Alice,

Thanks for the info on the High Sierra luggage. I just ordered one of the 22" carry-on wheeled backpacks w/detachable day packs. It was on sale for $94.00, and also has a lifetime guarantee.

I'm hoping both bags will be here before our Christmas break is over so we can have time to "play" with them, seeing how much they'll hold, how comfortable they are, etc, in case we need to send something back and go to a different plan.

Counting down the days until we leave on February 2.

I'll be interested to hear if those of you with convertibles actually use the backpack feature. I travel with a 24" wheelie packed at about 20-25 lbs. but can't think of a time I'd want to strap it on my back (or that I even could)!