Rick's Holiday Sale

Oh, Frank! Putting temptations right out there in front of me.😀

Edited to add: Ravenna mini rolling case at 50% off. I’ve had my eye on it, so I went ahead and purchased.

Ooh, I am looking for a new smaller bag... Thanks, Frank II

I bought the Rolling carryon last night.
I have been patiently waiting for the sale.

I'm weak. Purchased the roll aboard and the euro flight bag because I 'needed' a new rolling bag and have been searching for an under seat bag that was not as expensive as the TB Co-Pilot purchased for DH. I do have some question about the euro flight bag being too bulky for a smaller woman but I'm sure the sale price of the bag will motivate me to make it work.. LOL

Thanks Frank!

The trick with the flight bag is to utilize packing cubes to provide structure.

Boo-Hoo. I talked myself out of the Ravenna Mini. I keep looking at it, but know I won't use it. Just too small to fit all I want to take. And too heavy. My new Rolling Carry-On was 5lbs out of the box, lighter than advertised. I think I'm finally getting everything down to a manageable weight. Especially if I cut out all the Christmas ornaments and souvenirs. Like that's going to happen!

The trick with the flight bag is to utilize packing cubes to provide structure.

Exactly!

I swear, I get more excited by the free shipping than the 20% off, lol! Although I'll take both!

Diane,
I’m one of those shorter, older women who does not do well with the euroflight bag. If you are going to mount it on the rolling luggage and only carry it short distances - it will work fine. If you are going to carry it over the shoulder or crossbody down long corridors/streets or for longer periods of time - then, you are going to have problems.

I have used this bag and have resigned it to hand carry and car travel.

Especially if I cut out all the Christmas ornaments and souvenirs.

Don’t deny yourself what brings you pleasure, horsewoofie !!

Debating buying either the rolling carry-on or rolling backpack. Pros and cons for both, please, from people who have used either of these?

Kim, never deny Christmas ornaments. There’s always the option to ship them home. Heading to Venice first next year so lots of ornaments.
I’m determined not to check luggage either way after United delayed my suitcase on the way home. Thank goodness for AirTags!

I am jumping in on this conversation late…the 20% off and free shipping caught my eye as well. Being a first time RS traveler, I am looking for confirmation that these suitcases are good quality and as traveler friendly as they appear to be. We are planning to spend 3 weeks in Italy next April so will need every packing tip we can glean. Also wondering which of the roller suitcases we should opt for if we don’t want to check our bags?

My experience is that RS stands behinds their products. When I had a zipper break on a suitcase, they quickly simply replaced it.
I have used their bags many times and they have been great. I also use the Mother Lode bags from Ebags as well.

Thanks Carol, Mardee and Sun-Baked for the packing cube tip for the Euro bag! I do use packing cubes, own quite an assortment of them, but no narrow ones. My plan is to test pack the Euro bag as an under seat bag and do an airport simulation in my home. I’ll post a separate evaluation of my test. I don’t want to hijack Frank II ‘s post.

Diane, I have euro flight bag, and affirm everything Sun says, including her uncanny description of my body type. I recently used it for the first two nights of a driving trip for my toiletry kit and Pj's and clean shirts and undies, then I busted out the roller bag and left it in car to collect laundry

@dotilgen, I have the rolling backpack and it’s a fine, although smallish roller (I really wish it was expandable), but I haven’t been able to use it as a backpack — the distance between the top of the straps and attachment point is too short, and the back is too stiff. I’m 5’6” (maybe torso length is what I should be quoting, but I don’t know my torso length). Still, some on the forum have really liked it, so YMMV. It’s a good European airline size; I haven’t been able to find another good, lightweight roller backpack alternative that isn’t 22” tall. Good luck with your shopping!

Does anybody have the newly designed Ravenna bag? I wondered how it compares to the Veloce bag or the Appenzell bag. From what I can tell, it seems to be in between?

https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/ravenna-day-pack

Perhaps someone has all three bags and can give you more data, but you are right about the gradual increase in weight and capacity, the little one is microfiber and is described as soft, I have the original Ravenna it's sturdy. Really sturdy. The trolley sleeve is great on the Ravenna suitcase but is too small for my other roller bag. The lap top sleeve is well padded, but too small for my current lap top. Empty it collapses down to about 3 inches thick. It really is rugged and built for abuse.

Thanks doric8, good to know you’re happy with older designed Ravenna bag. I sure love the Veloce bag, measures only slightly smaller than new Ravenna.
I hope there will be product videos again. It would be great to see one showing all the day pack/day bags together so you can compare them.

Has anyone used the spinner wheel carry on ? Did you have any airline make you check it due to being almost an inch too large for carryon dimension? Delta allows 45” overall and Ricks spinner wheel is 45.75”. I have used the rolling carry on for a decade and like it but want to try a spinner carry on bag. They are much easier to use in crowded airports. Thanks.

Decisions, decisions. I've been struggling with this lately.

We have multiple flights coming up on low-cost airlines and not-so-low-cost airlines that I expect will be strict about enforcing their tiny limits for carry-on bags. We have a plethora of bags but do not have any good ones that will pass muster for flights on Air Cheapskate, and I'd like to have carry-on bags that do (just barely) fit, but still maximize the available space. And that will last a long time. And that are light to start with before we fill them up...

Right now I'm torn between these 3 bags, all of which should fit for all but the most picayune airlines. Each has some advantages and disadvantages:

• Rick Steves Rolling Carry-On $127 (on sale)
  Good: It's expandable by 2-3 inches (this does defeat the "must fit" requirement, but is a nice option for when we are NOT flying the cheap-o airlines); multiple grab handles (top and one side); compression straps look functional; multiple easy-access exterior pockets for knicknacks; local company, good reputation, seems well-reviewed here.
  Less Good: Empty weight "6.5 lbs" (though reportedly may be less?). Most expensive of the three.

• eBags Mother Lode Cary On (21" model) $92 (at Amazon)
  Good: Cheapest option (by far) of the three; multiple pockets; a top grab handle and (maybe, it's not clear) a side grab handle too.
  Less Good: Does not expand. Empty weight 8.7 lbs! Yikes.

• Travelpro Maxlite 5 (20 inch model) $122 (at Amazon)
  Good: Has top and side grab handles; can be slightly expanded kinda sorta (see below); empty weight 5.4 lbs, lightest of the three.
  Less Good: It appears to only expand at one end, not all the way around, so becomes more of a "wedge" shape, making it not really very expandable.

I bet some of you have gone down this same road before me, looked at these same three bags, hemmed and hawed, and then picked one of them. Care to share your reasoning about why you picked the one you did? More importantly, how do you like the one you chose?

Thanks for sharing your insights.

David, I was debating between the Rick Steves Rolling Carry-On and Travelpro Maxlite 5 21-Inch last week. I bought the Travelpro.

The RS seemed like it would be flimsier based off the video, since the front is like a backpack. But then again, that could be a good thing? Obviously I haven't traveled with my new bag yet, but I love it. Seems very sturdy and it's seriously light.

@David. Here are the specs and info from the Ebags website on the Motherlode. It does expand and have side handle.
https://www.ebags.com/holiday-sale/mother-lode-carry-on-rolling-duffel/117749XXXX.html?dwvar_117749XXXX_color=Brushed%20Indigo&cgid=holiday-sale

Here is a recent review by Adventures with Sarah of TravelPro Maxlite 5 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guLUiyO5shE.

David, RS replaced my old Rolling Carry-On this summer because the handle would not retract and no parts are available. I was surprised they replaced it and had no expectations they would do anything because the bag was 6 years old.

I weighted the new one when I pulled it out of the box. According to my handy dandy but cheap luggage scale the Rolling Carry-On weighs 5lbs, 1 1/2 lbs less than the specs..

RS bag: My 2015 21" RS rolling bag is a work horse. It's been overseas many times (and domestic), usually checked because that's me, and it still looks like new. I'd love to be able to switch to another bag, because I love bags, but this RS bag just won't let me. For me it is the most rationally organized bag, functional, sturdy, still looking good, and mine also only weighs 5 lbs.

I have a newer Eagle Creek Bag that I would love to use more, but as pretty and seemingly as strong as it is, it just rarely makes the cut. Sigh.

Thanks for all those providing their insights.

I have a couple more questions about the Rick Steves Rolling Carry-on...

I see it's expandable, and it expands by (what appears to be) a significant amount. It's hard to tell in the video, but looks like it expands roughly 2 inches in depth – is that about right? And does it expand uniformly – that is, straight out, equally across all of the bag's area? Or does "one end" of it (the top of the front) expand, while the other end (the lower front) stays fixed at it's non-expanded depth? (The Travelpro bag has what they call "tapered expansion" which is like that).

And I have a question about the opposite of expansion: contraction. I assume the rear of the pack (and a bit of the sides) is made from a molded, hard plastic-like material, which is inflexible and doesn't give. But the front half of the bag is cloth, as the video narrator says, "like a backpack". Someday I'll probably get on a plane where this bag's 13.5" depth is too high. Assuming I can overcome the temptation to fill (and over-fill) the bag, if I leave plenty of room in it, I assume that it's profile could be squeezed down by a couple inches if necessary, the practical limit being either how much stuff I (don't) put in, or the hard-sides parts (which I assume won't give at all). I'm hoping to find a bag that would allow this kind of a depth-squeeze if/when needed.

The Travelpro Maxlite 5 looks like it would not squeeze down much or at all (it's materials look pretty non-flexible); the eBags Mother Lode Carry on looks like it might squeeze a teeny bit, but not very much (it also seems to be made from a harder material). Of the three of them, only the Rick Steves Rolling Carry on seems to have a soft-enough fabric material on the outer-facing half of the bag, which should to allow it to squeeze down to a thinner profile if it's left partially empty. It that all true?

I'd like to go take a look at this thing, and I'm local to the RSE HQ in Edmonds; alas, they're only open one day a week (I've tried to drop by when I was in the neighborhood several times this summer, always disappointed to see the door locked) so it's not super convenient. Maybe I'll make the trek up there next Saturday and try to sneak in and lay my hands on it if/when the door is unlocked....

David, why are you limiting yourself to these three bags? There are others. What is your budget?

One bag that seems to get good reviews, and if you want two wheels, is this U.S. Traveler Rio on sale today at Amazon. (Prices vary depending on color chosen.)

It's 21 x 13.5 x 7.5" expandable to 9"

David,
I think you are going into the weeds here a bit. Granted, this category on packing often gets nit-picky with packing details. Simply find the allowed dimensions on your most restrictive flight. That is, the one requiring the smallest dimensions. Then, pick out your case based on that flight. There’s a line between light weight and durability. Any wheeled case in the 5 lb. - 6 1/2 lb. range is good.
I agree with Frank - if you want to save money - look at US Traveler Rio. It looks A LOT like my old RS case (which we are still using).
Don’t get too hung up on expansion, unless it’s a backpack for airplane underseat storage. The dimensions from the floor to top handle, width, and depth (unexpanded) is what you need for purchase purposes. Note: the RS bag only expands on the front fabric side.

There's a handful of RS books reduced for Cyber Monday on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rick+steves&i=cyber-monday&crid=ALLUULG6JN03&sprefix=%2Ccyber-monday%2C215&ref=nb_sb_ss_recent_1_0_recent