I can't think of a single time I hit cobblestones between a train station and my hotel (it was paved sidewalks).

If you don't want wheels, I prefer a medium sized duffle bag with long shoulder strap as next best.

I think the key to any of these to be successful is that they do not weigh more than you can easily handle.

I recommend borrowing luggage from friends for trips to try out the different options and find what works best for you before purchasing anything expensive.

Well, I can weigh in with what I finally decided to do. I bought a 25" Wenger roll-on suitcase, which had some great features, including a garment bag. It's normally very pricey, but I got a very good deal at the Century 21 store here in Brooklyn. I've used it for a short trip here and it was great, except that it was made FILTHY by the airline. My brand new red suitcase is now smeared with black that won't come off! No wonder why everyone buys black luggage :o). However, I've just gone and purchased the matching tote bag which fits on top of the roll suitcase, and also a foldaway tote bag in anticipation of the shopping that I shouldn't do but will anyway.

robinbin, thanks for posting. it's always fun to hear how things turn out!

That sounds like a very nice combination that will serve you well. I know what you mean about the color; I purchased a brown set with leather bindings that was just disgustingly filthy after the first trip. As I added to the set, I sprayed each with Scotchguard, and that helps. But once I realized how absolutely filthy those BLACK suitcases must be, it stopped bothering me!

That sounds like a very nice combination that will serve you well. I know what you mean about the color; I purchased a brown set with leather bindings that was just disgustingly filthy after the first trip. As I added to the set, I sprayed each with Scotchguard, and that helps. But once I realized how absolutely filthy those BLACK suitcases must be, it stopped bothering me. Have a great trip!

And I have absolutely no idea how that happened.

I bought a rolling suitcase that had a zip-out shoulder straps to make it into a backpack. It also had a zip away day bag, that I found handy.

If you want a backpack, consider carefully how far you'll carry it, how strong your back is, and how light you'll be packing.

I used it as a backpack exactly once...it about killed my back. My bag can roll over anything from cobblestones to dead bodies...and that's the way it'll be when I go back.

;)

Jules

I had the same thing happen to a red suitcase - black smudge and grime marks on it. yuck.

I love the Scotchguard idea - my 1st thing to do when I get home tonight will be to Scotchguard. Tomorrow night is packing night & Wednesday I leave for the big journey! Thanks so much for everyone's advice,
Robin

I've used both a backpack style Eagle Creek Continental Journey and a wheeled style Samsonite.
We always pack light so only one piece of carry-on (either wheeled or pack-style) each. This is essential so you can get on and off planes, trains, trams, etc without any hassles or waits (as well as making it easy to keep track of and an eye on your luggage).
The wheeled ones are great for places that have smooth floors/sidewalks with few stairs. Unfortunately those places have been very few for us in Europe!
The packs are much, much better for any place with stairs, cobblestones, on/off trains, and where you need to carry your luggage while sightseeing (for us this included London, Vienna, Salzburg, Prague, Budapest, Krakow, Kutna Hora, Amsterdam, Brugge, Mechelan, Munich, Koln, Paris...) you get the idea, just about everywhere we've been the packs are great.
Again, if you are the type of person who can pack everything for a 3 week trip into a carryable weight (light) single smallish pack then they are fantastic and really free you up.
If you can't, then go with the wheeled but realize you are then going to focus on your luggage and how to manage it instead of on the places you are going and the things to see.
We used to think we couldn't live without two suitcases each, but after trying the single small pack carry-on we'd never go back.
Typically we pack: 3 pairs socks, 2 pairs underwear (fast drying), 3 shirts, 1 pants, 1 shorts, 1 pair shoes (wear them), cord for laundry drying, toiletries, light fleece, hat, camera, itinerary, relavent pages ripped from guidebooks, and a few paperbacks (read, dispose of after reading). As the paperbacks go down, the souvenirs go up. If you buy something largish then ship it home (even if costly, it isn't worth toting it with you every day most of the time).

can anyone tell me where they bought a Wenger rolling bag from?

I've had my current 22" rolling suitcase since before 1998 (can't remember when I got it, but remember taking it on a trip then). I'm sure it was a very inexpensive model, because I would remember what it cost otherwise. In any event, it can handle cobblestones without difficulty - just as an example, I walked about 1.5 miles on a meandering walk to the Florence train station uphill from the Oltrarno. It's done fine in numerous European cities.

I don't know if anyone else has had the experience of one's back suddenly seizing up, even if 99.99+% of the time, my back is absolutely fine. I have, so I'd never want to take a backpack, just for that reason. Plus, I can easily get a rolling suitcase for somewhere under $50 or even less, but a good backpack gets close to the $200 mark (at least in Canada).

I think it mostly depends on your age and health and the kind of traveling you like to do. There are so many variables! I'm going on a solo trip to Spain next month and will be using this:

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0048CRJFU/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=apop-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creative ASIN=B0048CRJFU">Eagle Creek Travel Pack</a>

It's a great combination of both the rolling carry-on with backpack straps and is rather versatile.