drchris

Greg - Thanks for your suggestions. I didn't mean to imply that I would make the choice about bringing the carryon on board. We have had to gate-check our carryons before but were able to pick them up as we exited the plane, which doesn't bother us. It's taking the time to go to luggage claim that we try to avoid. We pack similarly to what you described. I have had a completely coordinated travel wardrobe for past trips but have lost a lot of weight and so must do some shopping! I try to buy only tops and pants that each coordinate with the other to maximize combinations. We are staying in apartments in Bellagio, Florence, and Rome and will be able to wash clothes (assuming we can figure out how to use the machines!). I already have two new pairs of shoes that have worked well before(Clark's Wave Walk) and will begin breaking them in soon. It really isn't the clothes that "eat up" space and weight - it's all the other things - medicines, cameras, electronics,chargers, plugs, guidebooks,etc. - which all go must with us in our day pack on the plane.

Allesandra Zoe - I have looked at the Scottevest but haven't decided if I can make the investment getting one requires

I did look up the luggage you mentioned and it does look good, although I'm not sure I would want to have to carry a bag without wheels between the train station and the apartments where we will be staying. I have looked at a lightweight folding luggage cart that someone mentioned elsewhere. There is also the IT luggage, which is very lightweight.

Thanks again to everyone for the investment of your time and expertise. You have helped me expand the possibilities!

AlessandraZoe

I'm laughing, drchris, about your Scottevest statement. It WAS a mental transition to wear it fully loaded to the point of ridiculousness. I just wish I had taken pictures.

Yeah, I've looked at the IT luggage too, testing it over and over again in stores. I don't know about you, but the low handle height and style bothers me.

My current compromise is Lipault luggage. The 2-wheeled version is very light and fits Ryan Air type standards. The 4-wheeled is close. The downside is that these Lipaults are just a tad too small. We've managed, but it's been hard.

Have fun packing.
AZ

greg

There are ways to reduce bulk from medicines, cameras, electronics, chargers, plugs, guidebooks. May not necessarily now but over time. Low hanging fruits are chargers, guidebooks, and medicines. Do you have bring enormous bottles of medicines with only a few pills in them? Do you have to bring all the chargers that came with each device? Can they be charged with less number of universal chargers with different cables? Are you bringing guidebook pages you will not be using? Do you have to keep the guidebooks intact? If not, just take the pages you need. If you are not using guidebooks on streets, you can also get electronic versions. If you are taking brick chargers, do you have to carry 6 ft cables? Can you use 1 ft cables?

bvlenci

I more or less do as greg does, both with how I pack my carryon bag and how I reduce bulk in the bag. My husband and I now carry one charger for both of us, and all of our phones, tablets, netbook, and cameras have the same mini-usb plug. I sometimes take an extra cable, which takes very little space and can be plugged into the netbook (if I bring it).

In Italy, we don't get medicines in little brown bottles, but in boxes with blister packs inside. I bring just one blister pack for each medicine, if possible, rather than bringing the box. I usually put the guidebooks in the checked luggage; I usually also have essential information on my mini-tablet and on my phone, in Dropbox folders so I can find it from any computer even if I lose all my luggage.

I almost always check at least one bag. I've never had any of these terrible luggage delays, but most of my travel is in first-world countries. I've sometimes had a bag miss a connection, but it's always been delivered to my door the next day, and since I have the essentials in a carryon, it's never been a problem.

I once went to a conference in China (years ago, when luggage didn't have bar codes and was harder to trace). One of my colleagues, coming from the Netherlands had her bag go missing. She was very tall and had feet much larger than Chinese standard sizes. She also had some valuable jewelry in the bag, with great sentimental value, something I would never take on a trip. Finally, she had absolutely no spare outfits in her carryon bag, and the outfit she was wearing required dry cleaning. This is a widely traveled woman, and I couldn't believe she had committed so many packing errors. She couldn't find anything to wear in the shops in China. (Remember this was in the late 1980s, when Benneton hadn't arrived in China.) She finally found a pair of black men's silk pajamas and black cloth slippers, which she wore to make her presentation at the conference.

Six months later, when her insurance had already paid for the loss of the luggage, her bags turned up. They had remained in Frankfurt; she had been sure the loss was due to Chinese inefficiency.

Vttraveler

If my husband and I both have checked bags on a trip we each pack one outfit in the other's suitcase in addition to extra clothes with carry on.

Some years ago my husband and two kids were going on a trip to Mexico w/o me. I reminded the older one to pack some extra clothes in his carry on and got the eye roll. His checked luggage was lost for about 5 days of the trip so he was glad he had listened to me.

greg

Vttraveler,
That is my experience sharing the strategy of taking one change of clothes on board no matter what. I think most people translate low probability = "does not happen to me" and seem to feel below their dignity to take a no/low cost option of taking one complete outfit on board that could drastically reduce major hassles. It feels like such a bother for something they feel would never happen. Of course, the stories like mentioned about a snafu in India happen to people thinking this way. You cannot fully prevent snafus, but you can control the impacts of the snafus. I also know an acquaintance who has visited Africa but did not take one change of clothes on board. The luggage got delayed two weeks and he had to wear the same outfit for the travel day plus all during the trip in this hot continent. As far as I know, he continues to believe it would not happen to him again in the future especially it has already happened to him once.

dulciusexasperis

People never learn. For every 3 stories of people who had a bag go missing, there are 997 who have didn't have a bag go missing. Those are the odds.

I always check my bag. I get on the plane with a book and a pair of headphones. In 1000+ flights I have never had my bag go missing. If it did, I wouldn't be worried about it. There is nothing in it that I cannot find and buy at my destination. That's what travel insurance is for. The idea of wearing the same clothing for 2 weeks as you describe greg is hilarious.

On a trip to backpack in the Sonora Desert of Arizona some years ago, my wife's bag was lost. You cannot backpack in the desert without having the gear you need obviously. We drove to an outdoor store enroute and bought the minimum necessary for her. It came to around $1000 all in. Good backpacking gear is simply not cheap.

On our return to Tucson (arrival/departure point) her bag was waitng at the airport. On our return home, she filed a claim with the insurance which covered $500 and wrote a letter to the CEO of the airline explaining what had happened and the necessity for buying new gear. She included receipts and a copy of the insurance claim. The airline sent her a cheque for the other $500. No muss, no fuss, no big deal.

The difference is she doesn't travel with her expensive jewellery or designer shoes or anything else she can't easily replace.

Why anyone would think they have to go without for 2 weeks or 5 days as Vttraveler, indicates, is beyond belief. They sell everything in Mexico Vttraveler, so WHY didn't your husband buy your son what he needed? No insurance?

To travel, you need 3 things. A passport, credit/debit cards and your flight ticket. Anything else is NOT a necessity however much you may believe it is.

AlessandraZoe

drchris--
I also got a lightweight luggage cart thinking that would solve the problem. But my most weight restrictive airline counted it as THE carry-on.

Sigh.

Hence, the Scottevest solution.

By the way, this might be helpful, even though you are a very experienced carry-on devotee:

Our chargers are slim style with dual USB ports
and we use retractable USB cables
Example: http://www.amazon.com/Micro-USB-Retr.../dp/B007Z419BI

My husband carries one dual USB wall charger with his choice of retractable cable (he has an iPad one and then a regular micro USB) and I take my own dual USB plus two micro retractables.

Keeping in mind physical bulk as well as weight, we don't take those clever-but-bulky universal adapter "bricks" anymore. Instead, we'll each take one or two cheapies each (because one always gets left behind in the last hotel) for the country/ countries we're in.

And by the way, I've left my camera behind now, dropping my weight and bulk down more for sure. My smartphone certainly takes "good enough" pics, and as soon as I find a WiFi hotspot (easy now to find!) to look at my email, my pictures they are automatically uploaded to Dropbox.

annhig

In Italy this is called checking the bags "sotto bordo". I don't know what the English term is.>>

it's called pissing everyone else off, blvinci. it happened on our easyjet flight back from Naples last week - an italian couple somehow got to the gate with two huge suitcases expecting to carry them on. instead they were pulled out of the queue, had to have their luggage specially checked into the hold, AND had to pay a hefty extra fee for the privilege. We missed our slot as a result.

To be fair i do not think that they were seasoned travellers - they seemed pretty clueless as we got off the plane, and were asking whether they got their luggage before they showed their passports, where they got their luggage, etc, even though the signage at Gatwick is pretty good. but they clearly had not read any of easyjet's info about hand luggage weight and size limits, which I assume is written in italian on the easyjet website, so really there was no excuse.

AlessandraZoe

annhig--Even as a dedicated carry-on person, I go ballistic when I see how others abuse the system.

If we are allowed two carry-ons, then one goes UNDER our seats until we are sure there is room above (and since our second is always quite small, we usually can fit them in).

Same goes for winter coats. Just wait until everyone is on.

Another thing that bugs me are the "shopping people". They think that the lifesize version of Mickey doesn't count as their carry-on.

Obviously, don't get me started....

Vttraveler

>
Actually they didn't have travel insurance on that trip. I didn't say he didn't have what he needed, just indicated he was happy to have the extra clothes in the carry-on. They bought a few things he needed like a new bathing suit and sandals and he used his clothes in the carry-on and borrowed some of his brother's and father's.
Not sure WHY you felt you had to ask or ask in such an unpleasant way.

dulciusexasperis

Not sure why you had to intrerpet a simple question in such an unpleasant way Vttraveler. No travel insurance, the sign of a wise traveller? I think not.

Allessandro, you do not appear to be up to date with what now happens regarding carry-on items since airlines in the USA have started charging for checked bags.

Those who have an item small enough to fit under the seat are now told their item is not BIG enough to go in the overhead bin. I kid you not.

Those with a wheeled suitcase that fits the carry-on dimension and weight limits get to put it in the overhead bin while the person who brings only ONE item that is smaller than that is told it MUST go under the seat.
http://www.independenttraveler.com/t...d-consequences

So the truly lightweight traveller is forced to give up their foot room in favour of the idiot.

Personally, I think airlines like Spirit Air have got it right. They charge for carry-on and that means a minimum of $35 vs. $25 for a checked bag. Now their is an airline that has got smart.

dulciusexasperis

In a nutshell. The problem with baggage is not the limits any airline has, the problem is the passengers who can't figure out how to travel without bringing half their wordly good with them.

Oh for the good old days when the masses could not afford to fly and no one ever had a problem or question about carry-on luggage. A gentleman carried on his jacket and hat, a lady her jacket and purse. No one's luggage got lost either.

AlessandraZoe

vttraveler:
The rest of us understood you, so don't worry.
AZ

Vttraveler

So, changing the subject....

When dealing with crowded overhead compartments in airplanes and people who are obviously not following the rules, I now think of this New Yorker cover
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blog...l#slide_ss_0=1

annhig

mmmm - I've been on that plane.

Carlux

Having just flown Lufthansa Cape Town to Munich, Munich to Toulouse, which we have done a number of times, I think the answer is - it depends.

We have never had hand luggage weighed, and in Cape Town, they don't seem to care if one of our checked bags is overweight. Two years ago, Lufthansa personnel somewhere were on strike, our plane was late, and we had to pick up our bags and check in again in Munich. They noticed that our bag was overweight, and almost refused to take it, but when we pointed out that no one in Cape Town had objected, and what were we to do now, she relented and let us take it.

Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't. There doesn't seem to be a hard and fast rule - except that if you are overweight, you're already 2 strikes down.

(I should point out that we have in fact done a 4 month round the world trip with carry-on only, but it's easy to get lazy when you know you are checking a suitcase. Things seem to float in)

AlessandraZoe

Carlux--Congrats on doing the 4-month with carry on.

You made a good point about getting lazy if you know you will be checking. I've often found that those are the times where I have not had exactly what I've needed. The "floats-ins" somehow ended up displacing the "gotta haves."

Since 1/2 of our trips involve having to bring biking clothes and gear (e.g.,my biking seat), we are burdened with absolutely essential extra bulk and weight that has to be compensated by a drastic reduction in street clothing. But we've often found that as a result of having to think about every possible dual/triple use of every piece of clothing, we end up having the EXACT clothes we need.

It is a pain to put all that thought into packing, even if we have our standard packing lists for regions and trip types at the ready on the computer. But when flights get cancelled or when we have to run for a train or when the only cab available is teeny tiny, that's when we think, "Oh yeah, THIS is why we do this."

Vttraveler and annhig--Obviously, those return trips from Mexico and Orlando are going to have the "Shopper People" with large, strange items. It's to be expected. But upon our recent return from Orlando visiting my brother-in-law and nephews, we were stunned by a woman, one of the last to board, who brought on a)a roll-on; b) a suitcase-size purse; and c) TWO large shopping bags of shoes in their original boxes.

Why shoes?

Yes, this was for a full flight. Luckily, the flight attendant was the type who just knew how to solve problems, and she enlisted the help of we passengers to get this woman seated so we could depart on time. Five of us all helped her get the stuff stowed--we all took boxes out of the bags and distributed in nooks and crannies of 10 rows of overheads--but all of us were mumbling, "How did she even get past security with all of this?"

annhig

Five of us all helped her get the stuff stowed--we all took boxes out of the bags and distributed in nooks and crannies of 10 rows of overheads--but all of us were mumbling, "How did she even get past security with all of this?">>

we were wondering the same thing about the people with the huge suitcases at Naples, but we concluded that if you tick the "carry-on only" box, there is no-one to tell you "no" til you get to the gate. it's not security's business how many bags you have or what size they are, passport officers don't care, so you can by-pass everyone til you are almost on the plane.

as for the woman with her shoe-boxes, who knows? people are weird, as we know.

Cowboy1968

Actually, it's all the airlines' fault.
And the airports' fault.

If everybody took on board one roll-on and one "item" (all strictly within limits), the total would not fit in the overhead bins (not even counting heavy coats or other stuffy clothes in wintertime).
In many aircrafts you cannot fit a "within the limits" roll-on under the seat as the legroom is often not seperated evenly and also obstructed by that stiupid IFE box.
(Q: If they can fit all the entertainment a person can need in one tiny smartphone, why does that same service require a shoe-box sized container on an airplane?)

The assumption that costlier tickets mean less hassle is only half true. And trivial.
If 50 people in biz share the same space of bins as 200 pax in eco where do you expect it to be less of a problem?
Actually, if you ever flew business long-distance, you'd be amazed how many kitchen sinks and compact cars the distinguished biz travellers drag on board in the cabin.
Why didn't that happen in the old days? Because the gentleman traveller had better "manners" or because suitcases did not have wheels?
If you started to charge for checked bags a few years ago, what did you expect?
All people willing to fork over the money or many people trying to avoid the extra fare and shlep everything possible on board?
While some pax are really nuts in what they try to bring on board, the majority of problems is caused by the airlines themselves.

A bit of logic would have helped:
If you charge for checked bags, you must expect x percent more pax bringing their bags on board.
As the airplane is not inflatable as the airlines' CEO's butts you must reduce the size limits for cabin luggage.
As delays in boarding can cause the flight to miss its assigned slot, you should have a coordinated approach including check-in agents, security staff and gate agents who should all keep an eye on what people try to carry on board. As more and more people fly ticketless, it is more often the FAs on the aircraft who have to deal with the mess. While that passenger with the kitchen sink could have been denied passage thru security when there was still time to have him check his oversized bag.

But all the ranting is futile as no one in the "air" industries cares. As long as the Harvard McKinsey consultant nerds tells the execs that a decline of 5 pct in consumer satisfaction and an increase in delays of 3.5 pct is within the acceptable parameters and outweighed by an increase of 2.8 pct in revenues from bag fees they simply do not care about the working conditions of crews nor the happiness of the passengers.