weekend luggage

For a week, you can get everything you need in the cheapest, lightest, no-frills thing you can find. You won't wear it out in a year unless you pop a zipper from over-stuffing. Don't fill it so full that it won't reshape a little when you squish it into the resizing frame.

Here's another suggestion. Campmor Essential Carry-On. Their product no. 60795. You can go to Campmor.com to find it. It weighs about two pounds, is a full size legal bag with hidden backpack straps and handles of the side and the end. A shoulder strap can be attached and a cheap one is included. The price right now is $29.95. Many light weight carry-on travelers started with this bag. It is soft enough to roll up and be put into another bag. I would get a couple outside cinch straps (we made our's) to squash the bag down so no air inflates it at test time at the check in desk.

Alex for me, for a 2-3 day visit I could easily travel ( and have) with just a small over the shoulder carry on.. I mean all you need is two tshirts, 2-3 undies and you are set, its not like you need new jeans to wear every day right? A backpack would work well too, my hubby uses one for up to 2 weeks easily, its not like you need to pack formal wear right? So a good smaller backpack would work for most guys for a week. PS
I suggest you look at Vueling, Berliner air , Tuifly and Easyjet as well as Ryanair. They don't use the most convenient airports and they seem a bit cheaper but then you have to pay more to get into the cities.. be careful to learn which airports they use and what the commute to the place your destination really costs in time and money.

Alex for me, for a 2-3 day visit I could easily travel ( and have) with just a small over the shoulder carry on.. I mean all you need is two tshirts, 2-3 undies and you are set, its not like you need new jeans to wear every day right? A backpack would work well too, my hubby uses one for up to 2 weeks easily, its not like you need to pack formal wear right? So a good smaller backpack would work for most guys for a week. PS
I suggest you look at Vueling, Berliner air , Tuifly and Easyjet as well as Ryanair. They don't use the most convenient airports and they seem a bit cheaper but then you have to pay more to get into the cities.. be careful to learn which airports they use and what the commute to the place your destination really costs in time and money.

www.skyscanner.com turns up budget airlines that often don't appear on the big international search sites.
A small suitcase with good wheels is easier to handle than a backpack, at least for me. I can't count the times I had something slung over my shoulder and bumped into other passengers when I turned around.

Canadian: Wears pack on airplane while doing whirling dervish act down the aisle. Regular 'Merican: Politely carries pack in front of hisself with hand at belt level.

you could buy a samsonite suitcase through the Ryanair website that's guaranteed to be accepted as cabin baggage as long as you are under the 10 kilo weight limit. http://www.ryanair.com/en/questions/samsonite-cabin-bag

"I can't count the times I had something slung over my shoulder and bumped into other passengers when I turned around." Most prudent people check before turning around! But I can't count the number of times I have almost tripped over a rolling bag that someone was trailing out beside them below eye level. If you have to have a rolling bag, drag it directly behind yourself. I've used an Essential Carryon for five years now (4 2-week trips in Europe. I just used it for a weekend (Wed - Mon) trip to California, and it held all I needed and was not to heavy to carry. My girlfriend used a roller bag, and it was much more trouble.

Alex, How much do you want to spend on your new luggage? I'd suggest having a look at www.tombihn.com for some ideas, as something like the Western Flyer or one of their Backpacks may fit the bill. You could also have a look at www.redoxx.com as their products are equally good quality. However, given the type of travel you'll be doing I would NOT suggest using the Air Boss as it's heavy and large when fully loaded, and probably won't fit the European budget airline criteria. Cheers!