I have read with interest all the great postings on luggage -- and ok you have convinced me to pack light and go with a 21 or 22" rolling carry on -- but which one -- I was looking at a cobination unit from High Sierra -- backpack / roll on / with a detachable day pack. IMy wife and I have a fairly ambitious trip to Italy planned with a lot of train travel to Venice / the
Dolomites / Milan / Piedmont and Rome.

I favor the cheapest stuff you can find at Kmart or Walmart. That you like.

Best wishes,

Rex

A friend recently purchased a 22inch wheeled bag from Target. It look good to me. With the way airlines abuse ones luggage I don't see the point in buying expensive luggage any more. But if you only do carryon you do have more control over the luggage of course, unless some other passengers moves it or crams their items into the same bin you are using and bangs it up.

Hi S,

Are you planning on abusing your luggage over a long period of time?

We got two very nice American Tourister roll aboards at Walmart for a reasonable price.

I have been looking for new luggage and my prime criteria is that it be lightweight and cheap. So far I find that these two concepts are mutually exclusive. I would love to say I can go for two weeks in a 21" carryon, but alas, such is not the case, maybe it is something in my genes. Anyway, I am looking for a 25" that I can manage on and off trains. The icing on the cake would be if the luggage were not black. I found a really nice orange suitcase(yes orange, bet there won't be a lot of those on the conveyor belt) at Marshalls, but it was heavy. The search goes on.

IMO the way airlines abuse luggage is all the more reason to get something that will RESIST the abuse the longest.

I suspect that you'll like the changeable unit but I also suspect you will rarely, ever use it as a backpack.

>MO the way airlines abuse luggage is all the more reason to get something that will RESIST the abuse the longest.<

A 21" rollaboard is a carryon.

I shop for luggage at nice dept stores and luggage stores.
I buy my luggage at stores like TJMaxx.
I don't like to spend a lot of money on it but I want quality.
Look for good zippers, useful pockets, expandability and nice smooth rolling wheels that don't protrude from the main body much. It needs to be lightweight yet sturdy.

I've gone thru lots of luggage. I use a 21 inch rollerboard and I look for a sturdy pullup handle, heavy duty zipper. and good wheels. Best I have found is what I have now...got it at Costco-Kirkland brand. Fabulous quality for money.

I have the High Sierra bags and I love them, they are very sturdy and they are always on sale for half price, so be sure not to pay full price for them. I have the next two sizes up from the one that you are looking at and they work great, they are drop bottom duffels,which I believe is the same as yours without the daypack. I also bought the extra big 38incher a few years ago and it's still doing well. I hate to admit that I have traveled with the large one on trains and although it was quite heavy, it fit in the luggage areas just fine. These are my favorite bags, and I have been through many!

My daughter has a set of Costco-Kirkland brand luggage. She has had it for around 10 years. It is a tapestry print, so it is easy to spot on the conveyor belt. It has been used a lot (even by me) and it is still in excellant condition.

1. Louis Vuitton
2. Goyard
3. T Anthony
4. Rossi y Caruso
5. Jicky de Petonville

You have three main factors in play:

- Cost
- Weight
- Durability

There's no luggage that's cheap, light and durable, so one has to make his/her own decision how to compromise. And I'm not even including things like color or style.

But here's what I bought recently that's quite a fine compromise for me. It's the Skyway Sigma 2 22" from ebag.com ($32, after 20% off). While it's called a 22", it's closer to 21", so won't have a problem fitting in the overhead.

It's fairly light at 7lb 6oz. Pretty well made. It's hard to find anything this light while better made than those cheapies from Wal-Mart. And the price is a fraction of other higher-end light weight luggage.

Even comes in three colors - black, copper and blue.

Thanks everyone!!

Sorry, I mean www.ebags.com. 20% is till midnight 8/7.

I use wheeled hockey bags, great with all the compartments. But any bag u get make sure it has a telescopic handle not just a strap

The suitcase I always use now is a Rick Steves 22 inch. I have more expensive luggage that is probably better quality, but I've taken this case to Europe four or five times now and it's held up very well. At the time I bought it, it was the lightest I could find--at about 12 pounds, I think. Mine is blue, my sister's is green.