Hello fellow travelers, I am traveling to Venice, Florence and then a wedding in Tuscany. In Venice and Florence, I will not have a car of course and will be taking trains in between and walking from train stations to boats or streets to hotels. Everything seems very walkable. What do you recommend, back packs or wheeled luggage for the water taxis and streets of Venice; and the streets of Florence?
Grazie!
It depends on your ability to carry weight on your back, and your preference. I use a 20" rolling carryon all the time, the RS one, which has no problem on cobblestones. Some bags do.
A backpack weighs less empty and you don't have to keep pulling the handle of a rolling bag up and down to get on and off trains or vaporetti, so you may prefer that.
I use wheeled just because my back would kill me if I lugged a back pack on it. For me, another consideration would be time of year - if it was going to be during the heat of summer and early fall, a backpack will most likely tire you out faster and make your back all sweaty...unless you don't have far to walk to your accoms.
My biggest pet peeve with BP though is people have no idea that their pack is hitting people in the head or bumping into people since they can't feel it. So if you do go with a BP, keep it off your back on buses and subways (and vaporettos), and really be aware of it on trains and planes and in crowded situations. And don't keep anything valuable in the front zippers as I think that is a pickpockets dream.
I use a backpack. I'm young (in my 20's) and find it more convenient to have my things "on my person" than rolling behind me.
It really is just personal preference though. I pack extra light (less than 16lbs) so the backpack doesn't bother me, even though I'm pretty short (just 5ft 4).
The one downside to the backpacks in summer is your back might get sweaty walking from one place to another. This likely wouldn't be a problem in other times of year though.
It's a personal preference. I like a roller bag but my 23 year old son prefers a backpack. Choose the one you're more comfortable with. I suggest packing both and walking around with them for an hour or so, maybe take them to the park to see what they're like on different surfaces. See which is more comfortable to you.
Donna
My wife uses the roller bag, I use the backpack, and we're both happy with our choices.
Some things to consider: The wheels, handle and associated hardware add about three pounds to the empty weight of the roller bag, and take up some of the interior volume. Also, the roller bag has a hard shell on the back half, which would make the bag harder to squish into an airline bag sizer, if necessary.
I've used the RS convertible back pack in previous years but am changing this year to the RS 20 inch roller. I've taken it on a couple of Road Trips this summer and it was fine. Will see how well it does in a few weeks when I head to Europe.
For Venice, the problem is that the bridges you see are actually steps not a ramp (altho a couple have ramps). See how many bridges you have between your vaporetto or ferry stop and your hotel. You'll have to carry the wheelie up and over. Florence is fairly flat so no problem except for crowds.
You might be interested in this bag - High Sierra AT605-235 AT605 Carryon On Wheeled Backpack with Removable Day Pack - I have the 20" my husband uses the 23" - It rolls very well and when you need to you can carry it like a back pack - it has adjustable padded straps - we found that this was very convenient in Venice - up and over bridges and on rainy days if we were trying to transport bags and carry an umbrella.
Many thanks to all the recommendations and sharing of experiences! Yes, weather will be a factor - I hope it will not be too hot in early September - a few weeks from now. I guess a sweaty back can't be helped, back pack or no back pack!
Thanks again.
Naturally each has pluses and minuses. I use Rick's convertible back pack because I don't enjoy dragging a wheeled bag around. One of the other benefits of a pack is that it weighs a few pounds less than a roller. With airlines getting stricter about the weight of carry-ons, every pound counts. Alitalia wouldn't allow my roller as a carry-on for a December 31st flight (over by less than I kilo). I received the bag at my home on January 6th which didn't make my overnight stay in Paris too much fun. Incidentally I'm over seventy years old and an out of shape couch potato. My pack is a bit more physically demanding but I find it worth the extra exertion...
If you go with wheeled luggage, be sure to get one with good sturdy wheels. Otherwise the cobblestones will destroy them.
I'm going solo to Italy and France next month for three weeks and plan to take my RS convertible bag on the plane along with my RS Civita day bag, both of which have survived three previous trips with my wife and her mother. I noticed on the last trip that the biggest problem with the bag was not on my back in Europe getting on and off of trains, busses, etc., but going through long walks at airports and getting through lines in customs when I came back. After looking at Rick's new rolling backpack I decided that the loss of space and expansion wasn't worth the wheels, but it did give me an idea. I went on Amazon and found a lightweight folding cart that many use for small items or computer bags. It is 2 lbs and when folded measures 10"x13"x3" thick, the size of the wheels, AND when folded it fits comfortably in my convertible bag. It also has bungee cords to hold whatever it carries in place. When it arrived I filled my bag with everything I'm taking to Europe and there was still room for the cart, and in total with the cart it only weighed 20 lbs. I pulled it around the house and then around my yard and it worked fine in both places. It is made by Samsonite and was $21. If you can still do the backpack thing I recommend looking at this. I'm a 70 year old man who is looking forward to using it on my upcoming trip.
Jim
celia,
Everyone has their own preference, and I suspect the majority prefer wheeled luggage. I'm an "older" traveller but I prefer a Backpack as I find it easier and quicker to move around. I normally travel with a main Backpack (checked for air travel), and a companion Daypack (use for carry on). With a properly fitted Backpack, most of the weight should be carried on the waist belt so I find them quite comfortable. Most of the time I'm only carrying the pack through airports or from the rail station to the hotel so it's mostly short term use. However there have been a coupe of occasions when I've had to wear it for longer periods of time, and that's where the "proper fitting" for torso length is important.
If you decide on a Backpack, one important tip to mention. When on water taxis in Venice, but sure to take the pack off and place it on the deck. If you don't do that, you will likely be told to!
We are still using the backpack style in Europe but the wheeled bags in the US. The day is coming when we probably will go completely wheeled. But for the moment we like having our hands free with moving through crowd and sidewalks in Europe. On a crowded bus or subway, will put the bags at our feet if standing or between our knees if sitting. With the cobblestone and broken concrete in most European cities the rolling bags don't roll that well and you take up a lot of space. If we have cruises in the middle of our trip (fairly common) we will have one rolling bag. It is an old bag with very large two wheels that handle the rough surfaces better. I have seen a lot of the newer, small four wheel spinners not do well on cobblestone. Not sure what we will go to if we have to replace the current rolling bag.
Though I'm pushing seventy and am female, I use a backpack if it's unlikely I'll make purchases, but a rolling bag if I might want to go heavier on the return. The backpack is for short trips, the rolling for longer.
Celia,
Here is what my wife and I have been using for the past few trips to Italy.
Me - RS Convertible carry on backpack, Alpenzell day pack(carried) & Veloce guide bag for I-pad( stuffed into alpenzell until arrival at hotel.
Wife - older version of RS rolling bag (slightly larger than new version), Alpenzell day pack & Veloce guide bag for I-pad.
We also use an Eagle creek medium folder for nearly all of our clothes. (1 each)
I am going to try using my Veloce Guide bag (the day pack sized one) instead of the Alpenzell day pack on future trips.. The Alpenzell invites me to take to much stuff so I/m downsizing. We have both versions of the RS Rolling bag. My wife chooses to use the larger one. We use the newer one for domestic trips. We're both over 60 and so far this works for us.
Good luck & have great trip.
Gene
Going up train car stairs is not that easy. I've seen backpacks cause people to lose balance on the stairs, and even drag them backwards. You're stepping up with your own weight plus whatever is on your back. You will feel the extra weight walking on cobblestone and broken quarry stone too.
I travel with one 20" two-wheeled carry-on weighing a total of 15 pounds. There may be days when you just don't want any weight on your back.
At age 70 and with one spine surgery already, my back would never be able to tolerate a back pack. My husband has less spine issues and considered using a backpack (he likes to be macho), but I talked him out of it and he will be trying the rolling bag this trip. So we have both opted for the rolling bag. We find it easy enough to pick it up when necessary and can carry it up stairs, but I would not want to wear a pack long distances. For us this makes the most sense. Younger people may well manage with backpacks.
We can report on the success of the wheeled bag after the trip ... 4 weeks beginning in early Sept.
Enjoy your trip, Catherine! Just make sure you test your packed roller bag at home for carry-weight and liftability... those little 'one more thing' items can add up. At 70 I travel with a roller bag and love it (but my husband is in charge of getting it to the above-seat storage on the trains.)
Sandra,
" I've seen backpacks cause people to lose balance on the stairs, and even drag them backwards. You're stepping up with your own weight plus whatever is on your back."
That sounds like a case of an improperly fitted Backpack. With a proper fitting, the majority of weight is carried on the hips and not the shoulders (lower centre of gravity). Some packs have the capability to front-carry the Daypack, which provides a way to provide additional "balance". I normally use the hand rail when going up or down stairs.
Catherine,
"Younger people may well manage with backpacks."
I'm not exactly "young" (60+) and I manage fine with a Backpack. Just because one is older, that doesn't mean being relegated to using only a wheelie bag.
