Luggage-- Rick's and others

I got the wheeled Osprey Ozone before my last trip and really liked it. Lightest wheeled luggage I could find.

JoeC,

I'm not a big fan of Rolling Backpacks, as I've so often articulated here. The wheels and handle mechanism add weight and they don't have a waist strap, so proper torso range adjustment is impossible when they're used as a Backpack. Although I'm somewhat "older", I prefer using a properly fitted Backpack.

I'd suggest using either wheeled luggage OR a Backpack. Here are a few options....

• Wheeled Luggage: you could look at either Rick Steves products, Eagle Creek, Swiss Gear or others. There are LOTS of manufacturers of that type of luggage. Have a look at the Magellan's website for some ideas.
• Backpacks: again, lots of different brands on the market. Have a look at Eagle Creek, Osprey or Gregory Packs. You'll also have to consider whether you prefer a panel-load or top-load Pack and whether features like a stowable harness system or detachable Daypack are important. With a Backpack, proper fitting for your torso length is important, so it would be preferable to find a local outlet that sells the packs so that they can take the measurements and make the adjustments.
• Other products: If you have a "generous budget", you could also look at products from Tom Bihn or Red Oxx. The quality is exceptional, but they're not cheap.

Good luck with your decision!

I've been using the RS rolling carryon for a few years, it's holding up very well. I had the rolling backpack before but never used the backpack function.

We have the Travelpro Maxlite 20 inch expandable rollaboards, and are very happy with them. They are lightweight, so it's easy to lift them into the overhead compartments on planes and trains, and the wheels held up really well on the cobblestones. You can get them on Amazon for around $70.

"Travelpro Maxlite 20 inch expandable rollaboards ... are lightweight"

That bag weighs 6# 4 oz! I would hardly call that lightweight. The bag itself weighs over half of what I carry.

I've made 10 trips of between 12 and 21 days to Europe since 2000, all with convertibles. I find the backpack straps a very convenient way to carry my luggage and have my hands free.

I would recommend the Essential Carryon. It's a convertible backpack that weighs only about 1¾#.

Wheels are for those who lack the discipline to pack light.

Thanks to everyone for your responses. I think you've talked me out of something that is both rolling and a backpack. The ability to carry things on our back is more important than the rolling part.

However we do want something that can be a carry on as well. It looks like Rick's convertible carry on meet that need, but have you seen others that do as well? Thanks again

We have used Rick's convertible bags as a carry on many times.

On my last trip to Europe I wanted the ability to put my bag on my back, but also to have wheels. My solution was to use the convertible bag and a wheeled tote bag was my personal bag. I could stack the convertible bag onto the wheeled tote and pull them together, or when getting on/off trains or navigating stairs I could slip my bag on my back and pick up the tote. It worked great!

I would get yourself to a good sporting goods store like REI and try on the diverse packs. Make sure the sales person measures you of the correct size pack. Like you, I am planning on an extended trip and could not decide, roller or backpack. I looked at the Osprey Ozone and feel in love with it. Unfortunately the type of travel I plan to do will include hiking and the Osprey Ozone is not conducive to this. I then went over and tried on several backpacks. I am a convert! Backpacks have come along way since I last used one. Deuter, Osprey, and Gregory are the main packs I now have my eye on. After Christmas, I plan to take my husband down to REI and have him measured and to try on backpacks. He still thinks of backpacks from his military days many decades ago. I do wish you the best on your trip and remember, the luggage you use is to be your home away from home so choose wisely.

I forgot to point out that I do have a nice internal frame backpack, one I've used when hiking in the Sierra Nevadas.

For our Europe travels we'd like something we can wear in the Alps, and carry on when flying.

Rick's convertible looks good. Just wondering if anyone has experience with something similar they purchased elsewhere. Thanks again

Do you need something to hike the Alps with, or to get you from hotel to hotel? That makes a difference.

Both Andrea. :) The Alps hikes will be day hikes-- nothing hard core.

I'm a fan of the Osprey Porter 46. Not sure that I'd really want to carry it on my back all day, so if you're planning to use it for that, then maybe not the best idea. However, it's been fabulous in airports, to-from hotels, and even fits in the overhead bins in tiny regional jets as long as I don't stuff it too full. Maybe the Porter for most of the travel and a small daypack for your hikes in the Alps and sightseeing?

If you're only doing day hikes it won't matter what your bag is like, unless you are hiking between lodging. I would just bring whatever is most comfortable to you, using the mode of transportation you have decided on.

@ joeC

The Alps hikes will be day hikes-- nothing hard core.

If youre just going to use whatever as a day pack, what good would wheels do you on "day hikes"?

Also, i would seriously think about what yorue going to do since carrying an extra pack around could just take up valuable space and weight.

wheels arent that great in dirt/mud/gravel.

i think some of RS packs have a separable day pack.

good luck and happy trails.

I go to Europe every year for 11 of the last 12 years for a month and have used RS 21" roller bag exclusively. I have rolled it over every imaginable surface with no big problems. It is "carry-on" sized, at least for all of the airlines departing for Europe from the US that I have flown on. I have never been told that it was too big and had to be checked. My bag has been replaced with a new one available thru RS Travel Store elsewhere on this web site.

I have been using the RS Rolling Backpack for the last two years and love it. It's taken me all over Scotland, England, France, Italy and Spain and still looks fairly new. If your going to actually spend most of your time hiking I would recommend you get a true backpack but if your like me and just use the Rolling Backpack to get from one Hotel to the next then it is excellent. I also own the RS Civita Day pack and I use that for daily hikes, their made of a microfiber material and are amazingly strong yet can be packed into a small space. I use to just use a regular back pack all the time but after I turned 62 I found that the Rolling Backpack was better on my back, especially in airports and train stations.

I wouldn't recommend a rolling backpack. If you carry it as a backpack, the wheels add too much weight. Many European airlines restrict the weight of your bag as much as the size.

Also, Rick's (as well as Campmoor and others) convertible carry-ons are a lot like carrying a sack of potatoes - whether they come with a waist strap or not. They don't have much structure or internal support to make them a true backpack. I compensate by rolling my clothes and packing in a way to add some level of structure to my bag.

Right now, I'm using a Campmoor convertible carry on because it's the cheapest, lightest, as well as similar in all other respects to more expensive bags. I really like the luggage style zippers. Anything resembling a ruck sack is going to be a pain to get in and out of. Most backpacks are made too long for carry-on requirements so have to be checked, which is another reason I don't use them.

Although convertibles really aren't great "packs", I find I rarely walk over a mile (usually a quarter of that) so I value the packing convenience and light weight more than I miss something easier to carry.

My wife uses a 20" roll on and is happy with it. She only carries it when she's going up or down stairs or hopping on or off buses and trains. She has a Hayes USA X-case - again purchased because it was the lightest weight we could find. 20" ensures it always fits - a 21" inch, with rigid wheels and handle, might exceed the carry-on limit.

We have multiple trips of one month and one of six-weeks using only one carry-on each (no additional "personal" item). While my wife gets tired of the clothes she packs, neither of us miss checking bags or being weighed down with extra stuff during our trip. We wash socks and underwear almost nightly in our room and stop at least every other week for a full wash at a laudromat.

I also put one of Rick's civita daypacks inside my carry-on, because it's light and folds up to nothing.

On non-travel days, I carry extra stuff I might need for the day in it like: sweater, rain shell, picnic stuff (plastic fork, paper napkin, swiss army knife w/corkscrew), groceries, tiny tripod for my camera, etc.

I got fitted for a backpack at rei a few years ago and love it for overseas travel- took it on a 2 week trip to Europe and 3 weeks to SE Asia and wouldn't have done it any other way. I got the Gregory Deva and also have an REI flash pack for day hikes, etc.- when not in use you can stuff it into the big bag.

If you go the back pack route, a couple of tips- pack light (you can always do laundry!) and don't buy an overly large pack. Get compressible bags to pack your clothes in and wear the heaviest pair of shoes on transit days.

Thanks everyone for the feedback and suggestions. Karen and I ended up going with a pair of Rick's convertible carry ons. There were less expensive bags out there, but we liked these and figured this wasn't a place where we needed to cut corners. We got a Civita day bag too,,,apparently I'll be carrying that when needed ;).

The bags will get the shakedown cruise in a couple weeks-- we're heading to Guatemala for a month Jan 9. If you're in Spain or Italy in the Spring, and see a couple sporting slightly broken in red and camel, bags please say "Hi!"

My husband and I both have the convertible bags and they have worked well for us. Since it has no structure it's best to use packing cubes. A set of RS cubes fit perfectly.

Since I review convertible bags for my website, I'm fairly familiar with just about every one that's available.

If you let me know what features are important to you and your price range, I'll be happy to suggest a few.