Euroflight bag or other personal item to carry a 20lb weighted blanket?

You can easily get things out of the overhead bins during the flight if the seat belt signs are off. People do it all the time. I recommend you start packing things up about an hour and a half out before the last meal/snack service.

I think the Euro Flight bag will hold the weight especially if you upgrade the strap but I think it would be a more comfortable carry in a small day pack. I do not have one of these bags but my SIL does. I've traveled with her and the bag, lol, to Europe and it seemed like it was too big at the base to use as a convenient cross body carry on. She liked it though.

The Appenzall Day Pack looks like would have enough room & the outside pockets would provide space for lighter weight items you want to carry on board. Have you looked at that one?

I have the Euro flight bag and it will support the weight. It has a trolley strap which you can slip over the handle of the rolling carryon. I would not try to carry using the shoulder strap—I’ve tried and find it awkward and uncomfortable to carry that way. If you can’t utilize the trolley strap, then I would find a small backpack.

A side issue is that depending on the airline you are flying on the sum total of the bag and the 20# blanket may exceed the allowable limit for a carry-on. The enforcement of the weight limits varies a lot from airport to airport but the possibility remains that they could force you to gate check it, I have seen it happen. On the assumption that the person involved has a medical type issue, it would be a good idea to get a letter from their doctor declaring the 20# blanket as a medical necessity. Remember some airlines weigh everything you carry on including camera bags, etc.

https://www.ita-airways.com/en_us/fly-ita/baggage/hand-baggage.html

8kg (17.6 lb) limit
The blanket alone exceeds the carry-on limit for ITA.

The personal item is limited to 45x36x20cm ( 17.7x14x7.9 in.) I do not see ( may have missed it) a weight limit for the 'personal' item.

Ok, y'all are clarifying my thinking here. Yes, the trolley sleeve is essential. Yes, the Appenzell looks good and sturdy so it's a really good suggestion. I wasn't sure if its size (18X13X6 1/2) works with United's 16X12X6. Maybe they don't check or maybe if we don't overstuff? And it doesn't look like it has a trolley sleeve. But you're right I needed to clarify that in my mind and now I can search for backpacks with trolley sleeves as the alternative. I'm just not sure a backpack is meant to hold that much weight, lol. Just don't know how it attaches to the carryon to make it easy to carry. The Veloce has a sleeve but doesn't look like it should be loaded that heavily. I was planning something slimmer like an Osprey daylite for the person as a day pack on our trip, so this personal item just needs to hold the blanket during the flight and doesn't need to multipurpose. In fact it can't multipurpose because then we'd be stuck and not packed up to move on.

Yes, I'm probably going to ask the doc for a letter as back-up just to prevent charges at the last minute if they balk. I've checked the three airlines and it none of them say the weight is total. ITA the one I was unsure about and I found a Reddit thread saying they didn't check any of the carryons anyway. At some point I just have to take the documents, do what I can, and go. Frankly, I'm not hopefully a letter would even mean much in Europe, based on some strange things I've ready online. I just figure we're not in the USA with ADA laws and should be prepared to rough it and not be shocked.

Ok so back to the Euroflight bag. It sounds like it works and I should go with it unless I find a sturdy backpack with a trolley sleeve that I like better. Oh duh, if the Appenzell works, that means any random school backpack I have lying around would work! I can test that out and see if it fits. Then I'll know what size backpack with trolley sleeve it would take. Or is there a way to attach a backpack without a sleeve? It's gonna be super top heavy at that point, whew.

You know, as I'm writing all this out, I'm wondering why I haven't looked at the RS spinner carryon. Really, when you get something that heavy on top, it's going to feel crazy and tip. The rolling carryon seems nice and durable and people have commented about the easy grab handles and jacket pocket making it better than the Ravenna. However the Ravenna might hold up the weight of that item better? Or it doesn't matter? I guess if you stop you just detach them, right? Then when you go to walk you reassemble? Usually we go through security (where I get pat downs, takes extra time) then we sit down to wait for our plane. Person sits with ipad while I get water, snacks, etc. Person sometimes waits with luggage outside a restroom. So I'm going to ask them about the backpack, but I suspect they'll want it with a trolley sleeve. The question is then whether that affects the choice of the carryon or it doesn't matter.

I've clearly lost my mind, lol. I'll go do the backpack test and report back. I'll try the backpack with the weighted blanket on top of some luggage we already have and see what happens. I'll be back. :)

"I've clearly lost my mind, lol."

OMG, that made me laugh.

I will add that in some of the light packing youtube videos I've watched, people have wrapped blankets and quilts around themselves to board to get around the weight limit. I have never done this myself and don't have a weighted blanket so can't imagine how that might work but just something else to add to your "lost" mind!!

I'd be strict about the luggage size requirements if you are going to purchase a new bag of any kind and go with the smallest dimensions/weight especially since you are traveling ITA (or any European airline). The Ravenna is the kind that opens like a book so less easy manage in a European hotel room. It probably exceeds the size limit for ITA.

Since I don't have a weighted blanket, I'm not sure if they can be cut down some to make the weight meet the 8 kilo limit?

Bingo that's why I need the blanket to be able to go in the personal item. If it really can't, then for that flight I'll just check a bag. The ITA flights are so cheap, it won't be a big deal. Or we could take the train. Really though I want to fly that leg if we end up doing it (Catania to Rome). Right now we're flying into Naples and doing Rome. However this person wants to go down to Sicily for a couple days to hit the WW2 museum and climb Mt. Etna. Yeah, the things we do.

For United and British Airways the weight limit is 51 pounds so the blanket can go in either piece. I thought about taking a heavy canvas laundry bag (or something else that could hold the weight?) that I usually check when we return from cruises and putting the weighted blanket in there to check it. However if I lost it that would be a total pain to replace. I swear I wonder why I'm doing this land part. I know Rick says planning is the fun part, but I so appreciate cruises that do it for me. That's just whining. This person can't do a tour or we would.

Ok, I'll go try the backpack and see what happens. Don't know why I didn't think of it. I already did test packing with a random spinner I bought at the store and our weights for everything else are fine, easily peasy. It's just this stupid weighted blanket that stumps me.

Reddit is great. When you get stopped explain that to the ground crew; better to check the airlines and comply; although I "think" with a doctor note you will "probably" have no problems, but still better to have a Plan B.

You might look for the proper size packing cube that you can compress the H out of (sit on it).

As for all the fancy luggage, you might also go to Walmart and Target with your blanket and just start cramming it in bags till you find one that works best.

ITA (from the airline site)

SIZE AND WEIGHT YOU ARE ALLOWED ONE ITEM OF HAND BAGGAGE WEIGHING NO
MORE THAN 8 KG AND MEASURING NO MORE THAN: 55 cm HIGH 35 cm WIDE 25 cm
DEEP ITA SpA
also lets you bring an accessory of your choice from the following:

Handbag Work backpack Laptop computer

Before proceeding to the boarding gate, check the size and weight of
your hand baggage with ITA Airways ground personnel or by placing it
in one of the baggage measurers near the check-in desk. The hand
baggage of passengers who fail to perform this check may not be
accepted on board.

The groundcrew will provide an “Under the seat” label for all small
luggage (no larger than 36 cm in height, 45 cm in width and 20 cm in
depth) for all domestic and international ITA SpA flights for all
destinations.

United (from the airline site)

Carry-on bag Your carry-on bag should fit in the overhead bin. The
maximum dimensions for a carry-on bag are 9 inches x 14 inches x 22
inches (22 centimeters x 35 centimeters x 56 centimeters). This
includes handles and wheels.

British Air

Hand Bag Up to 40 x 30 x 15cm (16 x 12 x 6in) Up to 23kg (51lb)
Guaranteed in the cabin You can bring a small bag for essentials like
medication, mobile phones, other electronic devices and passports.
This is guaranteed to travel with you in the cabin as part of your
British Airways baggage allowance. Cabin bag

Up to 56 x 45 x 25cm (22 x 18 x 10in) Up to 23kg (51lb) May need to go
in the hold A larger bag is allowed in the cabin, subject to space
being available. Keep medication, travel documents and valuables in
your smaller hand bag as well as electronic devices containing lithium
batteries, spare batteries and power packs, as these are not allowed
in the hold.

Ok, I'm back. The cube with the weighted blanket fits inside an old, old Eddie Bauer backpack we had lying around, with a final size of the backpack at 15x12x6. So this small size backpack fits the personal item standards (called accessory on ITA for all the airlines).

When I tried it on top of luggage I realized, hello, just turn sideways and the straps are the trolley sleeve, lol. So that part is easy. However that much weight on the extended bar of a carryon is a LOT. The bag I was pulling is an older, maybe 5 -7 yo American Tourister, and it almost looked like the extension wanted to bend. The person tried the backpack and said they were more than comfortable wearing it, so that may be the better plan.

So if we go backpack, any backpack works so long as we can squish it down to fit the box for the carrier, right? So I just need a backpack sturdy enough to hold 20 pounds without cringing. Do people get away with the Appenzell as a personal item if they also bring a carryon piece?

I think wearing a backpack with it will be more comfortable than a shoulder strap (Euroflight) with that much weight. And I fear that if we stack the bag on the carryon (which I thought we'd do with the Euroflight) and pull it that we'll bend/destroy the pullout handle and have a mess. That happened to make last time I went abroad, haha.

So yes backpack, maybe trolley sleeve though not as important. I'll go read what y'all have written. Thanks for talking me through this. I don't know how I missed such an obvious step as trying it in a bag on the luggage. Once I did that, it was obvious.

Pam, you're a riot. Yes, I thought about whether the person could just wrap it around themselves. It's twin size, rather conspicuous, so they'd look like they were contagious and not feeling well, lol. And as an aside, I may have to up the weight. Right now they're at 20 pounds and may need a fuzz more by then. No I can't cut the weight. Sometimes I like a weighted blanket (much lower weight), so I would take the person's kiddie blanket (6 1/2 pounds) and fold it over to get a higher weight.

Hold it, I'm trying to think with you (and me and my slow brain). So if I took a 12 or whatever pound twin blanket and folded it over, this person would be at 24 pounds. Oh my, that could make this a lot easier. I would have to test that on them maybe a week to make SURE it works. Maybe if it were a bigger blanket in say a 15 pound like a full size then folded over. I don't know at that point we're trying really hard. But you're right it's a stinking lot to bring.

And you're guessing correctly that the blankets sort of hang with excess and have room for efficiency. So if you fold to get the cumulative effect, you're placing it with less waste on the body. You only need the body covered, not the surrounding space. It's just easier to keep it on them when there's the ease on each side.

Let me play around with it. You're right that a 14 pound blanket (which I have lying around to test) would be MUCH easier to bring. If it works for this person to fold it over and get the weight, then it's plenty. If the effect is not adequate, then back to the 20 pound.

The thing that occurred to me about a larger size blanket is that you don't want excess width on the plane because you do not want ANY of the blanket touching the floor of the plane, bleech. I am not one to put on socks to walk around the plane...I keep my shoes on because heaven only knows where those other people have been walking! Dog poopy sidewalks? various yellow puddles in Rome (which are probably NOT Mountain Dew!!)? I'm shivering just thinking about it.

Try the person in a dining room chair which seems like it's about the size of an airline seat or a touch bigger. See how much of the blanket is spilling over to the floor or over the side. Needs to be small enough that if they are on the aisle the food carts can get by.

Haha, Mister E, you're right that citing Reddit at the airport won't get me very far, lol. The doc will be happy to give us documentation.

Pam I've seen comments about European hotels and how the cases open, hmm. I found a good video showing the inside of the Ravenna and I think I'll just watch it and look for a video showing the inside of the rolling and just choose one. I don't know if I could overpack the Rolling Carryon and then have it be too big for one of those connections.

Ok, I'm thinking about that. If I start out with it the right size (yes), the issue is what I buy along the way. What do you do with things you buy along the way if you go carryon only??? I saw RS mention the packable "Don't tell Rick" tote on a video and found it on the site. It seems rather unsturdy to check, but maybe I'm all wet? We're doing 6 weeks, 15 cities, so I think it's inescapable that I'm going to buy some things, lol. So where do those go?

I won't be buying books, mercy. Well I suppose I could. I like pretty things, things I can put in my house. (vases, small paintings, figurines, art) I might get suckered into some pottery or something, but surely the store would ship that, right? Usually, and you can laugh, but usually I buy a magnet in each city (oh yeah) and then unique/interesting things when I find them. So I would probably anticipate 10 mediumish, rather breakable things that I'll want to bring back. Maybe also some food items. I really don't know, haven't done the Mediterranean. I have more money now than I did in college, haha. At that time I traveled and bought NOTHING for myself, zero, just amazing memories. And you know, sometimes I'm wistful when I see stuff other people bought when they went to those places but most of the time i don't give a rip. Still, it would be nice to bring back some stuff, just not the whole store, lol.

How do you handle that?

Pam, oh my, you are totally making sense here. You're right the blanket is a terrible pain in the patoot to wash. I can send it out on a cruise ship and it's ok in a frontload washer. But if I go to some small hotel and brutalize their washer with it, they aren't going to like me, lol.

So is Rome really that nasty?? In my research I'm realizing nothing in Italy is like I thought it was. We're still going, so hopefully we like it. I'm hoping we find the parts of it we like, put it that way. It's part of the reason we're thinking about taking the train down to Sicily for a while.

You ask how do you handle that in regards to buying things. Very good question. I would think you should give some thought as to how you are going to handle that 20# blanket through 6 weeks and 15 cities.
You state you are asking all this for a friend. I hope your friend is giving it some thought. Pack up your stuff and take it around you local area and see how it goes. Make sure you go up and down steps and get on and off busses and trains if you can. That 20# blanket flies against the light packing so often seen on here. Actually exceeding what most people pack overall for their trip.

PS. I'll do the chair test and get back to you. I chose a flight on a 2-3-2 plane and chose center seats (so seats 1 and 2 of the three in the center). He wants the middle and I like to get up and stretch and will take the aisle. They're reasonably wide, which is why I chose this particular flight. All the planes to Rome were narrower for the same money. So fly to Naples with wider seats and see Pompeii, works for me.

It's a Boeing 767-300. I think the seats may be 18.5" wide. Premium Economy, so a quieter part of the plane more leg room. I'll go test the blanket and seat what happens. You're totally right about this.

I’ve got the DON’T Tell Rick tote and do not think it’s sturdy enough to check. I’d check your suitcase and carry on the tote.

For myself I’m not much of a shopper but I know others are. The last trip my carry on bag was 16.1 outbound and about 18 coming back home. Plus a personal item. I had to work hard to get down to that weight and was motivated by knowing I needed to manage my own bag into the overheads on the plane due to luggage screwups all summer at various hubs.

The biggest problem is that your person needs the blanket on the plane. How much do they think they will sleep? I can usually get a couple of hours. Last spring I flew Delta One to Europe hoping to sleep in the lay flat seats but the lady in front of me talked the whole night so, no, no sleep.

Rome has some amazing sights. I hadn’t been there since 2014 and was shocked at the level of dog poop and random puddles of yellow stuff. The RS guide was leading us to the Metro one day and we walked through an area with more random puddles than she expected since she made a comment on it. Lets say you need to look down for unexpected pikes as well as broken pavement.

So you are correct that unfolded the full size is going to hit the floor. The width is ok but it will extended onto the person's legs (unuseful when vertical, no pressure felt) and onto the floor. So folded makes more sense. However folded is awkward too, as it starts the weight up high, which will make it prone to slide.

I'm going to need to ponder this. If you do a smaller weighted blanket of the same weight, it will be thicker unless you change the inner weighting material. Custom use bulkier materials to create the weight. Current blanket is glass beads, very fine and soft, which eliminates the need for bulky polyfill to make it soft.

Well hello, I was folding over the 20 pound blanket and it was about to slide. Let me try it with the 14 pound and see if it works better. So we could do a 10-12 pound blanket folded or a 20 pound blanket made to a smaller dimension.

Ok, so this is radical but I could do the 10-14 pound blanket folded for the plane and take a second, light blanket I already own (6-8 pounds, I forget) for me for the flight. I like a little weight, just not as much as the other person, haha. Then, when we get places, I could LAYER them, doing the long one and the lighter on the person for the total effect but getting some packing flexibility. Or maybe that's worse?

When I get the 14 pounder washed I'll fold and try it in a cube to see if it fits in a smaller cube. It may. If it goes medium, then we have options here.

That is such a good question about whether my person will sleep! I was thinking of trying an app I saw that you use to "time shift". Do you think they work? I haven't checked the boards yet. We did a trip to a new city a couple months ago and this person, as you suspect, could not sleep at all the night before for excitement! But what I did, and this is terribly sneaky, is I made the first leg of our trip (to the major hub) really early. That gives us 6-8 hours to site see in the hub city before boarding the 5pm flight. So with any luck with the time shifting PLUS the early start, my person will be ready to wind down. And frankly, the blanket is awesome for that. You put the weight on, and if they're at all tired they're OUT.

But you're right that this person thought their plan would be to sit on tech for 8 hours watching videos, haha. I could ask the doc for a medication. Maybe that's actually what I should do anyway. A sleep med or just an extra something for anxiety. This person has traveled a lot but this will be a new type of travel, which is of course why we're doing it. :)

Sometimes it's nice to hit a new situation head on and feel the anxiety and work through it cognitively and sometimes it's nice to take a med and just feel calm and good. I think you're right that pre-discussion and intentional choice here will be good.

Oh, my person slept on the cross country flight we did this spring!!! I totally forgot!!! I don't sleep so well vertical, so it surprised me that they were just OUT like that. So there is some potential that if they're tired they'll sleep. That was without the blanket even because it was just flying across country, daytime.

Total aside, but the bummer about putting the blanket in a backpack is then they wno't have anything to rest their feet on. Maybe they won't care? I'm short, haha, so I want something to rest my feet on, mercy.

Hi TreeMoss, well that's why I was trying to be really tight with this trip. If you saw how we normally travel (3 checked bags going out, 4 checked bags returning, plus 2 carryons and a personal item) you would think our efforts astonishing! :)

This person will have to carry their weighted blanket in their backpack and pull their carryon yes. This person is 5'10" and plenty strong to do that several miles, no problem. I put our hotel in Rome near the metro, no busses with luggage. In Naples I think the hotel I'm looking at will pick us up at the train station, so we'll have some switching of trains. An overnight train. Some taxi. A flight, train, train, flight, train, train.

I'm keeping the carryons under 16 pounds, so it's really not that much weight total. I carry 40 pounds (20 each hand) up and down stairs as part of my normal exercise routine.

Ok, I figured out what it is. It's not the numbers that are getting you but the thought of how it would feel. The person who thinks sleeping under 20 pounds feels GOOD will also think walking around with that much weight on their back feels good. It will feel calming to them. Famous last words, haha, but there you go. This person actually asked for a hiking backpack so they could put heavy things in it and hang out in the woods to relax. The weight will feel good to them and I feel silly that I didn't see it clearly. It's why the backpack makes so much sense. I was so worried about making it easy, but in this case on their back is the perfect place as it gives them calming input during a stressful new situation. Ideal.

I think I'll go ahead and start having them practice carrying the backpack tomorrow. They can enjoy time outside, going up and down the hills and terrain, which should simulate stairs, the train stations, etc. in vigor. Then we'll know how they feel when they do it, whether there are side effects I hadn't thought of, etc. If they do that 30 minutes a day for a week, that should be more than adequate a test.

Treemoss, a portion of our trip is cruising. Once we're settled on a ship, we won't be hauling luggage and will have service to do laundry, etc. It's not really as bad as it sounds.

Mister E, is your Rangeland backpack that you linked in another thread sturdy enough to carry 20 pounds? It looks pretty sturdy by the pictures...

There’s a lot of zip-top totes that can handle 20 lb.s. Look for a nylon bag with a trolley sleeve and nylon straps that wrap around the bag. Amazon has arxus and wandf bags that are cheap and should be able to handle a 20 lb blanket. LL Bean has zip top canvas totes, but no trolley sleeve. The LL Bean totes can handle hundreds of pounds.
Look for an underseat bag or backpack. 18”x 8”x 14” or slightly less in dimensions. Around 25 - 30 liter bag.

I just bought a GOX foldable, packable tote with luggage sleeve that fits your size and weight bearing requirements, watch the video. https://www.amazon.com/GOX-Premium-Foldable-Multipurpose-Daypack/dp/B079GSKV3W

This is a bit outside the box but if your friend’s blanket is 48”x72”, a common size I saw online, s/he might consider wearing it to and on the plane as a serape/poncho/cinched shawl. There are a lot of ideas on the internet for converting a blanket into a wearable garment. Some involve wraping and cinching, others involve cutting a hole in the middle to put your head through. I’m not sure what skill or durable machine a person would have to have to cut into a weighted blanket but it might be something your friend could explore. The poncho/serape/shawl could still be draped over their body for sleeping. The foldable tote could come in handy to transport it if they didn’t want to always wear it as an outer layer. Just another idea. TSA makes people remove coats so maybe they would just have your friend fold it and put it in the tray when going through security. Worth asking about or taking a doctor’s letter?

I hate to add a negative note and I am only one voice, but ITA weighed our carry-ons during our flights last April. They weighed them on the way from Rome to Palermo and then again from Catania to Venice. Both times they required them to be checked based on them being over their limit and this was at the counter to check in. Hopefully, if you can anticipate this you’ll be able to find a solution ahead of time.

So, maybe something positive…is there a way to do 2 smaller weighted blankets and add Velcro so they could travel in 2 separate bags if needed but be taken out and joined during the flights?

Also, if you get a doctor’s note, maybe they could do a Goggle translate version in Italian on their office letterhead for ITA flights.

In doing further reading it seems that security may not be the problem but the number, weight and size bags your airlines allow may be an issue.

This company (not a recommendation) had scaled down, travel size blankets your friend might research.

Patty, that's helpful to know they in fact are weighing carryons at ITA. So did they weigh both your carryon AND your personal item or only the carryon?

Thank you Mona, that gives me more ways to research! :)

I don’t know if it will make a difference to you, but I have checked the RS Hideaway Tote bag full of dirty clothes on the way home in the past and used my carryon sized bag for things I may have purchased and didn’t want to get lost or damaged by checking.
https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/nylon-tote-bag

Andrea, yes that is helpful, thanks!!

In April when traveling to and around Europe, I had a 3rd carry-on that did not present a problem. I am dealing with a leg injury so the tote bag carried my heating pad with exercise straps for stretching my leg periodically. I simply told airline staff the bag was for a medical issue and no one bothered me. I traveled both Delta and regional airlines. I had a doctor's note as a back-up but never needed it. If the weighted blanket is related to a medical issue, you should be fine. Just tell the airline staff when you get to the gate so they have notice before you board the plane. I kept the tote bag under my seat and periodically plugged in the heat pad during my flights if that was an option.

itsv, interesting! Glad it worked out so well for you! :)

Well I'm making my short list to get the main carryon decided. It don't understand why ITA Airways is saying 55cm, which is 21.6, while everyone else is pretty much 56cm which they then convert generously to 22inches. A lot of the options people are using now are that 22" total height and yet I'm locking into needing the 21.5 or 21 for ITA Airways. (or paying to check two bags at 50euros a bag)

It seems like the only options I've found that actually fit that restriction are the RCO and the LLBean Approach. The Osprey Daylite fits but I'm unclear whether the quality is good for a long trip, dunno. Maybe I'll start a new thread so we can hash this out.

Stw1b; before you purchase a bag take a hard look at your packing list, rather than worrying about 21" vs. 21.6" vs. 22". Are there items that you can remove and maybe go with a smaller carry on bag that holds your blanket, a change of clothes, meds, money etc?

Thanks Ed, I think what is going to happen is the blanket can be either in the carryon or personal item for United and British Airways because they have generous weight limits. For the shorter flights with tighter restrictions (LuxAir, ITA) I'm just going to check a bag with the blanket in it and be done with it. If it gets lost, then I have that stress. I figure there are reasonable odds (50/50 or better, haha) that it doesn't get lost. It just seems the lowest stress way to resolve it. In reality, it's just some extra time out of our lives to wait for the bag, not the end of the world. The 8kg limits for LuxAir and ITA made it impossible to bring the blanket without checking it. Their personal item limits are too tight to hold the blanket we need to bring, and I don't won't to fiddle with a letter and be explaining and begging at some desk with someone who doesn't speak great english over some medical issue they might not care to understand. Easier to just check it. At least I'm winning half the time doing it as a carryon.

I hadn't meant to fly so much on our trip but it just seems to be evolving that way. When flights are $25, it's just crazy tempting, oh my. And the WW2 interests won out over Venice, sigh. Someday I need to go to Venice, but I'm not sure this is the right person or the right time.

I know I could do the "Don't tell Rick" packable tote and get the blanket in it. I wonder if there's something a bit larger that is also packable/small when folded but durable enough to check? I should probably research that. The RS sale ends in a few days so I need to decide if/what I'm ordering.

And yeah, I'm trying to be very tight on the packing. There are wild cards, because this person also uses incontinence products at night. There's just a certain amount of unavoidable bulk and weight. I can come in with 5 days and fit that in the suitcase and still be at 16 pounds or less per my test packing trial. However then every time I buy I'm adding bulk. That's why I'd be game for a bit larger checkable, packable bag. If I buy two, I can put the disposables in one, the weighted blanket in the other.

I'm just talking out loud there. My head has been swimming with all these things, so I just decided to let it rest for a few days.

You are being very cooperative. But it does seem irrational to insist that a weighted blanket is needed for sleeping upright in a Coach class seat. Why can't it be checked, if the owner refuses to travel without it? Have they been abroad before? Is their check-on near 50 pounds already? Have they investigated incontinence products at the destination? (Let me say that I bought my mother's "products" [here] for five years. I'm not just mouthing off.)

Hi Tim, no we're going for carryon only, which is why it's a little trickier. Yes, my plan is to take 5 days of products to get us started and buy when we get there to keep going. I've already learned that they'll be at the pharmacy and found one near the train station.

Of course I'm being accommodating. We all do what it takes to feel our best so we can do what we're trying to do.