Best Carry-On Luggage
 

I know this is a bit boring but would appreciate suggestions on the largest (believe it's 22') carry-on luggage.<BR>I know each airline has their own rules but am trying to cut down on the check in/luggage p/u procedure. If I don't have to check any luggage, this would help alot.<BR>I have wonderful travelpro luggage which I used last summer to Italy but it is not carry-on size. Any suggestions would be most welcome. <BR>Thanks!

Don't take anything, buy your clothes, shoes, undergarments, and health and beauty aids overseas. Instead of washing them, throw them out after you wear them. Oops, if you don't take anything then you would look suspicious and look like a terrorist.<BR><BR>Better yet, why not just go to a nudist colony.

Thanks so much for that incredibly helpful advice.

Pam,<BR><BR>We are in the same boat, heading to France and Italy. There are a few 24 inch bags that can be used as carry-ons. I think that Travel-Pro for the money is the best bet. We have found that luggage outlet center have been great to shop and get advice. <BR><BR>Michael

Besides the dimensions of your carry-on, you also have to meet the weight requirements. If you meet the dimensions, but you exceed the weight limitations then you would be required to check your carry-on.<BR><BR>But, put this in perspective. You still need to stand in line to get your boarding pass. When you land, you still need to go through Immigration. You're standing on line with hordes of passengers. By the time you get through that line, any luggage you checked is most likely spinning around on the turnstile. And if you have to wait, you're waiting for, at most 10 minutes. 10 minutes is really not a lot of time. Of course, if you're concerned that the airline is going to lose your luggage, then that is a different story.<BR><BR>Now here's the hard question, where are you going to pack your purchases?

I started using a laptop computer case as a carryon. Mine is a noname brand from Staples or Office Max. It's tough black nylon with 5 zippered sections, plus a shoulder strap. I think it was about $50. <BR>One caution: Many overhead bins now have 9" openings, so at least one dimension must not exceed this.<BR>John Bermont<BR>www.enjoy-europe.com/hte/hte-301.html

Thanks to the last two posters for some great advice and points to ponder.<BR>What size bag would YOU take for a 10 day trip abroad ?I will not be packing the entire world but want enough room for my clothes, toiletries and for purchases. Any suggestions?

I purchased a 22" carryon by Tumi. I love it. It rolls beautifully and a 17" carryon that I take on the plane. My 22" is expandable, so I leave with it zipped up and come back with it expanded by purchases. The big stuff I FedEX home. Some European airlines only allow a 19" carry-on.

I have a 22" Delsey "carry-on" that has stood me in good stead for many trips. It is one of the lighter bags I found of its size when empty (which of course means that is also lighter when packed.) Because of weight limitations, I still generally check it and use a soft nylon tote with a zip-top as my carry-on bag. The tote gets my toiletries, a change of clothes, and all my documents, just in case the checked bag gets waylaid....

I carry a 19-inch roll-aboard. Anything bigger is likely to get taken away and checked, on smaller planes. <BR><BR>I carry it on going over, then expand it with zippers and fill it up with my purchases, and check it on the return trip.<BR><BR>x has a point (if he's serious) -- I do like to buy toiletries in Europe, and only take enough for overnight on the plane. You'd be surprised the weight you save, and it's fun to try new shampoos, etc, over there.<BR><BR>

I travel with just a smaller-size carryon but I also have a second canvas bag that folds up into a wallet-size. When I'm heading home, I check that with all my laundry in it. If it gets delayed, I don't mind, I still have all my souvenirs in my carryon!

We have the 22" rollaboards that expand also--pack unexpanded going over, expanded coming back. They are Atlantic I think--very tough nylon but not overly expensive. Most trans-atlantic overhead bins accomodate these (Continental's bins take 4 in each lengthwise). Another problem is that you can't have any clippers, scissors in these now. You also cannot have more than one other "personal" carry-on--purse/backpack or camera bag but not both.

We tend to use the largest carry-on possible. Every person in my family has a different type, though. Some have the "expanded" zipper, others have designs that wheel/turn better, and mine is designed to be pushed rather than pulled (great for my back). Our major concern is that it have a handle on the top and the side to make it easy to lug in and out of the compartment.<BR><BR>The one poster was right that large carryons had to be checked on the smaller planes, but quite frequently, we are permitted to walk the luggage right up to the plane and watch it be loaded. I like buying shampoo in another country; however, I don't like having to buy a wardrobe (try having to find size 14 in France)because of lost luggage.<BR><BR>The fewer articles one has to manage, the easier it is to keep track of them.

Make sure to check out Travelite.org for great info on luggage, packing, necessities. I bought 2 22 inch expandablem wheeled bags by Taos (I believe they are a division of Tumi)at Marshall's for $100 each. We never planned to carry-on our luggage as I consider it a hassel to load the things in the overhead compartments. We just wanted something easy to maneuver on our multi-city tour of Italy.

I had the same situation before a recent cross-country trip. Short of both time and money, I bought something I literally stumbled across at K-Mart (!)<BR><BR>It's some nylon-like fabric, looks like a gym bag, but has two wheels at one end and a retractable handle at the other. Around $25. <BR><BR>My original plan was to replace it in California, but since it's essentially a bag on wheels it fit in the overhead with room to spare, was easy to pull in and out with the top handles.<BR><BR>It's going on another cross country trip in a couple of weeks and to London after that. My only concern is that it won't hold up, but it's already more than paid for itself.

It's correct that you can exceed weight requirements when meeting dimesion requirements. This happened to us on a recent trip home from Rome. My purpose was to make sure our luggage arrived when we did so it didn't matter if we had to check them on our return trip. In addition, I bought one of those large souvenir tote bags while there to stuff things I had purchased.

Most American carriers' limits are 22 X 15 X 9 (American, Continental, Delta)). I have used a Timberland that follows those dimensions without a problem so far. It has very sturdy roller-blade wheels and the option to convert to a backpack (came in handy in Venice last year).<BR><BR>It still is a feat to pack everything on a 22" rolling pack, so make sure you bring an extra folding bag for those extra purchases!<BR><BR>My husband liked my Timberland so much that I got him one for him this past X-mas. Sierra Trading Post has great prices - www.sierratradingpost.com. I also saw the Eagle Creek and the Tumi and they looked great too, but are about twice as much as the Timberland.

Someone here brought up something very interesting. If you're only taking a carry-on -- are you bringing your scissors, clippers, razors, tweezers, etc. on board with you or are you leaving these things at home?<BR><BR>

We now have to leave the scissors at home, but we had no problem with tweezers and safety razors around Thanksgiving. We asked the check-in desk in US and in Paris just to make sure.<BR><BR>Even if the tweezers weren't allowed, it would be a good excuse to buy some nice Swiss ones anyway.

21" rollaboard I bought @ KMart for $19.99. That's good for 10-14 days or more (depending on the itinerary). I, too, carry a foldup totebag in my luggage; if for some reason my bag won't be allowed as carryon (wrong color, the attendant had a fight with his girlfriend), I can pull out enough stuff to last me for a couple of days and put it in the totebag as carryon. The totebag doubles as a shopping bag while I'm shopping (even for food, many markets just hand you a paper wrapped parcel and no bag) and for the breakables on the return (I'll check the 21incher, with all the dirty clothes, on the return trip).<BR><BR>I look at those really expensive bags and think I'll buy one, then I remember the olive oil fiasco on my return from Greece, and stick with the $19.99 bag.

I can't tell you how many people I have seen trying to stuff a bag designed to fit in the overhead but won't with the expand portion expanded. No can do. <BR><BR>My husband is always trying to get me to use one of those little suitcases and I just can't. So I take just a little larger one, check it, and carry on a backpack with toiletry bag, camera, maps, books. Then when I arrive at our destination, I take all the junk out and use it as a daybag for camera, waterbottles, maps.<BR><BR>

You guys just love your carry-ons, don't you? You save a couple of extra minutes for yourself while holding up everyone when you try to get those things in and out of the overhead compartments. On a recent flight I saw one of you idiots drop a bag on someone's head. I hope the airlines crack down on carry-ons even more. You are all very selfish.

When the airlines stop loosing and breaking our luggage at the rate they have been in recent years, those of us selfish carryon types might start checking. Until then I don't want to waste my hard earned (both money and time) vacation waiting for lost luggage or shopping to replace it.

Kelly, sorry, but I have to agree with xxx (how creative, BTW) on this one. I've had to spend my first day shopping for mundane things.<BR><BR>The carry-on situation would be vastly improved if only the airlines would enforce the regulations about allowable sizes - for instance, not pemitting over-inflated "expandables" that have gotten too wide to fit into the overhead bins.

Continuing on Joanne's more positive note, the complaints about watching people struggle to push "expandable" carryons into luggage compartments illustrate the problem with that type of bag. It contributes to the overweight luggage problem, too. My husband likes that type of bag; I don't.<BR><BR>But that's not to say expandable versions don't have advantages. Kept in its small mode, it works fine as carry-on and it's a no-brainer to check it for the return trip when one isn't worried about the timeliness of its arrival. We stuff the souvenirs, laundry and the amazing collection of museum literature we've collected into that one bag for our return. If the airline loses it, I get a few days respite from laundry duty.<BR><BR>I agree with the posters who are suggesting inexpensive bags, though. There are always technological improvements in luggage, especially in carry-on. When one of ours disintegrates, it's a reason to try out another. That's how I ended up with my beloved "push" roll-on, purchased at $60 on clearance. <BR><BR>And I want to explain to the one poster that most of us are not trying to beat a line when we use carry-on. The number one reason is, of course, to prevent the airlines from ruining a well-planned, hard-earned trip, but there are others. Hopping on and off trains is a nightmare with large luggage. Small European hotel rooms and teeny-tiny elevators are made for carry-on size stuff. If you find a reserved hotel does not meet up to expectations, one's timely exit is much easier with one small piece of luggage. Limiting oneself to a carry-on makes the individual traveler pack wisely. I'm sure many of us in our "expansive" days carried stuff we never needed and never wore, yet missed items we should have been packing.

To the top!

I sooooo agree with Kelly. I have done my share of traveling...Africa, Spain, London etc. and have NEVER had any problem with my luggage being lost. I can understand not wanting to carry large luggage around, so why not check that carry on instead of holding every one up. And love the person, who during flight, has to get up several times and get his/her 'carry on' and rummage through it for another magazine or whatever. Wish they would do away with the overhead bin. <BR>I'm with you Kelly!

The last time I travelled to Paris, I had things stolen from my checked luggage on the way home. Things I had travelled to Paris to buy at the flea market. This time, I locked my luggage, but when I arrived in Paris, the locks from both my suitcase and my daughter's were missing. On the way home, I packed absolutely everything we had bought in Paris in the carry-ons.

Mandy, just because you've been lucky and never had luggage lost, doesn't mean that it doesn't happen, for heaven's sake! There is even a huge salvage store that is devoted exclusively to luggage that has been lost and never found its owner.<BR><BR>http://www.unclaimedbaggage.com/coinfo/faqs.asp#What%20kind%20of%20products%20do%20you%20 sell?<BR><BR>Folks, if you must check things, be sure there's ID INSIDE a well as outside!

Folks, please accept my apologies for messing up the formatting of this set of replies, by posting that really long web address! But it's worth a peek!