would be hard and more similar to luggage, its not! It's very soft and feels expensive. The bottom does have thicker material to protect from wear (though I'm not sure how well it will hold up since it just arrived). Also, the shoulder strap clips on and off so he can use it if he wants to, but the bag could also be carried like a briefcase. Last note - the bag was very nicely packed. It came packed with shaping paper and wrapped in a sealed plastic bag (I assume to protect from water damage) and finally was inside a nice cloth drawstring bag. No price tags on any of the packaging. So easy to just stick into a gift box, no muss, no fuss! Unless you are buying the bag for a commercial pilot who needs to carry more equipment, this is the perfect sized pilot bag to get. Overall, very pleased with my purchase and surprised at the great quality - definitely recommended!

Great quality bag!! very well made.

You cannot ask for a better bag than this one. Bought it for my boyfriend, and used it myself when travelling. The Markham is their mid-size bag and they have one larger which I would love to have also. When I took it on my trip, it was so perfect. It has a place for a water bottle, plenty of room inside for files, books, magazine, and a light jacket. The side flap is roomy to put tickets or receipts for business and there is a place for cell phone. Designed for aviation use, it works great for the working guy or gal and makes a wonderful under the seat carry on for flights. The quality is better than anything else I have seen...and I had bought several other types of bags just to return them. This is not inexpensive but worth every penny for a long lasting, well crafted and thought out designed bag.

Nice bag!

Finding a flight bag that fits your needs can be difficult when photos and descriptions on a monitor are all you have to go by (gone the days of store bought merchandise, largely). That the flight bag must fit your particular needs also makes writing a review difficult since our needs can be grossly differing depending what what you want to include in your bag. I have gone thru two other bags prior to buying this one. I carefully read the description and specifications included on the web page. Now that I've bored you to death with that intro, the review I'm giving this bag is a resounding YES. The craftsmanship, size, pockets, materials it's made from all fit my needs perfectly so if the specs and description look like they fit your needs then get this bag. You will be as delighted with it as I am.