Originally Posted by
meibao
So here's the thing, I'll be heading to the US for a 5 week trip and I'll be travelling around for the first week while the rest of the time I'll be at a friend's place. I'll only be using a carry-on for my way up (either an Airboss or a Skytrain) but I intend to order and ship a suitcase to my friend's place while I'm there as I foresee a lot of shopping being done lol so all the extras purchased will go in that while what I came with can remain in the carry-on (in the event that I really fill up the suitcase with purchases lol).
What size would you recommend getting so that there is no chance in me exceeding the 50 lbs weight allowance. I'm thinking a 24" or a 26".
Are there any recommendations on durable yet lightweight bags for checking in? I've seen the Duolite from Antler and was wondering if there were any others I could look into.
I don't think there is any such thing as "no chance" in exceeding the weight limit, it all depends on what you're buying.
As a rule of thumb, my large Samsonite (29 inches), with a very stuffed-full load of "holiday gear" (mostly clothes, couple of books, some electronics and a big bit of wood (which is about 2 lbs on its own) came in at 25kg (55lb). A couple of bottles of wine in there would have added to the weight significantly.
I would go for the 26 inches in your case; 24 inches is just that bit too small and inflexible and would annoy me; it's just too big for carry-on, but without giving much extra packing space, which you may as well use if you're checking.