Carry on luggage weight issues

You might prefer a wheeled bag, but you don't have to have one. The secret of packing light is not to take any unnecessary weight, and the weight of wheels, handle, structure, etc is definitely unnecessary. A 7# wheeled bag allows you only 6# of "stuff". Put that in a 2# convertible bag, and that's only 8#. You can carry that on your back.

Sorry to say, you have to either give up your wheeled bag in favor of a lighter wheel-less one for this trip, or resign yourself to checking a bag.

Here's a tip: I haven't flown Virgin Atlantic, but on other airlines with low checked bag limits, they don't weigh your 'personal item,' so you could try putting the heaviest items there.

I wouldn't worry too much about this, though. If not checking a bag is important to you, it's easy to become accustomed to a bag with shoulder strap or backpack, and you may even come to prefer it. If you really prefer wheels, then checking a bag isn't the end of the world, just a minor inconvenience.

"You might prefer a wheeled bag, but you don't have to have one. The secret of packing light is not to take any unnecessary weight, and the weight of wheels, handle, structure, etc is definitely unnecessary." How insulting, Lee. Speak for yourself, sonny. At 75 my back not only prefers a wheeled bag but "has to have" it. What a rude response.

Contrary to what Lee says, I can not put a pack on my back so I take a RS 21" roller bag to Europe every summer. It holds enough for me to travel for one month (longer if I had the time) but I do check it in when traveling from US to Europe and return, before on SAS now on Air France. I carry it on when traveling in Europe when traveling by air, plane or train. I have never had a problem with the weight restrictions but have unloaded the heaver stuff into my "other personal item" - my RS day bag - several times when flying. I have never had an airline there weigh my day bag. Guess I have been lucky.

Don't know when you're traveling, however, what I do wear a coat on board and stuff the pockets with "personal items," that you don't care if they wrinkle or not and save the weight and space for other clothes.
With all the neat stuff on Travelsmith.com I bet you cold put a fair amount of cloths in the pockets!

Buy the SMALLEST bag you can get away with (don't automatically reach for the 21").

Buy the LIGHTEST bag you can.

Pack the LEAST and LIGHTEST you possibly can (10 days = some hand-washing).

Do as Jerry says and put heavier items (elec. chargers, 3-1-1 bag, books, etc.) in a jacket that you can wear at the security area. ASAP, all of that goes back into your carry-on. Try not to look too 'bulgy'!

Others manage by being extremely critical of everything that goes into their bag (use a food scale), or they check it. 13 lbs is pushing it for my comfort level, I have to admit...

I need to know,why do you have to limit yourself to a carry on bag? Why can't you check a bag? Do you think you will save that much time? Have you experenced lost luggage? On our last three trips our luggage made it to the belt before we cleared immigration. I'll admit to be anti carry on since some fools carry on fell out of the over hed bin on to my head.

"I'll admit to be anti carry on since some fools carry on fell out of the over hed bin on to my head. "

And you haven't been able to spell or punctuate a sentence since, right?

Well, I made three flights to Europe in the last century. One was a charter from Denver to Frankfurt; it would have been pretty difficult for them to have lost my luggage. The other two times, my bags were suppose to connect through to Belgium, but for some reason they were put on the carousel in Boston, where they might still be today had I not found them. The last flight, from Frankfurt to Paris, my bags nearly went to South America.

So when I heard Rick philosophy about taking just a carryon, a quickly embraced it. The second flight this century, I had a flight from Denver to Detroit delayed, and I was taken by van by the airline to the international terminal. I don't think my bag would have made that connection had it not been in my hands.

Someone said, a checked bag is a lost bag. That's why I carry on.

I am not directing this to RS people, because I think most try to keep their size down, especially working with European airline limits, but... I am just flabbergasted at times at the size of stuff some people push through as carry-on. Quite honestly, I wish more airlines would enforce their size limits, because some of these are GINORMOUS (as one of the kids would say!), are hazardous and defeat the purpose of limiting cargo weight. That said I can't do full-on back-packs, either- my neck/back can't take it, and I am only 36! Gale, check out someone like Hays to see what they have in carry-on bags. My wheeled check-in bag only weighs about 6 lbs empty.

6# empty is almost 5# more than my Appenzell bag, in which I put everything I brought back from Europe after my last trip.

Gale,

Try looking at rolling luggage or rolling backpacks for kids. They should be smaller and lighter than the 21" roll aboard.

I hate to jump into the middle of the argument, but unless you have a medical reason for not carrying a larger backpack, I would try the RS convertible backpack. It keeps your weight down considerably and even at 20 lbs is easy enough to schlep around.

Here's a smaller option with wheels: Overstock.com

A few more options: About.com's List of rolling backpacks

Most airlines allow closer to 20 lbs as carryon which is doable if you pack ultralightweight clothing and plan on doing laundry. HTH!

Since the wheels vs no-wheels argument is regularly seen on this board, I thought I'd bring some levity to the situation with this video titled "Pack A Carry On Bag for Travel.

Pack A Carry On Bag for Travel

Did you notice how many bags she suggests you take? And wasn't the place she put the 3-1-1 bag convenient for TSA?

BTW--this video was not made as a joke. It's serious.

That video is priceless--the deadpan delivery reminds me a bit of the comedian Pat Paulsen.

No wait, it isn't a joke?

(Actually, I think I may have been behind her in a TSA lane recently. "What do you mean, 1 quart bag? Isn't this 1 quart? What do you mean, 'do you want to fly today?'")

Thanks for all the suggestions. I called VA and was told they strictly adhere by the 13 lb rule (not sure where they weigh them!) so obviously have to consider the weight of the carry on. I couldn't find the weight on some of the suggested items posted here. Anyone know of a specific wheeled carry on that's not more than 6 lbs?

I don't want to check in my bag so I can have all my important items with me and not need an additional carry on for those.

As far as the comments about too many people have too many carry ons, I've seen it too. But I don't understand why the weight is so restricted if I can manage to keep it all in one bag in the size allowed, (especially if I'm not checking in a bag).

Not sure backpacks are the greatest idea to carry for security reasons since you can't see who is behind you (and backpacks scream 'tourist'!).

I guess I still have the decision to make whether to check in my main bag or carry something like a small duffle bag that doesn't weigh much itself but may hurt my shoulders for the haul from the train to the hotel.

Just still can't figure out how everyone else is "packing light with only a carry on" and managing!! No one else has weight restrictions?

Gale- I have used Rick's convertable bag for more than 20 years. Empty it weighs about 2# (maybe a bit less). Packed it comes in under 15# (I could do 13 if I worked at it) and Hubby's comes in under 10#. It is not really a backpack- just a carry-on sized suitcase with back straps. I don't think it would work for trekers/true backpackers.

I also suggest that you look at a travel vest with lots of pockets. It may not be very fashionable, but you could just wear it for flight check-in! Then move things to your bag (I agree that you should not let it become "bulgy").

You could also check into a colapsable rolling "frame" that you strap your bag onto. Several teachers at my school used them when they had to "float" (didn't have a classroom of their own). I think some of them are rather light, and small, and you could probably put it in your "personal item" to get through check in. That way you'd have your wheels when you need them, but they wouldn't be in the way (or the weigh- lol) the rest of the time.

Frank II- What a hoot!!! I can't believe ANYONE would think she is an experienced travler. She definitely need to work on her persentation skills, too. I hope no one tries to take her advice.

Gale, this is the absolute lightest wheeled bag I could find. I have never seen one in person...but.....it's only a little over 3 lbs.

Medium Foldaway Wheeled Cabin Holdall

The width dimension of just over 15" makes it bigger than most US airline guidelines but fine for most European airlines and slightly bigger than what is stated on VS's website.

Samsonite used to make the Micro-Mover Cart. It only weighed a couple of pounds and when folded could fit into your carry on bag. I've seen them recently at Office Depot and I believe Staples. It's a lightweight way to add wheels but not very stable. They have a tendency to tip over when turning corners.

Gale: There is no right or wrong answer here. Every traveler needs to determine what works best for them given their own personal situation. I always use a small backpack or messenger bag and carry-on regardless of airline, destination, or trip length. I won’t go into all of the details around packing light, as this has been discussed ad nauseam all over this board. I will simply suggest that anyone who is determined can pack within acceptable carry-on limits on even the most strict of European carriers. As for backpacks making one an obvious tourist, that’s just simply not true. Some will look like tourists no matter what they do, but you’ll see all kinds of locals of varying age everywhere in Europe with all kinds of bags: backpack style, messenger bag style, huge purse style, etc. A rolling piece of luggage, however, will at least make you look like something other than a local, but who cares? As for weighing bags, this is typically performed at the counter but can be done at the gate. Sizing also can occur at the counter and at the gate. On my last trip to Europe, my very strict airline did not enforce its own rules. On my last flight 3 weeks ago, my airline strictly enforced their rules. Assume that they will, and ensure that your bag is within the limits. Happy travels!

I hope I got this right…I didn’t really bother to check my spelling or punctuation.

:)

Gale, most of the domestic carriers don't have such severe weight restrictions. In fact, I'm NOT AWARE of any that will actually weigh your carry-on, and Continental is the only one I found that actually has a carry-on weight restriction of any kind - 40 lbs. That's pretty darn heavy. My in-laws pack fairly 'normally', and their bags weigh around 25 lbs each, including the 7-9 lbs of empty-luggage weight. Most checked baggage weight limits are ~50 lbs (to avoid extra weight charges). I'd HAVE to have wheels; I couldn't pick that up!

One more thing to ponder when considering that foreign airline...

And that video - yes, it's serious. (oy) That bag must be approx. 10" x 12", judging by the size of that 3-1-1 bag (approx. 8" x 8")... ;-) And that pink string bow-tie is going to last approx. 17 minutes in the baggage system. I'm no 'my-way-or-the-highway' type when it comes to packing (although my way IS best, of course), but most YouTube packing videos make my eyes bleed.

"most of the domestic carriers don't have such severe weight restrictions."

I don't want to avoid a weight restriction badly enough to use a domestic carrier (cattle car). The absolutely worst flight I ever had to Europe was on USAir (oh, there was a flight on TWA in the 1980s, but I can't remember). Every flight I've had on Lufthansa (8kg limit) has been fine.

But, apparently, she has picked Virgin Atlantic with a 13# weight limit.

You guys are hilarious, if anything I'm getting some good laughs! I'm a gal ... I suppose you're asking to know my strength capability! Small, thin, but strong! That being said, I still don't want sore shoulders.

I'll have my 3 teens with me (2 boys, 1 girl - not so strong as mom so she claims!) who will all have their own bags to deal with. So we all need something doable and comfortable. That boxy RS convertible backpack might fix my parameters, but not crazy about sticky fingers behind my view or the expense of buying so many.

Carry on seems to be my preference for all the obvious reasons. And yes, I did pick an airline that has a strict weight limit (obviously didn't know this before picking, but would have gone for the price factor anyways!). And size can't exceed 22x14x9. Smaller isn't an option - just won't fit in my blow dryer!

Great ideas and I'm not worried how to pack (nixing the videos) but what to pack in :) So many regulations getting in the way! And it will be fall/winter so need some bulky clothes and can only wear so many!

By the way, Frank II, thanks for the bag suggestion, unfortunately it's almost 16" and I'd hate to get to the airport and be told it exceeds the 14" rule - then what!? Otherwise it would have been great!

[USAir isn't an airline I'd hold up as a shining representative of the American airline industry ;-)

I've seen no difference b/n foreign and domestic carriers as far as the whole 'cattle car' thing goes; none of them are great (not for 10+ hours). I do want to fly on one ticket, get beaucoup FF miles, and usually I'm picking up someone (in-laws) along the way at a major hub, so that means a particular domestic carrier for me. Those FF miles, while I won't kill myself for them, are used for family-emergency trips on the only direct-flight carrier I have access to.]

But, the real question now is: Is Gale a boy or a girl ;-)

Wow, a lot of unnecessary drama. To the OP, it seems that most RS disciples manage by not carrying a wheeled bag. Or possibly flying airlines with higher weight limits. I don't know that there is a way Since you are already tied to VA and its weight limit, your solutions are:

1. Give up the wheels
2. Check the bag
3. See if you are allowed an additional personal item and if so, stash heavier items in it
4. Pack only the barest of essentials and leave at home anything that you can buy once you're there.

Guess the movie: "She's small and skinny, but she's strong. Her first baby? Came out sideways."

"She didn't scream or nuthin'"

Thanks for the "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" reminder, Michael! And what do I win?!?

Gale [and I guessed 'boy' based on Gail(girl)/Gale(boy), but I have known ONE 'Galegirl'...!] --

For fall/winter, layers are your friends. Take silk underwear, Cuddleduds, or whatever you find comfy and wear them under your layers. If you're comfy while dressed for the outdoors, you'll cook indoors and vice-versa. Plus, there's no guarantee it will be as cold as you expect. Don't go too crazy with 'packing for winter'! And "bulky" isn't necessary; bring long-sleeves and vests that can be removed without having to undress in the middle of that museum LOL! Cashmere, microfleece, etc., pack and wash better than that fishermans sweater.

And yes, now we'll need to know how much you benchpress, college alma mater, your zodiac sign, and your bank balance ;-)

Several years ago, my wife and I flew to Little Rock, rented a car and drove through a national forest to Branson. When we got to Little Rock, my checked bag made the flight but my wife's didn't. Since then, if I can't carry it on, I don't go.

P.S. Her bag arrived 3 days later and we had to drive back to Little Rock to get it. The airline gave her $50 for clothes and it was in the winter.

Thanks Mary, great advice.

No drama here, just looking for ideas on how others managed ....

"That boxy RS convertible backpack might fix my parameters, but not crazy about sticky fingers behind my view or the expense of buying so many."

I used a "boxy RS convertible backpack (actually, boxy means efficient use of maximum dimensions) for five trips, then got tired of caring 2½# of well made around. I switched to a 1¾# Outdoor Product Essential Carryon (OPEC) bag for my next three trips. At $40, buying a few won't be so painful. It's almost as big as Rick's convertible bag, has hideaway shoulder straps, and has one large compartment so you can organize it anyway you like. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that it is still being made, but you might still be able to get it from some sources. (No, I will not sell mine.)

I like the lady's shirt ( in the video).

I like the trial size lint roller.

I think the lightest wheeled carry-on sized bag might be the Landor and Hawa Sub-0-G--it's just under 5 pounds for the 20.5 inch sized one. I haven't seen it in person, but online it looks kind of boxy and has a wide handle. That would leave you 8 pounds for clothing and sundries.

They must call it a 20.5" bag for the inside dimension of the compartment, because the specs on the website say it is 23" long by 14-7/8" by 9-1/8". All three dimensions exceed the 22"x14"x9" allowance specified on VirginAtlantic's website.

By the way, the 13# weight limit apparently comes from 6kg, which is 13.2# (13# 3.2oz).

I think you are going to have to resign yourself to checking you bag, or forgetting the wheels. If you use an Appenzell bag, like I have, you should be able to carry on almost 12# of "sundries". That's 50% more than this bag, and stays in the size limit.

With a backpack (eBags Weekender Convertible), I got a ride with a friend to the ferry, walked on to the ferry, walked off of the ferry and onto a bus, switched to another bus, and then carried it on to my flight to Heathrow. Carried it off at Heathrow, got on the Tube, got off in London, and then walked around for a few hours in London before being able to check in. I also did bus trips and train trips, carrying the bag to Dublin, Wales, Carlisle, Scotland, and beyond. 2 months in the UK, one backpack.

My 55+ mother also did the same.

Usually there's a big main compartment in the bags. If you feel unsafe with it behind you, keep things in that compartment, and put a lock on it. As well, you're travelling as a group, so can keep an eye out for each other.

However, you're not going to have it on your back for all that long... if you're going right from the train/tube to your hotel, it'll likely be 30 minutes or less. 13 pounds is a fat baby, not all that much weight to carry unless you have back problems. And some of the bags have extra straps that distribute the weight even better.

I was actually more concerned when you mentioned a blow dryer... if that kind of item is coming along, I think you might find the weight limit difficult even with a lighter bag.

Gather up everything you think you want to take, and weigh it. Then you can see if it's possible.