Convertible Carry-on vs Rolling Carry-On

I’m also curious to hear about the Rolling Backpack, their smallest, 20”, and lightest, 5 1/2 lb bag. It’s very hard to find reviews on these bags.

I started with the RS convertible and moved to the older version of the RS 2-wheel rolling carry on.

RS Convertible Carry On: I was overpacking this bag but it was at the beginning of my journey as a "one-bag/light packer". It's soft sided so easy to pack a lot in. I was using packing cubes for structure but still able to get too much in. The last straw was at the end of an almost 8 week trip with THREE Rick Steves tours back to back to back and I could not lift it to swing it around to my back. Get this...I had to sit on the bed with the pack behind me, put it on and then stand up. I would probably do a lot better with packing it now because I weigh EVERYthing that goes in my suitcase and want the total weight to be under 20#, preferable under 18#. It stood up well and I checked it several times with no damage. I wound up giving it to a friend because I knew at my age I would not go back to a big bag on my back. I never carried it too far so the lack of a waist belt that you would have on traditional packs did not bother me.

RS rolling carry on: I got this to replace the convertible. It packs great and I can get everything I need in there for a month of European travel. I have checked it a lot so it has scuffs on the corners after using it for about 2 Europe trips per year from 2015-2022. The handle is "just OK". It is a little wobbly and I learned right away that I can't stack a personal item on it. The bag does tend to fall forward when fully packed even with shoes in the bottom to give it weight. The tippage factor is worse if you load up the front pockets. It has good pockets and I like the bag length pocket behind the outer pockets as it's perfect for a rain jacket. Mine is older and slightly smaller than the current bag as it is 20" instead of 21". The wheels have worked great - no issues at all pulling over cobblestones or dirt. I often expanded it on the way home. Zippers work great with no issues. It weighs 6# which is the big draw back and why I replaced it.

Osprey Ozone 2 wheeler: I got this to replace the Rolling carry on. I was flying to Milan with the first legs being on Delta and then switching to Air France in CDG. They have a dimension AND weight limit for carry on bags. I wanted to be right on the nose or less for carry on weight and felt the 6# of the RS bag was a barrier. This bag is 4.5" and slightly larger than the RS. It's 21". And yes, 1.5# makes a huge difference. Most of my travel tee shirts are 4-5 ounces so 24 ounces is about what ALL my tops weigh for a month's trip! I have really liked this bag although it has 3 major things that bother some people. It has a monopole handle so you can't stack stuff on it (it does have an attachment you can use over the front but my 2nd bag dragged the ground so I just carry it), it packs weird and it is massively overpriced. There are always spaces after you think you've packed things pretty tightly. The handle is MUCH sturdier than the RS roller even though it is a monopole instead of a dual pole handle. It pulls out and retracts smoothly and does not feel wobbly at all. I can also push this bag if I'm on a smooth floor like in an airport. On my first trip with this bag (the one with the AF leg), my bag weighed 16.1# when I walked out of the door to the airport. With my personal item I was well under the AF limit for bag weight.

I'm happy to answer any questions anyone may have. I still have the roller but as mentioned, gave the convertible carry on away.

I have an old RS rolling carry-on. I believe it’s 21 or 22 inches long, has 2 wheels. It works fine. Less complicated than some modern luggage. It’s been many places. The handle still works fine. The wheels are still fine. It was made by kiva bags in Vietnam.

...gone from using the Convertible Carry-on to the RS Rolling Carry-on?...differences in capacity...durability of the bag overall, especially...wheels and handle.

We've gone from the Convertible to the Rolling bags and haven't notices any real difference in capacity. Just had to make a few minor changes to placement of items. Also, no problems at all with durability of the bag, wheels, nor handles.

I've had all kinds of bags, including carry on size back packs.

But I really like the 21 inch swivel wheel carry on bags. You can turn them 90 degrees and roll them down the airplane aisles to get to your seat. My favorite brand is TravelPro and soft sided--which airline personnel usually use. They're reasonable in price on Amazon.

Thanks, everyone, for the replies! Pam, I hear you on overpacking the Convertible Carry-On. I've done that a few times, even without expanding it. I had a situation where I was wearing the bag in the airport when returning home, I dropped something, so I squatted down to pick it up, and needed help standing up again! Granted, I had at least three bottles of wine in there, along with all of my clothes, etc. so it was really heavy, but that's a reason why I'm thinking about replacing it.

It's good to hear that the Rolling Carry-on has been very reliable for people. It's definitely at the top of the list. I'll look at that Osprey, as well.

David, a friend of mine has the Travelpro Platinum Elite 21" and loves it, but I'm not sure I need all of the features it has, such as the suiter and the USB port, and I've heard that spinner wheels don't do well on cobblestones. It also weighs 7.5 lbs, so it's a bit on the heavy side. It's still on my list as a possibility, though, even though it's considerably more expensive than the RS bag. It was rated #1 by Wirecutter, and ConsumerReports gives one of their other bags a very high rating. ETA: Travelpro has another wheeled bag (2 wheels) that weighs only 4.5 lbs., the Maxlite bag. Will seriously consider that one.

I'm still open to hearing more from other users of the bags, and more bag recommendations!

“I dropped something, so I squatted down to pick it up, and needed help standing up again”

Oh gosh, that made me laugh….AND wince at the remembered thought of that heavy pack. I did not have wine but I had somehow acquired 8 scarves. One scarf is light. A group of 8 is not, lol.

Lots of people here have that Maxlite Pro bag and get good use. I got a regular TravelPro at TJ Maxx but had a handle failure (won’t retract in spite of DIY YouTube videos, lol). I suspect it was a 2nd or something and that’s why it wound up at TJ.

Happy hunting! I suggest a spreadsheet if you’re going to expand your search. Trust me on this (insert eyeroll emoji).

@Pam oh my on spreadsheets. I realize that is what I have going on (but in handwritten form) as I try to analyze if I need a new strictly carry-on sized roller bag. I have the dimensions of my preferred airlines (and weight limits if any) and then the info for the bags I am considering, plus their price of course.

I never do carry-on only when going back and forth to the States, but my outbound travel day next month coincides.with what one of the local papers has said CDG expects to be one of the four biggest days during /following the Olympics for numbers of pieces of luggage checked. So that has spooked me.

(Sorry for the tangent on your thread Stephabrad!)

Pam:

I laughed at the spreadsheet suggestion, because I'm a spreadsheet lover! Regarding TravelPro, I also saw that they have another bag that's priced between the MaxLite and the Platinum, and that's the crew bag. It's about the same weight as the RS Rolling Carry-on. So many choices!

Like Pam, I also have the Osprey Ozone with a monopole. It is a great bag with super-sturdy wheels and I really like it. But, the monopole handle is a negative for me. So last summer, someone on the forum mentioned the Osprey Daylite Carry-On Wheeled Duffel. Both my husband and I ended up purchasing one. It weighs only a few ounces more than the Ozone and has a regular handle. The two wheels are still very robust although a bit smaller than the Ozone's are. It has removable backpack straps should you want to carry it a short distance as a backpack. I removed mine and have never used them on this bag. Normally $200, right now it is on sale for $129.50 on the Osprey site in a green color. I think they are in the process of discontinuing them, as last year they were also available in black (which my husband purchased) and a multi-color print, which is what I bought. I have used it on several domestic as well as one international trip so far and really like it.

@ Kim and Stephabrad: I finally went to a spreadsheet when I realized I was going over the same territory again and again. For people purchasing based on dimensions, I recommend using the metric dimensions as many companies round off for the inch dimensions. Some round up, some round down which makes it even more confusing. I am not one that can actually "think" in metric but I could compare the metric to the airline regulations and be good with that.

@Sherry, glad you like the Daylite. I found the year that I was looking that the Ozone was out of stock in July/August and then suddenly it came back in about the last week of August which I guessed was their new stock season. I ordered directly from the company and it was surprisingly here in about 4 days. So, for anyone interested, if you can hold off a purchase until the end of August you might have more choice. That year the price went up a good bit...maybe $50? (insert ugh emoticon here).

Sherry, thanks for the Osprey Ozone suggestion, will check that one out as well!

The Osprey Daylite has just been redesigned and is coming out slowly.

Frank, thanks for letting me know. I'll wait until the new one comes out to check it out!

Amazon has the new one:

https://a.co/d/8rWToz8

Thanks! Going there to check it out now!

If you are flying Air France and are using a carry-on be sure to check the dimensions on their website. I have learned that they recently changed them and they are much smaller now. They are also selectively enforcing it. My carry-on, that I have flown with on Air France, is now two inches too long. I just purchase the convertible backpack with roller wheels from Rick Steves today in order to meet the new requirements. I know it is much smaller than most of what he sells, but I do pack lightly. Has anyone used this before?

Yosemite1, which bag did you have prior to purchasing the RS bag? I haven't been considering the rolling backpack. What led you do buy that over another bag?

I just checked Air France's website, and their carryon limit is 55x35x25 cm or 21.6x13.8x9.8 inches. That's 0.4 inches shorter and 0.2 inches narrower than the 22x14 inch size for most US carryons, but 0.8 inches thicker. End result, it's 2936 cu in, 6% bigger than the 22x14x9, 2772 cu in, US limit.

My carry-on, that I have flown with on Air France, is now two inches too long.

So, your old carryon is 23.6 inches long? That's way too big for most US carryon limits, too.

@Sherry (slws2137)

Thank you for the recommendation on the Osprey Daylite and mentioning the sale at the Osprey website. I just made the purchase. While I was tempted to buy the newer version on Amazon, I opted to save $100 and buy the soon to be discontinued model. I have an Osprey day pack which I like, so this seemed like a new addition for my upcoming overseas Rick Steves' tour in Italy.

TC, somehow I missed your response. Thanks for letting me know about the RS bag! It's good to know that it's worked out for you.

I ended up with the TravelPro Maxlite 5 Softside, and just decided that if the airline makes me gate check it, so be it. I don't expect that most US airlines will, though, since I've brought my RS Convertible Carry On into the cabin and when it's been overstuffed I've still been able to fit it in the overhead bin. Reviewers said they were able to fit in the overhead bin, at least on domestic airlines. I always bring a change of shirt, socks, and undies in my personal item, anyway, in case my bag goes missing if I'm forced to check it. I chose it because it's one of the lightest bags out there, it's only 5.4 lbs. They also sell an accompanying personal item which can fit on the handle, but don't know if I'm going to get that as well. If I'm forced to check it too many times, I can always buy the RS or Osprey bags, especially because the TravelPro was on sale and is actually less expensive than the RS bag.

ETA: I just saw that the TravelPro website has different options than Amazon. Should have looked there first! They have the Maxlite 5 International carry-on, which doesn't fit as much stuff as the other Travelpro bag, but it complies more with international carry on rules. It's 21.75 x 15.75 x 7.75, and 5.4 lbs, which means it's 45L vs 40L for the RS bag. The one I ordered from Amazon is 52L. And, I got a discount from Honey, which means I paid even less for it than the one I got from Amazon! I'll report back when I get both of them to compare them. Will probably end up keeping the smaller one, since I'm more likely to be able to put it in the overhead bin every time, and the smaller capacity has been fine for me so far. I've only used the expansion once or twice in the 14 years I've had the RS Convertible Carry-on.