Originally Posted by
tfar
1a. A week of business travel with a 26" suitcase that holds up to 20kg and must be checked is certainly not the most common nor the most reasonable way of addressing the task, at least not for those who've heard about light packing. Notwithstanding the poor souls who have to bring their own 18" laptop for playing games and a projector, printer and scanner as well as 1000 brochures.
Yeah, I'm in the minority here as an expat. I travel with an empty suitcase so I can ship home all the goods that I can't find in my country of residence.
Originally Posted by
tfar
1b. If I am not mistaken Jake, the OP, was talking about a carry-on rollaboard not a 26" suitcase which makes Jim's concerns even less of a concern.
Jake didn't specify, but the suitcase he linked to on Amazon was a jumbo
29 inches.
Originally Posted by
tfar
2. Even a 26" clamshell will fit onto the luggage rack easily if there is enough space around it. Most of them are outfitted with two dividers. If it doesn't have two dividers then it is easy enough to remember which side the divider is on. Open that side first and nothing will fall out.
Plus, there are people who unpack even if it's only for one night. I don't but many do. I unpack if it's for two nights. At least the main stuff goes on hangers. Shirts that aren't worn stay in the shirt folder which goes in a drawer. Having a shirt folder, a suit, a cube with underwear, a toiletry pack and a pair of shoes to unpack takes roughly 45 seconds. Even in a hurried trip I find that time.
My Rimowa Salsa 26" is a total balancing act trying to open both sides on a standard hotel luggage rack. And yes, the dividers are helpful, but why bother with them? If you have a top-opening case you can spend a lot less time fiddling with those. The Rimowa Salsa divider is not attached, so that makes it even harder to use (you have to tie it in with criss-cross straps, it is pretty hopeless if you just want to open it up a little and sneak something out).
I never unpack anything except button-down shirts, which go immediately on hangers. Everything else stays neatly folded in the suitcase on the luggage rack. In these days of bedbug scares I'd rather not spread my stuff around the room any more than necessary.
But this is why they make cars in different colors, so everyone can pick the one they like. As I said, I like my Rimowa a lot, I just wish I had been warned about the extra work involved in clamshell cases.