What do you recommend for sturdy carry on luggage?

You've come to the right place for advice on this: if you enter the exact phrase "carry on" (in quotes) in the search box, upper right, you'll be shown links to 2,675 discussions on this website that contain the phrase "carry on"--including 1,911 on the Helpline section of this site. "roller bag" or similar phrases is a more specific search you can do to narrow it down, as you browse the prior discussions you'll see what phrases will get the prior topic threads you want.I think every possible thing that could be said about this subject has been said already and right here. Not all of these links will discuss your question, but many do. Happy Browsing!If you browse some of these and still don't get your question answered, come on back, that's what we're here for.

You didn't say which airline you are taking. Hope it's not Alitalia. If it is, you had better just plan on checking your luggage. Be warned that Alitalia has a 5kg (13.2#) carryon weight limit. Most rollaboard bag weigh between 7-10#, which doesn't leave much for the things you might want to carryon.

If you're taking a U.S. based airline you'll probably be allowed up to 40 lbs (although you don't want to take that much) and limit size to 45 inches total (l x w x h) including wheels and handles.

There are dozens of bags that match the above. YOu can check out Rick Steves stuff, Eagle Creek, Ebags.

And when you say "sturdy" do you mean a hardshell case or just something that won't fall apart?

If you go to www.ebags.com you can browse different types of luggage there and read reviews from people who have actually purchased them and used them. Reviews I read there helped me narrow down what kind of bag I wanted to purchase when I was recently replacing a damaged bag.

Thank you all....I am considering using my eastpack convertabag that is 7 years old....I think you talked me out og the wheels!!!

I've got a TravelPro that I've been very happy with but I wouldn't take it to Europe, too many stairs and cobblestones.

Check out www.onebag.com for a really good discussion of what to look for in a well-built bag.

It talks about zippers, materials, etc. Although my bag has held up well, I wish I would have discovered this site when I was shopping for a bag.

Brad, I agree about onebag.com. It is a wonderful site, and has very useful information.

Because so many of us here respect your thoughts and opinions, I have to ask. If you HAD discovered onebag.com earlier, when you were bag shopping, what would you have done differently? What style of bag, or what specific bag, would you have gone with? What criteria would you have used to make your choice?

I suspect a lot of us will be looking forward to your answers!

With deepest respect,
Skip

Brad and I use the same bag. I'm actually trying to find a lighter bag while most recommended on the onebag site are heavier--but just by a little.

One bit of advice i did take from the site was to get the Tom Bihn Absolute Shoulder Strap for $30. IT"S AMAZING.....most comfortable strap I've ever used. When used messenger style--across the body--it's like I'm only carrying a pound or two.

Kathy

Before you buy any sort of carry-on luggage, it's probably a good idea to check your Airline's website for size restriction. That way there are no surprises. It always annoys me when some brands boast "Carry-On Approved" which doesn't really mean anything! It is possible for one size to be permitted on one Airline and not another.

Don't be afraid to take a measuring tape and measure it's dimensions. Don't get burned.

The only other way around it is to travel with a 17" Roller which is allowed on any Airline and will fit into any measuring box. I know of some Airlines who require their Flight Crew to travel with a 17incher only for this reason since we Dead Head on other Airlines all over the world. It doesn't make sense for our bags to fit only a select few Carrier's requirements.

Most of us here who are hard core carry on only travellers, like me, will want to travel with the largest carry on permitted on board the Aircraft. That makes most sense to me.

I strongly recommend TRAVEL PRO Crew6. It can be pricey but a good investment if you travel frequently. This model is very popular among Flight Crew, thus the name...And as you can imagine, we really put our luggage to the test! I used to use Samsonite/American Tourister (same thing) for personal travel.

The Travel Pro Crew 6 was actually less expensive when you consider how many times I've had to replace the less expensive one plus time to shop for and replace a worn out bag.

Happy Landings...

F/A

Skip,

I answered your PM with the same question.

If I had gone to onebag first. I think I still would have purchased my ebags convertible carry-on.

The difference would have been that I could have been educated about what to shop for rather than just hoping I'm lucky and pick the right bag.

Briggs & Riley make bags that are guaranteed for as long as you own them -- meaning they will repair damaged bags, even if caused by the airline. They seem to be really well made.

Unless this is a one-time thing, I would not suggest spending too much money on what is NOW a regulation bag. The airlines have created a serious situation (ain't free market great?) with their new charge-for-1st-checked-bag policy. Pretty soon everyone is going to try to carry everything on, and there won't be sufficient room in the overhead bins. The obvious solution (and one that generates revenue) is to reduce the carryon size limit. So unless you want to have to check the bag in the future, make it as small as possible.

Lee, you raise a VERY good point! I have had the same thought, that the day may come when the "maximum size" allowed for carry on may shrink. I'm curious, does the 45" dimension requirement come from the FAA, or the individual airline? I believe that each airline can set its own "definition" as far as what length, width and height configuration they will allow. (22x14x9 versus 21x13x11, etc).

Like you, I fear the day will come when the bags we all own will become "check only" pieces....bummer.

I wonder.....how small a bag could we carry, and still be able to travel carryon only??

Skip, I too have been trying to figure that out, and looking for a new bag that would fit. It seems that the worst offenders are 22" wheeled bags that are really more like 24" with wheels and handle, and won't fit into the overhead bin from the back of the bin to the door (across the cabin). Those bags have to go sideways in the bin and take up 24" of bin length.

If I were "resetting" the carryon regulation, I would make the length (say 20") such that the bag "would" fit into the overhead bin back to door, and I would set the width (now 14") so it would go in vertically. Then the bag would only take up the third dimension (8") in the bin. Airlines could start having sizing boxes that matched the cross section of a bin.

Lee, so are you thinking it might become something like 21x13x8?? I'm not so sure that 22x14x9 doesn't work, if people would stop overstuffing their bags and place them correctly in the overheads. I don't think, however, that a 22x14x9 does so well under a seat.

The bins being designed for the newer aircraft (non-regionals) are slightly deeper than before to allow the 22" bag that FF use.

The moneymakers for the airlines are international flights and business travelers. Business travelers like to travel light and carry-on only. If you take that away from them, they will revolt. (you may remember a few years ago the FAA tried to limit carry-on to personal size only and the airlines swarmed Washington to get taht changed. )

So, I think you will start to see slightly smaller "wheeled bags" that would fit--with wheels and handles--the 22 x 14 x 9 that we are used to. The non-wheeled bags will be fine because they have a little bit of "give" in them.

As for fitting under the seat, well, not all seats are the same size so having one rule for that is difficult.

Many of the major airlines are now deploying extra personnel to monitor carry-on bags to make sure people stick to the limit.

Of course, I'm talking about US based airlines. Overseas carriers do what they want. Most of those carriers limits are not so much in size, but in weight.

All good points. Maybe the problems will resolve themselves when the airlines start checking all carryon bags in the rigid "sizer" set at the 22x14x9 size/shape. That would help catch both the "overstuffed" bags and the wheeled bags that don't fit because of the external wheels. Personally I'd be surprised if the airlines or FAA develop seperate standards for wheeled vs non-wheeled bags. (I would think that would really lead to a revolt among travelers.)

The travelpro Crew6 19in is currently on sale at http://www.lazarsluggage.com/trcr19ro40.html for $120 down from $360.

Is this the one FA mentioned here or is there a smaller one?