Spinner vs skater wheels for Europe

I just did, and they held up but I did concede to my husband that my spinner wasn’t as cobblestone friendly as his two wheeled luggage. At one point I worried that I’d broken a spinning wheel but hadn’t. I think if given a choice the two wheels is better for those conditions, but I admit I love spinner luggage.

Thanks! I’m thinking that since we are only taking a train once just before our My Way Alpine Tour, I might be ok. Your feedback about your experience was helpful. Thank you!

over Europe's uneven surfaces

The choice for me was do i want it easy from the house to the car to the airport to the gate, from the gate, to the taxi, up the walk and into the hotel. Or do i want to worry about the possibility that I might just possibly on one ocassion have to walk 60 feet across an intersection of a cobble stone street with bag in tow?

I live in Europe, and you would be hard pressed in my city to find a cobblestone street between the taxi or tour bus and the hotel front door. But if you do, you can still tilt it and skate it. I did deal with it recently in Bratislava, but wasnt an issue in Germany, Luxemburg, Bosnia, or Romania or Malta or Hungary this year.

I will never change. The hard shell four wheeler standsupright all the time, even with a under the seat bag wrapped around the handle. It slides right up the asile of the plane and back out again. So easy ..... The hard side means it slides into the overhead like nobody's business and back out again. I just look for easy and this is what I found.

I dont think cobblestones are nearly as omnipresent as many people seem to think. But broken curbs, potholes and rough sidewalks are. And ADA design features like curb cuts that we are used to in the US are not common either. My wife uses a spinner, and she cant go very far without bumping some obstacle and her spinner spins out of a straight line. But it's not unmanageable. I wouldn't buy new luggage just for one trip.

Yes! And that was my thought prior to posting this question! This trip is quite different than others that I do solo, where I’m schlepping my bag all over kingdom come. On and off trains, long hauls from stations to accommodations, etc. I’m thinking that since I already have 2 two-wheeled bags, I’ll go ahead and get the 4 wheeled version, so I can have choices for the right bag for any particular travel need. Thanks!

Gigi, not trying to talk you out of spinner, but the train wasn't where my problems were. My problems were in the walking from where the RS tour bus dropped us off and where our hotels were. But again, I managed.

The train problem was my large heavy luggage (I packed larger than carry on for this most recent trip) was hard to manuever up the wide gap between the platform and the train steps, then up the 3 practically vertical steps! So spinner wheels made no difference.

I spend between 6 and 9 months a year traveling around Europe. All types of transportation and pavements.

I've been using a spinner for at least 6 years. On very rough pavements or carpeting, I just tilt it and use it as a two wheeler.

In the six years, I've broken half a wheel assembly and it had nothing to do with the street. As my bag has eight wheels (two in each corner)I didn't notice that one had broken until I got to my hotel and visually saw one wheel was missing. It rolled just fine.

It may come down to your personal choice. But our strong preference from many years of travel is two wheel in Europe and the spinner in the US. The larger two wheels simple roll better than the small four wheels over rough terrain. Spinners are great on smooth surface in airports and air planes aisles but I spent so little time in those locations compared to the streets of Europe. KD's first posting nailed it.

Since spinner wheels are external to the case, whereas "skate" wheels are to an extent built into the case body, you may get a bit more storage volume with a two-wheel case, when considering the critical vertical measurement being the same across both versions..

Frank, you do have a point. I guess the sort trips one takes could influence things. If I were young and riding cross town busses and then dragging a bag another half mile to the guest house, the 2 wheel might be easier. But I am a spoiled old fart and use a taxi from the airport to the hotel and the only distance my bag travels with my hand on it is in the airport.

markcw the comment on the interior volume is spot on. I went looking for the lowest slung 4 wheeler I could find. Generally speaking I run out of carry on weight limit before I run out of volume. But sometimes its close.

All I can say is my spinner does fine dragging it behind me on 2 wheels when necessary. I am not kind to it. I wish I had pictures of some of the cobblestones I have pulled it over. It did no worse than a 2 wheeler over those big round stones in Mostar and the same or worse in the old part of Girokastra, Albania.

However, it saves me a lot of stress on my shoulders all the times I can use it with all four wheels. At earlier points in my life pulling my suitcase was fine but at this stage, I can’t imagine choosing to do that 100% of the time. I pull only when necessary.

It’s true it makes no difference when I do have to carry it up stairs or getting on a train. However the spinner is fantastic when I want to wheel through an aisle - be it plane or train.

Girokastra, Albania! I remember having to carry my luggage and the drivers luggage up the hill to the hotel. Too steep and rough for any kind of wheels. But a beautiful day just the same.

Gjirokaster's one of the very few towns where I've used taxis between bus terminal and hotel, but taxi drivers didn't like the terrain any more than I did, so I twice got dropped off two challenging blocks shy of my destination.

I've used both 2- and 4-wheeled bags in Europe, and I much prefer two wheels because I'm a walker or user of public transportation whenever possible. When I'm stuck with 4-wheeler, I spend way too much time lifting the bag over obstacles that could damage the wheels--things like trolley tracks, drainage channels cutting across sidewalks, curbs, stairs and gravel that could jam the wheels. With no wrist or shoulder problems, I find a 2-wheeler much easier to use; I don't spend nearly as much time rolling a bag down train corridors as I do on outdoor surfaces.

Lol, I got dropped at the bottom of the hill because my taxi driver was from Permet and not allowed up (Thing #416 you don’t know about Albania until you do). I looked at my suitcase and told it to suck it up - if I had to walk up that hill, it could, too. It’s still pulling and spinning 2 years later.

Ahh the great debate....spinner vs roller.

I like rollers, I find them to be more stable and not wanting to wander-away or, be uneven as I rest my pack or, other bags on them. As pointed out by others, if you're pulling your luggage behind you over cobblestones and uneven pathways, it can be abusive if not hellish on the wheels. Rollers obviously are ideal on smooth surfaces, however their design over the last 10-years have improved to handle the rough terrain of old city centers. I did a trip with my senior parents through Europe, they were in their mid-70's...getting them spinners would've been better for their aging shoulders/arms as we traversed airport terminals and train stations.