I acknowledge that there have been some past discussions about the WineCruzer product. However, as a new owner I wanted to talk about one of their newest models. I attempted to attach pictures, but cannot figure it out. Please see their web site.
I purchased the WineCruzer Pro 8. As you might surmise, the 8 means eight bottles. In my opinion the perfect quantity for maximizing airline weight rules (typically 50 lbs). Fully loaded the Pro 8 comes in at 40lbs (18lbs unloaded). If you moved to their 12 bottle version I believe that you would be overweight. The handle is very sturdy. The wheels roll well. The latches seem very secure. The molded wine slots will fit many different sized bottles.
One of the big criticisms of the WineCruzer on this board has been cost. Especially versus a pick and pluck Pelican case. I have two comments related to that. First, this is one of the cheapest WineCruzers. It was $266 before shipping. Many of the others are well over $300 and hold less bottles. In my opinion, this is the “value” WineCruzer. The Pelican that this is based on probably sells for $160. Thus, the age old question “is the molded foam worth the premium”. In my honest opinion, yes! In fact, with this model the eight bottles stack four and four by way of a custom foam tray with handles. It enables one to travel with way more wine in the same package that you would only get four bottles with pick and pluck. I also agree with the other reviews that the molded foam is quite superior to pick and pluck in terms of future durability.
In summary, believe that the 8 Pro is worth the money. Especially if you travel often. I acknowledge that many other WineCruzers are probably priced excessively. This model is the diamond in the rough. I recommend that you consider this model if you are in the market for such a carrier.
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in this thread or via PM. P.S. I am not affiliated in any way with the manufacturer…I am simply a wine geek with a new toy,
Yeah, that Pro 8 is pretty cool, and I agree the price is right.
I use a pick n pluck Pelican 1447, the top loading model, and appreciate it for being easy to load all 8 bottles, with room for a 9th horizontally on top. The foam is kinda tattered now, after a couple of years of occasional use, and I would have happily paid a $100 premium for a molded insert in this format.
Because I sometimes tote around opened bottles, the Pro 8’s sideways storage does not work for me, but if I didn’t have that need, I’d probably have chosen it over my Pelican 1447.
Airline baggage fees being what they are these days, I don’t use mine as much as I’d thought I would have two years ago. I got hammered once on an intra-EU flight where the bag fees cost more than the seat ticket!
I’ve had been planning to pick up the Pro 8, but this is exactly the reason I think I’ll pass. When I travel to the States or go on wine trips I usually return with a few bottles. It’s often quite a bit cheaper per bottle to purchase outside Canada, but the airline I most often use now charges $70 each way for a second bag. Hardly seems worth it at all anymore.
A great alternative is the WIne Check. I only take wine on vacation so I only need to check an extra ‘bag’ once. I leave the shipper behind and carry on the folded up Wine Check on the return flight. The other nice thing is a case ends up being under 50lbs.
I like the wine check, just used it for the first time bringing wine back from bottling (bought it at Carries). I wish it had a hard expanding wine kind of pull instead of the strap, but for the price, it worked just fine.
I just bought a WineCruzer Pro 8 a few weeks ago for many of the same reasons noted, and I can’t wait to take it on its maiden voyage to Vinitaly in 10 days. I was very impressed with it upon arrival, and expect it ought to work great for my needs. Will report back with any feedback after use if people here would find it helpful…
Loren - there’s only a pull strap for one reason: so you can get 12 bottles of wine in there and not go over the FAA weight limit. Any telescoping handle requires not only the hardware of the handle itself, but supporting hardware to encase it and attach to the wheels. That extra 4-6 lbs is just enough to put SOME cases of wine over the 50 lb limit, and what is the fun of traveling with 11 bottles of wine??
I’m working on a new model that is generally the same concept, only it will have a telescoping handle, as it will only hold 6 bottles, and therefore will be a bit more portable, and good for weekend travel.
50 lbs is not an FAA limit. Airlines control their own baggage weight limits. Anyone that flies semi-frequently on (for example) United is entitled to FREE bags with a 70 lb limit.
Todd, I’m not sure that wheels and telescoping handle are necessary for a six pack, and pulling a rolling wine check with one hand and a rolling suitcase with the other hand can be a pain.
Six bottles are light enough to carry, I used to have an old ski boot bag that fitted a Styrofoam six bottle shipper perfectly, however as bottles got bigger and the size of the shippers inceased accordingly, they no longer fit in the bag. I’ve searched high and low for a new, bigger bag but haven’t been able to find one the right size.
I bet the price of the bag would be a lot lower without wheels and handle, wide sturdy straps are all that would be needed for a carry bag.
The WineCheck rocks and I can get 12 bottles instead of 8. I’ve rolled the WineCheck and a large suitcase (and backpack on) around the wilds of Portugal and their cobble roads without issue as well as the UK. The WineCheck is FAR cheaper so why spend that kinda money on the WineCruzer and get 4 less bottle capacity? I can also stuff some extra clothes, paper pamplet, brochure, etc from wine producers in the WineCheck and save that space for other things in my suitcase.
The new 6-pack design sounds cool as that would be perfect for a couple days get away. Look forward to it Todd.