JessicaWright

Hi everyone, I am designing and making a carry on case for my A-level design and technology project. I was wondering if anyone could tell me any problmes they have come across regarding carry on cases/ hand luggage to try and identify some issues that I could resolve in the deisgn of my product e.g. finding your liquids at the bottom of your bag !
Any input is great, Thanks

janisj

I like hard sided/composite pieces because they are very light weight. But I prefer to have at least one outside pocket for documents or things you might want to access easily.

I travel carry on only and have lots of luggage at many price points - but end up mostly using a cheap-ish 21 inch Ricardo Beverly Hills that is a combo. Partly hard sided but w/ fabric sections on the front/back w/ zip pockets. It isn't as light as I'd like but is a reasonable compromise.

One other thing - and this may be hard to explain . . . inside the hard sided bags have two halves. One w/ tie down straps and one w/ a zippered fabric cover. Invariably the zip flap is on the 'top' and the tie downs are on the 'bottom' (the side w/ the rods for the handle). The rods make the 'floor' uneven. IME it would be better for packing if the tie downs and flap were reversed . . . i.e. the tie down side w/ a flat floor and the zippered section w/ the rods.

Or even better yet - find a way to eliminate the rods altogether. Either fabricate them to be flat instead of round rods (don't know if that is even possible) - or - encase them on the outside of the bag so they don't take up space inside the suitcase.

I actually seldom put my liquids baggie in my carry on since it is only quart sized. It normally goes in my handbag since its easy to retrieve for screening. But sometimes I do place the baggie in an outside pocket of my carryon.

Odin

Carry-on luggage causes a great deal of congestion on the aircraft, people who can't lift their carry-on into the overhead and have to stand on seats in order to do it etc etc, other people's stuff gets squashed, takes ages to board and get past people struggling with their carry-on, it's very unpleasant & totally unnecessary.

NewbE

I find grab handles on two sides of the bag--both the narrow and the wide--to be exceedingly useful, because you never know which orientation will suit the overhead bin.

november_moon

Yes - exterior pocket(s) and handles on 2 sides are important. Also, a bag with wheels that is narrow for wheeling down the aisle of the plane. I have a carry-on size bag that isn't even approaching the maximum allowed size for a carry-on, but it is oddly wide and short, which means that it is hard to wheel down the aisle. I keep using this bag because it is the perfect size for trips lasting less than a week, of which I take many, but I wish the dimensions were different.

NewbE

I have exactly the same issue with rolling my bag aboard as november_moon. I don't mind TOO much, as this fact keeps me honest when packing--I know I have to be able to lift it!

I have an idea:
Is it possible to make a bag with a built-in scale? It shouldn't add any real weight, of course. I would think this would be handier than carrying a separate scale...

janisj

>>Is it possible to make a bag with a built-in scale?<<

actually - there are a couple of brands w/ built in scales.

>>Also, a bag with wheels that is narrow for wheeling down the aisle of the plane.<<

Years ago when wheeled luggage first came out (remember when we actually had to <i>carry</i> our bags ) . . . my first wheelie carry on had two wheels but they were on the 'narrow' side instead of the wide side of the bag. This was brilliant for rolling down the aisle. But I guess that style never caught on (sort of the Beta Max of suitcases).

I personally don't like spinners because of the extra weight - though the one I use most now is a spinner.