Light weight Luggage
 

Can anyone give us some suggestions on ultra-lightweight carry-on bags - and regular size cases for that matter? I know they're out there, but have not been able to find anything online that seems that light.
Thanks!

My recent post on carry-on travel lists several bags. If you really want a light-weight bag, then you want one without wheels. If you are looking for a wheeled bag, about the lightest one is the Heys xcase, a polycarbonite hard-side rolling bag (about 5.4 pounds).

Thanks Doug - sounds better than my beloved but heavy TUMI.

Tumi does make a line of "lightweight" bags, and if you go onto their web site, one might be on sale. However, their lightest bag is about 7 pounds. I actually use a Tumi 20-inch convertible wheeled backpack, and I love it because it holds all the close I need for a week-long trip and is small enough to carry on, but it weights a little over 7 pounds. It's an older model, and the newer one weighs more.

I looked at the Tumi lightweights - pricey! We had a HUGE wardrobe years ago that could hold all the clothes I own. Nothing like that getting on a plane these days. My two current favorites are the old wheeled carry-on and the wheeled duffel with the hang-up part underneath. I was able to pack in just that case for 2 weeks in Europe. I think I'm just a luggage junkie sometimes.

We have the 21" roller board from Rick Steve's web site - bought them about 3 years ago and have taken many trips with them - they are quite durable and pretty light.

You can get lighter luggage if you don't get wheeled ones, but you give up some convinience.

my sister and I took these to Europe for 3 weeks in 2007 and just loved them.

http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/v...y-Lori-Greiner

Also try onebag.com to get inspired about lighter travel.

This last trip I switched to a 21 inch without wheels bag from Rick Steves. It is around 3 lbs. unpacked, which is great, but I have to say I missed the convenience of the roller bag style as the bag got heavier over the course of my trip. This lightweight bag I took had backpack strsps, a shoulder strap, and traditional luggage style handles.

Another vote for Rick Steve's. Two years ago we bought a few of the 21" rolling bags and they have proven to be great. Extremely durable! DH traveled with them for business several times a week for months on end and the airlines were not able to tear or destroy them;) We have taken them to Europe twice, both times doing carryon only, and they worked well. Measured with the wheels, they fit Air Frances size, and we were able to come in under the weight limit with AF since the bag is lightweight as well.

Eagle Creek has a great line of lightweight luggage, and it is 25% off in stores now (I saw it at Whole Earth and Luggage Factory). I just purchased the Hovercraft 25. Haven't used it yet, but love the set up and it's very light weight, lifetime warranty.

My friends swears by her Rick Steves bad, like the one annw mentions. It's a plain suitcase shape, with options of backpack style straps, handle, or shoulder strap. She's done 3 weeks in Europe using just this (plus a purse) a bunch of times.

(Myself, I prefer wheels)

We have an outlet store that carries the Kiva brand and also the Rick Steve's carry on convertible (back pack style) and 21" roller. The back pack weighs about 3 lbs. ($45)and the roller ($25) weighs less than 7 lbs. Prices are much better than the website as they are last year's models. I have checked the consumer reports reviews and they recommend the Helium Fusion for a great deal. I found these at TJ Maxx for around $49.00. While I like the idea of the backpack, I'm not sure I want to carry it the whole trip. We are going to four places in Italy mainland and four in Sicily. And as graceful as I have become in my fifties, I can totally see me toppling over out of the Alilaguna and into a canal! :)

Well, the lightest luggage will be a simple over-the-shoulder bag. If you are looking for wheels, then you should consider a hard-sided piece, as these are usually lighter than fabric bags.

I have found that Samsonite has some lighter bags. They are great quality too, at least when I have used them. Travelgourmet is right, the polycarbonate hard sided pieces are generally a little lighter than the fabric kind. There are some Samsonite luggage pieces here if you would like to check them out.

http://www.irvsluggage.com/Samsonite-Luggage

I use 29" rolling duffle bags - 3.5 lbs. each. They are soft-sided and have wheels and at the other end a handhold. No collapsing metal rods & handles between the wheels & handholds.

They really stand up to rough use, too.

M.A.

bookmarking

Can anyone comment on how well the lightweight roll-aboards cope with being checked in?

I'm looking specifically at the Rick Steves 21" rolling suitcase and the Eagle Creek Hovercraft 22" rolling suitcase.

I want to buy something that (a) is carryon size on most US domestic flights; (b) is as big as possible, and beyond that is expandable; (c) is lightweight; (d) is durable enough to cope with being checked in most of the time and not used as carryon.

I've loved the durability of my Briggs & Riley cases, but they're way too heavy.

tahl--The Rick Steve's bag that you mentioned is the one that I posted about above. My DH usually had to check the bag when he took it for business and trust me ,the airlines tried to destroy it, lol, but were not able to. There are quite a few scuff marks, but the fabric is not torn and it is still as durable as ever.

tahl, I don't think the EagleCreek Hovercraft 22 will work. The UNexpanded dimensions are 14 x 22 x 10" = 46 linear inches. That is 1 inch over the limit on American Airlines. If I were you, I'd go no larger than a 20".

Last year, I bought a TravelPro 19" at a discount store. It was a discontinued line, but looks like this CLOSEOUT one on ebay:
http://www.ebags.com/travelpro/walka...?modelid=98672

It fits within the sizer by American Airlines. I still think it's too heavy (7.5lbs - same weight as the Rick Steves you are thinking about), but it is very well-made. I have this for almost a year now and it has gone on over a dozen of trips with me (planes, trains, automobiles, miles of cobblestones) and still look brand-new. I had it checked once and it was no problem.

BTW, I may buy this Starlite 51cm suitcase by Travelite when I visit Germany (it is a German company): http://www.travelite.de/en/products.html?pid=58
It only weighs 2.1kg.

I researched recently and was torn between the Mother Lode Mini 21" wheeled duffle and Rick Steve's 21" wheeled check bag. I ordered the Mother Lode for our China trip. I'll post back how I like it.

http://www.amazon.com/eBags-Mother-e.../dp/B000ECSO0M

Free shipping and free returns, if I don't like it, on eBags dot com.

Has anyone tried the Sub Zero G line? They are very light (5 lbs). I'm not sure how they would hold up to being checked, but they look like a nice option w/ wheels. (cheap too)

http://www.lazarsluggage.com/intrsubzeg19.html

BeachGirl, the dimensions for the Mother Lode Mini 21" is 21.5 x 9.5 x 14.5 inches. Therefore, total linear inches is 45.5. This is over the restrictions for carryons flying American Airlines, or UA, or Continental, or US Airways. All their limit is 45 linear inches. (That's why I stick with 19" rollaboards, because in reality, it measures 20-20.5" when you add in the wheels and handles.)

The Sub zero G looks too flimsy to me, though I wish there are more photos from different angles. The telescopic handle doesn't look very comfortable, and the regular handle doesn't look like it can lie flat. If it really cannot, that can be a problem if you get asked to fit the suitcase into a sizer.

yk, if AA can figure out by looking at my bag that is is over that linear limit by 1/2 an inch, I will gladly pay the fee! I know it's 1/2 an inch but I like the bag. I've had smaller bags gate checked so I guess we're really at the mercy of whomever is at the gate.

My fingers are crossed.

I don't know if that came across right. I wasn't arguing I was poking fun at the airlines in a way.

I really do appreciate you pointing that out for me.

:)

I fly AA exclusively, and in the past year, I have been asked to put my 19" suitcase in the sizer at the gate at least 3-4 times. Since more and more people are bringing their suitcase on board (as they don't want to pay for checked luggage fee), I've noticed AA is more stringent on carryons.

Has anyone purchased luggage from Maggellan's? Their VI Ultra-lights look promising. They have a 21" rolling upright that weighs in at about 7 pounds.

BTW, there is a thread over on the AA forum of Flyertalk, and someone actually measured the inside dimensions of the AA sizers:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...l#post11974486

I'm just sayin'. BTW, that was the reason why I downsized my carryon from a 21" to a 19". The sizer at Heathrow seems smaller than the AA sizer. I just don't want to risk it.

yk, I just might take my new suitcase, along with dh's new one, and try it in the bins to see how they fit. I'm sure I won't be the first one to do that.

But, can't they make you gate check your bag even if it fits? I'm sure you cannot argue with them at that point. Anyone know?

<i>But, can't they make you gate check your bag even if it fits?</i>

They sure can.

FWIW, I have never been asked to put my carry-on in a sizer. Never, and I fly well over 50 segments per year. I have had it weighed, but I have never been asked to put it in a sizer, and I use the 21/22" size rollaboards.

BeachGirl, the agents usually don't size the luggage at the gate unless it's a completely full flight. Since I get to board first (I'm elite on AA), I've never been asked to have my suitcase checked, because it fits inside the sizer.

Of course, if I board LAST and all the overhead bin space is full, then I have no choice but to have my suitcase gate checked, even though my suitcase is within the carryon requirement.

I was sized a few times in Boston, and at the security line entrance at LAX T4 (AA terimnal).

There is a 200+ ongoing thread on Flyertalk AA forum where posters say where their suitcase got sized (DFW & LAX are the most strict).
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...idated-14.html

Thanks for posting that link. I'll check it out. I like the bag you chose. I have a smaller version in black -- crew series. Between dh and myself we have worn it out! Great size. There's definitely a bonus to being an elite member.

I'm sure we'll have to check our bags on the domestic China flight from Xi'an to Beijing but that's alright. It will be a bonus if we don't!

My husband refused to buy a new carryon for our upcoming trip. He uses a 21" American Tourister, which measures 23 x 14 x 8. I have the same carryon as well which I've used for years, but now I only use the 19" TravelPro.

We fully understand the risk of being rejected by the airlines as a carryon using that 21", but he wants to take that chance. [It *may* fit very snugly if we squeeze it inside the sizer.] Of course, we'll pack some of his clothes in my carryon, so in case he has to check it and it gets lost, he'll still have some change of clothing in my suitcase.

But I've convinced him that if we find this Starlite 51cm suitcase by Travelite when we are in Germany (it is a German company): http://www.travelite.de/en/products.html?pid=58 ; we will buy it and he will leave behind the 21".

For a long time I didn't care how heavy my luggage was. My mindset was "Eh, who cares? I don't have to pack it around." (My suitcase had wheels, yes.) But a while back I started to care. I started packing carry-on luggage instead of packing large suitcases. I got mine from Hey's USA luggage. I didn't shop around so I don't know if it's a ton better than others-but it's worked for me.

I got it online at http://www.irvsluggage.com/Heys-USA-Luggage if you wanted to look.

Spencer, I looked at the hard-shell Heys, too.

Have you had problems with it as a carry on since it's a hard shell? It isn't as forgiving when cramming it in to the overhead and wondered if the flight attendants said 'no'.

I have considered the Heys XCase when it was first mentioned here. I was a bit put off by the hard shell, but then when I read some of the comments on ebags (I believe that's the website), I decided against it. There were lots of negative comments about how quickly the surface gets scratched or dented, and many complained that the zippers fell off.

To my mind, the only downside to the modern hardshells (at least those of good quality) is the lack of exterior pockets. Otherwise, those with a zipper have a fair amount of give, should you need to overstuff from time to time. Yes, you lose expansion features, but if you are concerned primarily about weight and size, then I'm not sure expansion should be a huge concern.

I have the Samsonite X-Lite and can recommend it, though it is expensive and probably overpriced. But, if you get a good deal on it (I got two when they were closing a store and had them for 50% off), then it might be worth a look.

The Samsonite X-lite does look good. The 20" is 6lbs. But the price I found on line is about 5x what I'm willing to pay... Even at 50% off, that's still very expensive for a leisure traveler like me. And you make a good point about the lack of exterior pockets - where I usually stuff a book and my 3-1-1 ziploc bag.

I have the Heys x-case 19" and love it! It was the lightest weight carry-on I could find and afford. So far the zippers and wheels have held up fine. It fit easily into the overhead compartments, even on City Jet. My hubby is traveling right now with one and I hope he doesn't have any problems with it. If he does, I'll let you know.

As travelgourmet points out, there are no exterior pockets, but I don't miss those since I generally only used them for travel documents, which I now put in my personal item (usually a messenger bag) or a pocket of my coat/jacket.