Luggage for trip to Europe

Check the carry on weight limit on your airline's web page.
Rick's bag is expandable which is important and the price is reasonable.

My husband and I both have the Rick Steves bag you mention. We used them for a trip three years ago and will take them again in a little over a month. We spent three week in France and Italy with just that bag and the Civita day bag tucked in for day trips. It was wonderful. I packed light and shopped heavy and came back with lots of great souvenirs. I liked the idea of wheels when we were choosing bags but with all the stairs and uneven streets I appreciated the back-pack style.

The best example is when we arrived in Venice only to find a one-day transit strike going on. We ended up walking all the way from the train station to San Marco Square with all our luggage instead of taking the water taxi we had planned. It wasn't fun but we made it and it was certainly easier without wheels.

Luggage is always a personal preference. We use wheel carry on size bags in the US but for European travel use only the back pack style of carryon size bags. Whells only add weight and we didn't find them very useful in Europe. We own three Rick Steves bag and one Eagle Creek bag. While Eagle Creek bag has more switches and whistles, we actually prefer the Rick Steves bags. Although the Steves bag and ECreek are the same size vol wise the Steves bag is an inch or two narrower and an inch or two deeper. We find the Steves bags easier to pack because of the greater depth. For the price I don't think there is a better bag. The Swiss Army are pricy and ones that I have seen I didn't think that they would worth the premium price.

An additional question would be, does anyone know whether the Rick Steves bag comes with a warranty? The Swiss Army bag comes with a Lifetime warranty, and a guarantee that covers mishandling by common carriers... Has anyone ever had to use their warranty on a bag?

Megan - you asked about using the warranty on bags. We own 2 Swiss Army Victorinix bags - not the ones you mentioned though - ours are standard wheeled ones. Bad news is we have had problems with both of them (luggage handle wouldn't come out, zipper broken). Good news is that we have not had to pay for their repair and in one case they just gave us a new one.

We also own 2 Rick Steves bags - again, not the convertible but just with wheels. I do like that this bag is much lighter than my Victorinix bag and have used it with no problem so don't know about any warranty issues.

I just purchased Rick's 21-inch Roll-Aboard (tags are still on it). The warranty states:

"Every Rick Steves travel product comes with our guarantee that it will be free of from material and manufacturing defects for the life of the product. If such a defect should appear, we will repair or replace the product (at our option) free of charge. The guarantee does not cover damage caused by an airline or other common carrier."

Hope this info helps with your decision.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who have responded!! This is my (our) first trip abroad and this site has been extremely helpful so far!!!

I don't have the Rick Steve's bag but fond one very similar on ebags.com. The bag was like 49 bucks with free shipping and has held everything I need for a month long trip. Sturdy with heavy duty zippers but no wheels. I prefer no wheels since they are extremely useless in Europe. It isn't expandable like Rick's bag so you'll have to decide if that is something you'll need. I also bought a daypack that folds up into it's own outer pocket. Great for throwing in your bag and not taking up much room and then pull it out when you need it. I don't know why Rick doesn't have them with his name on it since they are made by Kiva (the same people who make the Rick Steve's bags) and they seem to fit the RS packing principles.

I have an older (non-expandable) Rick Steves convertible bag. I've made five trips to Europe with it and it has stood up very well. It also fits my needs perfectly. Because it is a non-expandable bag, it weighs only 2-1/2# ! I pack light for two reasons. First, and most importantly, I don't ever want to check luggage, ever. I have had too many close calls with checked luggage. I learned my lesson. With the Lufthansa 8kg (17.6#) weight limit, I can carry 15# of useful stuff and still carry-on. Second, I travel exclusively by train, and having a light bag help me get it on and off quickly, and makes it easier if my motel is some blocks from the station. I don't want a wheeled bag, because they weigh around 5# more than this bag. That would cut my "payload" by 1/3.

Megan,
I have the 'Rick Steve's bag with wheels and love it. I have used it on two European trips and found it very easy to use. My husband has the back pack bag by rick and he likes it too. I would rather roll my bag than carry it through airports and train stations. It is not that heavy to carry up stairs.

After checking with at least a half dozen website, no one lists the weight of the Swiss Army bag you mentioned. There is probably a reason they don't want you to know what it weighs.

Also, I noted that it does not very efficiently use the maximum carryon dimensions. It tapers from the bottom to the top, wasting potential volume. In comparison, Rick's bag is nearly a rectangular solid. You get every bit of available volume.

I've actually checked out the Swiss Army bag in person, at a luggage store. It weighs probably between 10-15lbs... it's quite heavy i suppose. i wasn't even thinking about that in regards to it being a carryon. Did someone say the Rick Steves bag only weighs 3lbs (the one without wheels)? How comfortable is the Rick Steves carry-on backpack?

Rick's 21-inch rolling bag weighs 7 lbs.

My recommendation is to find a travel store or other place where you can take the bags for a spin and see how they fit/feel even if you don't purchase them from this vendor. Travel bags are a very personal decision and you want to be comfortable! :-)

My wife and I have the Steves bags that we purchased 10 years ago.Seven years ago we bought wheeled bags.We use then 4-5 times a year in our travels and also to Europe and we have never had any problems.They are all in excellant shape.I also have a 10 year old Civita bag that has been in many theme parks in the US(used by my daughters family) in addition to many trips to Europe.It also is in excellent shape.I dont feel they need a warranty.jack

My husband and I have used Rick's bags for more than 20 years-- yes the same bags. They still look new and we have carried them on more than 40 2+week trips. They hold more than enough and are great- backpack, sholder or hand carry. Ours are black and haven't shown any wear and tear.

By the way- Rick's bags are very comfortable, very, VERY light and look enough like "real" suitcases that we don't get funny looks even when we stay in more expensive places. I am able to pack for 2-3 weeks - bag and all weigh less than 13 lbs.- My husband can even pack and it weigh less than 10!!!!

Hi Megan, for my trip to Italy, my only baggage was a carry on bag. It was the same size and shape as Rick Steve's old carry on bag (no wheels, not expandable, not convertible). I bought the bag, at a discounted price, from a mail - order catalog. I think Rick, in his travel skills video, said he puts three sets of underwear in his carry on bag, when that is the only bag that he uses. I put five sets of underwear in my bag, and it was not enough, because I did not find a laundramat in Italy when I needed it. And, I was told that they do not have clothes drying machines in Italy. What about the countries in eastern Europe that you will go to. So, I wore the same underwear for three days, until I was in Milan where I purchased new underwear in an expensive department store. But I was glad that my carry on bag was my only bag the day I flew from Italy (at Milan's Milpensa airport) to the United States of America. No more space here, I will continue this in another posting here.

My carry - on bag has straps, for carrying the bag as a backpack. The straps, when not needed, can be inserted in a wide pocket in the bag, the pocket is zipped shut. I did not like carrying that bag on my back, because of the weight. For me, it was more comfortable to carry the bag in front of my body, holding it with my two arms. If a traveler will walk in an underground train station that is known for having many pick pockets (thieves), I recommend carry the bag on your back, as a back pack, so your arms will not be holding anything. A pick pocket person would not try to steal anything from you. I was never interested in having any bag that has two wheels and an extendable handle. If a bag has two wheels, pulling or pushing the bag, on its two wheels, is a balancing act, while you are walking. Put light - weight items in your bag.

Hi Megan,
YOu do realize that you will be very carefully scrutinized by security at the airport if you dont chk bags...just a thought.

Well, i just bought 2 of the Swiss Army packs... we'll see how they perform. We're taking them on a short trip to Martha's Vineyard in July... I'll report back!