Reasonable carry on recommendation for train travel?

In 2016 I took a 17 day solo international trip on which I used several trains, buses and a smallish plane. I am 61 years old and was worried about hurrying onto the trains, carrying my luggage and lifting it above my head as I had some moving around on various transports to worry about. I took a cross body purse that held my DSLR, etc., and took RS's 20" wheelie. I packed it to about 20 lb. and could have packed it lighter except for the genealogy paperwork I included. You could have this weigh 15 lbs if you were strict with yourself. I didn't want to jar my shoulder or my lower back and this worked well. I had one hand available at all times to hold banisters, etc. I did find that on the trains, men offered to lift my bag into the overhead for me, but I politely refused. You could accept!

I'll add that I have also traveled with a smaller bag, a Delsey business bag, which is now about 10 years old and has been procured by my daughter. It is wheeled and has a shoulder strap. I found it was enough to hold everything for my vacations when packing quite light. It also fits under the seat on a small commuter plane. Unfortunately, I can't see that they make this type with a shoulder strap anymore---I loved that feature. This bag would be even more flexible for you so you might hunt the internet for one with a shoulder strap. I find I don't want to carry my bag except when necessary so I always get wheels. This bag would easily pack 15 lbs or less.

I have a blog on which I experimented with a non-wheeled carryon packed to 11 lb. with my necessities for travel. I found 11 pounds too heavy for me to carry for any length of time, and there is a lot of time one must carry one's bags. I think a light non wheeled bag can end up being physically worse than a heavier wheeled bag, as 99% of the time you don't have to lift it. (One of my exercises a few weeks before my trip was repeatedly lifting the bag overhead with increasing weight in it, but don't tell anyone.) Plus, you can sit your personal item on it when wheeling so that lightens your load even more. Enjoy the hunt! Wray

Margaret,

Have a look at the Tom Bihn travel bags. They're expensive but a very high quality product (and made in the U.S.). They have a number of different styles, some of which can be used as a Backpack, with a Strap (their Absolute Strap is excellent) or carried by the handles. Depending on how much gear you're packing, you could look at something like the Aeronaut 30.

Thanks to both of you! Wray what you wrote is excellent and so helpful to me. I have taken 3 trips this year here in the U.S and I used a carryon with straps. It was awful and I agree, it certainly feels heavier when you start to get tired. I didn't even pack heavy at all but it started to feel like 75 pounds in a short amount of time. I ended up switching for that wheeled bag for the trip to Rome. I haven't used it on an actual trip but it looks sturdy and way easier on my neck and back. The backpack will also fit on the handle but I think it would be too bulky to carry on a train and I don't want to be slowed down by a bulky bag. I am going to check my bag which I rarely do but I am sure I won't be able to lift a bag up quickly in the narrow plane aisles with hordes of people behind me waiting to get by. I am going to do a search for the bags you mentioned and Ken I will look up the site you mentioned as well! Thank you very much!

My experience is similar to Wray's. I took the RS 20" wheelie on a 5.5 week vacation this fall including 2 RS tours and the Eurostar between London and Paris. I am 66 and was able to lift it overhead on the International legs of my flights as well as the train but I have not had a neck or shoulder injury. I had it packed to about 20# like Wray did and yes, I can always probably go lighter! I did gate check it coming out of my home airport which is small and really, nothing fits in the overhead on those commuter flights! I did check it on the way home, mostly because I had a 9 hr layover in SLC and didn't want to mess with it and really who cares if it goes missing when it is filled with dirty clothes?? lol

The previous year I took the RS convertible backpack on an 8 week trip and it was way too heavy for me to lift at the end of the trip. My fault entirely. Scarf purchases always ~look~ light but if you get enough it bumps up the weight! OH yeah, and there was that pottery tile I bought in Deruta and...!

I also took the Veloce Shoulder bag as my personal item. I carried binoculars and felt this held them best along with my regular items I carry in a purse and for the flight. I did load the Veloce onto the roller bag but it was heavy with the binoculars and frankly, the roller bag did not pull well with that extra weight. I felt more comfortable with the Veloce on my back and an easier pulling roller bag. I did take care that the binoculars were at the bottom of the bag with stuff on top of them so they could not be easily picked while I was on the Tube in London or in the Eurostar stations. I also had on a money belt and wore a very small Eddie Bauer Travex Connect wallet under my cardigan and coat. The wallet contained my passport when I was headed thru Immigration, my iPhone, some money and a chapstick.

How much does your eBag duffle weigh? The RS 20" weighs 6+ pounds which is more than I wanted empty but it worked well for me anyway.

Ruling out the use of a backpack due to your injury, the choices left are a shoulder/cross body carry or a very lightweight wheeled bag. (I'm using the term "lightweight" in comparison to other wheeled bags.)

Carrying a bag "cross body" will help to distribute the weight. A full size carry-on can be a little awkward but doable. The shoulder strap is important and the only one I would recommend in the Tom Bihn Absolute strap. I've tried many and this is the best on the market. (You could even use that RS bag you have from five years ago and just get the better strap.)

A wheeled bag I'd suggest you look at is the Lipault Foldable 22" two wheeled bag. It is carry-on size, the actual length is 21.6", and weighs under 5 lbs. I just got one and will review it sometime after the first of the year. It is not a bag for adventure travel but should do fine for your train trip. It retails for about $150 and is pounds less than both your eBags wheeled duffel and the RS wheeled bag.

Lipault Foldable 22"

The other suggestion I have is to get one of these ultralightweight luggage carts. It weighs under a pound and when collapsed can fit sideways in a carry on bag. It can hold up to 25 pounds, barely, is fairly fragile, can tip over easily if the bag is not placed correctly, but otherwise should work fine in airports and train stations when you just get tired of carrying the bag and have a long walk ahead of you. Don't even think about taking it out on the street especially anywhere near cobblestones.

Conair Super Mini Cart

Hello Pam,
thank you for that info! The wheeled duffle is 11 pounds empty. It does sound heavy as I write that. I have a veloce bag that I just recently got and will use that on this upcoming trip. I think I will look into the 20 inch wheeled bags that you and Wray mentioned. I went to the site Ken mentioned and I love the cafe bag too but that would be for a day bag. I will probably do that train trip around September or October of 2016 so I don't think I would be needing to pack very warm clothes. That might help cut down on extra weight in the bag too. Thank you all of you for your advice and PS- I admire each of you for traveling solo and not in your 20's where the weight of a bag isn't even an issue! Thanks again!

Frank that bag looks really nice. I would love to read your impressions of it when you write about it. If the wheels are sturdy enough, that might just be perfect for the train. Thank you!

Margaret, I agree, that Lipault looks very nice. I believe Lo, who is a frequent poster from Tucson uses Lipault brand bags but don't know if she has this one.

Frank, I will be interested to read your review. I am especially interested in the pull handle. It looks a bit more robust than the RS 20" handle which has some play in it. I did not have a problem at all with it but if I were buying again and there was not much weight difference, I would go with a sturdier-feeling handle.

And Margaret, yes, 11# is a lot to begin with. For me, that only leaves 9# for clothes, shoes, toiletries and miscellany. If it is within your budget, I would go with something that weighs less.

As far as how much heavier clothing you will need in Sept and Oct, that is when I traveled the last 2 years. I think it depends on where you are going. This last year I wound up taking an Eddie Bauer mid-thigh length waterproof coat and a Land's End cashmere sweater (very lightweight but a little expensive altho you can usually get LE coupon codes for 30-40% or more off) for my cool-weather clothes. That combo worked perfectly. I also had Smartwool glove liners that I wore a couple of times. I traveled to UK and France and was gone from Labor Day weekend until mid-Oct. I wore the heck out of the waterproof jacket and by the time I was in France I was wearing the cashmere sweater every day at least to start out in the AMs.

Hi Margaret,

The Osprey Ozone luggage is very light-weight. They have a 22" wheeled bag that is just over 4 pounds.

When I needed to replace my larger suitcase a few years ago, I bought the Eddie Bauer Travex wheeled suitcase. I really like it, and the reason I'm mentioning it for you is that there's a nice padded handle across the front of the suitcase along with the normal top handle. The front one makes loading it into an overhead bin much easier.

Of course, the best case regardless of your luggage is really packing light. You can get by with 4 outfits - washing two each time you're changing locations. Enjoy your trip!

Thank you Jean, I will check it out now. Did you strictly use this bag as carry on or did you ever check it and if so, how did it handle the trip if you did? Take care, Margaret

I use the Lipault two-wheeled 19-inch bag. It's about a pound lighter than the 22" bag. It is sturdily built and holds a lot more than I thought it would.. My only complaint is that there are no grab handles on the side or bottom to help with lifting into an overhead but that was not a deal-breaker for me. Frank, I'm sure you'll let us know if the 22" measurement includes wheels and handle. I think I read a review somewhere that complained that packing space was not 22 inches. I wonder if that person realized that anything bigger probably wouldn't fit in a sizer.

A couple years ago, I used an RS 20" bag for a tour and then train from Rome to Paris. The bag was light and maneuverable, even for long walks to the train at Ostia or Gare de Lyon. I used a Tom Bihn S19 for my personal item. The combo worked very well for me; I'm in the 50-and-better category. I could lift the bag easily into overhead bins. Neck issues don't allow me to go backpack only.

Wow, thank you so much everyone! I am sure I will find a perfect match out of at least one of the bags mentioned. I am leaning towards that lipault right now but I have time to decide before that train trip. Take care all! Margaret

Another vote for the Osprey Ozone wheeled bag. I have the 22 inch and have used it on the number of trips. It weighs about 4 1/2 pounds. The material is very lightweight but tough. I've had no problems when I checked it. It can look like it won't hold much, but I find it holds at least as much as the comparably sized RS bag. I plan on getting the 18 inch model for my next trip; it weighs a little over 4 pounds.

I have bad arm/shoulder/neck repetitive-use injuries from too many years as a writer, and I was surprised the difference it made to get a bag that was 1.5 pounds lighter than what I was using before. I would encourage you to get the lightest wheeled bag possible.

Sherry was there any problem with taking the 22 inch on foreign airlines as a carry on? Although if it is sturdy enough, I could check it on the planes. I just need it light enough to handle on the trains. I did look earlier when Jean posted about it. If I saw the correct one, is it a single handle instead of the typical shaped handle? Just want to make sure I was looking at the right one.

Here I am, thanks to Pam. Yes, I do have a Lipault spinner like this one. It is less than 22" tall including the wheels. It weighs about 6 pounds, depending on which website you look at. The link I provided says it weighs 4 pounds 14 ounces. I don't think so. In another listing for the same bag they say a little over 6 pounds.

You have to be careful about these descriptions because even for the same bag different places will have different measurements and weights. I have used it for many trips, but I wanted to go lighter. By that I mean have a smaller bag and pack less. We'll see how successful at that I am with my new compression cubes. I've already tested them and they definitely cinch things down to a smaller size, but the weight is the same.

I was looking at the smaller 19" Lipault 2-wheeled bag, but most websites listed a capacity a little too small for me. Please note that the link says it is heavier than the 22" larger 4-wheeled version. I did consider the one Frank II will review, but didn't see it as enough of an advantage over the 22" one I already have, and I was adamant about have a spinner, not just 2 wheels.

Well, never say never. I bought an on-sale Eagle Creek Load Warrior rolling duffel with 2 wheels like this one. Yes, I did get the bright green. It should be a good compromise since it meets European airlines requirements even expanded, which I don't (ahem) plan on doing. It weighs 5 pounds 8 oz. One thing I like is all the handles to maneuver it around. But if it falls over even when I follow the instructions for packing to the letter, I will not be a happy traveler.

That's still a little heavier than I want, but to go lighter it seems like you have to have a T-shaped handle. That's really not going to happen for me, she said confidently. Why? Because I take Baggallini totes as my personal item and I only buy ones that have the sleeve that slips over the handle of the rolling bag. The suckers will just flip around on a handle with only one rod.

I have 3 of those totes in different sizes. Those sleeves are on the back of the totes. Two have a zipper at the bottom of the pocket. One has 2 zippers.

In the past I have limited the total weight of the carry-on to 20 pounds. In my experience, even traveling in cooler weather, I could usually have left some things behind. Next trip I hope to lower that total weight, even though I'll be packing for May-June weather in the UK.

I'm almost 70 now. I've had no problems getting that 22" Lipault in an overhead bin, but I do work out with weights twice a week with an emphasis on upper body strength and I haven't had any injuries like you describe. It's my knees that betray me, so backpacks are totally out of the question.

I hope you find something that will work for you.

One other point about the Osprey Ozone – it has handles on all four sides, with the "handle" on the bottom being the bar that balances it while standing. That feature – particularly the handle on the bottom – makes a huge difference in the ease with which I can lift it up to a storage rack.

Margaret, regarding your carry-on question about the 22 inch Osprey Ozone – I did have to gate check it one time when I was transferring to a smaller plane in Zürich. My guess is that with tightening of the carry-on allowances, it would have to be checked more often. That's why I'm going to use the 18 inch on my trip this spring.

Following Lo's lead, I just bought the Eagle Creek Load Warrior in bright yellow also, but 22" because we rarely take internal flights in Europe. The price at ebags dropped to $121 from $160, which was already a sale price, so I got it. It's 5.8 lbs, as Lo said, much lighter than my Delsey carry on. I, too, use the handle to attach other objects, so the single-handled bags are out. Every pound counts when you're lifting or going up and down stairs. Note that these bags have structure only on the back, so you have to pack well to give it some structure. Good luck.

I am suffering from neuropathy - truly hideous pain down my leg - and since I'm not about to stay home, I've sadly abandoned the convertible backpack. My hunt for a lightweight wheeled bag led me to Eagle Creek Lync - the 20" version. It has backpack straps so that when I'm climbing into a train, I can put it on my back and haul myself up by the handrail. It has two oversized wheels, which I prefer to a spinner. The wheels and frame can be removed if you prefer. With wheels, it's 4 lb. 6 oz. Without wheels, it's only 1 lb. 12 oz. It does only have the single T handle so won't readily carry a second bag. It's the right size for me, and I think it's the only way I'll make next summer's trip. I haven't tried it yet, but it's one more alternative that hadn't been mentioned yet in this thread. It's the lightest one I found that had the features I wanted. Just my two cents.
Eagle Creek Lync 20

The Lipault bag I mentioned has a measurement of 21.7" including wheels and handle if you leave a little room at the top to push the padded handle in. (The material is pliable.) If you pack it to the gills that handle might be a half an inch too long but it shouldn't be a problem.

The telescoping handle on the Lipault is fine. I'm not a big fan of the current RS rolling bag although I do like the RS Rolling Backpack.

I reviewed the 22" Lync but have also had my hands on a 20" model. Great idea and good for general travel. Not sure how well the wheels will do over cobblestones or rough terrian. I also found some of the snaps that hold the bag to the frame a little difficult to do and undo.

If any of the bags interest you, join eBags, wait for a sale (which is most days) and buy it. If you don't like it eBags will pay to ship it back. Zappos does the same thing but they don't offer that many sales. To get the best eBags sales, you have to subscribe to their email offers. Warning, they send a lot of them. But, with every sale you get about 5% credit to use on your next purchase. (I don't work for eBags nor get anything from them. ) Amazon also affers free returns on some luggage.

If you were interested in the Eagle Creek Lync, I suggest looking at it in a store or ordering it from a vendor to whom you can easily return it if it won't work for you. I was very interested, but when I looked at it at REI, I wasn't certain the frame would survive being checked – although I could be wrong. At that time, it had just come out, so the sales rep had no information about what if they had had complaints; more information is probably available now. I also had trouble with some of the snaps used to attach the bag to the frame – but I don't have a lot of strength in my hands.

Thank you again everyone!! Today I am going to make a list of all the bags here and do a pro/con list to help me decide. They all sound wonderful! Take care! Margaret

I have another question for Lo, Frank II and Jaye that use the Lipault. How does it handle being tossed around in checked baggage? It looks kind of delicate but Ebags is having that 20% off sale and I can get it for $160 today. If it is sturdy enough to handle being checked in, I think that is a good price.

Hi Margaret,

I've always used carry-on for my Eddie Bauer Travex, but it's a sturdy suitcase with heavy-duty zippers.

Glad you're not letting a past injury keep you from enjoying new adventures.

Margaret asked ... "the Lipault. How does it handle being tossed around in checked baggage?"

Margaret, I've never checked my bag on a plane. It did get some rough handling from a bus driver once though. I feel confident that both the frame and the fabric could withstand airline baggage handlers if necessary. Ebags is great with returns so if it doesn't suit your needs you can send it back.

I've only had to check my 22" Lipault a few times on small European airlines and none of them resulted in any damage. The bag is a soft-sided mushy one with some padding between the inside and outside layers of fabric. The handles are more heavily padded and very comfortable to use.

I often have to gate check it on puddle jumpers in the US. One time it got a slight rip on the outside pocket toward the bottom. The rip didn't even go through the outside layer of fabric. I could have that repaired, but I chose to put a fancy piece of patterned duct tape over the rip. The bag is the turquoise color and the tape (from Walmart) is a multi-color Peacock print. You can take the girl out of Texas, but you can't take the Texas out of the girl!

The Eurostar and Thalys trains that you'll use on the mentioned route are newer train types with both easier boarding (not a high step from the platform) and luggage racks at the end of each car for larger bags. You may not need to use the overhead rack, but if so, I've typically found other passengers happy to assist with standard, carry-on sized bags.

My sister is 55 and usually brings 3 carryons when she visits me for the weekend. I live 1.5 hours away. We went to Europe this summer and I told her she had find a 22 in carryon because we would be taking a lot of trains. This 20 in Pacsafe worked great for her. She also took a Pacsafe camera bag that doubled as her purse. She was really glad she traveled light.

Thank you Jehb, I just looked at a YouTube video of that bag and it looks nice and sturdy.

I missed this question earlier. I'm short so, no matter how light my carry on may be, I have difficulty stowing it in the overhead on a plane. I have relied on the kindness of strangers and never had a problem. I only used a wheelie and when I've been slow to lift it on or off a train, someone has cheerfully helped. I've never had to put it on the overhead rack on a train.