ekscrunchy

I posted this on another board, but hope that I can get additional responses here..


I am determined to take carry-on only on an upcoming, week-long trip to Europe. But I am overwhelmed by the range of luggage.


I've read many reviews and am considering the RedOxx carry-on bag, which seems to get excellent reviews here and on online sites.


http://www.redoxx.com/Airline-Carry-...ss/100/Product



Question: Is there any advantage to buying a bag without wheels? I imagine that it would fit more since there does not have to be space devoted to the wheel mechanism. I will be traveling by car and do not expect to have to schlep the bag too much, except at the airports.

I would love to have opinions about this particular bag, about non-wheeled carry-ons, and about any other carry ons--wheeled and non-wheeled-- that you all might recommend. I am not on a tight budget; I am looking for the best bag rather than for a bargain....

I would love to hear from people that have used the Red Oxx..Air Boss..

Many thanks!

ira

Hi ek,

Having spent many years with a suitcase in my hand or a soft-sided suitcase on a strap over my shoulder, I am a fan of wheeled suitcases.

suze

Sure, a bag with no wheels is good because then the bag empty weighs less. But you have to balance that with the convenience of being able to roll instead of carry it thru airports, in & out of hotels, etc. Personal I perfer to roll along, not have the weight over my shoulder.

Whichever you choose aim for no more than 25-30 lbs. PACKED.

suze

I think the bag in that link looks OK, I guess, but I'd never give $225 for a suitcase!

I have an assortment and have paid from $0-$50 max. for each of them (a 22" roller, a 24" roller, and a 24" rolling duffle). I use one of these + a medium carry-on tote bag of some sort regardless of where I'm going or the length of the trip.

annhig

wow, ek, at $225 I hope that it is the only carry-on luggage you'll ever need.

seriously, i would never consider a wheel-less bag now. airport designers seem to delight in making passengers walk the equivalent of a marathon [I swear that the walk to the gate at gatwick to catch the plane home to Newquay takes longer than the flight]. this is despite the fact that when we went to Barcelona, the wheels on my bag stopped it going in the easyjet luggage guage and i had to pay an extra £16 to put it in the hold.

Strangely, they didn't get in the way at Barcelona, where they cared more about how many bits of carry-on you'd got, rather than what size they were.

for our trip to seville, I'm going to measure the bag WITH the wheels. but it will certainly have them.

mamcalice

All things considered, I much prefer a roller bag. If it is to be a carryon, it has to be 21" or less, I think. We have traveled for 2 weeks with a 21" roller bag. It is a lot easier in the warm weather, when clothes are lighter, to fit everything in. You can do it! I'm not familiar with the bag you mentioned.

alihutch

I use a rucksack...leaves me free hands and wheely suitcases are a pain and get in everyone elses way.....and as for those folks who wheel 2 of the damn things behind them.....

ekscrunchy

Thanks to you both! What about taking one of those cheap wheeled contraptions and then just carrying that on in my little backpack?

Don't the wheels on the fixed-wheel bags take up room that could otherwise be devoted to the bag's interior?

Or do I now have to start the search all over again!? This is almost, but not quite, as boring as the subject of rental cars. But even that is nowhere as dull as the all-time dullest travel topic: Trip insurance!

On another thread I asked about bringing home my usual supply of foods (that I plan to buy in Italy; these often include liquids of various types)--I know I will have to check something on the return trip, but I thought I could take along a small empty soft bag, or else just use a cardboard box..???

ekscrunchy

*By "cheap wheeled contraption," I meant something like this ( have a few from yard sales)





http://www.amazon.com/Travelon-00420...ref=pd_sbs_a_6

suze

Yes I've considered a detachable frame w/ the rollers. But honestly I think if they worked so terrific, you'd see more people using them... which you don't.

Bottomline is... are you willing to carry 30+ lbs. (and that's packing light) around with you everywhere when you move (airports, city streets, hotels, train stations, etc.)? For me the answer's "no".

Sue878

I bought a 20.5" ONLY 4.8 lbs. by Landor & Hawa recommended by someone on Fodor's. It is on Discount Luggage.com and they have free shipping. It has wheels but it is really lightweight since it is only 4.8#. Under $100.00

I also have a small bag from Ebags that folds up and goes in my carryon or luggage if I check one.

I'm with most of the others, I always need a luggage with wheels and I wouldn't pay $225.00

suze

The thing about using a cardboard box (which is OK to check thru on a flight home) is then you need = 1) the box itself, 2) tape to secure it, 3) packing material to cushion the purchases.

I've done this returning from Mexico, but they have shops that sell you all of the above. I know maybe that sound dumb, but scouring the street of a European city looking for a cardboard box is not all that easy.

bardo1

<i>Question: Is there any advantage to buying a bag without wheels? I imagine that it would fit more since there does not have to be space devoted to the wheel mechanism. I will be traveling by car and do not expect to have to schlep the bag too much, except at the airports.</i>

That's THIS trip - a future one may find you taking a train/subway into Paris or somewhere where you may NOT have an auto. I'm not sure how much extra room "no wheels" gets you - maybe an extra shirt? I would go with a roller for reasons already mentioned.

The 21" w/ wheels in the link looks fine, but you can find something similar for much less. Not that there's anything wrong with having such a nice one, if you've got the cash.

I've made many trips to Europe ranging from 7-11 days with just a 21" rolling carry-on. I've also done it with an 18" long by 8" round gym bag. Of course, being male may contribute to my being able to pack so light...

Marija

No! No! No! for wheeless carryons. That's what we did for East Africa and carrying those duffles through long airport corridors quickly lost its appeal. For our next trip we bought cheap very light weight duffles with wheels. They fell apart almost instantly once we had to put them on small planes since the staff pulled them out by their fragile zippers. Each time we switched camps I sewed the bags shut with dental floss. This is a topic dear to my heart since I'm trying to figure out if we can do 5 weeks in country and city, hot and cold weather, with carryons only.

Christina

I remember when they invented wheeled baggage and it was one of the greatest boons to travel ever. I would never go back for anything over 19 inches.

Those luggage carts are what we were forced to do before wheeled baggage, they were a big pain. It's so funny to me that you would prefer to do that when we all hated that. There isn't any point to that, they weigh more than the wheels on the bags. I guess if you are thinking size, maybe, but you'd have to get them to let you carry that on in addition to your bag (which you probably could). Then keep track of that thing wherever you go, lug it around, and watch the bags fall off it all the time, no thanks. You need bungee cords, also, of course, but the bags still fall off.

Good luck with this, I've had 22 inch bags refused by one airline as carryon when the exact same bag was allowed by the same airline on the other direction. They said it was too big the one time even though I had carried it on before (this was Air Canada, I believe, but any airline can do that).

Leely2

Ditto what Marija said. After much handwringing I managed to go wheelless and carryon for Rwanda, Kenya and Amsterdam a couple months ago. It was a huge challenge. I did tons of research (you know there's a website and forum for everything these days). I finally cheaped out with an eBag for $79--roomy-yet-hideous with a gazillion compartments. This bag enabled me to pack for trekking, regular safari, European museums, restaurants and innumerable imagined medical emergencies.

I am fit but my back is still angry with me. Shoulda gone with wheels.

notbob

I'm a fan of convertable bags that have stow away back pack straps, but my wife is not.

Redoxx is a quality bag made in Us and as a result pricey.

similar products from www.tombihn.com in Seattle

www.onebag.com is a good resource for packing light and he has very strong opinions.

If you opt for wheels take a look at some of the vertical format wheeled office bags. You can get them as small as 17 -18 inches and they usually have a lot of organization builtin.

Got my dad a generic American Tourister 18" office bag and just left the laptop insert out. Plenty of room.

Here is a example:

http://www.ebags.com/product/case-lo...uctid=10011372

HappyTrvlr

We use Rick Steves' 21" with wheels. He offers the same bag as a backpack w/o wheels but we are beyond doing that anymore. I pack the same amount whether for a week or six weeks. Good luck Eks..you can do it. It's so liberating!

janisj

"<i>Don't the wheels on the fixed-wheel bags take up room that could otherwise be devoted to the bag's interior?</i>"

Sure - they take up a little space. But for 2 or 3 weeks I don't totally fill a 21inch roll aboard so that is no big deal IMO.

And because it is carried on and seldom checked, I honestly don't see the benefit of spending mucho dinero on a rollie bag (unless one just wants to). TJMaxx, Ross, Marshall's Kohls, any ole outlet has LOTS of great choices.

I'd just get any simple rolling case w/o a lot of fittings (suiters and those sorts of "features" just take up un-needed space IMO)

sandra3120

Ekscrunchy - having done both - with and without wheels - and regretted the one without wheels, I would never buy a bag such as the one you suggested. Unless I were flying a premium cabin which allows 2 carryons (one being personal) and I could hook the non-wheeled one over the one with wheels, stowing my handbag inside the one without wheels, I would never attempt to lug, carry over my shoulder, or tug across an airport floor miles long a non-wheeled bag ever again. The problem with the wheels isn't the space they take up, but the extra weight they add to the bag empty, let alone full. Packing carefully ameliorates problems lifting it over your head into the bins. I only do carryon for the last 7 years - much much easier. I put a flat folding bag inside my carryon for items I buy wherever I've been. I don't mind so much checking the luggage coming back if I have to, but usually I'm in business class and it hasn't been a problem. The problem was the ONE time I went wheelless - I was miserable!