Stacey222

Hi i am traveling to europe for a school trip and we will be on the go constantly for about two weeks. I already have a 40 liter backpack that i am going to use as my carry on and daypack along with a small satule. I am wondering wether a small suit case or a rolling duffel would be better to take to europe. What types of brands and sizes you recomend.

quokka

Try carrying a duffel bag up a flight of stairs. There is no kind of luggage which is more uncomfortable to handle.

Take a rolling suitcase, not too big. Learn to pack light. You should be able to carry and lift it yourself.

travelingaunta

Small as possible, and certainly no more than you can lift and carry comfortably. That is, you will certainly come across situations where you can't roll the bag. Two weeks is not really that long and you won't need many clothes (especially if you are going to be in a warm climate). Go shopping and try out some different styles.

I actually used a rolling duffel for my latest trip and I found it easy to carry. However, it was not easy to stand it up on its end, which I kept wanting to do.

Stacey222

Thank you

Rastaguytoday

The key words are "Pack Light".

For every trip I take, I have a 21" lightweight suitcase and a day pack that is the size of a medium purse.

That's it. You probably could eliminate the backpack if the satchel is big enough. Think, "how many things do I need to carry around with me all day?". You'll soon realize you've overpacked.

I take woolite to hand wash underwear and socks. For a 3 week trip, I usually take about 5 day's worth of underwear with me. Small sample sizes are usually available at lugage places.

Start thinking about layering your clothes. You will be wearing them more than one day. I get 3-4 days out of a man's shirt.

MmePerdu

I suggest you load up the pieces you have and walk around with them for a while. If it seems like too much then either try again with less stuff (in general, the less the better) or consider a rolling suitcase instead of the pack.

I've been using rolling suitcases since they began and love them. Even on cobblestones. The last 2 have been Eagle Creek, both great. Both "carry-on" sized, the most recent smaller and duffle-shaped. I like this one best of all.

scotlib

Welcome to Fodor's, Stacey222! It's wonderful that you are writing for suggestions/ideas now, before the trip.

Good advice from Rastaguytoday: the single suitcase and purse, woolite for handwashing, layering.

Ditto to MmePerdu: load up your luggage and go around the house a few times, stand with it for a while (think standing in line at airport or train station). Can you get it up the stairs, even partway? Big business traveler-style hotels, sure, will have elevators, but your school group could stay at a small independent hotel with 5-6 steps to get to the lobby and your room down a hall with 3-4 steps.

Search the forums for packing light and you're sure to come up with list suggestions.

On my first time as chaperone for a school trip, my rolling suitcase was 25", I had a smallish backpack and medium purse. I learned from the experience: it was pure misery - too much stuff, too many items to control!

I'm still learning and still paring down. My next trip will involve a 40-liter convertible bag and a small purse that can be stored inside the bag.

rosemaryoz

My teenage girls have been using both types since they were little, and are regular flyers - and they both swear by the wheeled suitcases. We have four-wheeler Samsonite ultralight bags, as we all have to be able to carry our own baggage - or it doesn't get packed!! The four wheelers just glide along (even on cobblestones, as Mme Perdu said), and you can stack a small bag on top of it as you walk, leaving one hand free to be checking for docs/passports etc.

joannyc

What I don't like about duffles is that the opening is in the middle third of the duffle. Makes it too difficult and messy to get items in and out of the left and right-sides of the bag.

Guenmai

I've gone through tons of luggage over the decades and have tried it out on every continent. Personally, I'm one for a rolling suitcase and I've been buying Kipling products ever since the company started in the 80s. I've dragged the Kipling suitcases around on all of the continents and they have held up brilliantly.

http://www.kipling-usa.com/category/...goryId=2999464

Happy Travels!

MmePerdu

"What I don't like about duffles is that the opening is in the middle third of the duffle. Makes it too difficult and messy to get items in and out of the left and right-sides of the bag." joannyc

I can't quite picture why this is so but believe you. The rolling duffle I now use, my latest from Eagle Creek, has an elongated U-shaped opening so when open a flap folds back and I don't find it difficult to access the whole bag. I've also used the Eagle Creek organizers since I began using their bags about 10 years ago and it makes packing and unpacking very easy.