Advice Needed for Airline Carry On Luggage

[RunningBum]

So you can carry on beach chairs to keep them away from others?

Believe it or not, I actually carried on a collapsible chair last month! Not one of those 3 legged stools either. This one folds to about the size and weight of a 2 liter soda bottle but is a decent size unfolded. I wanted it for crewing a 100 mile trail race where I'd be waiting for long periods. Fit in my duffle, along with my soft sided cooler bag, and the duffle fit in the overhead easily.

 

[Scuba]

I have carried the Eagle Creek 22" Tarmac onto multiple domestic and international flights and have never been told it's too big, except for prop plane flights to small towns where virtually all luggage was gate checked.


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[sturbridge]

I love my Tom Bihn Aeronaut 30- not a wheelie bag. Its a duffle type bag. It will also fit European requirements. It is convertible to a backpack but I usually just carry it. Weighs under 3 pounds. Yes, its super pricey and it took me a year to bit the bullet on this one even though I have the money because I'm cheap, but the quality is top notch. I like that there are 0 rings with which you can attach other pouches (so things don't get lost). I also like that even though there are 3 compartments (a main and 2 ends), if you have something long you can unzip on the inside and make it one big compartment. Its a very flexible bag.

 

[Sarah in SC]

Oh I would love a Bihn bag!! I got one of his little drawstring toiletry bags years ago, and it is one of my favorite things! It is the "valet" one that flattens out so you can see everything in it.

 

[akck]

I also wish that airplane manufacturers could find better ways to increase storage. In some cases they do, but they are also taking away some floor space with entertainment system hardware under some seats.

Bigger is better: Airlines expanding overhead bins in response to common complaint - TODAY.com

I flew on a plane with the bigger bins. It's going to take a little education to get people to put their bags in sideways instead of flat.

 

[RunningBum]

Bigger is better: Airlines expanding overhead bins in response to common complaint - TODAY.com

I flew on a plane with the bigger bins. It's going to take a little education to get people to put their bags in sideways instead of flat.

Great! Hope that trend goes into more new planes.

 

[aja8888]

I have carried the Eagle Creek 22" Tarmac onto multiple domestic and international flights and have never been told it's too big, except for prop plane flights to small towns where virtually all luggage was gate checked.


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+2 on this.

I have been travelling all over the world for business and pleasure for about 35 years and about 10+ years ago I got a 22" Eagle Creek carry on as a present from DW. It's been everywhere and only on my last trip to Europe did the wheels disintegrate from oxidation (age) while pulling it through a cobble stone street in Spain.

When I got home, I called Eagle Creek and they only have replacement wheels that are the same material. So I bought a pair of expensive roller blade wheels ($12/pair) with good ball bearing hubs, drilled out the rivets in the bag corners and installed the wheels on the existing shafts and riveted the corner braces back on. I'm good for another couple of decades or so (haha)!

The other bag I have is a rolling backpack that I use for short duration trips where I don't need a lot of clothes or gear. I'm not that fond of it, but it works.

 

[Janet H]

I love my Tom Bihn Aeronaut 30- not a wheelie bag. Its a duffle type bag.

Also a Tom Bihn fan - durable and FUNCTIONAL. They don't make wheeled luggage but still, the gear is amazing.

They make a cool laundry bag that I always pack - one side for clean stuff and the other for dirty. Clever.

 

[Texas Proud]

Bigger is better: Airlines expanding overhead bins in response to common complaint - TODAY.com

I flew on a plane with the bigger bins. It's going to take a little education to get people to put their bags in sideways instead of flat.

I flew a plane many years ago where you could put it facing you, but not on its side... it fit many more bags than the old way. Also, the flight attendants were going up and down the rows fixing the bags where people put them in wrong so there was more room...

 

[Sarah in SC]

OMG, Janet, STOP IT. That is awesome! I have a hobo roll, which is just a big drawstring bag with interior dividers that reminds me a bit of that, but the Bihn bag in that video is way, way cooler.

Hmmm, Xmas is coming...

 

[MBAustin]

That Tom Bihn laundry stuff sack is way cool. I may get one for DD who is a minimalist traveler. So is DS but I doubt he cares whether his cleans and dirties are kept separate based on recent evidence (he's staying with us for a few weeks before going off to grad school).

 

[Janet H]

I have found the stuff sack most useful for socks and underwear which always seem to be a random mess in my luggage - they start in nice neat stacks but as the trip goes on keeping the clean and used separated becomes challenging....

 

[HFWR]

I have found the stuff sack most useful for socks and underwear which always seem to be a random mess in my luggage - they start in nice neat stacks but as the trip goes on keeping the clean and used separated becomes challenging....

I use a trash bag...

 

[check6]

I have used this bag FOR YEARS and it has taken a beating. It's quite favored in the airline crew world...it is truly one of the best bags. They also have most parts available for it, so you can make repairs (I have never had to repair mine). It's not a cheap bag...but it's about the best you can buy.

LuggageWorks Stealth 22" Rolling Bag - Luggageworks - Brands

Sent via mobile device. Please excuse any grammatical errors.

That was made by a company called Pretty Neat Things (Stuff). I used that bag for 20 years flying 15 days a month. It really held up well but was very heavy. Since retiring I bought a cheap, much lighter roll-a-board from Target called Jeep that is holding up well in our overseas travels. I could purchase five of those for one of the "Stealths."

And yes the airlines are redoing the interiors with emphasis on the overhead bins. Was on an A-320 last week where you lift the bin with the bag in it to close allowing you to place your bag on its side like someone else mentioned. The new interior was very modern and well done compared when I flew that exact same plane when it was brand new some 20 years ago.

 

[brett]

We are on a road trip at the moment.

Stopped at a Costco to look at carry ons. The Kirkland brand was good. We actually own one. BUt it is far to heavy and at 22.5 it is slightly large. We no longer use it as carry on even though the quality and construction is top notch. Our problem is it's weight. A 7kg weight limit does not leave much if the bag weighs 3-4kg.

There was also a much lighter Delsey that was very attractive to us. Two issues. it was too large for many airlines...23 inches. The other issue was that is it had four rollers that were not built in, they were attached externally at the bottom and they were small. MUch poorer quality than the two larger rollers that are built into my current carry on. They looked like they would snap off at the first sight of some cobblestones. Fine for an airport, not very durable for our us.