My husband, myself and my inlaws will be traveling from Northern Italy to Sicily this May for 17 days.
My question is should we get a wheeled backpack like the Eagle Creek Switchback 22 or Rick Steve’s Convertible Carry On (or something similar)? Is the option to wheel your backpack worth the extra weight? Walking time will be mostly in the airport and to and from train and hotel. Thanks for your advice!
I have the Switchback 22. I found that the combination of backpack and wheels is heavier than I would like. Nonetheless, I almost always use it with the wheels. I think that wearing a backpack in many places causes inadvertent whacks on people behind me. So I'd rather have a wheels-only model.
Emily:
I asked this question in September before we left for Germany, Austria and Czech Republic and as Kent said, you'll find tons of suggestions. We're in good shape in our early 60's and I'm glad we chose the wheeled Rick Steves bag because there's so much walking you'll during transit, especially if you're taking trains vs. driving. Yes, you'll have to stop and push/pull your handle when going up stairs, etc., bit it's less wear and tear on your body and it was no trouble pulling the suitcase over cobble streets. We met our son and daughter in law (early 30's/late 20's) for part of the trip and they had the Convertible Carry on and even at their young age wished they had roller bags to ease the stress on their backs. I worked really hard to keep the total weight of my bag down to 20-22 lbs so it forced me to pack light. I also carried a PacSafe CitySafe 200 bag worn cross ways for day trips. My husband used a smaller backpack. Good luck and have fun!
For a dozen trips I used the backpack and was happy with it. Now I'm switching to wheels. For the airport and most street traveling (except on cobblestones) wheels are great. The only time I have to pick up my bag is putting it overhead on planes and walking up/down stairs. This works ok for me as long as I keep the weight down. The wheeled bag is several pounds heavier than the backpack. I've noticed that most travelers, including the youthful, choose wheels. There can be a problem passing thru gates on the Tube in London. It's best to go thru the special gates designed for strollers and wheeled bags, otherwise you can get stuck when the gate closes after you.
Hello Emily. If the bag that you are talking about will be your main baggage for the trip, I recommend that most people do not carry it on their backs. You might think the fully loaded back pack is not heavy, until you put it on your back. I think the only reason for wearing a backpack is for a person's hands to be free when the person is at a place where there are pick pockets (a METRO station in Rome). I was told that a thief (pickpocket) is more likely to try to take something from a person who is holding bags with both hands. I recommend bring a bag that has wheels. I had the good luck of acquiring a suitcase that has four small wheels on the bottom (when the suitcase is standing up). It has a vinyl strap, for pulling the suitcase : the suitcase rolls along behind me, on cobble stone streets, and everywhere. My suitcase is not of carry-on size.
(I prefer to have a very small carry-on bag, in airplanes).
Maybe this exact question has been endlessly discussed on the Helpline, but so far the answers to Emily's post have been very one-sided.
I choose to fly Lufthansa because they go where I want to go, and their service is a world better than US airlines. And I carry-on because I know if I don't, it's just a matter of time before I arrive without my checked luggage (it's almost happened three times). Lufthansa has an 8kg (17.6#) carryon limit. Other quality airlines have similar limits. SwissAir is also 8kg; SAS and AF may allow more. Alitalia and Aer Lingus are out of the question with 13#.
With a 2# convertible bag I can live with the Lufthansa limit, but with a 7+# rollaboard, I would be limited to about 10# of "stuff". If that's all I'm allowed, I don't need wheels. I can put it in a 1# duffle and carry it easily.
The advantage to wheels is you don't have to carry it; the disadvantage is it's so heavy you can't carry it - and sometimes you have no choice.
Emily,
I would get a wheeled luggage.i am in good shape, but after all that "running" in the airport and in flight i felt to roll my luggage instead of carrying it on my back.
I had a small backpack and a guide type of purse as carry-ons and I wished the backpack had wheels. It was kind of heavy with a laptop and other things. I don't know how many lbs it was, maybe around 20 ....
The roll ons are better in airports, but are heavy and hold less clothes for the same size bag.
I use a bag similar to Rick's convertable from E-bags. It's light and easy to carry when configured as a suit case. It's padded shoulder straps and belt disappear when I'm not using them. It has compression straps that help keep the load small.
On a recent trip, my wife and two children used roll ons and were happy with them. We had a car so they did very little carrying. My youngest and I carried ours and were happy.
A website called onebag.com has great info on bags, materials, packing, etc. They don't sell anything so the recommendations are only biased based on the writer's personal preferences. You should check it out.
