Travel Products - Frustrated with carry on size...

Grrrr...

Im currently using a Hartmann that measures by my tape measure to be just at 22" wheels to handle. Fits like a glove on every domestic flight I go on, mostly 737 or MD80s once a week. Its wheels are breaking and its from an outlet, so no warranty. Time for a new one anyways.

Bought a victorinox 22" Tourbach bag from eBags. Well, got on a 737 yesterday and no, this doesnt in any way fit overhead wheels first or wheels out. That bothers me-- I want to know my bag will always fit wheels first and not have to stress on a packed flight if my bag only fits sideways.



Well eBags of course wont take my bag back, because its "been used". Now, how in the world can we accurately know whether a bag will fit until taking it on a plane?! And as soon as we do, they dont take it back. So frustrating after spending $550 on a bag. They even said "the stated dimensions on line are not the actual dimensions of the bag"... so how in the world are we supposed to know it fits!?

So- I want a bag that will definitely fit, with a good warranty and is durable since I take about 80 flights a year. Mostly 1-2 day trips, but, I sometimes go on 4 day trip but that is just a few times per year.. Im also an average packer, im not the best at making use of every square inch.

Any advice or recommendations?!

Thanks!!

I've started using my 18" B&R carry on when ever possible instead of my 22" one, simply because I'm certain that it will fit wheels in on any mainline plane, where the 22" (slightly longer since wheels and handle isn't counted in that) would sometimes have to be placed longways(A319,A320, some 757), especially if I was in FC.

I get the feeling that if I was to need to unzip the expandable part of my 18" carry on and make the bag thicker than a carry on should be, it would still fit in the overheads wheels in, since length has been the most critical dimension.

Briggs and Riley's lifetime warranty covers everything but shipping to the repair center.

Sometimes they list actual dimensions, including wheels. I am using a Rick Steves 21" bag, but they clearly disclose on the website that it's 22" including the wheels.

BTW it's a cheap but good bag. Zero frills but light when empty. Fits wheels first in a 737 or the 3-side of an MD-80. (Of course I'm flying these damn regional jets where nothing fits wheels first.)

When you get a 22" bag you're asking for fit problems.

When you get a 22" bag you're asking for fit problems.

What about the B&R baseline 21? Is that small enough for domestic jets? I never fly international.

Sometimes they list actual dimensions, including wheels. I am using a Rick Steves 21" bag, but they clearly disclose on the website that it's 22" including the wheels.

BTW it's a cheap but good bag. Zero frills but light when empty. Fits wheels first in a 737 or the 3-side of an MD-80. (Of course I'm flying these damn regional jets where nothing fits wheels first.)

+1 I too use the Rick Steves 21" bag and have never had a problem with its fit in overhead. Nice choice of colors too...

How are the zippers on the Rick Steves bag? Is this something that will stand up to weekly travel?

And on the B&R bags, are they heavy?

Thanks.

Grrrr...

Im currently using a Hartmann that measures by my tape measure to be just at 22" wheels to handle. Fits like a glove on every domestic flight I go on, mostly 737 or MD80s once a week. Its wheels are breaking and its from an outlet, so no warranty. Time for a new one anyways.

Bought a victorinox 22" Tourbach bag from eBags. Well, got on a 737 yesterday and no, this doesnt in any way fit overhead wheels first or wheels out. That bothers me-- I want to know my bag will always fit wheels first and not have to stress on a packed flight if my bag only fits sideways.



Well eBags of course wont take my bag back, because its "been used". Now, how in the world can we accurately know whether a bag will fit until taking it on a plane?! And as soon as we do, they dont take it back. So frustrating after spending $550 on a bag. They even said "the stated dimensions on line are not the actual dimensions of the bag"... so how in the world are we supposed to know it fits!?

So- I want a bag that will definitely fit, with a good warranty and is durable since I take about 80 flights a year. Mostly 1-2 day trips, but, I sometimes go on 4 day trip but that is just a few times per year.. Im also an average packer, im not the best at making use of every square inch.

Any advice or recommendations?!

Thanks!!

The dimensions on your bag 23X15X10.5 (48.5 linear inches) also exceeds most airline maximum for carry on of 45 linear inches. I would suggest you use a 20 inch bag. Eagle Creek Tarmac is a good choice in both function and warranty. The Tarmac weighs 3 pounds less, has a bigger capacity 2750 cu in compared to 2624 cu in of your Tourbach, and the Tarmac is 44.5 linear inches.

The Eagle Creek Tarmac is a wide body so you will have to check its dimensions with the airlines you travel with.

I wouldn't give up the fight with ebags either. Maybe you can talk them into store credit in lieu of a refund. Regardless I would take it as high as I could with them.

Good luck,
Shak

How are the zippers on the Rick Steves bag? Is this something that will stand up to weekly travel?

And on the B&R bags, are they heavy?

Thanks.

Rick Steves branded stuff is plenty good for typical leisure travelers, but are probably not going to stand up to weekly travel.

As for B&R, yes, they are heavy.

I'm in the process of dumping wheeled bags altogether and switching to Red Oxx.

generally, with the way most luggage is marketed nowadays, if you want a bag that fits in wheels first you should be looking for a 20" or a 20" widebody...

Most luggage companys (not all, but most) give measurements of just the packing body and not the full handle to wheel measurement.

I second Shak's advice.

BR are notoriously bigger than what they say. Problem is the outside telescope system. It makes the bag too deep. It also costs valuable packing space. BR baseline is also quite heavy, though not as crazy as Tourbach.

I'd recommend EC or Boyt or LL Bean instead. Also look at Travelpro Platinum.

If you don't treat your bag badly and it's always with you, I see no real reason to go for the super duper warranty offered by the brands above.

If your physical capacity allows it think of getting a non-wheeled bag. Tom Bihn Tristar, Red Oxx Airboss, Patagonia MLC, Ebay Weekender are all great choices and none of them costs more than half of the Tourbach. They also all weigh less than half. And they offer very similar carrying capacity. So no need to learn to be a great packer, although that definitely helps and is just about the most rewarding thing one can do when one travels as often as you do. It pays off BIG TIME! ^

All of these will fit without a hitch in the overheads of MD80s and 737s. Some will even fit in regional jets. Given that they are so light, they will also help when airlines introduce a cabin luggage weight limit on US domestic flights. In Europe it's already there.

Till

Yikes - do European airlines weigh a woman's purse along with the carry on bag? This could be very ...bad.... I've always enjoyed my twenty pound stylish, yet zippered purse, which held my reading materials, pillow, blanky, and lunch...

off to google carry on weight limits on Lufthansa...

Yikes - do European airlines weigh a woman's purse along with the carry on bag? This could be very ...bad.... I've always enjoyed my twenty pound stylish, yet zippered purse, which held my reading materials, pillow, blanky, and lunch...

off to google carry on weight limits on Lufthansa...

They are usually not too bad about weighing personal items, rather targeting rollers. Indeed, that is a big reason people switch to no wheel bags.

Yikes - do European airlines weigh a woman's purse along with the carry on bag? This could be very ...bad.... I've always enjoyed my twenty pound stylish, yet zippered purse, which held my reading materials, pillow, blanky, and lunch...

off to google carry on weight limits on Lufthansa...

You are not going to like this. They do weigh personal items and the limit is 6kg or 7kg, so way less than 20lbs. They weighed my briefcase and I didn't even have another bag or a purse. Just the briefcase. Nuts!!! :mad:

And the 6/7kg weight limit on LH applies to your main carry-on luggage, too. So forget about taking a fully loaded max size 22" carry-on PLUS a 20lb big, fat ladies kitchen sink carrier. :D

But LH will check your main bag for free, as you certainly know. But trim the kitchen sink purse. ;)

Till

The rules appear to continually change, and the seat configurations over the years have shrunk.

I had to check my attache & computer on a "full " Lufthansa international flight, and the traffic agent behind the desk ( German, of course) was firm and unsmiling.
When I made a joke in German that " My Dear, you know it is a Lufthansa Rimowa attache, " I was given the evil eye, and advised " and it MUST go into baggage. "

It did, and I worried about it all the way accross the Atlantic.

JAPAN 1987: I took a business flight from Tokyo down to Osaka. I entered a sea of blue blazer, grey slack mass of businessmen, in a configuration of seat best described as " Brisling " or " less space than economy. " Leg room for the average European was non-existent, and that included the space for an attache case and carry-on. As short as the flight was, my subsequent invitation by the president of the company I was doing business with to return with him on the bullet train was greatly appreciated and accepted.

In the past 10 years I have seen this " creep up " in tighter seat configuration and baggage allowances in both Europe and North America. I am quite sure my aluminum carry-on over the years has not grown in size: Have any members noticed that the ovehead bins in many aircraft are getting smaller ?

Until the economic crisis effects are over and air travel returns to normal profit levels, we will continue to experience additonal costs and restrictive measures. But of course, there are alternatives. Steamship travel anyone ?

They made you check your briefcase? Wow. That's tough. Can they even make you check something that fits under the seat in front of you and is under the weight limit? I suppose they can do just about anything.

Or was it a rollaboard style briefcase? Those can get quite big.

Nice joke, though. Too bad the agent had no sense of humor. I'm German, too, and I really enjoyed the joke. :D

Till

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I second the recommendation or the 18 inch B&R. I have used one a lot and it is basically nearly indestructible and always has fit in the overheads longwise. As I have gotten better at packing I often go even smaller with the B&R rolling cabin bag and a briefcase. Im on a 4 day trip to AMS currently with the rolling cabin bag and a Red Oxx Metro. I had my Red Oxx Skytrain packed but I am pretty tired and in thinking about the LHR T3 to T5 shuffle bailed and switched to the small roller.

Grrrr...

Im currently using a Hartmann that measures by my tape measure to be just at 22" wheels to handle. Fits like a glove on every domestic flight I go on, mostly 737 or MD80s once a week. Its wheels are breaking and its from an outlet, so no warranty. Time for a new one anyways.

Bought a victorinox 22" Tourbach bag from eBags. Well, got on a 737 yesterday and no, this doesnt in any way fit overhead wheels first or wheels out. That bothers me-- I want to know my bag will always fit wheels first and not have to stress on a packed flight if my bag only fits sideways.



Well eBags of course wont take my bag back, because its "been used". Now, how in the world can we accurately know whether a bag will fit until taking it on a plane?! And as soon as we do, they dont take it back. So frustrating after spending $550 on a bag. They even said "the stated dimensions on line are not the actual dimensions of the bag"... so how in the world are we supposed to know it fits!?

So- I want a bag that will definitely fit, with a good warranty and is durable since I take about 80 flights a year. Mostly 1-2 day trips, but, I sometimes go on 4 day trip but that is just a few times per year.. Im also an average packer, im not the best at making use of every square inch.

Any advice or recommendations?!

Thanks!!
Unfortunately, this ought to be easy, but it's not. If you purchase online, you need to measure first thing out of the box so you can return the item if need be. In a store, you can at least measure. Despite everything, if eBags won't take the item back, I would tell them that if they don't, you will initiate a chargeback because eBags' representations were false and deceptive. I would then dispute the charge and see if you get anywhere. It's a large amount, so eBags won't go quietly.

Ja, natürlich.

Yes, LH can and does. Not a roll-a-board: It was the Rimowa Attenkoffer (Attache) Slim model sold at LH Skyshop. I had a Sony Vaio inside. The last time was FRA-LAX.

I've learned:

1. Keep it all light, and inside a Rimowa Salsa Air Cabin 4 wheel.
2. Send anything of value to and from the company over the internet FIRST.
3. If your checked luggage does not arrive, don't wait, as you'll wait for days.
Move on, and hopefully it will catch up later. (I just experienced this with TAM).

Glad you saw the humour.

You are not going to like this. They do weigh personal items and the limit is 6kg or 7kg, so way less than 20lbs. They weighed my briefcase and I didn't even have another bag or a purse. Just the briefcase. Nuts!!! :mad:

And the 6/7kg weight limit on LH applies to your main carry-on luggage, too. So forget about taking a fully loaded max size 22" carry-on PLUS a 20lb big, fat ladies kitchen sink carrier. :D

But LH will check your main bag for free, as you certainly know. But trim the kitchen sink purse. ;)

Till

What are we supposed to do with beefy laptops??

Good question.

I was asked to purchase an IPAD 2 for a friend and after he changed his mind, I kept it for my use. In fact I'm using it to type this (and without a keyboard). Wafer-thin (yes, another Python joke) but easy to carry anywhere.

My wife uses a 2010 Sony Vaio which we also took with us. It fits inside a padded slipcover, inside her carry-on. Had we had been asked by LH or JJ (TAM) to check the carry-on through as baggage, we would have then removed it from the case and carried it in her large purse.

The more serious concern is a jacket or coat. Leaving Europe was somewhat warm, but arriving in Sao Paulo was a shock at 13C, with rain. Both FA staff and passengers at GRU were wearing long mantel-type wool coats, or down jackets..

I took a thin packable jacket, and layered it was warm during the layover connection. Fortunately, we were headed up near the Equator to Fortaleza. But heading back to Europe in Winter requires something warmer. I believe LH would weigh that also. The nice foil space blankets may be warm but not exactly fashionable. What do you do then ?

What are we supposed to do with beefy laptops??

Good question. Ask Lufthansa or any other airline that has a 6kg limit on cabin luggage. MLC carry-on is almost excluded, unfortunately. I guess they figure 6kg is what you need for a briefcase. Of course, if you carry a 17" behemoth plus PSU you can count around 4kg for that. 1kg for the bag itself and 1kg left for various documents. NOT generous.

Obviously, if you show up with an MLC carry-on, a fully loaded briefcase as personal item PLUS a lady's purse as "cheater item", you'll run into trouble.

Swissaire, LH never weighed my coat. So that's the one item where one could cheat. Put heavy power supplies and tech gadgets in the coat pockets.

Till

I see on another thread here that there are manufacturers of multi-pocketed coats and vests specifically for that purpose.

I'm not sure how one moves comfortably with a 3kg. laptop hidden in a back pocket, but it is a novel idea.

Good question. Ask Lufthansa or any other airline that has a 6kg limit on cabin luggage. MLC carry-on is almost excluded, unfortunately. I guess they figure 6kg is what you need for a briefcase. Of course, if you carry a 17" behemoth plus PSU you can count around 4kg for that. 1kg for the bag itself and 1kg left for various documents. NOT generous.

I've got a 19". I think it weighs at least 6kg on it's own, before adding it's monster power brick.

Obviously, if you show up with an MLC carry-on, a fully loaded briefcase as personal item PLUS a lady's purse as "cheater item", you'll run into trouble.

I'm not a lady. My name was the male spelling when I was given it.

Wow, a 19" laptop. That's monstrous. May I ask why you need such a big screen? I've never even seen anyone on the road with a 19 incher.

My "you" was the general you, classic misunderstanding. Sorry. Americans always take that personal and Europeans find the "one" to be too stiff, in my experience.

But thanks for the clarification anyway as it's a name that lends itself to misunderstandings. The gender of mine (male) is not really clear to many people outside Europe either.

Till

How are the zippers on the Rick Steves bag? Is this something that will stand up to weekly travel?

And on the B&R bags, are they heavy?

Thanks.

I am using a 5 or 6 year old Rick Steves 21" roller bag every week and it's doing fine. No issue with the zippers.

The guy rolling it, however, is wearing out quickly.

Wow, a 19" laptop. That's monstrous. May I ask why you need such a big screen? I've never even seen anyone on the road with a 19 incher.

I'm a programmer. I want a lot of horsepower, a lot of screen real estate. I'm writing this on a machine with 3 19" monitors. This isn't a machine meant to be used on the road, it's meant to be hauled somewhere and put on a table and used. While it has a battery it won't last even two hours under the lightest load.

But thanks for the clarification anyway as it's a name that lends itself to misunderstandings. The gender of mine (male) is not really clear to many people outside Europe either.

Till

It's a *VERY* common mistake these days because amongst those now coming of age it's entirely a female name.

I'm a programmer. I want a lot of horsepower, a lot of screen real estate. I'm writing this on a machine with 3 19" monitors. This isn't a machine meant to be used on the road, it's meant to be hauled somewhere and put on a table and used. While it has a battery it won't last even two hours under the lightest load.

It's a *VERY* common mistake these days because amongst those now coming of age it's entirely a female name.

A few years ago I carried a 20 inch laptop (a HP) with me on a few trips. It is tricky to find a bag which both fit the laptop (which essentially means 20 inch carry-ons) and fit comfortably in the London Heathrow sizer. It's possible to do but at least for my laptop I had to break 14 inches on width to do it (which is fine in London as the sizer accepts Continental/Wide bodies). It actually was not so bad -- the TSA folks were like -- "wow, that is one huge laptop"
but actually as it was in a rollerboard there were not many problems.

But thanks for the clarification anyway as it's a name that lends itself to misunderstandings. The gender of mine (male) is not really clear to many people outside Europe either.

Till

Just don't indulge in too many merry pranks.

I use jetcart from walkinbag myself for travel to NYC monthly basis. It fits overhead in crj900 and under the seats perfectly. Only the thing I don't like is everytime gate staff try to grab my bag and attach pink tag to gate check and need to explain the bag fits overhead!

Also look at Travelpro Platinum.

So... just got my Platinum 7 in the mail today - the 22in suiter. I decided to get a new bag because the Samsonite (unknown model!) carry-on doesn't fit the proper way - I'm one of "those" people who has to turn their bag the wrong way. I do a fair amount of traveling and hate being that person. So... new bag.

I love the look of the Platinum 7 but am now nervous that it won't fit wheels in on a plane. I'm typically flying Southwest and if not, its' a UA 737/319/320. Has anyone tried their new Platinum7 as a carry-on?

Thanks!

I use a Briggs and Riley Verb 20" carry-on (plus a briefcase / laptop bag) as my "up to 7 days" config, and I have NEVER been asked to gate check it.

Nor has any European, American, Canadian or Asian airline asked me to weigh it (or the combination thereof).

Just got back from Turkey on Turkish Airlines (90% of my travel is economy, since that's what work pays for), and nary a word was said about my choice of travelling gear. It all fits wheels-in into a 737 without a problem as well.

The majority of the time I fly Lufthansa, Swiss or Austrian Air, and not once has anyone weighed my carry-on.

The ONLY time I've ever had my carry-on weighed was by Air Canada the day I moved from Canada to France, and that was only because we were standing around chatting with the check-in agent. The bag was well over Air Canada limits, but I explained to them that I was moving and had two laptops (one a 17" Dell and a 15" Apple MBP) in it, and they let me on without any complaints.

I have never been asked to gate-check a briefcase of any size (when I travelled with my Dell 17" laptop, I used a fairly large backpack as my briefcase).

Sorry, but something doesn't pass the smell test here....an attache case fits underneath the seat in front of you. You must have pissed off the gate agent severely to have them make you gate-check your attache case.

Or flying through LHR when they were enforcing the no carry-on / 1 carry-on policy in late 2005.



Patrick

Patrick;

This did not occur at the gate: It took place at the check-in counter.

The explanation was that the flight was quite full. It is understable perhaps that those type of conditions can take their toll on the counter management staff.

In contrast, my wife and I have just returned from a 6 flight leg trip to and in Brasil. 70kg x2 per person check-in baggage, and noticeable shopping spree purchases of large, new carry-on bags and items with the Brasilians returning from Europe. Good for them and the booming economy they enjoy.

No limits, full flight, and everything and everyone was happily allowed onboard.