Another Bag Question
 

My Mother in Law is insisting she needs to take a large 25 inch bag to fit her personal items (she needs bladder control pads) etc along with her clothes. I am worried though about lugging the big bag plus of course bags for the rest of us aboard the eurostar train. For the plane I am not too concerned because the big bag can be checked but for the train, will we find room to store it? Would it fit on the overheads?

I doubt a 25" bag will fit on the over head racks. Probably a 22" at most.

There is storage at the end of the car for larger bags. Is there someone who is going to take care of her bag plus your own bags? I doubt she'll be able to lift a 25" suitcase.

Can she put her pads in a tote bag and check it on the plane? Then she will be able to use a smaller suitcase and put the tote in her suitcase for the trip back home since it will be empty. I find it's easier to manage 2 smaller bags than one big one, especially on trains.

If you do store your bags at the end of the car you should watch them when the train stops at each station to ensure no one takes yours by mistake. Most luggage looks alike.

Tote bag is a great idea as presumably she will be bringing it back empty plus a smaller (lighter) suitcase for her clothes.

I'll bet they sell the pads over there and she could just take a few to get started.

Of course they sell pads in Europe, but whether you could convince someone who needs them not to bring a supply for the entire holiday is another matter.

You could suggest the tote and mention that they are available in Europe too - pharmacies and drug stores sell them, and even some supermarkets have them.

You are taking the Eurostar so you won't have to worry about watching the luggage at multiple stops. Also - you are boarding at the beginning of the route so you don't have to rush to make the train.

A 24 inch bag isn't all that big - That is as large as I recommend anyone uses. It has to be checked of course, but unless one fills it w/ bricks and hiking boots, it won't be that much heavier than a 22 inch carry-on.

If it avoids a fight :)- a 24 incher would be OK (Are you sure the bag is 25 inches -- 24 is a much more common size)

certainly you can buy bladder control pads in england - any branch of Boots will stock the brand "tena lady" - weird name but they are heavily advertised - or similar.

a google of your MIL's favourite brand will tell you what is available in France too.

but i agree, i don't envy the person who has to tell her she can't bring everything she needs. Still, knowing that she can get extra if needed may prove useful.

Oh, to clarify my >><i>It has to be checked of course,. . </i><< post - a 24 inch bag must be checked <u>on the flights</u> -- you would carry it on to the train.

Are you only taking the 1 train trip? You only mentioned Eurostar but that doesn't mean there won't be other train trips during your vacation where you have to store the luggage. If it's only the one trip from London to Paris then let her take what she wants to.

When we travel, I have a 25" bag, my husband a smaller one. He wheels mine. I wheel his.

I measured the bag yesterday and it is more like a 26 inch. She says she needs it for the length of stay and her pads etc. I tried to convince her to use a smaller bag but so far no positive result. She doesn't want to buy it over in Europe--wants to have her favorite brand with her. We will have to help her in storing the luggage on the train along with our own. For the plane it should not be an issue as it can be checked and then we don't have to lug it around but from the taxi to the inside of the eurostar and then onboard the train and out again until we find another taxi on the other side is going to be an adventure. Are there carts or trolleys available in the train station at either the Paris side or the London side that can help us wheel it around inside the terminals? I do hope it will fit on the train with no issues.

People DO take that size bag all the time. i assume it has wheels. If that is what will make her comfortable, then you will just have to deal with it.

My main concern is having enough room on the train to store the large luggage.

A 30" bag is considered large. Any bag in the 24-26 inch range is considered medium. Depending on athletic ability, boarding a train with a 50 pound bag can be a challenge, no matter what size the bag is. I wouldn't bother with the overheads.

I travel with heavy bags all the time and often without assistance. However, women have an easier time attracting a generous man to help. Just make sure the man isn't someone posing as a porter, insisting on € 50 for his kind help.

I've always been able to find room in the luggage hold within each car. Since I carry expensive camera equipment, I use a 42-inch retractable steel cable lock for luggage to keep all the bags grouped together. Thieves mostly grab for one or two free bags and run. My bags haven't been tampered with yet and I've been taking trains for a mighty long time.

I have found the bag hold area in 2nd Class much more crowded than the bag hold area in 1st. But this can always depend on everything else.

Relax. A 26 inch bag is no big deal. It
will fit the racks at the end of the train
carriages no problem.

I use a 22 inch roller and vacuum packing bags.
My lady wife insists it's impossible for her
to use less than a 26 inch bag these days
although 25 years ago we managed fine for 6
weeks in Europe with just a carryon each.

Oh well. Being a gentleman I lug her large
case and let her pull my smaller one. It's
not that onerous. What does really bug me
is waiting for 45 minutes for her bag to
appear on the carrousel at CDG when we could
already have been at our hotel!

So let your MIL use the bag of her choice
and don't stress about it. At least the extra
stuff she plans to take is not heavy, just bulky.

I can completely understand your MIL wanting to have the brand that she's comfortable with. A larger bag isn't that bad and it probably isn't worth a fight or stressing over. It should fit on the trains without too many headaches. As suggested above you might want to simply take a cable to lock it to something since it'll likely be at the end of the car and not right above you.

<i><<Are there carts or trolleys available in the train station at either the Paris side or the London side that can help us wheel it around inside the terminals?>></i>

If it's a wheeled bag, why would you need a cart to put it on? Simply pull it on it's own wheels. If she can't pull it herself, can she pull a smaller bag? It sounds like everyone else is taking smaller bags, would someone (you or your spouse) be willing to switch with her? If she can't pull any bag, get a small strap to go from the handle of a smaller bag to the top of her larger bag and pull them as a tiny train.

Can she pack the pads in large (1-2 gallon) ziplock bags and push the air out and seal it to squish them down smaller? Even in a larger bag that will make packing easier for her. Those things tend to be pretty bulky but can be squished without any harm.


Relax. You've suggested a smaller bag and were shot down. Don't keep bringing it up or act frustrated with her, she's made up her mind and it's really probably not worth fighting over.

She's your mother in law, does she like you anyway? If she likes you, don't screw that up over something as simple as a larger bag on a vacation! If she doesn't like you, don't fight with her about it because she's just going to be stubborn for the sake of being stubborn. :)

Iowa--you are right. It is not worth arguing about.

We will use plastic bags to push the air out. They even sell some bags that help you condense the items--I forgot what it is called.

All of our luggage except for the totes do have wheels. I asked about the trolley or cart so we can all put the luggage on it and just wheel one big cart around so I don't have to worry about MIL and son tackling with the bags. Even on wheels they tend to turn over and flip on their sides sometimes.

I like the idea of the cable to lock it in place next to each other. I will have to look into buying one of those.

Cable locks are essential if your bags will be out of sight.

The bags you are thinking of are one of two brands -- Space Bags and Packmates. Both are vacuum bags that have one way air valves so they work a bit better than ziplok's - but the are more expensive of course.

Be sure to get the ones that do not require a vacuum cleaner :) --or that suitcase will get REALLY heavy! . . .