I have both two and four wheel. Coming from Australia and usually travelling for four to six weeks a carry on isn’t going to work for me. All my recent trips pre Covid have been with the four wheel spinner., I much prefer it for my back.

I don’t mind helping short people at all with overhead bags or old people but I’m not going to help someone who can’t manage simply because they have packed too much in order to avoid checking in luggage. You pack it you lift it!

as a former a Qantas hostie it was part of our duties to assist with overhead luggage. Never a problem except for one passenger who was a complete d#$k and unfortunately I have carried the scar on my hand ever since. Nowadays I would “sue” !,!!

So you can deplane a lot faster in order to get to the baggage carousel and wait even longer for your luggage.

Ha! So true. We have the big foot race to get to baggage then stand around waiting and waiting.

I'd like to find a smaller check through bag -- maybe 22 inches? The 24 inch I use I think will be too big to manage on trains, plus it gets too heavy - 25 kilo - when packed full.

I would personally rather wait by the carousel than on a plane breathing neck to neck, with people pulling heavy luggage down, swinging it towards other passengers, etc. I usually just stay seated until most people are off, which is nuts as my carry on is small enough to go under the seat and I am ready to go immediately. I would like to see carryon be required to be smaller and the rules about size for carry on enforced.

I agree that 24 inches can get too heavy when fully packed. I try to avoid all of the extra zippers and double wheels, which add weight. If going international, the dimensions are less than US domestic.

https://www.travelandleisure.com/sty...age-size-guide

Nice link, migb, you enabler you. Naturally the $600 Briggs & Riley catches my eye. Sigh. Even at its expanded size it would fit BA carry on regs but it looks sturdy enough to check.

I'm glad the one I like is sold out, LOL.

Seems to be an issue with a lot of brands.

My Briggs and Riley luggage is some of the best I've ever used and when it did get damaged it was fixed basically for free. The stuff has become expensive, tho and it seems never to be discounted anywhere.

I'm with you sassafrass, rather wait by the carousel than jammed up in the plane waiting to get hit in the head with someone's carry-on.
Guess I'm lucky, always check luggage, never a problem. On my recent trip to New York it was a problem only because my connection from Toronto was cancelled til the next day due to the big storm in NYC and they kept the luggage at the airport. One of the very few times I didn't have a change of clothes in my carryon, never do that again, lol although it really wasn't a very big deal.

Also a fan of Briggs and Riley, have a big collection of it in the basement- husband refers to it as RCG's luggage store.

yes, I agree, especially about enforcing carry on rules.

Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever go to the “Gruezi luggage store” to choose the right fit for my trip again. My travel libido is frighteningly low just now.

My bag checking preference is not for the good of humanity. I just don't like dragging a bag around airports, thru security, on and off the plane, etc. I'm usually solo so that means whatever I've got with me has to go everywhere... into rest rooms, the airport magazine or books shop, bars/restaurants, etc. It's a pain. Knock wood I've only once ever had a bag delayed (not lost) on the return and was delivered to my doorstop the next morning.

My first delayed bag was one in which I had packed ALL my 2-1/2 month-old's cloth diapers at the time when disposables were just coming on the market and disintegrated on contact. She ended up in some of Grandma's tea towels for a day until the missing bag was delivered.

**We have the big foot race to get to baggage then stand around waiting and waiting.**

You need status so your bags come off first.

or just skip the foot race. We get there without rushing and then our bags are generally there.

We get those "priority" tags at the counter but results are hit and miss, unfortunately. Many times we're waiting just for bags to start coming out of the chute.

Such a timely topic for us; DH's knee is pretty much shredded and that became evident during the travel to Italy we returned from yesterday. Long stretches at the airport are doable on level ground, but escalators, stairs, etc.--lifts not always available--are now creating major concerns. We are reassessing not only the airport, but destinations--steps were manageable in Venice, slowly, but the 50+ steps to and from lodging in Ravello each time, not so good. A pivotal moment on an escalator at CDG where he literally could not move to one side so someone in a hurry could pass.

We do carry-on over and sometimes check a bag coming back--a sportsac we stashed for any purchases, and as pointed out, a lost bag is less critical at that point.

Mine is a lightweight, 21-22 inch TravelPro that I really like--so lightweight. His is same size but a spinner--and actually a Kirkland brand we bought when we were still Costco members--and he really likes it, but it is heavier--not only the wheels etc. but the fabric is a very heavy durable type.

Re: backpack -- I used one once for an international trip; it was *very* lightweight and actually convertible to a handle-carry style. I think it was (clutch the pearls) a Rick Steves bag. But after a mad dash carting it through much of Atlanta airport once, and being a sweaty mess at the end of the sprint, I swore never again and gave it away to younger members of the family. That said, I used a very very small lightweight backpack on my very short Camino de Santiago walk, and it was fine. In fact, a very small lightweight one with walking sticks (rubber tips for indoors) might be worth considering.

Overhead bins concern me now not with height but with rotator cuffs.

I agree....the "status' thing is definitely hit and miss when we do check bags

I am planning to take a spinner carry-on and a wheeled underseat bag on my 26 day trip to Europe next year. The underseat bag has a sleeve that fits over the handle of the carry on so it sits on top. It is mainly for my camera and small laptop, and I can stick my travel purse in there for the flight.

I've tried both rolling and regular backpacks, and they were both not ideal. The rolling one only went on one trip as it was not suitable at all. The regular one has been on many trips, but I find it is getting too heavy for me as I age. I use it for my camera and laptop, plus a few essentials.

I appreciate everyone's comments, particularly about the luggage types. Thanks very much