tony8028

We had a look at luggage today and have gone off the backpack idea.

They have so many damn straps and clips hanging off them....i guess they're made for attaching sleeping backs etc....most of them just look like a mess to me!

We're going to go for something like this:

http://www.leisuregear.com.au/caterp...vel-range.html

It's soft and flexible suitcase - simple, not over burdened with a million zips and compartments. Plus it's on wheels, so it's perfect for our needs.

It's all personal preference !

janisj

Not to open this up again/confuse you -- but while those look good, they are awfully heavy bags.

The little 18+ in/48 cm bag weighs in at over 9 lbs and the 22 incher is 11.5 lbs empty. W/ anything in them they would be overweight for cabin bags on many airlines. And even if the airline doesn't have a weight restriction - they'd be heavy to lug about.

Sassafrass

Guenmai,

I didn't get into the backpack debate, but have to say, DH and I both also share your addiction to luggage. One bag just never seems right for all trips. If we are driving, we take something different than if we are taking mostly trains, etc. We also just figure the cost of luggage as part of the trip, and enjoy all the preparation. We are always looking for the perfect piece. Of course, we want lighter and lighter.

A couple of years ago, we organized the attic and found we had over fifty pieces of luggage, including backpacks and smallish things. We started giving it to friends who needed something for only one trip. Now we are down to favorites.

My first set (high school) was bright blue, hard sided. Next, for college, that old, hard sided, cream samsonite, one of which was a big round hat box style. Boy, did I love that! I felt like a movie star putting that in the car.

tony8028

Janisj...we intend to check these in....not carry them on as hand luggage, so as long we keep them under 20kgs we should be fine. Thanks for your input though.

Guenmai

Avalon and Sassafrass: LOL! So, there's someone else out there who owns enough luggage to open a private luggage store! I have everything from 60s, hardsided, molded Samsonite to Kipling to Tumi to Louis Vuitton, Bisten, hardsided suitcases and everything in between. And we won't even go into the carry-on bags. LOL! Happy Travels!

hetismij

Back packs when checked are put in special holders to contain them safely. You can buy a cover for them to ensure all the straps are safe.
You can also get a metal mesh to fit inside your back pack to stop things being stolen should your bag be slashed. There are even some new packs with this built in I believe.
I have been hit by wheely cases. In the head, in the shins, and worst of all in the Achilles (with which I all ready have a problem) when some idiot chose to ram their bag into me in attempt to get to passport control a nano second before me. It was btw the same person who clouted me with their bag getting it down from the overhead locker.
The problem with back packs with wheels is that they are a bit heavier, and generally not as comfortable as a "normal" back pack. It is important that a back pack fits you properly and is adjusted correctly or it can be literally a pain to carry. You need to go to a good store and ask for help if you go the back pack route.

MiaMom

Backpack with wheels. They used to be heavy because of the wheels but now they are lighter.
I always found that I can move faster with a backpack but don't always want to look like one.
The one I liked best is one I borrowed (I don't remember the brand name) and it only had one main zipper and 2 hidden pockets.

flygirl

It's a rare trip when I do not come home with a new piece of luggage (usually one purchased in one of those central-tourist-area luggage marts which carry all sizes, cheap cheap cheap) because I have bought more items than my regular bags can handle. I can relate to avalon/sassafras/guenmai! I usually give away the excess bags when I get home, but not always. The one Mom and I bought in France this year was a doozy - it held 5 bottles of wine and a massive blanket we bought in Provence as well as a multitude of other souvenirs. One cheapie bag I bought in NZ was my faithful carryon for 4 years until the top strap broke.

At any rate, I'd go with a small lightweight spinner. I have two and you can actually "walk" them together, with one hand, while the other one holds coffee, etc. Very convenient.

Mimar

Tony8..., you're still going to have to carry those bags some. Maybe lift them onto the train and hoist them into the overhead racks. Or lug them up several flights of stairs in a hotel. There's so much lightweight luggage now.

Years ago we bought a sturdy rollaboard. It was strong but it weighed a ton. Then my husband picked up a $10 special at Target -- purple so as to stand out. He thought it's so cheap, it only needs to last a trip or 2. Ten years later it looks brand new.

LSky

I've never minded a backpack when I was actually backpacking but for travel I like the wheeled suitcase. It's convenient, easy to maneuver in a tight space, where backpacks can be awkward to slip off your shoulders on a crowded train or airplane aisle. Plus, I don’t like the way backpacks wrinkle and get caught up if I’m wearing a coat or the straps tangle with my purse straps.

That’s just me. The only way to know for sure is to pack both and take a trial run through your neighborhood and see what you’re comfortable with. It's a personal descision.

Nelson

I do a lot of backcountry travel, so am quite at home carrying a backpack as well as sleeping in a tent.

That said, fifteen years ago my wife and I, faced with exactly your dilemma, purchased small Eagle Creek wheeled carry-on bags with a backpack strap option. Seemed like the solution. We too often walk some distance between train / bus stations and our hotel. During the intervening 15 years of travel we have *never once* used the backpack straps. These bags are always wheeled, over cobblestones, broken uneven sidewalks, sand. The straps remain folded up in their zippered compartment.

These bags are still holding up nicely, but next time I'd skip the strap option to save weight and go with a model that had the correct simple "bag appeal".

JulieAgain

Good for you, Tony. Glad you decided on what you want. Hope it works out for you.

However, I don't know what wheelie backpacks you were looking at. Ours has 1 strap for the right shoulder & 1 strap for the left shoulder & nothing else 'hanging' down? I has 3 zipper areas - largest to the back, medium in front of that, & then a smaller one in the front. Maybe you were looking at the camping type that are used by serious young folks who backpack across Europe?

Enjoy, Julie

tony8028

Julie, I think it must have been a camping style one....the shop i was looking at didnt have a great range.

The other thing that put me off the backpack a bit is that it didnt seem to actually have a lot of room inside the bag itself when compared to a suitcase of a similar "bulk".

MiaMom

After reading this, I am wondering about the little wheelies that come seperatly. My grandmother used them long before anyone made suitcases with wheeles.
But they used to be heavy. I wonder if they now come lighter and more compact.

Guenmai

MiaMom- I think it's very hard to find them now. For decades, I bought mine at family owned, Old School luggage stores in downtown L.A. I still have my industrial strength Concorde 2 one that will probably last forever. I think it's about 20 years old now and it came with a black,zip carry bag with a handle. Priceless.

Check to see if that company still sells them. I'm sure you can google it. Happy Travels!

Guenmai

I found the Concorde 2 travel cart and many other ones at www.traveloasis.com/utility-cart.html. I haven't seen them in luggage stores for many years, but they are on line. Happy Travels!

Luisah

I wouldn't worry about rolling a suitcase a couple of blocks from the metro. My daughter and I did it when we stayed in the Latin Quarter. You mentioned cobblestones, but we walked on the sidewalk so not difficult.

I've had to haul my suitcase up three flights of stairs in Italy and I just rolled it up, easier than lifted it. I did have to lift it up a few steps getting onto a train, but that wasn't hard to do.

Check out www.luggageonline.com I just got an email on an overstock sale and they carry a wide variety of brands.

ksucat

there are really two camps on this one..
I like both and see the pluses on both.
if you do go backpack, stuff it full and know the dimensions on carry-on/aisle pass through and how it sits on your body.
the carry-on with backpack mode is most ideal.

have fun!

Nelson

Of course regardless of your luggage style, if you manage to pack light then you have made it to third base before you leave home. But that's another story!

suze

I use one small wheeled suitcase. 22" ist best, or 24" max. And packed light enough if there are stairs or cobblestones, I simple pick it up. I don't like backpacks myself. I find them awkward to use, but it's completely a matter of personal preference.

When I have used a non-wheeled something for Europe & train travel, I like a medium sized duffle bag with shoulder strap.