He sure does know how to win friends and influence people. Must be a record for offending the max number of people in the shortest possible time . . .

"He only does it to annoy because he knows it teases"

Better to just ignore him.

Funny how my comments are about luggage, the topic, while some comments by some others are about an individual, me. Perhaps a re-reading of the forum's 'terms of use' may give some of you a clue.

Part of the terms states: " •stalking, harassing or threatening other users." Some of you are indeed crossing that line. Repeated derogatory comments directed at another poster rather than at the topic of the thread does constituted harassing. Doing it on several threads constitutes stalking.

Wow I feel bad for MiamiBeachMama, all she asked was for a little advice about which suitcase would work best for her two week trip.

Lucas 21" carries me 3 weeks; wearing most bulky shoes, can pack at least 3 others-- flip-flops, ballets & sensible walkers, plus 3 prs pants, at least 3 tanks, 3 shortsleeve, 3 longsleeve, waterproof hooded jacket. Carry packable down jacket as carryon as it makes great pillow and wear travel west. My black Hard Mtn. Wear pants zip off to capris, so just need two khakis to fill the bill. It's all in the fabrics. I carry-on a large tote into which I put my smaller purse and my husband wears his Scottevest and carries on a backpack. We carry-on or check the 21" cases.

IMHO, I will travel carry-on only (I hate the interminable wait for checked luggage and the chance for it to be lost. Therefore, the best luggage for me is the largest one I can find that will fit the carry-on restrictions for the airline I am flying. I have no problem with a wheeled 21" suitcase (which carries all my clothes and shoes) and a "personal item" that carries makeup/toiletries/misc/electronics/everything else.

<<<Either you are a suitcase type traveller or you are a pack type traveller.>>>

I would disagree with that. It really just depends on what type of trip I'm taking.

Africa - eBags convertible backpack (no frame, used as backpack or duffle bag) because I was on a weight/size restriction and it was requested not to bring bags with frames of any kind.

China - My backpack again because I was on the move on trains and needed to stay to a small'ish size.

Antarctica - A 24" roller because I had a lot of bulky warm stuff and always wanted to have dry extras available to change into at a moments notice. The bag could roll under the bunk and be out of the way.

Russia - I just ordered a new bag (Antler duolite gt 22" and I think it's only around 4.5lbs instead of the 6+ that is common for roller bags). I still need the carryon size but I don't need to carry my bag this time, wheels should be fine. This bag might be a good fit for the OP (I can't really suggest it since I haven't even received it yet, let alone tried it) at 22" and pretty lightweight.


<<<As for hybrids, some manufacturers got the idea that if you combined a wheeled suitcase with zip away shoulder straps of a travel pack it would be the best of both worlds.>>>

If they could add wheels to my eBags convertible bag without adding much weight and without adding an entire bottom frame to it then I'd probably love it. Most of the time I'm happy to carry the bag, but a long walk in an airport with smooth floors I'd rather pull it. When it's 90+ degrees out, I'd rather not have it on my back. A walk from a bus/metro station to a hotel on smooth sidewalks, pulling it works fine. That same walk with bumpy cobblestones or with lots of puddles then I'd rather carry it.

Yes, I should have written, a suitcase suitable trip or a pack suitable trip Iowa. The choice depends on HOW you will travel as you say.

It appears your eBag is actually a travel pack. The term 'travel pack' is now recognized pretty universally in the pack industry as referring to a soft bag with a backpack type harness that zips away behind a panel.

It looks like a very nice pack although it can certainly go beyond carry-on size or carry-on weight limits if you expand it. The one thing I do not like about it is the hip strap.

It is a hip strap, not a hip belt. There is a difference. A hip strap is simply that, a straight nylon strap, while a hip belt is padded and countoured to fit and transfer the weight off your shoulders onto your hips.

That is what the hip belt on a backpack is for. To get the weight OFF your shoulders. The best place to carry weight over a period of time, is on the hips.

For 90% of 'travel pack' users however, it doesn't matter as they don't really do that much walking with their pack on their back. However, there are plenty of travel packs with proper hip belts available and having one vs. a simple strap increases the usability if you will of the pack for a very small weight gain. If you were going to do a long hike with anything more than 15lbs. in the pack, the difference in comfort between the hip strap and a proper hip belt would be very signifigant. Again, it depends on what you are going to ue the pack to do.

There is no way to add wheels without adding signifigant weight, that is the issue and the reason to avoid a 'wheeled backpack/travelpack' or whatever some manufacturer might choose to call it. It would work fine instead of a wheeled suitcase but fail miserably as soon as you put it on your back. It simply can't replace both types, suitcase and pack except in a very narrow window of use indeed.

you have option between 20" and 24", there exists 22" carry on bags in market..

We would take as little as possible and as lightweight as possible. The optimal would be to have everything fit in cabin luggage and in such backpacks that you can carry comfortable everywhere even longer distances.

This way your luggage limit your travelling as little as possible and you can spend time to travelling instead of worrying about your luggage and guarding it from thieves.

<i>
back·pack
[bak-pak]
noun
1.
a pack or knapsack, often of canvas or nylon, to be carried on one's back, sometimes supported on a lightweight metal frame strapped to the body.
2.
a piece of equipment designed to be used while being carried on the back.
</i>

It really doesn't matter if one is wearing a backpack to go trekking in the mountains for a day or a week, to travel to a foreign country in urban settings or to go to work/school everyday. A pack worn on your back is a backpack. Some are better suited to one activity over another, but still, all backpacks.

Also, the number of external pockets has nothing to do with whether or not a pack is for mountain trekking or urban travel. In fact, most trekking packs have few, if any, external pockets.

Was there some point to your comments Shelli? A backpack is a backpack. Uhuh, so?

Pockets don't mean anything and trekking packs have few if any. Incorrect but regardless, what is your point? Were you just to correct me? If so, you got it wrong. Or was there some other point you were trying to make but have not communicated clearly?

The point is that when you're king of the world, you can dictate what people wear and carry.

Until then, each person and each trip is unique.

Comprende?

Most airlines will allow one carry-on bag along with one personal item. Maximum size for most airlines is 45 linear inches, including length plus width plus height. The maximum weight is 40 pounds or 18 kg.

Remember to measure your carry on AFTER it is packed, and WITHOUT the extender section unzipped, which can make it too big to fit.

A carry on is easy to find. I don't invest a lot of money in ours, and have found good deals at Costco, Target, Marshalls, etc.

My favorite is a Dakine roll-on that is a bright color. I advise that, over a black one, for sure. Much less chance of it getting taken by mistake.

I also like this carry on because its zipper opens the bag into two equal compartments, which zip closed with mesh separators. It fits so many things, and is easy to find what you are looking for. It also has two outside pockets for shoes, etc.

But, once I had it packed fully, with the extender open and it was refused at the gate because it was too big. Luckily, I could shift stuff into DH's carry on, and close the extender zipper to make it acceptable.

I like the rolling duffel bags. Seems you can get a lot more stashed inside a duffel and they squish to fit in overheads or under seats quite well. We use the ones from LL Bean. They hold up well even if checked with sturdy outside straps for sinching the bag down tight. The medium size is plenty large enough for all your needs.

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/63915...-duffle-medium

MiamiBeachMoma, I just had a look at my "SwissGear" bag from Target. It is the 20" Pilot Case. I have to say that I love it. Surprisingly it holds a LOT. It expands for bringing more stuff home, is sturdy if I have to check it and has a great padded outside pocket for my iPad. I think you'd be amazed at how much you can get in one of these. I have used this bag for two week European trips. It fits in an overhead and is easy to drag on trains. I also have the 17" version of this which I use constantly for trips of a week.

My suggestion....purchase it and try packing. If its too small, you can return the bag to Target.

We have a couple of the 21" bags from Rick Steves and they work great - we've had them for about 8 years or so, lots of trips, lots of cobblestones all good. We do carryon for trips quite often and can take more than we actually need with these bags.

I do prefer a suitcase to a backpack or duffle for the most part - just easier to keep my stuff organized and less-wrinkled with a square-ish box to pack rather than a duffle or backpack. Sometimes a backpack or duffle is better - outdoor type trips, for example.

I don't bother with the convertible suitcases with straps though - I am a very small person, so these bags are just too big and cumbersome to wear on my back. I think you aren't really suppose to wear more than like 15% of your body weight on your back anyway.

My preferred packing method for anything that is a week or longer is one carryon (19 inches) and one checked (22 inches). Plus my "personal bag" which carries my camera gear. Heavy, heavy camera gear. Bleh.

It isn't really even being a "fashion plate" so much as I like to hike (or bike) during the day and wear normal clothes at night, which means a doubling up of daily clothing. Even if I'm just doing sightseeing I don't like to wear the same thing in the evening as in I did all day time - but evening clothes may still be casual.