Luggage recommendation for carry-on as only bag that meets budget airline reqs

My husband took this one with us to England this past spring when we went on the Rick Steves Best of England In 14 Days Tour. It was the perfect carry on size for us.
It is from Eddie Bauer and is lightweight:
http://www.eddiebauer.com/product/stowaway-40l-packable-duffel/82302379?showProducts=&color=062&sizetype=&size=

The RS convertible carry-on is a soft-sided backpack, so it's never too large for the measurement system unless you overstuff it. Squeezing it down to fit is perfectly acceptable. Benefits that I like in this bag (and others) include a waist belt to help distribute the weight (but it doesn't fit very tall people) and straps that can be tucked away in the event that you do want to check the bag. Some other bags may save weight with lighter construction.

Thanks, Rebecca! That looks very interesting. I think I'll order one and try it out. I have time. Out of curiosity, did you also have a checked bag or was this it?

I second the recommendation for the Eddie Bauer Stowaway duffel bag. I just checked and it looks like it is currently $40, but often is on sale for less. A plus is that it can be machine washed on a cold, gentle cycle and hung up to dry.

Hey Seakat, No checked bag, this was it.
This was my husband's bag and that was all he needed.
It has a removable, adjustable shoulder strap which is not shown in the pictures. Husband attached the shoulder strap,
wore it cross-body, so his hands were free for using Oyster card in London, holding onto posts on the tube/train, etc.
No checked luggage.
In this bag he had 4 pairs of slacks, 4 knit golf shirts, 2 long sleeve dress shirts, 2 T-shirts, all underwear, socks, toiletries, and still had room left over.
I carried an L.L.Bean tote bag and that was my only piece of luggage.
I purchased the large size:
https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/118107?page=waxed-canvas-tote-bag&csp=a&feat=78927-item_page.recsmiddle
We had everything we needed in those bags.

The only time we ever have had a problem with our pair of RS Convertibles was the Gate Attendant for Croatia Air in Frankfurt who decided my wife's bag (exactly the same size as mine, which I had just walked through) MUST be oversize since she is only 5'1". We both vocally refused, kept going, and put in the overhead above our seats in the A320 without any further issue. We have taken short flights with Ryanair, EasyJet, Aerlingus and Norwegian, never questioned or even looked askance at us.

most budget airlines

Carry-on dimensions can vary from airline to airline, even between budget airlines. Specifically what airlines do you intend to use.

BTW, Ricks convertible carry-on and the G4Free 40L both exceed Ryanair's size in one dimension. If you underfill it to meet all the dimensions, Rick's bag will be slightly larger than the G4Free.

Thanks again Rebecca for the further details. You guys are impressive! I'm hoping I can do the same.

Fyi - for anyone following that is interested in the Eddie Bauer duffel, they do currently have a 30% off sale.

I bought this one for my husband and it was perfect for our trip to Paris.
Cabin Max Metz Backpack Flight Approved Carry on Bag 44 Litre Travel Hand Luggage - 55x40x20 (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IR2VEUS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_KWkCBb6B4E3WF

The Eddie Bauer bag I mentioned is "squishy" (parachute type material) and when under filled you can manipulate it to fit into any metal form the airlines use to check the size.

This is a recommendation for a process of choosing your bag, rather than a specific bag. I am at a time in my life, physically, in which I am no longer able to carry my bag for two weeks (or more) on my back. I need wheels, two preferably. I went onto the websites of the European budget airlines (Vueling and Croatia Air) that I was planning to fly on a recent trip and wrote down the specific allowed dimensions. I then took my trusty tape measure and went to TJ Maxx and Macys (which often has luggage sales) and carefully measured the dimensions of the various bags that I was considering. I have found, the hard way, that published dimensions of bags are frequently not accurate. This was even the case with a Rick Steves rolling bag that I purchased several years ago; the stated dimensions seem to not include, sometimes, the handles and/or wheels. I ended up purchasing a perfectly decent small rolling bag from Macys that fit the dimensions that I needed, and that also had qualities that I wanted (including expanding gusset for my United flight home).

The Rick Steve's convertible carry on is the MAXIMUM size most airlines allow for carry on. The budget carriers you are referring to consider it too big for a no cost carry-on. I have one of Rick Steve's convertibles in my closet but I don't bring it anymore. Each trip I carry a little less and decided the bag was twice as big as what I needed. The budget carriers call it a "full size" carry on and charge extra. The free carry on fits under the seat in front of you, if you need it to. I now carry a shoulder bag that meets the requirements and keep my load around 10 to 12 lbs.

https://www.amazon.com/Carry-Luggage-Flight-Duffle-Underseat/dp/B00HWP8922/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1534171377&sr=8-8&keywords=city+bags+shoulder+bag

This under-seat carry-on fits the most restrictive budget airline measurements and any US airline's basic economy seat.

For carryons, we use Travel Pro 21 inch swivel wheel ultra light carry ons. Only once has a tape measure been used (Norwegian Air Shuttle in Oslo.)
This year my wife was in a wheelchair and I towed her Travel Pro bag. I used an Amazon Basics backpack 21 inch carryon. We had no problems traveling this way.

Gee Continental, I went to the link for the LL Bean bag you referred to, and the specs say it weighs 8 lbs, 3 oz. empty. Doesn't seem too practical to me.

Seakat--- if you are still looking, consider this one---it is what my wife uses--- no complaints or regrets

https://www.ebags.com/hproduct/travelpro/max-lite-4-international-carry-on-rollaboard/311978?productid=10417655&cat=carry-on-luggage&country=US&currency=USD&couponid=94790994&sourceid=ADWPRODUCTB&adtype=pla&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkJi8w6ju3AIVDtvACh2QdQqMEAQYASABEgKi3PD_BwE

Gee Larry, I flew with that bag on European budget airlines like Eurowings and on a Delta Basic Economy ticket (won't do that again). With Delta, basic economy pax aren't allowed to use the overhead compartment and it fit under the seat fully packed.

I don't make recommendations on any product or service unless I've had direct experience with the product or service. Not rocket science.

Full disclosure: except for commuter-style flights to Los Angeles, I check a bag. So now my question -- has anyone considered putting a drawstring through a pillowcase and using this as a lightweight, low-cost carryon ??

Before you buy luggage, know your airlines and their max specs for a carry-on and personal item (and if you get both, or just a carry-on or just a personal item - think Spirit Airlines, just a personal item under the seat is free).

Travel Made Simple has a chart at the bottom of this page:

https://travel-made-simple.com/carry-on-size-chart/

Go through the list and see which airlines you'll be using and use the one that has the lower maximum as your reference for what bags you'll buy or use on your trip, and note if you're allowed a personal item in addition to your carry-on (also noted on the chart). Also check the airline(s) specifically to be sure they have not changed policy since the chart was made!

For example, on our upcoming trip, Norwegian Air is our most restrictive carrier - namely the size restriction on the personal item and that carry-on + personal item has a maximum combined weight allowed before charges apply. I'm packing for those restrictions even though other carriers we'll fly are more generous in their size limits during the trip!