Finding a carry on with the right dimensions is hard!

The RS store sells a backpack, a wheelie, and a wheelie-backpack which meet this requirement. I've used the convertible backpack extensively in the US and within Europe and never had an issue with it failing a size requirement. The regular backpacks are especially useful because they are soft-sided, so unless they are absolutely crammed with stuff they will form-fit to the overhead compartment. ETA: And being a backpack, it has no trouble with cobblestone streets!

22" bags will fit in the overhead compartments of all European airlines. However their airlines all have different standards. You have to check to see if the wheels are included in the measurements. U.S. airlines are more lenient.
We use 21" rollers, and were hit up by Norwegian Air Shuttle to check our bags to the U.S.--$100. We had just got off a Norwegian flight from Budapest to Oslo and everything was fine. We'd already seen 100 people get on that 787 with larger bags than us. They were just trying to make an example out of us--being difficult. It was all about revenue producing.
Our bags were 21", but the wheels made them not fit Norwegian's tiny rack sitting at the departure gate.
Moral of the story is buy a 20" bag and just pack what ever will fit in it.

Would you consider a duffel? I bought my teenaged son this REI duffel for a school trip: https://www.rei.com/product/870768/rei-co-op-roadtripper-duffel-medium?CAWELAID=120217890000874891&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=30320809360&CATCI=pla-70926331120&cm_mmc=PLA_Google|404_2067|8707680002|none|ca05ca5d-44c8-4cab-b539-f5650ce4b923|pla-70926331120&lsft=cm_mmc:PLA_Google_LIA|404_2067|8707680002|none|ca05ca5d-44c8-4cab-b539-f5650ce4b923|pla-70926331120&gclid=Cj0KCQjwnubLBRC_ARIsAASsNNl1e0446fjT7T3rRSpitRJWaDZa4CIAzrKMgCdIyL1_Uh-q_voInBgaAokCEALw_wcB.

Turns out we all love it--it's big enough to pack for a week (the way we pack) and because it's soft and squishy it can fit just about anywhere. They're not going to pull the bag out to its maximum dimensions and measure it, they're going to eyeball it. And it's small enough that you can still carry it crossbody without breaking your back, even fully loaded.

For a personal item, I'd get a mid/small tote back with a zipper top from Lands End or similar. Same deal--a soft-sided bag is going to fit more places. Just don't overpack!

Thank you all for your prompt replies! Eddie, I looked at RS site and most of the larger bags had the US dimensions with a 9" width (the Europe ones are all 8"). You're right, there is an exception - the convertible backpack, which is 20x14x7" - not bad. I was a little discouraged by the weight though - 5 pounds - when TAP and Vueling have an 18lb limit, and I have hit over 13 pounds before in the US. I'm glad to hear you like it though, so maybe that's a possibility if I can trim the packing down a bit. David, I sympathize with your dilemma. Although I wasn't planning on a wheelie, I do worry that my softer bags might go over the stated limits if I overfill despite having OK dimensions - another argument against over-filling. Astorienne, I do like duffles a lot but this one is too long, the dimensions they give are 12x24" and I can't take on anything larger than 22". But thank you all for the suggestions, which have given me some ideas. I will keep looking.

anything that is soft-sided and frameless can squish down to fit as long as you don't stuff it completely full. If your goal is to take as much as you can fit, then you can't comply, and can only hope you can get away with an oversize bag. Note that the European carriers use metric measurements and weights and sometimes the conversions to US is a bit off.

As Stan notes, the soft sided bags without wheelie frames can meet the 8-inch thickness if you don't overpack. My RS Classic Backpack has compression straps that will cinch the thickness when lightly packed. And the time that I was at max thickness and asked to use the sizing frame, a firm push did the trick to get the bulge past the sizing bars.

Take care with mail order specifications. Some bags report inside usable dimensions, not the out-to-out dimensions governing airline restrictions.

Stan, good point about the conversions possibly being off. I have heard that many gate attendants eyeball, but there are others who will be awkward and get out a ruler. As for the squish factor, that was my assumption too, and I was prepared to take a shapeless duffle bag until I read a post on Tripadvisor. The poster wrote that the airline (I forget which, but it was European) told them that if they had to deform the bag to get it to fit, then that didn't count as meeting the requirements! Honestly, you hear so many horror stories, many sound implausible but you know anything is possible with the airlines, especially if they are trying to make an example out of you. So I have been trying to get a bag with the exact dimensions of what is required and then try not to overfill it so it doesn't bulge out of shape.

Edgar, your point about the mail order specifications is well taken. I was planning to make the measurements myself once I got the bags; I would have to send them back if they were off. About your backpack, I think that was one of the 21x14x9" ones on the site, are you saying that you got the width down to 8" by cinching the sides? If so, that might work if it measures as 8", they would have no way of knowing that the official spec is 9".

This is why I don't do Budget airlines for inter-Europe flights. You pay just a little more for a major carrier and don't need to worry about this. I have taken my hard shell Samsonite Fiero 20' spinner all over Europe with no problems on any flights. My personal bag is the Kipling Sherpa (soft duffle-fits perfectly under every airline seat I have ever flown) which has a sleeve in the back that fits over the handle for extra security. Don't worry about a wheelie on cobblestones, mine did great, it is just bumpy is all.

Another thing on budget airlines for inter-Europe flights, check to see what airport they leave/arrive at...sometimes they can be out of the way, which adds to the cost.

You do understand a soft sided bag is soft. It is not rigid. It can be squished if you don't pack it full.

Gate agents don't know the dimensions of every bag. They have sizers and if they are not sure will ask you to put the bag in the sizers.

I once put a duffel measuring 23 x 16x 10 into a 22 x 14 x 9 sizer because it was soft sided and I didn't stuff the bag.

You are way overthinking this. If it was a rigid wheeled bag then yes, you might have a problem. But I wouldn' spend one second worrying a soft sided bag. And if you are sonworried, get a bag with external cinch straps.

Rick's Rolling Backpack advertises a 7" depth. The Rolling Carry-on is soft on the front and the hard-shell portion of it is only 6" or 7" deep (I measured it recently but forget the exact result). And the Convertible Carry-on is a fully flexible backpack. The bags I've used for personal items were also quite flexible, such as Rick's Hide-Away Tote.

For some airlines, the weight restriction can be the bigger issue. There's nothing wrong with checking a bag, though there's usually a fee for that on the budget intra-European airlines, and the fee is cheaper if you buy it ahead.

ebags.com
TLS Weekender.
It's like the RS bag all grown up.
The motherload is 22x14x9, and cinchable to skinnier if you pack well.

I wouldn't sweat personal items. I use the RS Civita day bag on the way home, which is a small backpack. Wife uses her camerabag/purse, which is easily in the smallest of personal item limits.

Honestly, I wouldn't stress this too much. If you don't get a rolly bag, they probably won't even measure one that's in the neighborhood. If you stay soft sided, you can usually cram into the cube if they do want you to measure. If you fail, you claim your oversize personal item as your carryon, and they gate check your main bag.

I think as long as you keep to the 22x14x9 which is pretty standard on US airlines, you'll be fine. And you're always better when you have a plan, be ready for it to go sideways, and consider the worst that can happen. The worst that happens on Ryan/Vueling/TAP is that they gate check your carryon bag, and the worst that happens then is you lose 20 minutes maximum and maybe $40 if they charge you.

I haven't tried it, but I have heard that some people make their own box (by modifying a card board box) to the airline dimensions and use it as a measuring tool. That way they can make sure their soft sided duffle can cram into the airline specified size. If you are a type A kinda person, it's an idea for after you find the perfect bag. You can store your bag and travel goodies in it during the rest of the year. Good luck.

My current bag is pretty tiny, probably 14 x 8 x 8. I got it to fit the most restrictive requirements, then learned to pack within that. I think mine is called City bag (or something similar). I thought I bought it on amazon, but I'm not seeing it in my orders now. I bought a similar wheeled bag for my mom that is 18 x 13 x 8:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MUHJGO3/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

22 x 14 x 8 is pretty much the standard limit for carry on bags - except most will be advertised as 21 inch bags.

Eddie, I looked at RS site and most of the larger bags had the US
dimensions with a 9" width (the Europe ones are all 8"

I would not sweat the 1" at all, especially on a soft-sided bag. A busy gate agent can't tell the difference between 8" and 9" at a glance and even if they could, they would not care because they know a soft-sider (unless jam packed) is actually smaller than the dimensions above.

Thanks, all! Lots to think about. As I see what other people are doing to address the requirements, it's giving me a lot of options and ideas (you got to love the cardboard box!). Yes, I am type A and do perhaps over-plan. But the reason I'm so set against checking our bags is that we've had them lost, or at least delayed, by the airlines a number of times. It is an inconvenience at the very least and worse still if you are leaving the area after your flight. We've lost them in the US, Europe, and India. Vueling has done it at least twice, once on our last trip. On the last flight we took in Spain, half the bags never made it to the destination because of a hold loading malfunction. Fortunately for us, our bags were returned that night, because we were leaving in the morning for a distant city. Another time, my husband had his bag misrouted to Madrid instead of Ibiza, and it took 4 days for it to catch up to us. All he had was what was in his carry-on. Now when we do check any bags, we split up our clothes and put half in each respective bag just in case. But SOO much better if they never have the checked bags in their possession to lose. BTW the reason we took these particular European airlines is because they had direct flights to places we needed to go, e.g. from Porto to Barcelona. I also take direct flights whenever possible to avoid missing connections, another too common airline pitfall. Anyway, I digress. I want to thank everyone on this forum for your helpful comments and suggestions!

Generally speaking, gate checking seems to be a lot safer, vis a vis lost luggage than checking at the counter or curbside. I feel your pain with the losses, as my folks had to go three days in Turkey out of their carryons between Turkish Air and Turkish Tour Guide's instructions to Turkish Air. And then one of their bags got lost coming back. So, I don't check if I don't have to (I had to coming back from Turkey, as I had purchased some long steel skewers). But again, gate check is not as likely to be lost or misplaced as counter check.

That is probably true, Max. It is hard to imagine how they could lose something that is already on the plane to begin with, but anything is possible.

Ronfer, that's an outstanding website! I had made a chart for myself just of the 5 carriers we will be on and was using that for a guide, but your chart is so much better. Thanks for sending! I hear you on the virtues of traveling light. Unfortunately I picked a challenging trip for my first attempt at a carry-on only trip. We will be gone for over 3 weeks to Spain and Portugal in mid-September, when temperatures are extremely variable and sometimes wet. In general, it will be warm at the beginning of the trip and cool toward the end. Temps will vary from a daily average of 90+ in southern Spain to as low as the 50s in northern Portugal. We will be hiking in a national park, walking through the northern wine country, and visiting major cities, sightseeing during the day and out at night. So my clothes range from woodsy to casual dressy. Even if I were to take only one outfit per situation and layer everything, that's still a lot of clothes plus 1-2 pairs of shoes to cover the range of activities. If I could afford it, I could probably buy some nifty combo pieces, but I'm afraid I have to go with the wardrobe I have. So I really don't know what else I can afford to omit, and that's why I need the space. Otherwise I will have to check my bag.

If not overstuffed, a soft sided bag, like Odo in Startrek, will deform to fit different sized containers. Since a 14" x 9" cross section is 126 in², 2 in² less than 16" x 8", there should be no problem putting it in the sizing box.

The poster wrote that the airline told them that if they had to deform the bag to get it to
fit, then that didn't count as meeting the requirements!

You have to wonder what the original size of the bag was, how fully it was packed, and how hard they were pushing to make the bag deform. My Essential Carry-on bag slides easily into the sizing frame.

Our bags were 21", but the wheels made them not fit Norwegian's tiny
rack

If, with wheels, the bag was more than 21" long, it was NOT a 21" bag.

That looks like a good bag. I see it's out of stock at Walmart but hopefully it will come back. It seems like there are lots of promising candidates that posters here are recommending, so I don't think I have to look much further than this forum to find something that fits the bill. I think I will order a couple and do dry runs to see how much they hold before making the final purchase. I hope to find my forever bag and never have to check again.

Yes, that posting about the deformability was quite weird. I don't doubt that poster was truthful in recounting the incident but like you, I wondered what exactly the circumstances were. Perhaps it was packed more like Jabba the Hutt than Odo!

Not sure if you have an old fashioned brick mortar store that you can go to that sells suitcases like Macy's.
Less complicated saves more time than trying buy stuff like this online.

Ronfer, I really enjoyed reading your post, which was very Zen. It made me smile. I do manage a trance-like state when I go through things like Immigrations and Customs. What else can you do, under the circumstances? Worry does little to help anything, you're stuck in the line and at the mercy of whoever reads your documents. Ommm... Do remember though that my anxieties are centered around not losing our bags, not about saving time anywhere. I plead guilty to worrying more than I should perhaps about potential battles with gate attendants, and I appreciate your point that we needn't put ourselves through that if we check our bags. But I do not want to lose my belongings. I don't have an expendable wardrobe to be used only during travel, and insurance is woefully inadequate to replace lost items. There is a lot of merit to what you say, I just don't want to lose my bags. It's not at all unlikely, it's happened to us many times in the course of everyday air travel. And travel is less than relaxing when that happens.

Jazz, very true. Funny how we schlepp so readily across the ocean but find the local mall a half hour too far away!

@Ronfer46, I love how you described your travel philosophy/method. Well said. That's exactly how I feel! Nice to see I'm not alone. And every minute of my vacation is my vacation...not just when I arrive at a certain place. I, too, avoid early morning flights except for my day flight to London, as that leaves at 9:10...but I accept that as I'm only 15 minutes from the airport, traffic cooperating. One thing I do try to do is sit at the front of my class of the flight so I don't have to wait for everyone to pull their large carryons down from the overhead bins, but I'm not hurrying...

While I enjoyed Ronfer's post, I offer a counterpoint:

I do not travel carryon only just because I want to spend less time leaving an airport after a long and likely unpleasant flight. I do not find a difference in customs clearance. I do not mind a line at customs.

I like my TLS Motherlode Weekender from eBags because it is handy go all navigation. It is easy on small your buses as I encountered in Turkey. It is easy for narrow walkways as one finds in towns that still have medieval street plans like Venice. It is easy for transfers from flight to flight with customs clearance in the middle. It is superior big rolly bags for cobblestones and broken pavement, as one sees in Prague and Vienna. It is easily stowed for train travel. It is more secure for air travel and train travel, as it never need part from my person.

I respect how Ronfer rolls. I am, at work, a process improvement expert and an internal controls guru. I'm good at these because my laziness makes me both find better ways to do things and see where people would slack and cheat processes. My search for calm and ease has brought me to my solution as Ronfer's need to carry a knife has brought him to his. Each solution works for each traveler.

different strokes. Different folks. Travel the world.

For my last carry-on purchase I went to 2 different stores and spent about an hour in each store. I want to see the bags. Pick them up, roll them, etc. Does the handle work well, does it feel sturdy or cheap? So much easier finding things that you really want by doing it in person rather than searching online.

Using a bag with wheels on cobblestone streets is truly not a problem. Having lived in Germany for over 30 years, all of it on streets with cobblestones of some sort or another, I happily roll my bags down the street when I travel. No more difficult than crappy sidewalks in the US. There is no way I want to carry my bags rather than roll them. I am on vacation, why would I want to wear myself out carrying my bag except for the occasional flight of stairs. Unless you are going for a back-pack which is made for comfortable schlepping, perhaps rethink getting wheels?

Max and Ms. Jo, thanks for weighing in on the respective merits of backpacks vs wheelies. Both posts raise very good points, and other posters have also mentioned that they use wheelies on cobblestones with no problems. I think right now I am inclining toward a backpack. I am a hiker and used to carrying weight on my back when I hike, so that would not be too much of a hardship, especially for relatively short distances. And once I get to the hotel room, I take out my beloved Travelon travel purse and use that the rest of the time. I do like having my hands free with a backpack. Two bags I'm interested in are the RS convertible backpack and the Ebags MotherLode (maybe the junior version? I am 5'2"). I do have a Leather World in my town and will pay them a visit, but I was wondering if they'd carry RS and Ebay bags? Or are they just sold online?

Boston, as I'm sure you know, has a plethora of luggage stores/departments so you should have a great day of luggage and backpack shopping. I used to love the luggage store at the Pru but I believe it has closed down since Eatily opened. Also, there was a luggage store at the corner of Charles and Arlington(?) but that might be closed as well...haven't needed luggage in a while. Nonetheless, I always stop in luggage departments. I'd suggest hitting the department stores downtown, and checking out some of the outdoor stores nearer to BU if you want a backpack.

We're traveling on Delta, KLM, SAS and Norwegian next month, so we've also been looking for international size carry-ons that are light weight.

DH got this one: Standard Luggage Co. We haven't used it yet, but it looks very promising. It's well made and the interior layout is good. It comes with a laptop sleeve, but we're planning to leave that behind. It has backpack straps which will work for short distances from a train station to a hotel, but you wouldn't want to carry it for miles.

Wray, actually I live in Newton just beyond Brighton, but can certainly make an afternoon of it trying out bags in the city in addition to the two stores I found in Newton. Thanks so much for mentioning those Boston locations. From this forum, I now have a list of bags to keep an eye out for and hopefully the stores will carry at least some of them. Cathy, I agree that looks like a very good bag. The reviews are very positive, and I always rely a lot on reviews.

This has been a real education! Thanks everyone for all of your advice. Clearly I have a lot of options to check out. Good thing I have over a month to do so before we leave. Still not sure about whether RS or Ebags sell in brick and mortar stores, I may have to order online to check their bags out. Plus then I can try packing them at home to see if they'll hold the clothes I plan to take on my trip. But I'll see what the B&M stores carry first. It should be fun.

RS bags can only be found on the RS website. Ebags can only be found online at either ebags.com or Amazon.

Remember, ebags offers free returns for unused items. (That means they pay for the shipping back.)

Not sure of your budget but if you want bags that will last for years and years, look at Tom Bihn and Red Oxx

Frank, thanks, that's what I suspected about RS and Ebags. I did see the TLS MotherLode bag on Amazon, but it's actually almost half off list right now at Ebags, who is having a sale. The bags you refer to are a bit pricey, but I'm sure the quality is superior. That was the case too with a luggage set we got from LLBean for our daughter's wedding (she is an enthusiastic world traveler). Bags like that will last forever.

Seatonba, Newton...the Container Store is always worth a visit! Sometimes they have some good luggage options...but always an interesting travel section...and...

Wray, I love The Container Store! And yes, they do have great travel items.

Ronfer, I understand and respect your point, but I guess there are just individual differences. Despite the statistics, and perhaps we have just been astronomically unlucky with all of our traveling, we've had our luggage lost or delayed multiple times. Once in St Louis I had to wait 6 hours at the airport until the next flight came in because they wouldn't deliver the missing bag to where I was staying 1 hour away over the weekend. What are the odds that in two trips to Spain, our bags would misplaced once per trip? Yet it happened, and it does happen. I won't have a coronary if we get gate-checked, but I for one feel more relaxed if I feel I've done everything I can to avoid a particular outcome. For me, feeling as prepared as I can reasonably be is ultimately relaxing. Look at it this way. Pickpockets are everywhere. With average precautions, most people are fine. Or you might get targeted. But if it's happened to you several times, wouldn't you see if you could change things so it would be less likely to happen again? Or would you continue to walk around with an open bag and hope for the best? Your answer is probably different than mine, so let's just agree to disagree.

Ronfer, your view of travel is not wrong in my eyes, and I respect it. I have related my own travel experiences, and they are not the same as yours. That's OK. Different strokes.

Ronfer, totally agree. We carry on usually for international flights if it's not Norwegian (because they are picky). But otherwise, just check the thing. We still pack light - still use our MotherLode Weekender from Ebags from 2010 and our first European trip, and I now have a spinner carry-on bag that I loooove - but check both when needed. Don't even think twice about it. And I have to admit, it's really nice NOT having the carry ons going through security, or walking around the airports. To me, that outweighs the inconvenience of waiting at baggage claim.

My 2 cents worth: Partly because Norwegian Airlines is about to start serving Denver, CO I just ordered a last-chance close-out "carry on" from Briggs-Riley ( http://www.briggs-riley.com/shop/type/last-chance/transcend-international-carry-on-expandable-wide-body-upright-tu321xw-40 ). Their durability reviews and lifetime repair/replace guarantee were key factors in the decision, and it doesn't hurt they marked the price down! It's not featherweight at 8 lbs., but it's substantial. You may have alredy decided on a backpack-style bag, Seatonba, but at this point we'll see how the wheels work on this new bag.

The case is 20" tall (21" overall with wheels), 15" wide, 8" deep (expandable to 12"). So, based on your first list of dimensions, a ruler-wielding American Airlines employee might give us a "width" challenge, but we'll see. I'd rather have inline-skate-style wheels instead of 4 spinners, and it's technically maybe not a truly international carry on in every possible circumstance... not planning on taking any island-hopping Air Tahiti plane anytime soon. We'll see when the new suitcase arrives.

The biggest perceived potential drawback will be what Carry On demands. No more easily flying over with a pair of scissors, Swiss Army knife, or nice, stainless-steel picnic flatware. No more coming home with a couple of bottles of Bretagne cider, Scottish ale, Bouches-du-Rhone rosé, Sicilian olive oil, or big bottles of French lotion, shampoo etc. Not even homemade preserves!

BTW, Rick Steve's Europe Through the Back Door brick-and-mortar location in Edmonds, WA will happily sell you a RS bag, but it's a long drive from Mass., or otherwise a flight that might have carry-on issues ;-)

Again, we'll see. Worst case scenario (on Norwegian at this time) we pay $65 to check a bag. Heck, maybe I'll carry the carry-on over, and check it coming back, with all those liquid/gel/paste treasures stashed safely inside!

Briggs roller specs weight at 3.6 kg, Note that Lufthansa's weight limit is 8 kg for the carry-on, netting you 4.4 kg of fill (less than 10 lbs). Lufthansa is silent regarding the weight on your "personal" bag so the heavy electronics and photo gear should be stuffed in the "personal" bag. Norwegian's economy weight limit is 10 kg for the combined carry-on plus personal.

If airlines check carry-on weight, watch out for robust rollers.

Cyn, I thought about the same issue you raised and came to a similar conclusion. We are going to northern Portugal and will be staying in Porto for a few days. I have a dear friend who loves port, and I would really like to bring her a gift bottle. So I would seriously consider loading the bag up with goodies and checking it on the return trip. Since we will be coming home, there won't be a problem if our checked bags get delayed, so I'm not as concerned as if the flights were at the beginning of our trip. I am bringing a small tote bag that I can use as a carry on if I end up checking the main bag. We'll see.

Edgar, good point about airlines that combine the weights of the two bags. I'll have to double-check the various airlines we'll be taking.

Update: I have been looking through all the suggestions that posters have made on this thread. I ordered the TLS MotherLode Jr to try out, although I'm concerned about complaints related to chest straps that break and ineffective hip straps. I still may try the RS Rolling Backpack as well. But I also have a long list of good recommendations, and this week hope to get to some luggage stores to look for them. Thanks, everyone!

Cyn, perhaps the strategy of carrying wine or other fragile items home in a checked bag won't work for me because the soft-sided bags I'm looking at might not offer enough protection against breakage. Anyone found otherwise with their backpacks or similar bags?

"carrying wine home". Well, unless it's a very small bottle (3 oz) you can't carry it on, and I wouldn't put wine in a checked bag and expect it to arrive at home. I've often wondered about this; do wineries, etc, have the ability to ship wines to you?

Lee, that's a good question. If there were anywhere that might ship wines back it would probably be the port wine cellars in Porto. We will be doing some wine tastings while we are there. Shipping information may be available online or by emailing the companies directly. Thanks for the idea.

I found that very question on a Porto forum on Tripadvisor. The answer was basically that at least in 2015, the port houses could not ship retail to the US due to EU regulations. The port wine institute could ship but it was about 40 euros for 2 bottles. It looks like I will have to enjoy the wine in Portugal and buy my friend a nice bottle when I get back to the states...

Ronfre, you're right, it's probably not worth the bother. Hopefully I can use my wine tasting experiences in Portugal to find her a nice port here at home.

Hi SeatonBA,

I reread you original post. I fly BA all the time, so I went back to their site because the measurements I thought I knew were different than your measurements. I'm not sure where you got your BA carryon measurements, but BA is 22 x 18 x 10in and AA is 22 x 14 x 9 inches so if those are the two airlines you are worried about, perhaps you might want to rethink your strategy. My most commonly used wheelie has been the RS wheelie, not Ravenna, which fits nicely in the overhead, as there were a couple of occasions that I had to carry it on. I no longer carryon. I do note that the RS wheelie is listed as being 6.6 lbs which surprises me as mine is just over 5 lbs, but 2 1/2 years old. The TS Motherlode is 3.7 lbs. Personally, for 2 or 3 lbs I'd go with wheels. But...I've always traveled with wheels, even when using a backpack in my younger days when wheels were not yet a thing...just brought a little cart so, obviously, I hate carrying and it is not because I'm weak, just don't like it, just me. Keep in mind, you'll find you have to carry your bag a lot more than you think. With wheels you only need to lift the bag on stairs. Rough sidewalks, curbs or cobblestones have never bothered any of my wheelies. Also, every time you get on public transportation, you need to take it off and hold it near to the ground, which I think is a pain, because it is on again, off again, on again. Again, just me, but I'd thought I'd give you my input.

I hope you are on BA's day flight! My favorite.

Wray, thanks so much for taking the trouble to go back to the original post! Unfortunately when I went back to reread it myself, I saw that in my frustration about all the numbers, I had neglected to add the rest of the back story, which is very pertinent!! I can't believe I did such a poor job in my original post, and I sincerely apologize to everyone who was confused by it. Here's the itinerary - We are flying American to Philly and then BA to Barcelona, where our daughter is living and where we'll spend a few days. But then, from BCN we fly Ryanair to Portugal, stay a couple of weeks and then, TAP Portugal back to BCN. From there, my husband and I are also taking a short trip afterwards to Seville and back and that's on Vueling. Then eventually back to Boston via AA/BA. Now the good news is that although I obviously have to carry all my clothes for the entire trip on the AA/BA flight, I'm not taking all my clothes to both Portugal and Seville because of the climate differences plus we won't be hiking in Seville, only in northern Portugal. And we're going back to Barcelona in between those destinations so I can trade clothing items and repack between trips. So while the completely full bag needs to fit the AA/BA specs, I will have fewer clothes to take on the Portugal and Seville trips on the smaller airlines. But the overall basic dimensions of the bag need to fit those airlines as well, even though they will not be as fully loaded. So anyway, I am very sorry or the confusion!

As to your comments about the wheelie vs backpack, I am also rethinking that. A combination would be ideal because we are staying at airbnbs that are walk-ups, which would make backpacks more convenient. But it would only be up the stairs once and back down once, which is not a big deal. At worst, 10 min of sweat. That's why I'm thinking either about the RS rolling backpack or anything similar that the luggage stores might have. I do agree that even if I am used to carrying a backpack on a hike, the carry on backpacks are typically not made as well for that purpose as real hiking backpacks. That's why I am concerned about the TLS weekender's poor report card on the chest and hip straps. I have checked out Osprey, one of my favorite brands, but I do prefer the convertible features of the carry ons. So I'm still looking. Hope to hit the shops this week.

So thanks again for going back to the original post and sending your updated comments!

Wray, while I am at it, have you ever flown to Barcelona from Boston? If so, how do you go? We will be going 1-2 times per year because our daughter just moved to BCN. Unfortunately, there is no non-stop. Last spring, we flew Boston to BCN via Munich/Frankfurt on Lufthansa, which was great but this time was too expensive. So this time, we're doing the AA/BA route via Philly. Just curious. Hope the BA flight is as nice as you remember!

SeatonBA, No, I haven't gone to Barcelona. The BA day flight from Boston to Heathrow is my go to flight. I then spoil myself and stay overnight at the Sofitel right at Terminal 5. I get up in the morning at a reasonable hour and take my BA interEuropean flight. I fly economy, so I have created my own first class system by flying in this manner. No fatigue, little jet lag, and pampering of myself with room service. Then I get back into my more frugal ways. ;)

I loved visiting my daughter when she was in Europe, so enjoy.

Sounds lovely! Maybe we should try that next time. DH is British and we have spent a lot of time there over the years but not recently. Maybe next time, we'll fly to London via BA, spend a day or two there at leisure, and then fly to BCN. We're rarely in a hurry, one of the best things about being retired. As a transfer point, we avoid Heathrow like the plague, but a stopover could be very nice. I like that idea!

I brought three bottles of non-export small batch champagne back from Reins back in 2009. Was stashed in the center of a soft side, wrapped well with clothing. If you're concerned, Wine Diapers are a good option.

My concern was less about breakage then about freezing or cooking the wine in the center of the aircraft or in the transfer between gate and aircraft, aircraft to aircraft and eventually to bag claim.

In Italy, at least in Piemonte, there are MBE (in the US Mailboxes Etc) around that will sell half case and full case mailing boxes. Can be pretty spendy to mail the wine to yourself, and depending on your state regulation, not so great (was a pain in the butt getting some wine to Chicago from a wine club I was in, due to some stupidness by the state government), probably illegal customs declaration somewhere along the lines.

Airlines will allow you to check one of the mailing crates. They might charge you some hefty pounds/euros.

Max, I assume the champagne traveled OK? Hope you enjoyed it. Probably won't go the shipping route. If it was bad in Chicago, it's probably worse here. Massachusetts laws are pretty archaic when it comes to alcohol, and I can imagine it being a nightmare of regulations to have something shipped home from Europe. It would only be a couple of bottles at most anyway. My friend loves port but is not a connoisseur, so I'll just find her something special when we get home and show her pictures of grapes being harvested on the quintas in Portugal. We, on the other hand, will be content with enjoying all the tastings and tours we plan on doing while we're over there.

If I'm following your schedule correctly, you'll be with your daughter before and after the Vueling/Ryan legs of your trip. Is there a chance that she has a smaller piece of luggage you could borrow? Then you can just use a standard 22" carry-on for the AA/BA segments where you're taking more clothes, and use hers on the more restrictive flights where you have fewer things.

Cathy, that's an interesting suggestion. I don't think she has a smaller bag but I can buy her one that would meet the specs. We can leave it at her place for us to use when we're over there and for her to use the rest of the time. That would be a long-term solution because when we go to Europe, we use BCN as our home base.

If you're just bringing back a bottle, a duty free big producer at the airport can likely be obtained, put in a secure bag, and carried on.

For a bottle or two, small producer stuff that you can't get at the airport or at home, checked luggage should be good. Secure. The Champagnes were unharmed by the process.

I have a trip to Piedmont Italy leaving shortly, and I'm trying to figure how to bring back 4-6 or 12 bottles. 4 will be easy in checked bag/bags in Wine Diapers or something similar. 12 will require a better solution.

Max, glad the champagne survived! The checked bag with the wine diapers - did you do this with your TLS Mother Lode Weekender?

First, the chart at travel-made-simple.com converts metric measurements used by European airlines to inches and then rounds these new. Careful with that.
We flew last month on Condor and my RS wheelie didn't fit in their sizer. When I complained that the bag was the correct size I was chided that indeed it wasn't correct and it needed to be an international size to be allowed. We had to check our bags!

Galen, that is good to know! Sorry you ran into unexpected problems with your RS wheelie. Maybe RS should start clipping off an inch or so of their bags, particularly wheelies, to address the ever shrinking dimensions of carry on requirements and the need for to fit the bags into the measuring boxes.

Ronfre, agreed - if you bring it back home, make sure it's uniquely worth it. Duty free doesn't help, as you can get any of that at home and still have the inconvenience of carrying a bag of bottles around the airport after you land. And the discount is less than a good sale at your local liquor store.

Hrm... I haven't used the wine diapers yet. They've come highly recommended.
When I did my California trip, I shipped a case wine to myself with a wine shipper that specialized. I had the RS bag for the trip that yielded the champagne. I think I brought home several bottles of beer from my last trip to Europe in the TLS, big 500-750 ml bottles, IIRC. As I think on it, we brought back in addition to the champagne, a couple bottles of belgian beer and a bottle of genever on that Paris-Amsterdam trip, and those came home in my wife's TLS (she got the TLS first... I was in a RS bag that I treated hard and had problems with.

My current plan is to bring home 4-6 bottles in two TLS bags with packed luggage, with them stored in some kind of leak container/pad like the diaper. I never bring home anything I can get at home. Since I have an Eataly within a mile of work, that means nothing I could get at Eataly. I will have to check the Piemontese wines at Eataly before departure.

Wow, Max, you've done a lot of wine/beer air transportation. And nothing ever broke?

Re "Duty-free" liquids: Duty free doesn't help, as you can get any of that at home and still have the inconvenience of carrying a bag of bottles around the airport after you land.

If your port of entry is not your final domestic destination airport, you may have to check your duty-free liquids before continuing if you need to be re-screened. On one return flight where checked bags are re-checked after customs inspection, the baggage agent noticed another passenger with a duty-free bag. He cautioned the passenger about the TSA rescreening and the passenger was able to insert his duty-free bottle into his checked bag and avoided losing the bottle at rescreening.

Ronfer, we may have an equivalent situation re cramped car travel and transporting wine bottles. In Portugal, we will be touring the Douro Valley and northern Portugal in a compact car with 4 people and 4 bags in a tiny trunk. We will probably want to take some bottles with us to enjoy while in Portugal, before we have to fly back to Barcelona. We'll see if they have any multi-bottle packaging that could be useful and whether there is any room to slip them behind the seats.

Edgar, good point. We wouldn't be able to take any Duty Free from Portugal because we will ultimately be leaving from BCN, and as far as I know, our Portugal DF would not be considered Spanish DF. I really don't know if we're being rescreened in Philly on the way back. It's a joint BA/AA flight (BCN to Boston via Philly) and I had assumed our bags would be checked through to Boston on the way back. But maybe we will have to retrieve our baggage in Philly and go through customs and immigration there? I don't know how it works, we haven't done a US connection like that yet. I guess I should find out. If we do have to retrieve our bags there, I doubt that we will make our connection to Boston.

I really don't know if we're being rescreened in Philly on the way back. It's a joint BA/AA flight (BCN to Boston via Philly) and I had assumed our bags would be checked through to Boston on the way back.

If PHL, and "international" airport is your domestic port of entry, you would go through US immigration and customs at PHL. You would claim your checked bags before US customs and then recheck them after customs to your final destination. In concept, the US customs agents could check your checked and carry-on baggage and your body for contraband in PHL. You could/should place any duty free liquids in your checked bags before rechecking to your final destination.

The exception to reentry customs and immigration at the first US port of entry would be departing from a foreign preclearance customs and immigration site.

I wonder if this information is out of date. In 2014, the TSA issued a new rule:
https://www.tsa.gov/blog/2017/05/25/tsas-2017-summer-travel-tips

Duty Free Liquids: You may carry duty free liquids in secure, tamper–evident bags, more than 3.4oz or 100 ml in your carry-on bag if:

*The duty free liquids were purchased internationally and you are traveling to the United States with a connecting flight.

*The liquids are packed in a transparent, secure, tamper-evident bag by the retailer and do not show signs of tampering when presented to TSA for screening.

*The original receipt for the liquids is present and the purchase was made within 48 hours.

PS- TSA Blog has so much fun junk. For real.

Edgar, I checked with American and you're right, we do have to go through customs and immigration and go through rescreening in Philly. American said we should make the 1.5 hour connection to Boston as long as we check in online for both flights before we leave Barcelona. We will have no checked luggage to wait for and usually get TSA preapproval on domestic flights, so that would help. But if lines are long, we will miss our connection. Fortunately, there are 10 daily nonstop American flights from Philly to Boston, 4 of which follow ours. The airline said not to worry, if we miss the connection, they will just put us on the next flight.

Max, I think we will not do Duty Free because I can't think of anything we could buy in Barcelona that we could not buy at home with less hassle. But that is interesting and useful information, assuming they have not changed it since 2014.

I agree that there is marginal utility for me from the Duty Free STEB program. But, TSA's blog has reaffirmed the rule for 2017 summer travel, so still in effect.

Thanks for checking, that's good to know.

Hi again seatonba - A couple of years ago, we came home from London to Denver, with a connection in Dallas in between (using Avios, as no direct LHR-to-DEN flights were available). We landed in Dallas right when about 8 other planes landed, and the lines for customers were impossibly long. I don't recall if we'd been delayed leaving Heathrow or not (I think so, and we were unusually tired from the experience up to that point, as I recall), but there was no way we were going to make our connection, remaining at the back of that line! We found an official person immediately and explained our situation, and she called out to the crowd to see if anyone else was in the same situation. It turns out there were a handful of others, also needing to connect elsewhere in the USA, and we all showed her our paperwork to prove we weren't just trying to jump the line. She moved us to the front of the passport control queue we could get to our next flight in time. We had a similar situation this June, arriving at Heathrow with a connection to Glasgow, and the line was waaaaay longer than we'd ever seen before. A Border Control representative was able to help move us up and get us through in time to continue to security, have our carry-ons and physical bodies checked, and proceed to our next flight. British security seems tighter, more thorough, and subsequently much slower than ever before, but such is the world (and travel) these days. If you're running tight and have a connection to make, please speak up, and someone may be able to assist.

Cyn, thanks so much for the reassuring stories. I certainly hope they will do that in Philly. Kind of surprised they did that at Heathrow, which is not known for being traveler-friendly, at least they didn't used to be during the years when we used the airport a lot. We will need help to make our flights, particularly the Boston connection, on this trip so we'll be sure to grab someone for assistance.

My husband and I both used the eBags Weekender MotherLoad backpack. It is soft sided and corners are more squared off for easier packing with cubes. Because of the soft sides, you can squish them into a smaller space if you need to. They have no rigid structure, so weight is low. We over-packed them according to the weight restrictions that most airlines have. But, if you can carry it on your back without looking stressed, the ticket agent should not question you about size. The agents did ask us to turn around so they could view them. Then waived us on with a look like "oh, never mind". I carried a good size purse in addition to the backpack with no troubles. I also took note when putting this pack in the overhead compartment that it was way smaller than the other hard sided, wheeled cases people were loading up there! We also traveled a lot by train. Pack is very comfortable to wear on travel days.

jkkrueger, there do seem to be a good number of pro votes and favorable reviews for the Mother Lode. A few days ago I ordered and had to return it because it was too big for me (I'm 5'2" and have a small frame). But I just got the Jr version delivered today, and I'm looking forward to doing a trial packing run to see how well my stuff fits and how heavy it is to carry. It seems really well designed. I'm still worried about reports about some of the straps breaking or not supporting enough, so we'll see. It certainly sounds reasonable that the more easily you carry your backpack, the less likely the gate attendants will be to challenge it. Maybe I'll try to tap dance my way onto the plane.

UPDATE: After hitting the shops and trying out a few online bags, I ended up choosing the Ebags TLS Mother Lode Weekender Jr. On a test run, I was able to pack it with everything I need for the 3+ week trip in less than 16#. I'm a 65 year old woman, and I have recently carried 15-20# (using my Osprey) for several miles on hikes in the national parks so this weight should be OK for the distances I'd be looking at in Europe. The Weekender Jr backpack feels comfortable and fits me better than the full size version does (I'm 5'2" and I tried both bags). My travel plan is to carry an expandable tote, containing my trusty Travelon purse, my travel pillow, and my electronics plus in-flight things, as a personal item. That will be fine for the trans-Atlantic flight on BA. Then when we get to Barcelona, I will shed some of the items and pack less for the side trip to Portugal, since Ryanair and TAP are stricter. On that trip, I'll take the same Ebags carry on, minus several items, plus my Travelon purse as the personal item. Then back to Barcelona, where I'll trade Portugal items for Seville items and do the same thing for the Vueling flight to Seville. Then back to Barcelona before returning home on BA, with the full carry on that includes anything we picked up during our travels. It sounds complicated but it's actually pretty simple as plans go.

Thanks to everyone for sharing your opinions, comments, anecdotes, information etc. It gave me so many good options to sort through. I'll let you know if this bag doesn't work out for me. And if it doesn't, there are many more things to try for the next trip. Happy travels to everyone!