Has anyone traveled internationally using Rick‘s spinner carry-on? (Link below) It exceeds the international carry-on limits when you factor in the size of the wheels. It’s only by an inch but I sure would hate to buy this bag and then not be able to carry it on.
https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/carry-on-spinner-luggage
What has been your experience?
What airline(s) are you planning to use?
Where will you be flying from. Comments I have seen here reveal the gate agents at different airports ( same airline) have differing levels of 'enforcement' .
What seat class do you plan to be in?
There is no single answer to your question.
The only way to 'be sure' is to have a bag that conforms to all requirements
Hi Joe,
Lufthansa, Iberia, or whomever has the best rates at the time of travel.
We fly out of LAX or SAN - Economy
I’m just surprised this bag is just outside carry on dimensions since Rick advises light travel and travel-on baggage.
Thanks
I’m just surprised this bag is just outside carry on dimensions since Rick advises light travel and travel-on baggage...
There is no single standard for luggage dimensions/weights. Every airline is different (and enforcement policies vary with the weather and mood of airport staff). And whatever limits that so exist are subject to change (and do change occasionally).
So no business can say for sure that any bag they sell will meet "the international carry-on limits" - because no such limit exists. There are as many "international carry-on limits" as there are airlines in the world (which are large numbers).
You need to discover the specific limit(s) for the actual airline that you will be traveling on, check your baggage dimensions/weight, then you either live with those limits, or take your chances on the enforcement. Yes, that can be an inconvenience.
Both Lufthansa and Iberia have weight limits for carry-on bags, in addition to the dimensional restriction.
When shopping for fares be sure you know these restrictions and what fees apply if you have to check your bag(s).
Then you can do a true comparison of which airline has the best deal.
I didn't buy Rick's spinner because it is an inch too deep for Delta. I fly Delta and British Airways. BA would not have had an issue, but I didn't want to buy a bag that didn't fit the smallest dimension of an airline that I usually fly. This being said, there were several of Rick's spinners on my recent tour. Who they flew and if they carried on, I don't know.
The RS wheeled bags run too heavy for my taste. I use an Osprey Ozone two-wheeler, which weighs 2kg.
I bought Rick's Rolling Carry-on ($179.99 when not on sale) for some family members who flew on Air France, which has a smaller dimension limit, and they were fine at 20"x-13.5"x9" and 6 1/2 lbs. The dimensions includes the wheels as well, so good to go! They had plenty of room for the trip. Watch for the sales. I paid about $130.00 each on sale. I also got each person the Civita daypack in matching colors for each person (24.99 regular price). They have held up well, even including at sleep-away camp for the kids.
We’ve been traveling to Europe for over ten years now. During that time we have used our RS Ravenna wheeled carryons. Last Fall, for the first time, we had to gate check our bags on the Zurich to Venice leg of our trip on Swiss Air, even though we had just come from the San Francisco to Zurich flight with the carryons. Everything is changing and the only carryons they were allowing were half the size of our bags, an inch wouldn’t have made a difference. You need to check with the airlines you’re traveling with both for International flights and the smaller connecting flights and probably be prepared to gate check.
Thank you all for your helpful information! I appreciate it. I was hoping to find something that I could use for every trip, but that might not be possible!
When looking for a bag to be used on non-US airlines, you have to start thinking in metric.
If you could find a bag that is 55 cm x 35 cm x 20 cm, you would fit most airlines carry on limits. (You would need to pay a bit more on some discount airlines to bring on anyting bigger than what would be considered a personal item.)
For weight, if you could keep your bag under 8 kg (17.6 lbs) you would also be okay.
Except-----when the gate agents announce the plane is full and there will not be enough room for wheeled bags in the overhead and they will have to be checked.
I purchased this exact spinner carry-on for my husband and myself.
We each have done carry on only flying Delta & Delta/air france, and have never had any issue or questions.
We have flown out of Amsterdam, London & Paris airports.
