Best Carry-On for 7 night cruise

[travelsojourner]

I am trying to find the best carry-on (prefer rolling) that would pack the most for a 7 night cruise. I'd LOVE to pack most of my things in carry on if possible. Looking for recs of some bags - the less expensive the better ;)

[Roadtripster]

I on do carry on all the time. I take a duffle bag with wheels on the end. It fits in the overhead compartment and is easy to carry through the small aisle on the plane. I just put the short end next to my stomach and carry it "pointing out".

 

I am going to try the packing cubes for this trip as I just ordered them. I think they will help tremendously for a duffle bag.

 

My husband just uses probably a 22" wheeled case.

 

Can't stand to have to wait to check luggage through.

[Happy ks]

There is a problem when you state you want the best but you want to pay as little as possible. You can't really have it both ways as quality comes at a price and for a reason.

 

If you are looking for price only, your best bet is to go to a big box store or an outlet, such as TJ Maxx to find inexpensive luggage. Sometimes Macy's has good sale prices on weekends, but still the better quality luggage is going to cost you.

 

Since it is carry on you can get away with a lesser quality and lower priced piece. I can't recommend any particular brand, the lower priced luggae is pretty much alike when you compare them. But shop in person, not online so you can open the case and see just how much space you will have for packing. Pay attention to the outside pockets, the wheels, the zippers, make sure everything runs smoothly and do take the case for a walk around the store. Many of the less expensive brands use small wheels that will wobble and zippers that will break easily.

 

There is such a difference in quality and so much to choose from, don't just take anyones word on it on a message board, even mine. Much of the time online sites are charging the same or more for the same brands sold in stores, so don't automatically believe you are getting a good deal just because it's not in a retail store.

 

I work part time in a luggage store and when I'm out shopping I do look at what's available. I also price compare with online sites as we do price match and the price we charge is the same or lower almost all the time.

 

You can't even depend on good quality even when there is a name brand. I have found designer named bags, usually fashion designers where the bags are of inferior quality but sold at very high prices....so do be careful!

 

If you want the best and a suitcase that can hold a lot and be durable for years I would recommend Rimowa. It's 100% polycarbonate, there is a 22 inch bag on wheels that weighs less than any ballistic and most other poly/ABS blends. The cost is around $495-525 depending on color.

 

Another brand I recommend for the casual traveler is Victorinox Werks (not to be confused with Swiss Works, which is found in discount places like Target or Walmart). The price is not extremely low, less than Rimowa, but the quality is there and the warranty is the best around. If one of their pieces breaks, even airline damage, it is repaired or replaced by Victorinox for life. A 22 inch piece will cost around $300, sometimes they have specials or discounts.

[househunter]

We just bought a whole new set of Samsonite with the 360 degree spinning wheels and I love it! We have only used the carry ons for a trip to Vegas but will be using more pieces for our trip to Florida in 2 weeks.

 

It was on sale at Macys and was about $125 for the smallest and about $200 for the large 29 inch bag.

[cassieroll]

Those of you who carry on.. do you dress up for formal nights? I'm trying to figure out how to do this.

[Happy ks]

We used to carry Samsonite for a short time. At first we didn't care for having it in the store, but ended up using it to show people what they didn't want in luggage. When you compare in person it can make a big difference in choice.

 

It does tend to be heavy, the wheels are easily broken and the zippers are not of the best quality. They do have several different models of their spinners, so be careful. Samsonite has a name because of advertising, it's not the best luggage for the price.

 

Like I said above, go look in person to make the choice. Some are perfectly happy with Samsonite, I'd steer you away from it. If you do want a lower priced luggage, Delsey is typically well made, TravelPro is fairly decent, but the price may be a bit high. Eagle Creek makes a lightweight version that has a good warranty, it seems a bit flimsy to me though.

 

The very best luggage I feel is Tumi (#1), Victorinox, Rimowa, Hartmann and Briggs and Riley. There are others out there that I may not know about, these are the best we carry. We get Tumi and Hartmann pieces in for minor repair at times and the cases are up to 20 years old, it's amazing to see how well these pieces hold up to the rigors of travel.

 

We do get the argument that the airlines can beat up even the best and that is true. But, the contents are better protected from better made luggage and the companies that manufacture them will stand by their products.

[buckeye7]

We use the Victorinox and it's worked great for us. We did carry-on only for a 12- day Mediterranean!! And we did 2 formal nights! The ladies brought black dresses or pantsuits made from that material that doesn't wrinkle and takes up very little packing room. We wore the same thing twice. The men were able to pack their suits and used the pants for the suits on other evenings, more casually. We brought the biggest 'personal' bag that we could, with a small purse tucked into that. We did laundry on the ship a few times, which was easy. (Some people don't want to do laundry on vacation, but I didn't mind at all.) We are doing the same thing this summer for a Baltic. It can be done, if you choose to.

[Roadtripster]

Those of you who carry on.. do you dress up for formal nights? I'm trying to figure out how to do this.

 

Yes, we do formal. I pack very well and we always mix and match and never do laundry on the ship. (I packed for a week + trip to England in a carryon with jackets and gifts for people.)

 

For the cruise, I always just pack dresses for me. Only one article of clothing instead of 2 as in top and shorts or pants. I live in my swimsuit most of the day until it is time to change for dinner and then stay in those clothes the rest of the night.

 

My husband brings 3 pairs of dress pants and matches them to shirts/vest/suit jackets.

 

Shoes take up a lot of room so we limit the pairs and I match my dresses to the shoes. Plus, we wear the biggest, heaviest ones on the plane.

[binkysmom]

i love my Heys 4WD. It's a 20" (22" with wheels) spinner. It's only 6 lbs and has a true rectangular shape - no awkward slopes or tapering. I've used it for a weekend, week long trip and 3 weeks in europe. And yes, I pack formal wear (jersey dress). I also recommend using packing cubes.

[Road Pirate]

My wife and I also have the Heys 22" carryons and like them very much. Its a semi-hard side, with a bit of expandability, that is so easy to move on its four swivel wheels through airports, and light enough to put in the overheads. We use them for our cruise carry-ons or for long weekend trips. I think that we paid around $70 or $80 for them on line. Its nice that they come in four or five colors, and have large zipper tabs with holes for the TSA locks.

I worked for five airlines and saw the way bags are handled after they leave your hands at the counter. Think hard side and flat latches. Samsonite use to have great flush mounted latches with locks in them. That was when people bought, or received as a wedding gift, a good set of luggage which would last for many many years.

Another observation which has already been mentioned is that you get what you paid for. Seeing the way bags as routed under the airport and up to your baggage carousel confirms that adage. Keep the fancy leather bag tags on the inside and tie a short piece of brightly colored yarn to the handle. I've pick up hundreds of those nice tags and thousands of those cheap little locks.

[hillside]

Where do you buy Heys luggage? I've never heard of it and it sounds like something that I could use. Thanks!:)

[binkysmom]

I bought mine at The Bay here in Canada. I know I've seen them on ebags dot com but it cost more. Heys does have a website (heys dot ca). I'm not sure if they ship outside of Canada - but they should. They might also have a list of places where you can buy their products.

[hillside]

Thanks, I'll look around.