fluffnfold:
What city are you in? I am on Los Angeles and have been to several targets and Walmarts and can only find 24" bags. Help we are leaving in 11 days and all of the clothes are laying in stacks on the floor.

I am in LA also and bought my duffels at REI for $29 each-large size 29 1/2 in. They seem very sturdy so check them out if you have one near you or have time to order online.

We ended up at Walmart for completely different reason (see above) and ended up taking the ones from REI back. lightweight, sturdy, and they had wheels. ONE MORE TIME: Small airplanes throughout Zambia, never a question or problem about wheels (and we checked with both TA and our camp owner beforehand who gave us thumbs-up). Can't imagine having to carrg bags throughout a/p's esp. Heathrow SFO and we are in very good condition.
The only issue was weight.

Only other consideration is carry-on dimensions, if you do not want to check bags. A 26x9x11 is okay. Ours were 28 inchers, but we were able to get them aboard a shuttle flight on our last leg home

It's gonna be fine!

SPIEGELCJS! I wrote you above to go to REI.

Store Address: Miles: More Info:

Santa Monica
402 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 458-4370
5.74 mi. Hours, directions, events and more.

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Manhattan Beach
1800 Rosecrans Ave Ste E
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
(310) 727-0728
9.02 mi. Hours, directions, events and more.

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Northridge
18605 Devonshire St
Northridge, CA 91324
(818) 831-5555
17.66 mi. Hours, directions, events and more.

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Arcadia
214 N Santa Anita Ave
Arcadia, CA 91006
(626) 447-1062
22.32 mi. Hours, directions, events and more.

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Huntington Beach
7777 Edinger Avenue
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
(714) 379-1938
31.11 mi. Hours, directions, events and more.

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Santa Ana
1411 Village Way
Santa Ana, CA 92705
(714) 543-4142
38.33 mi. Hours, directions, events and more.

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Rancho Cucamonga
12218 Foothill Blvd
Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91739
(909) 646-8360
49.46 mi. Hours, directions, events and more.

from rei.com
Call first.

hills, you are right. Dulles will not allow you to proceed through security with the cart. They will not push it through for you the way they will at other airports. If you are departing there, it's easy to get a cart to get to check in and to the start of security, but if you're arriving there from somewhere else, there are no carts near the plane.

I do think that a wheeled carry on, esp one where the wheels come off (so it can be left at a base while traveling in Africa) can be useful. But the larger duffle bags I don't carry through the airport - they go on a cart and to the check in counter and then I get them at the next airport (Jo'burg) and use a cart again. And that is the recent wheel/cart update. :)

Sorry spiegelcjs, I didn't see your message until now. I've been offline for a few weeks. I live in the Northeastern US: Pennsylvania. I had to go to several different Targets in order to find two of the same size and color bag, so they weren't simple to find. Most stores had the smaller sizes, in the girly colors, but the Large bags in black or gray were more scarce. I bought the bags about two months ago. I don't know whether they are still in stock. Hope you found something for your trip.

Hello,

On my last trip to Botswana I saw someone in Maun who had a large dufflebag with a stiff square bottom and wheels. The stiff bottom was too large to fit into the baggage compartment and couldn't be compressed, and the bag was left behind. So yes, it does happen.

Cheers,
Julian

sorry, all. This is a test, I tried to reply to another message and nothing posted.

hills- interesting that you should post about wheels on the duffle, as I meant to post to you somewhere about the Naneu Pro bag that you recomended , and that we bought just before we left! Jim (being a person with TONS of camera equipment) bought the large Tango bag - and he just LOVES it! But, it's REALLY heavy and it would be a great idea if they did that bag with a telescopic handle and wheels. We were going to write them and suggest that. But thanks for the recomendation, it is a great bag!

PS the Micato duffles have wheels, and even though we didn't have to handle it very much, the once or twice we did have to handle it, the wheels came in handy! But it does make it ehavier, that's for sure - that bag empty weighs 8 lbs which cuts into our 33 lb limit by quite a bit.

Lynda, I'm glad you're happy with the bag. (Naneu Pro...if you're reading this, please send me a Bravo or Sierra to thank me for all the business I've sent you recently :-D ).

I finally decided to buy the small, soft-sided wheeled duffle to use as my carryon (21 inches long, 10 inches wide). Our TA said a 30-inch soft duffle with wheels is fine, but I think it's a waste of weight, especially when I probably won't have to carry it myself often or far. So, i bought one of the large LL Bean duffles in guide gold. It just arrived today. I love the color.

One more question about weight limits. I am leaving the 29th from DFW to JRO, but stopping in Houston, Amsterdam and then a last flight from Nairobi to JRO. After reading some posts, I checked on weight limits. I leave DFW on Continental and their restriction is 2 bags, no more than 50 lbs each. The agent from Continental said that since I am ticketed all the way through, then those same restrictions should follow me to Kilamanjaro. Precision Air, for Kenya Airways is operating that last flight from NBO to JRO and their restrictions are pretty steep.

I plan on trying to be well below the limits, and I understand that if I fly while on safari, I will only be allowed the small light bag. My question to you all that have made this trip before is...Is what the Continental agent said true? Or will there be a chance that when I get to Nairobi that all of my baggage won't make it?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

godmother -

That Continental agent is good only to AMS and maybe to NBO, but once in Africa, no way 2/bags @ 50/lbs each. You are limited to 33/lbs intra-country on light aircraft in both Kenya and Tanzania. Between Kenya and Tanzania as this is an international flight, you're actually allowed 40/lbs. but best to keep it less.

Stick with the 33/lbs and you'll be safe throughout, whether with or without wheels. If the latter, just remember as above, their weight takes away from what you can pack, the good reason for without wheels.

"...the good reason for without wheels." Oh my gosh, I can't believe to wheel or not issue is still alive.

THE reason? Well, if you shop around, you can find a duffel where the wheels, back, and handle add little more than two pounds, two pounds that can easily be shifted to a travel vest or backpack.

Now would you rather carry a 33-pound bag on your shoulder through airports, rather than roll it? For me, being able to roll is THE reason to have wheels and a no-brainer--making sure, of course that size contraints are met.

Shall we start taking bets as to how long this thread, which is starting to look rather silly in comparison with great trip reports and horrible news of poaching, keeps going? Reminds me of the news channels cutting away from the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman announcing his resignation to watch Paris getting into the sheriff's car to go back to jail.

But, as long as people keep unfairly maligning wheels while praising the "merits" of wrecking their backs, necks and shoulders, I guess I'll chirp in from time to time as well. Poor wheels can't defend themselves, so someone's gotta do it.

Jim

Cheers,

Jim

Jim,
I really wasn't posting about wheels, just the weight issue with connecting flights. I read so many replies to posts from a newcomer that say "do a search for it on other threads" I just didn't want to start another thread. This looked like the one with the most information about baggage and wanted a little advice.

Sorry about keeping it alive.