luggage questions

[Kitty Ellas Mom]

I'm about to purchase new luggage b/c ours is more than 12 yrs old and doesn't glide like today's suitcases do (and some of it broke on my last flight).  I'm looking for hard shelled and medium price range.  My question is, what works best for a cruise, as I know you need to store it in your cabin.  I'm thinking of having one airplane carry on size suitcase and one of the smaller type airplane checked bags.  It's a total 14 day trip and I plan to do laundry at the half way point;  have not decided if that will be me doing it with the machines or paying for Princess to do it.  (Cruise is Caribbean Princess 10 day Canada / New England.)

 

I'm taking the Amtrak train to get to NYC for the departure so I have to follow their size rules and then going home on Air Canada and United.  I know the dimensions for all of those.  But, I am buying luggage for the long term so any advice is welcome.  I've tried to make a list of all the airlines I have flown or think I"ll fly but it got tedious.  I really wish there were one standard size. 

 

Also has anyone had trouble with Amtrak not allowing the larger size suitcases, as they don't have any checked baggage service on my train, only carry on.  I read a lot on the net that they just allow anything, not worrying about sizes, but I don't want to get caught with too big a suitcase at the station.  

[Flatbush Flyer]

11 minutes ago, Kitty Ellas Mom said:

I'm about to purchase new luggage b/c ours is more than 12 yrs old and doesn't glide like today's suitcases do (and some of it broke on my last flight).  I'm looking for hard shelled and medium price range.  My question is, what works best for a cruise, as I know you need to store it in your cabin.  I'm thinking of having one airplane carry on size suitcase and one of the smaller type airplane checked bags.  It's a total 14 day trip and I plan to do laundry at the half way point;  have not decided if that will be me doing it with the machines or paying for Princess to do it.  (Cruise is Caribbean Princess 10 day Canada / New England.)

 

I'm taking the Amtrak train to get to NYC for the departure so I have to follow their size rules and then going home on Air Canada and United.  I know the dimensions for all of those.  But, I am buying luggage for the long term so any advice is welcome.  I've tried to make a list of all the airlines I have flown or think I"ll fly but it got tedious.  I really wish there were one standard size. 

 

Also has anyone had trouble with Amtrak not allowing the larger size suitcases, as they don't have any checked baggage service on my train, only carry on.  I read a lot on the net that they just allow anything, not worrying about sizes, but I don't want to get caught with too big a suitcase at the station.  

26” compressible Briggs & Riley Simpatco hard shell. On sale once or twice a year.

[leaveitallbehind]

We tend to use the softer luggage as IMO it is more flexible in terms of variable packing amounts. I also think it is well suited for cruising as it easily fits under the beds, which is the ideal storage area. In our experience that space is typically about 12 inches from bedframe base to floor.  Hard sided luggage may not fit as well and would then have to be somewhere in the stateroom, which is not ideal.  But if hard sided is your preference, just keep that depth size in mind.

 

Not aware of any Amtrak policies regarding luggage restrictions for carry on other than it needs to fit on the overhead storage, which most will.  But maybe google Amtrak (or call) to see if there is any information available to be sure.

 

One tip - as mentioned, we always store our empty luggage under the bed and at the end of each day we pack our worn clothes in them so that by the end of the week on the last night we are already 90% packed for the trip home. 

[mom says]

Here is the Amtrak luggage policy. Seems pretty generous to me.  https://www.amtrak.com/carry-on-baggage#:~:text=Each passenger may bring two,outside of all your bags.

 

As for your purchases, and since you are looking long term, bear in mind the more restrictive carry on allowances for any European airlines. A 21" would likely be the maximum (including wheels). For checked luggage, usually a 28" is the maximum for most airlines. Hard or soft side is your choice. But if going for hard side, opt for a clamshell that opens flat with roughly half on each side - makes it easier to store under the cabin bed. I prefer soft side with exterior zipped pockets. And when you buy your suitcases, use a tape measure to check the sizes. Advertised sizes often aren't accurate. Now you need to decide between 2 wheeled and 4 wheeled. 4 wheeled come with their own drawbacks, especially on uneven surfaces.

[SoloAlaska]

I like a hard side carry on and a 26” personally. The 4 wheel spinners are my favourite but the double wheels on each I find holds up better than the singles. I buy my luggage at Marshall’s/Winners (if your in Canada), good selection and great pricing. So far I’ve only cruised Celebrity and the beds where quite high and could fit pretty much any normal sized luggage underneath.

[leaveitallbehind]

1 hour ago, SoloAlaska said:

So far I’ve only cruised Celebrity and the beds where quite high and could fit pretty much any normal sized luggage underneath.

Agree.  RCCL / Celebrity are probably more like 14 inches space underneath the beds - not the 12 inches I originally said.

[Kitty Ellas Mom]

Thanks all.  I did find today that nothing at the mall worked b/c every carry on was at least 22", and I needed something 21.5" or less.  I did find a Delsey hardshell one on amazon that I like but I'm going to sleep on it.  I do see the advantage of having a soft sided one too, but that is what I've always had and I wanted something that would better protect things.  

[Crew News]

4 hours ago, Kitty Ellas Mom said:

Thanks all.  I did find today that nothing at the mall worked b/c every carry on was at least 22", and I needed something 21.5" or less.  I did find a Delsey hardshell one on amazon that I like but I'm going to sleep on it.  I do see the advantage of having a soft sided one too, but that is what I've always had and I wanted something that would better protect things.  

Will the contents in a soft-side case survive being on the bottom of one of the luggage carriers in this picture?  I switched from soft-sided 13 years ago to Delsey (Holiday sale) after a large bottle of shampoo incident. 

 

[wrightkj]

I love Amtrak and find their luggage policy very generous! They had no trouble with my 26" loaded suitcase, bit it was a heavy pain in the behind to lug around!

[broadwaybaby123]

Mine is canvas so I can use the expandable pockets.

[Essiesmom]

Think about what you want inside the bag also.  When I went looking I wanted an expandable bag with wheels, and inside at least one side, preferably both, have zipper closures.  I found the perfect bag in pumpkin orange on deep clearance at a dept. store.  I have also purchased bags at TJMaxx, Burlington, online at ebags, Target, Marshall’s…look everywhere.  My only complaint is that last time I looked in Burlington, the bags were all locked, you couldn’t open them to check the inside.  They said you had to take them to checkout to have them opened.  What a pain.  No more Burlington for me.  I also bought bags at American Tourister when they had stores.  EM

[Itchy&Scratchy]

we travel as a family of 3, check our luggage in, so we always bring a soft sided 28" roller and a hard sided 28" roller suitcase for 7-10 day cruises.  We also have a backpack each with the absolutely necessary stuff as carry-on - meds, electronics, a pair of shorts, swimsuit, trunks, flip flops and a sun hat for each person.

 

My parents bring one 28" soft sided suitcase and 2 school sized backpacks for 1 week cruise.

 

We always pack toiletries into ziplock bags after a spilled shampoo fiasco. On our last trip I was glad I double bagged my nail polish remover because the darn bottle spilled everything.

Edited September 5, 2023 by Itchy&Scratchy

[SoloAlaska]

4 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

we travel as a family of 3, check our luggage in, so we always bring a soft sided 28" roller and a hard sided 28" roller suitcase for 7-10 day cruises.  We also have a backpack each with the absolutely necessary stuff as carry-on - meds, electronics, a pair of shorts, swimsuit, trunks, flip flops and a sun hat for each person.

 

My parents bring one 28" soft sided suitcase and 2 school sized backpacks for 1 week cruise.

 

We always pack toiletries into ziplock bags after a spilled shampoo fiasco. On our last trip I was glad I double bagged my nail polish remover because the darn bottle spilled everything.

For a southern itinerary that makes sense but if your cruising somewhere colder it takes more to cover and stay warm. I love to hike or workout onboard and need all the clothing and footwear for those activities.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

4 minutes ago, SoloAlaska said:

For a southern itinerary that makes sense but if your cruising somewhere colder it takes more to cover and stay warm.

we usually wear our warm clothes and sneakers when we travel to the port since we cruise Thanksgiving week, but - yes, for colder itineraries one may need more. We usually fly Spirit which limits our suitcases to 40# each, but they are usually somewhat empty volume-wise, even at exactly 40#.

Edited September 5, 2023 by Itchy&Scratchy

[SoloAlaska]

Just now, Itchy&Scratchy said:

we usually wear our warm clothes when we travel to the port since we cruise Thanksgiving week, but - yes, for colder itineraries one may need more. We usually fly Spirit which limits our suitcases to 40# each, but they are usually somewhat empty volume-wise, even at exactly 40#.

The weight is always the hardest. That’s why I got rid of my 28” suitcase, it just added extra weight and I couldn’t fill it unless I travelled with a pillow. Considering I can put 37lb of stuff in a carry on lol, turns out the Canadian transportation agency has a max of 35lb oops.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

4 minutes ago, SoloAlaska said:

That’s why I got rid of my 28” suitcase, it just added extra weight and I couldn’t fill it unless I travelled with a pillow.

the kiddo is growing and soon his clothes will be as big as his dad's.... so we can't get rid of the suitcases. And what we pack changes over time as the kid ages.... 🙂 we definitely reach the weight limit even before the suitcases are full.

[Mum2Mercury]

Random thoughts:

- We each own one rolling carry-on.  That + a day pack is our luggage limit.  

- We don't have /don't care about matching luggage; rather, we've usually bought from discount places like Marshall's or Burlington.  

- We own only luggage in unusual colors -- easier to spot in a sea of black suitcases.  After the kids moved out, we found ourselves left with one olive drab suitcase + one rust-colored suitcase.  We are pleased with these colors.    

- One of our rolling carry-ons is on its last legs, and I was interested in replacing it with a hard-sided model -- until I looked at luggage at Marshall's (?) and saw that so much of the stuff on the shelves was beat up /even cracked or broken.  If that happens in the store ...

[Mum2Mercury]

1 hour ago, SoloAlaska said:

The weight is always the hardest. That’s why I got rid of my 28” suitcase, it just added extra weight and I couldn’t fill it unless I travelled with a pillow. Considering I can put 37lb of stuff in a carry on lol, turns out the Canadian transportation agency has a max of 35lb oops.

If you already own a larger suitcase, you might share one.  One suitcase can be easier to wrangle than two smaller ones.  

[SoloAlaska]

2 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Random thoughts:

- We each own one rolling carry-on.  That + a day pack is our luggage limit.  

- We don't have /don't care about matching luggage; rather, we've usually bought from discount places like Marshall's or Burlington.  

- We own only luggage in unusual colors -- easier to spot in a sea of black suitcases.  After the kids moved out, we found ourselves left with one olive drab suitcase + one rust-colored suitcase.  We are pleased with these colors.    

- One of our rolling carry-ons is on its last legs, and I was interested in replacing it with a hard-sided model -- until I looked at luggage at Marshall's (?) and saw that so much of the stuff on the shelves was beat up /even cracked or broken.  If that happens in the store ...

I also love buying my luggage from Marshall’s and buy both pieces at the same time so it’s a perfect match. I’ve been pretty lucky in always finding the two matching I like when I go.

 

My hard shell carry on which I just gave to my mom looks almost like new and has been on over 40 flight segments. no problem with durability.

[SoloAlaska]

4 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

If you already own a larger suitcase, you might share one.  One suitcase can be easier to wrangle than two smaller ones.  

I travel solo usually so no need to share. The reason I don’t use the larger one is because I max out the weight before I fill the suitcase. When I travel on business I carry up to 220lb of luggage, I’m an expert luggage wrangler lol.

[Kitty Ellas Mom]

Update:  Thanks to everyone for all the responses.  I ended up getting a 19" Delsey hardsided carry on and the matching medium sized checked bag.  I'm not sure how I'll like hardsided luggage but wanted to give it a try.  With a large # of kids leaving for college soon if I don't like it someone will take it.  I also fell in love with a soft sided set from Travelpro but that one is currently sold out.  If I don't love having a hard sided luggage I may give it to one of my kids and get a soft one again.

[Kitty Ellas Mom]

Well I thought this was all settled and then received my luggage today.  The international sized carry on was 10" deep, not 9" as amazon advertised.  I am so, so angry.   It says 10" on the tag on the bag. Now I have to do an amazon return as well as everything else I have to do to get ready.  How in the world could they make a carry on luggage that deep when most airlines only allow 9"?  It's hard sided so I don't dare try to fit it in.  This was Delsey Helium Aero, with glowing reviews all over the net.  I guess I'll probably get that smaller London Fog, but it was enough smaller all around I'd lose a lot of packing space.

[donaldsc]

I am going to make a comment about 2 wheel versus 4 wheel suitcases.  I have a 2 wheel suitcase; my wife has a 4 wheel suitcase.  I HATE 4 wheel suitcases.  Four wheel suitcases may be good on smooth surfaces but the little tiny tiny wheels make them awful on surfaces that are not smooth.  They don't handle bumps well.  They are absolutely awful on rugs.  If you try to pull them down uneven streets with curbs they do not go over the curbs well.  The only possible advantage of them is that you don't have to hold then to keep them from falling over when you walk with them.  Did I mention that I would guess that the teny tine wheel are not going to hold up well.  My 10 or 15 year old 2 wheel model with big wheels has wheels that are still in perfect shape.   I would not buy a 4 wheel suitcase if they paid me to take them.  

 

Did I mention that I HATE 4 wheel suitcases.

 

DON

[mom says]

3 hours ago, Kitty Ellas Mom said:

international sized carry on was 10" deep, not 9" as amazon advertised.  I am so, so angry. 

And this is one of the reasons I only buy luggage that I have first measured for myself. I hate to say I told you so, but.... post#4.

[Kitty Ellas Mom]

I had to go online because I went to 6 stores and found nothing small enough. I don't have time to keep going to stores. That's why I'm asking for specific recommendations. 

Edited September 7, 2023 by Kitty Ellas Mom