agb1a

I'm looking for a check in luggage right now and was wondering if there's any specific size I should be looking for. If it's going to be checked in, is there any downside to getting a very large side ? like 30" ?

Only things I want in a check in luggage right now is a spinner and a hard sided .

Letitride3c

As a general rule, most FT's flying for a living out of the suitcase only do carry-ons but do checked them occassionally, sometimes out of necessity on smaller regional jets - haven't checked a roller since 2011 and that was flying TPAC, and only for extended cruises out of our home port city. Are you US-based, Euro or Asia, flying domestic and/or all over?

What routes and/or city pairs are you flying (personal / family / business, etc.) and do you have favorite airlines that you plan to use on a regular basis, as I assumed you are new to flying the tin cans nowadays - so, belated welcome to FT. Check your airliners or carriers for their specs on maximum size for checked piece(s) and weight restrictions - you do NOT want to be charged for excess weight & oversized = costly, if they lost it in transit (JetBlue horror stories - A320 plane full of checked luggages left behind) Learn to & practice traveling light (plenty of video how-to on YouTube, search for it)

Hard sided spinners, in my opinions, are meant to be damaged, broken & thrown around (those wheels often don't survive for long) - especially if they are heavy or loaded (it's how it travel beyond the counter, down the conveyer belts, to the trucks, hit the tarmac, up the belly, down again & then reverse course to eventually, hopefully, mostly intact out to the carousal - rain/shine/snow, dirt/grease & all thru temperature extremes) Most warranties are useless - really - & don't cover airline damages, and if you are 9,000 miles away from homebase - it doesn't do you any good to wait a week or more for claiming repairs with a broken one, you need a backup or buy one on the spot. You get what you paid for - $$ for your investment, B&R brand is most respected.

In general, a 25" or 26" spinner is more than enough to pack 20 kg or 44 lbs, the common limits for US-carriers. Heavier items, valuables & electronic gadgets like laptop and/or iPads, etc. always go as hand-carry item and/or as a personal bag, depending how you pack - more & more of us are dealing with the "sizer" these days, be wise about it - but it can help spread the load.

brp1264

Some folks like myself prefer to get a good check-in bag and use that instead of carry-on only. I travel for extended periods of times for my job, so doing check-in only would really limit me in that I'd be doing laundry all the time and also would not be able to bring all the items I'd want to (work clothes, going out clothes, workout clothes, work items that need to be checked such as a leatherman, and liquids >3oz etc...) Plus I bring a big computer backpack with me with tons of electronics and other work items - it clocks in close to 30lbs itself when fully loaded!

Yes, hard-sides do take a beating every now and then, but if you get a good quality one, they can take it pretty well. I have a 6-year old 28" Samsonite hardside spinner that is still operational, including all wheels, and has not had any repairs. It has scratches of course and a dent in one corner from Philippine Arilines, but it's in good knick still after >500k miles and dozens of countries. I remember an airline baggage loader once posting before that they prefer these bags as they can just set them upright and push them down the belly of the aircraft to load them.

I don't use the 28" hard-side anymore, as if I really pack it full it will be about 60lbs, and that's always a PIA with airlines charging you fees for anything over 50lbs. Even though I can expense the fees for work, I don't like to draw attention or go through the hassle. So, now I use a 25-26" hardside and am able to fit most everything I need in the beast and it weighs in at exactly 49lbs fully loaded. Once you learn to pack it and use compression bags for some of your clothes, it works out well and I can fit dozens of outfits in it. You also learn to pack it with the heavy items on the bottom to give it a good low center of gravity so it doesn't topple over.

For my personal/leisure travel though, I avoid the hard-side case and generally go with my Air Boss for that. I may have to grab another bag for leisure travel, as an Air Boss is good if you carefully pack it, but for me a duffel bag is more the style during vacation.

Dianne47

I would never, ever buy a check-in bag larger than 24-26 inches. It's way too easy to go over weight restrictions with any bag larger than that. Anyone can travel for many weeks, to different climates, with a bag that size.

I bought the TravelPro Maxlite 2 line recently (rolling tote, 20-inch spinner, and 25-inch spinner) and have been pleased with the performance. I wanted reasonably durable luggage at a low price point and that's what the Maxlite 2 bags deliver.

Oops, forgot you specified hard-side. Check out the offerings from ebags.com, their own brand.

aBroadAbroad

Agree with Dianne... easy to end up overweight with a very large bag. Also, when you don't need all that capacity, you're stuck with a giant bag.

IMO, best to stick with something closer to 25" and learn a few good packing techniques, like rolling and compression. That allows you to get more stuff into a more compact bag when necessary, and gives you a smaller bag the rest of the time. (I've gotten so good that I can actually go overweight on a checked carry-on if I'm not careful. )

You'll end up with a more convenient and versatile bag overall.

aktchi

I have 24", 26", and 28" non-expandable B&R. For each trip I choose from them, depending on what I need to carry, high density stuff (books, chocolates) or fluffy (sweaters, clothes for gifts). Mostly it is 24 or 26, but 28 is useful occasionally.

With expandable kind, you could probably cover most situations with a 25" and a 27".

Good luck.

CKizer

22 and 28 Hartmann spinners. The small one is great for about 5 days and can be carried on. The 28 is very easy to go overweight and must be checked. Latching hide away handles and very sturdy wheels are a must for a checked bag. It will take a beating.

gobluetwo

Size considerations:

- The weight (and potential associated bag checking cost) issue has been mentioned.
- Maneuverability can be difficult if you need to take it up/down stairs, across bumpy roads/sidewalks, or on public transit.
- When renting a car, if you have a very small car, it could actually be difficult to fit the bag into the trunk/boot.
- If you're not filling the bag all the way, the items inside could easily get jostled around and wrinkled/smushed (if that's a concern for you).

In general, I'd say a 30" bag is overkill.

anonymous4a

kind of off topic but when you guys say 26 inch or 24 inch luggages.. you mean 26 inch for the bag interior where you can actually put stuff inside , right ? Sry for the newbie question .. and than if you take into account the wheels, and handle, the bag is more like 28 inches from top to bottom ?