Hello FTers,

I used to be guilty of 50+ pounds suitcases. I have now cured that disease:

1. I pack all my shoes in a smaller suitcase. For long trips, I have a 27" and a 22". All heavy items -- shoes, gym stuff, shampoos, books -- go in the 22" suitcase. For some reason men's shoes are heavy. For my business trips, I take dress shoes -- Church's English shoes, Bruno Magli or Gianfranco Ferre. I will wear a heavy pair on the plane because I have to take them off anyway for security.

For casual trips, Ecco makes excellent shoes for walking and dress! I wore a pair for two weeks solid in Australia and NZ for sightseeing and dressy dinners. Well worth the money.

2. And I always bring a collapsible nylon/plastic suitcase made by Samsonite because I have a bad habit of buying too much. I use that collapsible suitcase for my overflow.

3. If I feel my suitcases are too heavy, I will go through my suitcase and ask myself, "do I really need this?" And toss out more items.

Good luck!

David