Carry On Luggage?

I agree with that for sure, margo. Pick'em up and toss.. preferably not garish clothes.

My most humiliating photo is of me in my fine-ish black suit (travel smith, with zippered pockets) and ... egads, white shoes, the only shoes I could find that felt good on that 21st day (another don't ask); feet killing me, so I bought them.

Maybe I'll dig that up and post it. It so blew my chances of being taken as peculiar, probably not a complete tourist. (I'd previously been taken as portuguese, and who knows what, but addressed in italian).

Ok, me in Siena in the despicable but useful black suit with black shoes with white plastic bag.. I couldn't immediately find the humiliating white shoe photo. (I had blisters in Firenze, thus the new purchase of shoes).



I admit to wearing frivolous tee shirts with this, just not in this photo.


Well, this is so NOT scotland. But, that's what I wore for 30 or so days in Italy. (2 pair pants, washable, various tees.) Sister Mary Josephina..
I'm not actually a black suited woman, often wear skirts and foo foo. But this was useful garb for 13 cities, 29 days for photography (see plastic bag for camera).

Osso - you remind me of me with that white plastic bag thing. Because I so often walk or ride my bike somewhere I almost never carry a purse - I'll put a ten pound note and my bank card (in case I want to make an impulse purchase of something that costs more than ten pounds) in a plastic bag and hang it from my handlebars or wrist.
I don't like backpacks - they always make my back sweat.
I also don't like fannypacks - they always feel like they're about to fall off.

I did find this little leather pouch on a string thing that went around my neck that I could keep my passport and other id information in. That's useful-especially if you're traveling alone and don't have another pair of hands to hold stuff while you're in the security line and taking off your coat, shoes, etc...and you don't have to worry about putting it down and forgetting it somewhere.

I couldn't make it for a month with carry-on only though. But I've never had any long waits for or loss of baggage. Usually it's added only about another ten to fifteen minutes to getting out of the airport.

I don´t like big handbags. Always use a small one which one can wear on the shoulder and across. Nothing to carry in a hand, nothing which can be stolen out of your hand, nothing to hang on a chair when having a cup of coffee.
If I need extra space for guidebooks and camera then I have a small rucksack or handbag and rucksack.
I always want my hands free and nothing to carry.

The idea of taking cloth along and get rid of them would be too time wasting for me.
I certainly would prefer to wait 15- 20 minutes for my suitcase at the airport than having to spend hours trying to find something which fits me in a foreign country. In the end it probably will be more expensive than to pay for the luggage.

It's not the paying for the luggage that's the issue. It's the waiting for it and the carrying of it and the risk of losing it that's the point.

I certainly try and travel only with carry on bag (small wheeled number) domestically and I can live for a week easily (if frugally, sensibly!) On my last trip to Sweden I had to bring check-in bag (shopping list for friends in Sweden - would you believe they can't buy Vegemite there!?) but for my side trip to England and Switzerland, I managed for a week with carry-on only. This was summer - wouldn't want to try it when it's cold, though. If you can manage for a week, you can manage for a month.

My handicap now, like Walter's, is camera - which probably takes me near the limit. If you can travel with a little point and shoot in your pocket, and a ipod rather than noise cancelling headphones, and you don't need to read a bit, then it'd be manageable.

Anyway, mumpad (and dp - who's lurking) have fun trying and it's not the end of the world if you end up having to take a larger checked bag. Just not as convenient.


Certainly, on one of the travel forums I frequent, there's constant talk about how to live with only carry on baggage

Can't buy Vegemite in Sweden? I ain't gonna go there, then. It does sound like some kind of plant disease, though.

Why do you have to carry check in luggage?
I have a wheeled luggage for checking so I pull it, why don´t you?

I am tired of all that carry on luggage, which is not necessary like cameras and laptops. First of people while waiting for the flight put it on chairs - so it does not get dirty. One chair for a person, one chair for jackets and one chair for the luggage.
Then in the airplane there is not enough room for coats and jackets after all the carry on luggage is put in place. I have had to sit with a wintercoat on my lap because of that.

I like and have small purses and also like them having long shoulder straps. In the italy trip situation, I used the big purse essentially as a second suitcase (camera, a large number of rolls of film - that was 1999, small amount of cosmetics, a couple of books... and probably other stuff I forget, like a hairbrush.) Anyway, I left that big purse in the room unless I was about to hop another train.. that black suit had great pockets, some of them zippered... thus only carried the camera in the open or in plastic bag.

On fanny packs, I don't mind them, but zingari (gypsies) in Rome got mine unzipped when they surrounded me. Luckily I only had some film and, hah, tampons in it. I'm slightly anti backpack for the same reason, not liking the idea of my "suitcase" being riffled at my back. That's only a problem in a few places, I assume, but I was going to those places. My carry on was a duffle bag that had a shoulder strap. I happen to not like the small suitcases with wheels - they tend to be heavy; my duffle bag, even full, was fairly light thus easy to go down subway steps with.

I've never had my carry-on bag either weighed OR checked for the dimension requirements, despite the fact that it would clearly fail either regulation. I haven't actually seen anyone have their bag weighed or measured either. Does this really happen?

As for carry-on bags, here's your winner:

http://www.timbuk2.com/tb2/products/bagbuilder/custom-messenger#/customProductSetId=9&uid=64865

I use mine every day and it's super tough and all around great. And you can pick your own color.

Cycloptichorn

Yes, at least in Europe and some US-airports (with me and others).

Fascist countries!

Cycloptichorn

A fanny pack is that a small more or less elegant rucksack?
If yes - mine has the " zipper room" next to my back, so noone can really see that there is an extra room. Should the bigger part facing other people and someone get into that space - they will only find a book, map and in rainy weather an extra pair of socks.

Italian women did wear pants suits back then, unless I'm halucinating. There is a certain formality going on, at least where I have visited, bella figura, to present a good figure. The drunks in Italy are often tourists, as being drunk is tacky. Maybe that has changed, haven't been there in a while.

fanny packs in my area were items you could attach to a belt. I'd say 7 to eight inches wide, 6 inches high. Thus my Rome experience with disappointed zingari - it was in front. That was early in my trips, but formative. I later got to appreciate them (sort of) - lying down on the highway edge.. ballsy. We stayed and watched, a routine. Not to make fun.

Also a visual memory of zingari riffling the pockets of early morning business men going to or into the subway.

Sorry folks, I didn't mean to drag up this whole thread, though once I saw it, I still found it interesting.

Last I knew I was answering Roger, recent post.

You might find something here: http://www.ebags.com/category/luggage/o/most-recommended?sourceid=MSNKNBLU&couponid=31516070&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Cat%20-%20Luggage%20%26%20Travel&adcampaignid=30549077&adgroup=Luggage%20%3E%20Best&adgroupid=328485902&utm_term=%2Bbest%20%2Bluggage&matchtype=bb&addisttype=Search
On short trips for a few days, I take my small backpack that can carry an extra pair of clothing and my toiletries. That's what I took on our trip to Yosemite National Park this week. I wear my sweater and jacket (or carry my jacket), and bring fast dry, wrinkle free clothing.
I have different size suitcases in my storage barn, because I did a lot of traveling in my younger days having visited 85 countries in over 200 trips. The larger ones all have wheels.

As this question related to Mum- and Dadpad's trip in 2010, it's probably not too relevant now.

I also traveled a lot (visited over 80 countries), and I learned later in my travel days that vacuum packs are very good in saving space. Also, bring along a pair of ear plugs and eye mask.