daviator

Hello Amtrak veterans... I'm a first-timer looking forward to my trip later this month from Emeryville to Denver via the California Zephyr. I have a roomette and am traveling alone.

My question is about baggage. I'll be away about a week, and for a trip of this length, when traveling by air, I'd usually bring my usual suitcase, which is a rolling 26" zipper bag (that's larger than roll-aboard size but not immense) and a backpack containing stuff I might need in-flight. I was thinking to adopt a similar strategy for the train trip, and put my suitcase in the downstairs storage rack I've read about, but that only works if the bag will be accessible during the journey (I'll be on the train for 36 hours, so I'll presumably want to access it to get toiletries, change of clothes, etc.)

Is it practical to go down and get stuff out of the larger bag a couple of times during the trip? Or will it likely be so crammed in or covered by other bags that this isn't workable? Or would there be room to store the big bag in the roomette, given that there is only one of me? I'm unclear on how cramped it will be but I'm thinking there probably isn't room for a suitcase.

Maybe it's better to bring a small third bag (shoulder bag or something) for change of clothes and toiletries kit and avoid any need to get into the large bag?

Sorry for the mundane question, but I'm starting to think about how the packing will work and I figure if I think it out first, I'll have a more comfortable journey. I'm probably overthinking it, but I know how annoying it is to get on a long plane flight without the right "stuff" accessible, and so it feels even more important to get that right on a 36 hour trip!

Thanks for your help.