<p>This question is aimed at parent’s that have daughter’s (girl’s certainly have more stuff) hahaha ~ Wondering if we should get her a luggage set to send her off to college. What pieces do you recommend? Would they have a place to store luggage? Going from the desert to northeast. As always thank you all for you advice.</p>
<p>If she is routinely flying, get three bags that are within the baggage requirements of your airline of choice. Some of the oversized duffles and 28-inch suitcases are very expensive to transport back and forth. Two pieces should be sturdy, investment quality. The third could be inexpensive, as it will probably travel only once or twice a year.
She will need to store half or more of her stuff over the summer; we have huge wardrobes in four-season country, plus things like quilts. Keep your ears open for good options from the school, sorority or friends. Some drycleaners will store winter coats over the summer.</p>
<p>Our D received 2 matching pieces (one large and one carry-on/roll-on). Realistically, that is all she can handle by herself flying back and forth (TX to DC). When she came home for the summer, she did add a duffel bag full of clothes. Logistically, that third piece of luggage made getting from dorm to airport difficult. She couldn’t use public transport, or even cab without curbside checkin. Luckily, she had a friend drive her and help her get all three bags to check-in. (Everything else was stored on campus, or with friends)</p>
<p>Rather than a set of different sizes - D got two of the largest size ones plus one big duffle, all on wheels. The original plan was to use bungee cords to strap duffle to one suitcase for move from hotel to dorm…she did not like this and instead chose to, somehow, maneuver all three pieces separately. Then we shipped boxes and boxes of additional stuff, which all gets stored this summer. My guess is that for next fall, one of the big suitcases will stay home and there may be one box to ship instead. </p>
<p>Don’t count on suitcase storage. If you have bed risers, the suitcases can store under the bed and be filled with out of season items, kind of like additional drawer or bins. Bed risers are awesome!</p>
<p>Airlines are changing (and charging) for more and more things. I’d plump for a moderate sized rolling suitcase – why not so large? So she doesn’t get hit with overweight fees. </p>
<p>It is cheaper to mail/UPS some cardboard boxes of stuff than have it fly with her. </p>
<p>Also, now is great time to discuss the difference between “need” and “want.” For the Northeast, she needs some boots to wear in wet/snowy weather. If she is used to wearing sandals, flip flops and tennis shoes, then boots may feel tight (try a wide or extra wide width). She also needs two pair of light gloves and a coat. But all the sweaters, hoodies, etc, can be bought once she arrives (in school colors!). </p>
<p>Also, almost every location has a Target or a grocery store, so it really is silly to ship large shampoo collections. (As a parent, it doesn’t hurt for her to long for luxury – that’s why she’s getting an education!). </p>
<p>While there may be kind hearted strangers who will help an overwhelmed young lady, it is smarter to send her with just two pieces (ok, maybe three with the daypack/laptop). That way she can manage her belongings herself (which is the goal in life anyway). Mail everything else – and be slow about it so she recognizes that Parent is not Room Service! Good luck!</p>
<p>DD learned the meaning of “pack light”. The reality is that there isn’t room in most dorms to store empty suitcases. She had one larger one and one carryon that fit under her bed. We actually flew out to college with four suitcases and two carryons. I took one carry on and two suitcases back with me (thank you Southwest) and the other one, and old piece of junk…went in the dumpster.</p>
<p>When DD came home, she used the carry on…never checked baggage.</p>
<p>I wouldn´t get large suitcase because your daughter would stuff that suitcase to the max and she would have to pay over weight. I think one medium size and a carry on. I have one carry on which could fit a whole week worth of clothing when I am traveling for business. Medium size suitcase should be sufficient for her to travel for few weeks.</p>
<p>My son has a very nice wheeled carryon that works for lots of things (and will probably be good for coming home on short vacations). I just bought two lightweight but sturdy non-wheeled duffels (LL Bean) that we will check when we fly out with him at the start of the year. They fold down very compactly.
I would recommend a very nice wheeled carryon and an excellent small backpack that can hold a laptop and a bit more.
After that - a single nice checkable wheeled case might be good, IF there is room to store it.
I recommend that southern types coming up to New England NOT buy winter gear in advance. It’s easier to get it here and really, the snow doesn’t fly until Thanksgiving. But do bring a jacket.</p>
<p>I sent my son to college with two pieces of luggage, both with rollers - one carry on size, and one larger. The smaller one can fit inside of the larger one for storage. We also sent him with a trunk, which met airline rules for standard size checking.</p>
<p>With airlines charging to check bags, having one small enough suitcase to carry on is useful for short trips. I think my son found it useful to have both a large suitcase and a small suitcase, so he could pick which to use based on the length of the trip. </p>
<p>Storage space is very limited in dorm rooms. I wouldn’t send more than 2 suitcases, unless you would expect that she would use 3 on a single trip (not including the move-in/move-out trips to campus). </p>
<p>I thought a trunk would be more convenient in the dorm room than a 3rd suitcase. It can be sat on, or stacked upon more easily. However, it is definitely more difficult to get to/from the airport with, even though it has wheels.
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<p>Boxes can also be used for shipping, and flattened for storing, or thrown out and new ones purchased at the end of the year.</p>
<p>We bought our son a 5-piece luggage set for $49 from Walmart. I thought 5 pieces for $49 was a good buy and the luggages looked nice. It was one big suitcase on wheels, one small suitcase on wheels, one duffle bag on wheels, one laptop bag and one shaving/makeup bag. He was pretty happy to get his own new luggage set.</p>
<p>It is unthinkable for most kids to be parted from their laptops, so their carry-on has to hold a laptop.</p>
<p>You can wear a laptop backpack and pull two suitcases. Especially if you’re young.</p>
<p>H travels a lot for work. Last year we got him a softsided set that has a large (which has an expansion zipper to be even larger), medium, small enough to carry on (weekender), and a tote-sized, which can also be carried on. The best thing is they all fit inside each other when not in use. Pierre Cardin on sale for about $100. It’s great because there are a variety of options, they are fairly lightweight in and of themselves, and they don’t take up too much storage space. I think one person could manage all the pieces at once if they needed to. Something like this:</p>
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<p>Sorry, double post.</p>
<p>I am just going to say that I dislike people who carry backpacks, especially on a plane. They like to turn back and forth, hitting everyone as they walk down the aisle.</p>
<p>I got a four piece set for HS graduation - a large, medium, and small (i guess it could fit as a carry on but it’s kinda big to fit in the overhead) as well as a large duffel.</p>
<p>I’ll assume the college is a plane ride away. If not, boxes and garbage bags work best. </p>
<p>Most colleges seem to allow shipments of boxes to the dorm. You can hold on the winter clothes until a later shipment or Thanksgiving. Then there is a hope that the kid will find summer storage (on campus or with roommates). So a rolling carry-on and a rolling large bag might be enough. Plus a backpack - sorry oldfort, my guy would be lots without his backpack/laptop. </p>
<p>Now if your kiddo, like mine, is a musician… there is an extra challenge. Jetblue has been very helpful via email - they gave permission to carry on tenor sax (or have it gate checked if full plane).</p>
<p>I purchased 2 sets (consisting of 1 large and 1 smaller suitcase) of the Samsonite rolling / “spinner” style at Costco. My D takes both large suitcases back to school with her in the Fall, packing each one about 3/4 full so as NOT to exceed the weight restriction. She weighs them on her digital bathroom scale at home, making sure they are within the load limit. When she comes home for Thanksgiving, she brings one of the large suitcases home with her and then returns to school with one of the smaller ones. Suitcases fit nicely under dorm beds when not in use.</p>
<p>“I am just going to say that I dislike people who carry backpacks, especially on a plane. They like to turn back and forth, hitting everyone as they walk down the aisle.”</p>
<p>especially while carrying a chocolate ice cream cone and turning to talk to their traveling companion, who is also eating an ice cream cone.</p>
<p>I don’t ever pack stuff in garbage bags… too easy to mistake it for garbage.</p>
<p>My vote would be for two very large duffles and the smallest possible wheeled carryon (20" or 22"). It’s good to do most of your traveling with a minimum of stuff, and (in my experience) most people pack to fill their suitcase.</p>
<p>Also have daughter going to school in the northeast and we live in SoCal. Got her a medium size rolling duffle and a medium/small non-rolling duffle. The rolling duffle is for going back and forth on the airlines. The other is an overnight bag for local trips while at college. She uses a backpack for her airline carry on bag.</p>
<p>Be sure to check the max sizes the airlines allowout with an oversize charge. A large rolling duflle (in the brand we bought) would be oversize and more $$ on the airlines.</p>
<p>We have shipped via UPS ground and also just used the airlines. With the airlines, the typical max weight is 50 lbs. 50 lbs across country via UPS ground (ie. the cheapest) is over $60. The first bag on American is $25 and the second is $35, so the airline is actually cheaper if you are shipping a large amount of weight. Some, like JetBlue, allow a free checked bag (at least they used to). </p>
<p>Pays to shop around. FedEx is sometimes cheaper than UPS.</p>