Eagle Creek has some of the lightest and most durable luggage I've ever traveled with. Check out their Tarmac 22" it weighs in at 8 lbs and has a "No Matter What" damage repair policy on it. I use their Packing System, too. A friend who works for Northwest Airlines turned me on to this...

www.eaglecreek.com

Hope that helped.

az

I heard back from the Delsey rep. They were mistaken. The Helium 21" rollaboard bag we were discussing does, indeed, weigh only 8.64 pounds. It is still on my short list.

I should even be able to squeeze in yet another guidebook, and an extra novel or two on my next trip.

:-)

Ziegelman,

Thanks for the tip on those Eagle Creek Tarmac bags . They really look good. I could get away, I think, with the 20" rollaboard at only 7.5 pounds. My only problem is sticker shock. They are running at well over $200.

Ouch!

:-)

The Tarmac is very similar the my E. Creek Load Warrior I described up above. I did their "comparison" and the LW is cheaper and a little lighter.

It says the featured LW isn't expandable. Mine is, but I never use the feature because the soft top/compression straps let me overstuff anyway. One other differnce is that 3rd strap on top of the LW. It makes handling on trains much easier.

I found mine online after the holidays last year for $115.

nukesafe,

$200 is nothing...if you think about never having to replace it. Eagle Creek's "No Matter What" policy has you covered.

LucieV, you're on!

My 2lb Kelty Santiago ripstop nylon duffel arrived today. Looks tiny, but with all its pockets stuffed, it will be the same size as my Cordura wheelie, only 6lbs lighter. Last time I returned from a two-week trip to Europe I realized I was toting a pair of shoes and a dress I never wore. It's amazing how little one really needs.

Nukesafe, if you spend the Ouch! money, you'll just have to take more trips to ensure you get your money's worth out of it.

Nessumdorma - could you post a link to the Kelty bag you just bought? The only ones I'm finding are at least 25" in length, with cubic dimensions around 48-49", which are too large for carryon (in my experience).

http://tinyurl.com/y2qrsk

It's about the same as my wheeled carryon and smaller than my husband's duffel which Virgin allowed transatlantic flights as carryon, but which I checked for intra-European flights.

Unfortunately, that Kelty is too big for cabin bags on most airlines. It is 25"x13.5"x11"

You <i>might</i> be able to carry it on but it will likely have to be checked.

It is too big both in length and in total dimensions.

janisj,

It's actually smaller than the wheelie Virgin Altantic allowed me to take on board just 3 weeks ago.

When I reached the check-in desk, they told my husband who was carrying the bigger but lighter bag that he could take his aboard. Mine was smaller but too heavy. I quickly gave my husband several of my items, which evened out the weight. Virgin then let us carry both bags aboard.

I already know I *might* have to check anything these days.

How often do you fly Virgin Atlantic?

I've flown VS probably 15-20 times. Whether they let you on board w/ that size a bag will depend on if the agent is in an especially good mood that day. It is definitely not &quot;legal&quot; tho'

Per the Virgin web site &quot;<b>Cabin baggage must not exceed a maximum length of 56 cm, width of 36 cm and depth of 23 cm including wheels, handles, side pockets etc.</b>&quot;

Those convert to 22&quot; X 14&quot; X 9&quot;

Oh - I should have added that is for all VS flights originating in the States.

janisj,

I've never had a carryon bag measured, and like I said, the bag this is replacing is smaller than the one I've been carrying into cabins for several years, including in recent weeks.

Nobody should take my experiences as a guarantee more than 22&quot; will be allowed.

I promise to let you know if it gets checked by VA.

Sorry -- I typed that backward. The bag this is replacing is longer than 25 inches, and I've carried that longer bag into cabins for transatlantic flights as recently as 3 weeks ago.

Like I said - if the agent is feeling very nice that day you might be able to take it on. But it is also likely it will need to be checked. On really busy flights, they have every passenger place their carry on in the sizing box. So unless your bag is not very full and can be squished down to 22 inches - when it doesn fit in the sizing box it will be checked.

janisj,

It can be squished.

I'd pack it and make sure. You'd have to squeeze it in 3 inches in length AND 4 inches in depth. The 13 &quot; vs 9 &quot; difference would be my biggest concern.

I'm not trying to argue or rain on your new bag - but it is always best to consider what the airline says as gospel. Any other result is just good fortune . . . . .

janisj,

I think I have to pack the bag to take it with me, no?

Maybe for the first time in my life I'll get to see one of those boxes you describe.

Like I said, I'll let you know if Virgin checks it.

Has anyone tried International Traveller's frameless bags? I found the 22 inch rollaboard yesterday at Filene's and with a coupon it was only around $42. Doesn't look very durable, I'm a little worried -- very light though. It's not a hard-case -- it's more like a microfiber shell. looks like this. Should i return it?

http://tinyurl.com/ydvvuu

I'm going to try the Rick Steves bag after seeing a friend's. They look like they might work well.
If you try Delsey, which we took on our last trip and liked them very much, look at the line called the &quot;Helium&quot; line. Check out the internet for some very good prices on the Delsey line and free shipping also.

I'd say comparable, but cheaper and even lighter than the Delsey is the Skyway Sigma 2. I bought one for my mom from ebags, but they don't sell it anymore. I did find out here for $40:

http://www.luggage.com/Skyway-28680-VJ1001.html

Even though it's called a 22&quot;, it's more like 21-21.5&quot;. Well made and she's used it for several trips with no problem. The only minor complain is the zipper pulls. Hard to explain, but if the zipper pulls rest at a 90-degree angle from the direction of travel, it takes a little effort to get them back to the correct angle. Very very minor stuff.

Fishee:
I can only repeat what I wrote earlier about the Int'l Traveller microfiber bag. I was seriously considering getting one last year when I came across a display at Steinmart. I lifted it, rolled it around, and opened it. All was fine....until I turned a few of them over. I found golf ball sized dents, cracks and deep fissures at stress points. And these were just display models. Needless to say, I wasn't impressed.

Rimowa. Do a search on the internet - it is only sold two places in the U.S.

The polycarbonate version, not the metal kind. Takes a beating and keeps on traveling.

It's supposedly the lightest in the world. I've had mine now for four years and it has worked out fine. It is virtually weightless empty, and has withstood the horrors of my frequent travels (I'm gone more than I'm home, Africa, Asia, Latin America, you name it. It has been there)

Spleil,

I looked up those cases, and they really look interesting. The 22&quot; case only weighs 6.4 pounds. Impressive, but so is the price. $345 for the shiny finish model.

:-)

Hey Jeanne,

I didn't realize you were talking about the soft-sided int'l traveller bag -- thought you were referring to the hard shell Delsey's which seem liable to cracking. I'll take another look at the bag, thanks for your input.

I apologize. I said microfiber, meant polycarbonate.

I'm pretty sure THIS is the model I saw with the cracks:
http://www.luggagepros.com/mpb/IID12584.shtml

A luggage question of a different vein...

I may need to ship my daughter's luggage home from the UK. I remember seeing something awhile ago about this - but, now I can't find it..

Anyone have any information?
Thanks in advance...

I've posted these before, but this list may be a bit out of date.

www.firstluggage.com 800-224-5781 (based in Britain.

www.excessbaggage.com 800-783-1085 (also in Britain) with a US agent Contour. www.contour-usa.com.

www.virtualbellhop.com

www.usxpluggageexpress.com 866-744-7224

www.luggageforward.com 866-416-7447.

None of these will be cheap, but Luggage Express used to list rates of about $85 for a 40 pound suitcase.

Thank you very much, I really appreiate your helpful information! Now on to the research...

Since I was the OP for this thread, I thought I should let you all know what I ended up with. The Delsey Helium line sounded interesting, but a bit beyond my budget at around $200. I finally saw one on EBay. I bid and got a Delsey Helium Breeze 21&quot; Carry On for $31.99, plus $16 shipping.

I guess it pays to shop around! I'll let you know if it survives the shipping.

:-)

Costco has an excellent bag that we purchased as an adequate replacement for our daughter when she was a FA. FAs use TravelPro. This bag was $80.
I love my Atlantic 22&quot;. Got it at Tuesday Morning.

Gretchen,

I think that is the same bag I took to Europe in October. I got it at Costco, too, and it turned out to be sturdy and serviceable, but it was much too heavy! It weighed 12.5 pounds empty. Full, it weighed 23 pounds, so that meant the bag weighed more than the contents.

I'm in my seventies, and I really prefer that if I throw my back out it will not be while lifting bags onto overhead bins. Much rather do myself an injury wrestling escargot out of their shells.

:-)

I normally travel with my boyfriend's $350 hardcase 22&quot; Samsonite until the wheels (increases the width) prevented it from fitting into BA's dimensions model at the gate. It's also really heavy -- like 12-13 lbs.

So, I bought this really inexpensive TravelPro frameless/microfiber spinner at Filene's and I really liked it for my London/Paris trip two weeks ago. It's light and I loved the 4 wheel spinner design (never buying a 2 wheel again). It was a breeze to get through turnstiles and the narrow aisles in the plane and it's relatively effortless to roll it next to you (on all 4 wheels) rather than dragging it behind you on two.

http://www.luggagepros.com/mpb/IID11751.shtml#

The set was separated at Filene's so I bought the small carry-on on for $45.

The Cons: -- wheels and handle are a cheap plastic that doesn't feel sturdy but this probably contributes to its lightness (and it being $45). I'm considering replacing the wheels with those rollerblade wheel kits someone posted.

Pros: light, easy to maneuver, cheap, fits a ton of stuff (more than my BF's Samsonite) and yet still fits into the carry-on model at the gate (if it's not overstuffed or expanded).

I easily fit 10 days worth of winter clothing (thick sweaters, etc), a pair of boots, my flat iron, several books, and a full length wool coat into the bag without having to expand it. I carried it on without a problem and took the metro/tube to/from my airports without a problem.

When I checked the bag on the way home, I was relieved to see the wheels hadn't broken off and the bag was intact.

If I had more money, I'd be interested in this spinner Samonsite bag which looks very sturdy and is well priced for the brand at $120:

http://tinyurl.com/yl6xcc

I assume you are talking about the 22&quot; one? I'll have to try those out, but the basic dimensions are bigger than airlines' standards alone (totalling 46&quot;), let alone those template things which are usually smaller.

Hey Christina,

The bag fit almost perfectly into BA's sizer when I checked in at Prague and the agent was surprised when I got it in without even much shoving. There's something about it's soft-sided molding and frameless design that somehow makes it malleable.