Lightest carryon suitcase

There have been several very recent threads about luggage, carry-on size, 4-wheel spinner vs. 2-wheel, etc. Did you try using the Search field in the upper right corner of this page, or browse the thread titles in the various boards? After reading recent conversations, you could ask a question about a specific brand or style to see if people have experience with it.

I would say that any bag under three pounds would be good. No wheels. The best one I've seen recently is the Eagle Creek Adventure Weekend. It is a lot like the ones we have used for fifteen years.

This is what I use, primarily because it's the lightest bag I could find. With the weight and price, you might think it's not sturdy. I've found it to be well made and expect to use it for many years to come. http://www.campmor.com/essential-carry.shtml

No Rose I didn't do a search per say But any that I saw recently were asking different types of questions on the packing light or luggage questions. Thanks for the info. Monte & Brad.

I see you did not do "a search per say". Did you check out the RS Travel Store elsewhere on this web site? It has all kinds of luggage for sale, and they will ship (or at least they did when I bought one). As far as number of wheels goes, there have been many, many post related to that subject on the Helpline and the opinions cover every possible combination, from none to two to four.

Ok. Let me ask this then....what is a light weight for a carry on suitcase ? I will look on RS for their products.

I just ordered/received an 18" Osprey 'Ozone' rollerbag that weighs 4 lbs 4 oz. It's perfect for me for 2-3 weeks in Europe during spring and autumn, but may be too small for some people. I tend to travel very light.

Shelley, Look at this page for Rick Steves own line designed especially for the type of traveling you will be doing: http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/catalog/index.cfm?fuseaction=catalog&parent_id=167 Convertible Carry On or Back Door Bag get my vote. You do not need the extra weight that wheels put on the bag.

I've done wheels (2 wheels only) and I've done no wheels (RS Convertible bag). My last trip to Europe I tried something new. I used my convertible bag as my main bag. It was convenient for getting on & off trains, up and down stairs, and things like that. I also used a wheeled tote bag as my personal bag. When not needing to carry the main bag I was able to stack it on top of the tote bag, resting it against the long handle. It was much easier on my back wheeling the bag most of the time, only needing to carry it on those above mentioned occasions. My travel partner on that trip did the same and it worked great for her too.

I recently got the Oprey Ozone 22" and like it so far. Two wheels, only 4.5 pounds, which is 2 to 4 pounds lighter than most 22" wheeled bags.

The Osprey 'Ozone' 22" rollerbag weighs 4 lbs 7 oz, as described at: http://www.ospreypacks.com/en/product/ultra-light_bags/ozone_2246l The Osprey 'Ozone' 18" rollerbag weighs in at 4 lbs 4 oz. (I just got the 18" one.) http://www.ospreypacks.com/en/product/ultra-light_bags/ozone_1836l

I like the Rick Steve's Rolling Backpack, it weighs ~5 lbs and has taken me to Europe 3 times and still looks almost new. I like the option to either roll or carry or use as a backpack. Read a lot of opinions/reviews and try on several bags because it seems that everyone has different ideas what the ideal bag is for packing light.

Shelley, are there any particular bags you're interested in? Well, if you're interested in backpacks...the RS bag is about 3lbs, and my Eagle Creek bag is 4lbs - and the EC fully-loaded feels much lighter than my RS bag, because it has a proper waist belt (and sternum strap). I have potential for back issues and painful sciatica, and I have carried that very full and heavy EC bag for hours (including standing in a slow-moving line for a couple of hours) without noticing I was wearing it. Yea! That would never happen to me with the RS bag; for me, that's more of a domestic airport/car trip bag - not a real piece of travel 'equipment'. The waist belt...isn't. At least, not for me. It's more of a waist 'strap'. For some people the RS bag is just fine for them, though. I use my EC bag for international travel ONLY. That baby gets pampered... I had never used a 'proper' camping/hiking backpack before traveling, and I didn't understand the big deal about waist belts and sternum straps...but after clicking the waist belt buckle, and then the sternum strap, there were major 'light bulbs' and 'a-ha's' all over the place ;-) I saw the light! Or, light bulbs... (cont.)

(cont.) Remember - any backpack will feel heavy to some extent because you're not a turtle. The first day or so will feel strange, just like wearing your moneybelt does. By Day 2 or 3, you shouldn't notice either. Sometimes I use a wheeled bag domestically, and I'm amazed how many times I have to pick the darned thing up! It's a real pain when I've got a smaller bag stacked on top - take the smaller bag off, carry the bags, set the large bag down, strap the smaller bag back on...so using them in Europe, aka The Land of Many Stairs, would drive me batty, methinks. Hopefully, I'll be able to use a backpack for many years to come, but when and if the time comes, I'll use wheels...very reluctantly. Of course, by then, I fully expect that my 'pool boy' will be carrying my luggage ;-)

Great Responses everyone. Thank you. Well, I really didn't have anything in mind. We have a carry-on that I have used in the past but I just wondered if I could find something lighter and wondered if others found 4 wheels better than the two. That's all. We will check out back packs too. I've been wondering about a backpack for myself compared to a shoulder purse... but I think the purse will be handier.

If you are thinking about using a backpack style purse, be aware that many museums, etc, will make you check even the smallest backpack style purse, while allowing much larger standard purses. I use a large shoulder purse by Ameribag (tear-drop shaped, helps take pressure off shoulder with chronic injury) and I've never had it taken away; a friend with a tiny purse/pack would routinely have hers rejected.