travelmom4

I am shopping for a new domestic carry-on bag. My first stop is B & R as I am so happy with the other bags of theirs which I own. I am also considering, however, something lighter as the only drawback of carrying on my luggage for a two week trip is that I have to lift it into the overhead compartment. I am a fairly small woman with a quirky shoulder so this can be a challenge. I am weighing the pros and cons of various bags and note that several brands offer a "wide body carry-on". I am assuming that there must be some advantages to this configuration but, having no experience here, I am at a loss. The first thing that occurs to me is that a wide body bag probably won't roll down the airplane aisle?

Can anyone add some color here?

jeebus

There's a huge disadvantage of wide-body luggage, which is that they might not fit within an airline's carry-on restrictions. This is a problem among domestic airlines (at least UA and AA, in my experience), which have been cracking down on carry-on dimensions.

boltjames

Yes.....getting down the aisle is a problem. Bigger problem is mentioned above.

TPACjv

The major widebody pro is that you get the same or greater packing volume at less depth & sometimes height.

This opens up the possibility of getting a spinner, which fixes the aisle problem nicely.

Barks

I, too, have been shopping for a carry-on with maximum volume. I'm really wanting to try this whole "carry-on only" and the more I can cram in, at least in the beginning, the better. I have, however, tried to limit the tare weight of the bag; the last thing I need when traveling alone, is being unable to heft my bag up in the overhead. I tried a B&R Baseline carry-on. Not the spinner, but the wheeled bag, and while the quality is second to none, the mother was HEAVY. So, with your tricky shoulder, it may not be the best bag for you. I ended up returning it, and purchasing an Eagle Creek Load Warrior 22. I found the older version on close-out (love me some STP) and ordered it in to give it a go. So far, so good. It feels like it's half the weight of the B&R, and using my cubes, I can get a good bit of stuff in it. In my search, it seemed that a spinner bag weighs more than one with only two wheels. I think I've read that on here, as well.

Do you have a luggage store in your area where you can go play?

Cloudship

Your typical Us and European carry-on dimensions are different. In some cases, European airlines allow a slightly shorter length bag, but a slightly wider bag. Widebody bags are meant to take advantage of this. The risk is it might not fit in other airlines sizers.

travelmom4

Thanks to all for the feedback. Now this is making some sense. It think that Barks and I are thinking alike and focusing on max size with a low weight. There is luggage store about a half an hour away. Might be worth a trip to see as much as possible in person.

TPACjv

For great lightweight bag suggestions, check out the lightest bag sticky.

Ime, polycarbonate pieces from many brands will do the trick as would nylon from Delsey and IT Luggage.

Also, if you have the mobility to forgo the wheels, there are many more options as well.