Lightweight carry on 21*13*7 for European flights?

It's not only dimensions, though, weight is also a factor to consider. So even if you could theoretically cram a lot into a bag, even a lighter weight backpack, often you are given a restrictive weight limit that also includes your "personal" item.
Sometimes it depends on your fare class, too.
I just flew Air France and Lufthansa. For the AF flight to Europe it was a massive challenge to meet the weight restrictions using my heavy but size compliant wheeled international carry on. I also tried my 2 lb backpack, which eliminated 4 pounds, but was then so stuffed it was going to be a mess for the one night stays I mostly had plus, as you said, was heavy to carry. (With a 10 hour flight delay I was SO glad I took the wheeled option!)
In the end, I whittled down the items packed and was ready to pull out a couple of small heavy things for my coat pockets if the suitcase was weighed. I was just under the limit, but that was only accomplished with a scale, weighing each thing, Packing Forum support and all the angst. It's worth it to me to not check it!
On the way home, all on one Lufthansa ticket, I checked the carryon with my dirty clothes all the way through, despite it likely being the correct weight. Instead I took a very small zip-into-itself duffle to hold gifts purchased and a change of clothes.
Caveat: my previous Lufthansa inter-Europe flight, all passengers were required to gate check their carry on bag, despite meeting the size and weight requirements. And, despite all my preparation this time, AF never even looked at my bags! I don't know if there is ever a guarantee.
I did notice that smaller sized suitcases are sold in Europe and a Canadian on my trip had a suitcase somewhat smaller than mine. You might try searching for non US options?
I had your idea, too. And looked for a rolling set of wheels to attach to the backpack- who knew? They exist, but then they added weight that would've been over the limit. The pack sort of straps on to the pulling handle. But maybe?
Good luck!

@ Bon voyage: After traveling for over 10 years with that Samsonite carry on, Lufthansa surprised me at SFO before a flight to Frankfurt by making me put the Samsonite into a metal box. Of course it wouldn't fit because the metal box was a fraction of an inch or more smaller for every dimension. I had a very tight connection in Frankfurt and refused to check-in the bag, and after a lot of discussion the gate agent agreed to let me take the carry-on with me. What got me is that there were plenty of passengers with larger carry on bags, but these size checks were completely random. My overall experience with Lufthansa was horrible.

I can make sure that the weight is not a problem. I'm going to keep looking, maybe I'll get lucky and find those small wheels for a backpack! Need to visit Home Depot.

TravelPro Maxlite the smaller size. Acceptable to AirFrance when they made my husband check his Samsonite carry-on.

European airline size rules for carry on bags.

Just so someone casually reading this doesnt get the wrong idea and go looking for something that doesnt exist, there is no European Airline Size Rule. Every airline can choose what they want.

Maybe the most usable size is 55 x 35 x 25 cm as it meets or is smaller than the requirements of the greatest number of airlines.

I know these carry on size rules aren't uniformly enforced

But they are enforced.

I have been using an Osprey Ozone for a couple of years which meets the 55x35x25 dimensions and weighs 4.5#. It is a 2-wheeler. It is a little odd, though. It's got a monopole handle so it's not workable to stack a bag on top using a trolly sleeve. There is a buckle fastener that you can attach a bag to but the handles on my personal items are too long and it drags the floor (yuck) so I just carry it. When I first got it another forum member warned me that it packs weird...and it does. Sometimes when you think you've got it packed pretty tight a gap will suddenly appear between items. I've adjusted to it and it doesn't bother me.

The thing I like best is that it is light weight to start with. I'm a solo, older woman so I keep it under 20# to be able to heave up into the overhead bins. It's stood up to being checked a few times (small planes flying to the Orkneys and Shetland where EVERYthing needs to be checked).

It is seriously overpriced.

I got the bag because I was flying a leg on Air France and wanted to make sure my bag met the requirements for size and weight. I have an older RS 2-wheeler but it weighs 6 pounds and I knew the pound and a half could make a difference for me.

BTW, I do recommend on your search that you use the metric measurements. The luggage manufacturers and airlines usually round off the metric measurements for inches and sometimes they round up, sometimes down. Better to just go with the metric.

If the rules are not uniformly enforced, then I would not use a 22" carry-on.

I use a 19" carry-on, have been using it since 1997 and it has served my purpose quite satisfactorily.

Hi Andy, I used 2-wheel carry-on suitcases until a couple of years ago. I switched to the Cotopaxi Allpa35L travel backpack and absolutely love it! For reference, I am a woman in my 60’s, and I travel a lot by trains - a dozen different cities during a trip isn’t unusual for me. The reason I mention this is because of this sentence:

”Which could make it tiring to haul them if the walking distances are long at various airports.”

It’s usually the exception if I am not walking from a train station to the historic center of a city & back again for the next stay. And I know I am moving faster with it compared to when I was carrying a suitcase up/down stairs and slowing for curbs. What makes the difference between tiring & not is the total weight - mine is 13.5 pounds packed (for up to a month), plus how the weight is carried. Mine has a good hip/waist belt which keeps the weight off of my shoulders. (I did have a cheap travel backpack that I used previously for domestic trips, and the lack of a good belt design made my shoulders hurt just going through one airport!)

The spec on this one is 56x35x25cm, but it’s very flexible. My pack isn’t full, so it easily will squish into a box of your dimensions.

I've seen plenty of bags that could meet the size requirement, but they waste a ton of space with the spinner wheels and are not light. I guess I've been spoiled by my 4.5 lbs 22" Samsonite with skate wheels. It has huge volume which allows me to avoid taking a check-in bag and meet the weight requirement. Rick Steves has a rectangular backpack weighs only 2 pounds that would have been perfect if it had wheels: https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/classic-backpack

@Jean, I looked at the Cotopaxi Allpa35L travel backpack, per your suggestion. Given a choice, I would rather spend $$$ less on the Rick Steves backpack.

This post had discussion going on the difference between those two…but buy whatever you like best that fits your needs. ; )

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/packing/packing-ultralight-update

I had read about this bag from Ikea. I think it weighs 4lbs 16 oz., so not much heavier than your current bag. It meets the smaller European carry on limits. https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/vaerldens-carry-on-bag-with-wheels-black-80546172/ I just don't know how long it would last.

My Samsonite Spinner (4 wheels) measures 55 x 35 x 22 expandable to 25 cm and weighs 4 lbs. I've had it for a few years, I travel full time, and I like it.

It's not available in the US but can be bought in Europe and Canada. I got mine form Selfridges in London. They charge $35 to ship it to the US in less than a week. Unfortunately, the only color they have as of now is blue. Mine is black.

https://www.selfridges.com/US/en/product/samsonite-airea-upright-soft-case-4-wheel-top-pocket-cabin-suitcase-55cm_R00120371/#colour=DARK%20BLUE

Frank II, good looking bag. I checked the price here and while it isnt cheap the way things are these days, not bad either. Thanks.

Topo Designs has a couple of wheeled backpacks.

The backpack straps are on the front, so when carrying as a backpack the wheels are on the outside, not against your back.

$$$ and not really lightweight, although the Apex model may be lighter in weight. They don't list a weight for it in the specs.

Interesting looking designs.

Global Travel Bag Roller

Apex Global Travel Bag Roller

My Samsonite Spinner (4 wheels) measures 55 x 35 x 22 expandable to 25
cm and weighs 4 lbs. I've had it for a few years, I travel full time,
and I like it.

It's not available in the US but can be bought in Europe and Canada. I
got mine form Selfridges in London. They charge $35 to ship it to the
US in less than a week. Unfortunately, the only color they have as of
now is blue. Mine is black.

https://www.selfridges.com/US/en/product/samsonite-airea-upright-soft-case-4-wheel-top-pocket-cabin-suitcase-55cm_R00120371/#colour=DARK%20BLUE

My partner and I both purchased the Samsonite Airea spinners in black from Selfridges early in 2023 (thanks Frank for the recommendation). Selfridges shipped both of them together for the same price - $35. They survived a 6 week - 2 tour trip in 2023 and 2 separate 3 week trips for tours in 2024. I think ours actually weigh 3 lbs 10 ounces. The treads on the wheels are rather thin and I'm not sure what life the cases have left but everything is still intact now. I wouldn't mind having the dark blue!

Find a 19” carry on but make sure to measure the exterior not the interior size. Use a hard sided suitcase. The Travel Pro and similar soft sided bags are a problem because when stuffed full the outer pocket sticks out well beyond the size limit. Because it looks smaller than the Travel Pro you can probably get by with an Away Carryon. Its exterior measurements are 21.7 x 14.4 x 9 including the wheels. Monos would likely also work and Samsonite also makes carryons that are that size. July makes a smaller lightweight carryon.

I

had read about this bag from Ikea. I think it weighs 4lbs 16 oz., so
not much heavier than your current bag. It meets the smaller European
carry on limits.
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/vaerldens-carry-on-bag-with-wheels-black-80546172/
I just don't know how long it would last.

I have this bag. It weighs 4.8 pounds. I have used it multiple times and it’s still in excellent condition. I’ve only had it about 6 months, so I can’t speak to its longevity, but I have shipped it to through at least once.

I don’t love it, but I like it a lot and it fits for lots of airlines. In inches it is 21.25 x 13.5 x 7.75. (Truthfully. I probably wouldn’t love any bag that meets the dimensions and is less than 5 pounds and has 4 wheels…that would be quite the unicorn!)

The Ikea bag mentioned by PandaBear is being discontinued. All that's left is available stock.

"I almost wish there was a way to attach a couple of small wheels to a backpack."
Have you looked at an under-seat wheeled bag for your personal item? If you had a backpack or duffel with a trolley sleeve, the two bags could be wheeled together. It's sort of turning the carry-on/personal item combo on its head. I don't have a particular bag in mind, but I'm sure this has been part of the discussion on the Forum in the past.

Do those of you who have the Samsonite Airea spinner have the internal dimensions of the suitcase? None of the websites have that information.
We have Wenger Swiss Gear spinner carry-ons that are several years old and weigh about 7+ lbs each, so not all that light. They just meet the US carry on size requirements, but when we travel to Europe we use the iT brand spinners that are the same external size but slightly smaller inside, and weigh about 4 lbs. We've never had our bags weighed by international airlines, but we try to keep to the rules anyway.............What we're looking for now is a lightweight (under 6 lbs) soft sided spinner carry on bag that's 21 inches on the inside and roughly 10" deep. We need to be able to pack our softsided cooler when we travel home from the Caribbean. There's no way we will check a bag on the flight home when <1.5-2 hr connections are through Miami or Atlanta.

The Samsonite Airea is about 19.5" internally. To get to 10" you would have to use the espansion zipper which would make it too big for carry on size.

@Andy Scott

There is an explanation why some other passengers on your flight have what appear to be overstuffed bags.

Lufthansa code shares with other airlines which may have more generous carry-on limits.

For example, my wife and I flew to Spain with Lufthansa and had the 7 kg carry-on limit. On the same flight, there were Air Canada passengers which had no carry-on weight limit. The only stipulation for them was that they had to be able to lift their own bag into the overhead compartment. The staff are not going to pick on the Air Canada passengers as much as the Lufthansa ones.

With regards to the original question, it is a zero-sum game. Any bag with wheels will be heavier than any bag with out, all other things being equal. You're not going to find a 2 lb wheel bag. I personally prefer using a backpack with a good hip belt in order to transfer all of the weight onto my waist and to save my back. I find it nice having my hands free to hold my phone and take photos etc.

Check out the Osprey farpoint. My brother owns one and it is an excellent backpack designed for comfortable. Carrie.

My 19 in. carry-on has never been checked by anyone responsible for that task, assuming "they" even look at it with more than a passing glance.

I carry-on my bag, 22x14x9in. I usually fly Lufthansa and Air Dolomiti.

thanks, everyone, for the comments and suggestions. I may try the TravelPro Maxlite Carry On (not the compact or international one) and see if we can squish in our collapsed cooler. that would save us each a couple of pounds over the bags we currently use when we travel domestically or to the Caribbean.
I know a lot of people, including family members, who love the Away CarryOn, but even without the battery pack the smaller version is still 7.5 lbs.

For the long haul trips I usually fly Lufthansa, United, Turkish Air. So I bought a bag that fits their limitations. It is 55x37x23 but I see the new version is expandable to 27. https://www.brics.it/eu/b-y-expandable-carry-on-trolley-4-3958.html?color=171-Mango It weighs 6.5 lbs.

So does it work? First I wanted a hard side. Couple of reasons. 1) protects the gifts better 2) protects my valuables better. 3) maintains its size and shape so it will always fit in the sizing box at the airport 4) slides in and out of the overhead with no effort and no snags on other things. 5) a simple rectangular design with no pockets or pouches is more efficient in maximizing the space inside. 6) clamshell design is easier to work out on one and two night stays without unpacking.

Next the weight. Heavier than I wanted, but the lightest i could find. I am an old fart and I like the spinner and pretty light for a hard sided spinner. Just easier in every regard. So, what about the weight. Well most of the airlines I fly have a 8kg limit on weight. When I pack more often than not I run out of space before I run out of weight allowance. So the bag being a bit heavier doesnt hurt. I hear some people saying they want a lighter bag so they can lift it easier. On all my flights every bag weighs 8kg or less as they all weigh the same when "legally" packed.

Has it held up? Yup, pretty well.

How do i get by on trips with 8kg? Some of the airlines have no weight limit or a reasonalbe weight limit on the personal item. On those flights I have a size legal personal item with all the heavy stuff in it. Lufthansa has a nutty small personal Item size requirement so I confess, I wear cargo pants to make things work.

I have i been checked? After boarding literally hundreds of European flights ... hard for even me to imagine, but I have had a blesed life and traveled a lot the last 30 years .... in literally hundreds of European flights, I have been checked three times. Failed one (the first time). But i have seen hundreds of people checked and fail. I think they walk past me because my stuff looks legal.

I almost wish there was a way to attach a couple of small wheels to a
backpack.

Look on Amazon for wheeled tote bag or wheeled backpack. They do exist and some have detachable wheels.