<p>We are finally taking a long awaited vacation this summer- going to stop in SoCal, Honolulu, and Las Vegas. Our last vacation was in 2004 and our luggage worked for that time frame- but not necessarily for today’s airplane luggage fees.</p>
<p>My question is this- which size luggage would work best? I’m waffling between the 21 and 26 inch bags. We will be in Cal for 4 days, HI for 10 days and Vegas for 2 nights. I will be checking our luggae through and not using it as carryon.</p>
<p>Oh! If I have my way and I can save the money, we will also be visiting Europe in 2014, so I need to keep that in mind when purchasing this luggage.</p>
<p>So any ideas from the great minds of the Parent Cafe? Thanks.</p>
<p>What kind of person are you? I’ve traveled with a 20" bag on three-week trips, because I hate lugging stuff around. But if you like to have two pairs of shoes and three pairs of pants and six shirts and all that stuff… you’re going to need the 26" bag.</p>
<p>I’m the antithesis for the fashion prone woman- no purses, not a lot of shoes, and very laid back clothing- TShirts, shorts, that type thing. I’ll wear sneakers on the plane- in case it crashes and I have to escape, and a pair of sandals for the rest of the trip. Being a retired Air Force person who was a Flight Engineer for 8 years, I can fly with a small bag and make do, but I’m not sure about the family.</p>
<p>If you are going to check your luggage anyway, get at least a 26" EXPANDABLE with spinner wheels. This style has 4 wheels and you can roll it sideways by pushing it. Very convenient. My wife actually travels with one of our 29" bags the most. She can pack her makeup all in the same bag without carrying an extra bag. The only downside with it is you can not overpack it, or it will exceed the limit and extra charges will be added.</p>
<p>If you do carry-on only, I prefer a backpack with no wheels that is designed to be able to fit within airline carry-on sizers (typical limit is 22" * 14" * 9").</p>
<p>Wheels and frame have disadvantages in a carry-on context:</p>
<ul>
<li>Prevents squeezing the bag into a place that is slightly too small.</li>
<li>Takes up space, so the interior is smaller.</li>
<li>Adds weight, which may run into weight limits on some airlines.</li>
</ul>
<p>For checked baggage, you probably need more room than a 21" bag, which is typically made to fit in carry-on sizers. (If you bring a 21" bag, you might as well go carry-on only, unless the 21" bag is in addition to a decent sized carry-on.)</p>
<p>Personally, I think a 29 inch is too big. We have 24 inch suitcases and 21 inch carry on bags, and that’s it. We recently went on a three week trip with two very different climates and packed everything we needed into our backpacks and one carry on bag each. Packing light is a skill worth learning!</p>
<p>21" carryons with wheels cannot fit into the sizers of the airlines in Europe. Unlike the Us,they are very strict about it and may make you gate check so you won’t have access to things needed in flight.</p>
<p>When we travel as a family and check luggage, we always assume the airline will lose it, so we pack 2 days, plus bathing suits, in our carry-on. That said, I’m like dmd and travel all over the world on business with only carry-on. (next month, heading to Africa to SFO to Portland for 2 weeks and excited to show how to do it!). </p>
<p>We did a 2 week family western National Park trip 3 years ago and did it all carry-on. The key was having an interim laundry stop in SLC at a friend’s house. Will you have laundry facilities in Hawaii?</p>
<p>One other thing…if you get a larger suitcase…get one with “four wheel drive”…wheels on all four corners. They are MUCH easier to maneuver than the ones that you drag behind you.</p>
<p>I’m not a very big person and schlepping a large piece of luggage is not my cup of tea</p>
<p>Another vote for the four-wheel spinners on whatever larger piece of luggage you choose. I have them even on my roll-aboard sized carryon and it makes it so much easier to get down the aisle in the plane–you can push it in front of you sideways (long axis parallel with the aisle). </p>
<p>The shorter you are, the more weight you transfer to your arm when you tip a suitcase to pull it behind you. The ones that roll upright transfer no weight at all!</p>
<p>Make sure you weigh your checked bag before heading to the airport. Some people (D1) pack so tightly and throw a few books in, that their bags easily goes over the 50# limit.</p>
<p>I avoided the luggage fee on my last trip by utilizing my Addidas duffel bag. It’s probably about 26" long and has no wheels. Packed it full for a 5-day trip and used a small foldable cart to wheel it around the concourse. The foldable cart, or mini-handtruck fit easily into overhead compartment with my bag.</p>
<p>I used to do a 26" for that many days. Because of weight restrictions (and my tendency to overpack), I have successfully switched to a 24" and a backpack sized carry on (size kids use for school).</p>