In search of perfect small carry-on for women

[cruisemom42]

Cynthia - I got a new wheeled carry on at Costco in store.. holds my meds, camera/electronic stuff and 2 days worth of clothes. It does fit under the seat in front and is lightweight. It even looks small so the gatekeepers at Air Canada did not even ask to weigh it (good thing). You may be able to find it on the website or something similar. My s.i.l. got a 'business' carry on that carries the same amount & his laptop there.

 

Shar

 

Thanks Shar. I have a friend with a Costco membership. I'm sure she'd take me to the store. I'll check it out.

[awhfy]

Shar, what is the brand of the wheeled carry on?

[Ontariotrekker]

Brand name is Renwick and I took a quick look and can't find anything quite like it on the various outlets that carry the brand.

 

If you are in your local Costco and the member service desk is not too busy :) you could get the staff to search it this way - Item # 824190 discontinued at CDN warehouse #252. I paid $30. CDN for it. Yes they should be able to do it..I used to when I worked the desk at my local store.

 

Shar

[LrgPizza]

This is cute:

http://www.ebags.com/product/all-for-color/travel-tote/283230?productid=10333762

 

Edited August 10, 2015 by LrgPizza

[bothluv2cruise]

This is the one I want to buy

 

Tumi Voyageur Oslo 4 Wheel Compact Carry-On, Black, One

 

If I can figure out how to copy the photo I will.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://tumi.scene7.com/is/image/Tumi/484662D_main%253Fhei%253D463%2526layer%253D2%2526opac%253D0%2526layer%253D3%2526opac%253D0&imgrefurl=http://www.tumi.com/p/oslo-4-wheeled-compact-carry-on-0484662D&h=463&w=382&tbnid=85o2jWvorq8BUM:&docid=T4sLZoLyleJS_M&hl=en&ei=iFnJVbPNI4qigwSckYqYAQ&tbm=isch&ved=0CCEQMygAMABqFQoTCLOxsdP5n8cCFQrRgAodnIgCEw

Edited August 11, 2015 by bothluv2cruise
Grammar

[LrgPizza]

I would love to find a small rolling carry-on that also has a pass-through to slide it over the handle of my regular large wheeled suitcase. That way when I retrieve my checked luggage, I don't have to wheel 2 things. Anyone know of any?

[perditax]

I would love to find a small rolling carry-on that also has a pass-through to slide it over the handle of my regular large wheeled suitcase. That way when I retrieve my checked luggage, I don't have to wheel 2 things. Anyone know of any?

 

 

My Delsey under seat tote does this; I haven't used it in the field yet but at home it even seems to work perched on top of on my smaller suitcase. Don't have a link handy, but ebags and Amazon have it, keyword "quilted" should help.

[cruisemom42]

I would love to find a small rolling carry-on that also has a pass-through to slide it over the handle of my regular large wheeled suitcase. That way when I retrieve my checked luggage, I don't have to wheel 2 things. Anyone know of any?

 

The Baggallini rolling carry on that I have now (and have used for several years) has this feature. I really like that bag..... if it looked just a little more "business professional" I'd probably buy the same one again.

[Hoyaheel]

Lots of th B&R & Tumi bags have that feature as well, but they tend to have a primary purpose of carrying business items - laptops, files, etc - so they aren't ideal for travel for me. (called rolling cabin bags or rolling briefcases).

[trixiegal]

Tumi is on sale today at Amazon.com

 

Edited August 12, 2015 by trixiegal

[trixiegal]

This is cute:

http://www.ebags.com/product/all-for-color/travel-tote/283230?productid=10333762

 

 

 

I love that bag! How much is it?

[Guest maddycat]

I love that bag! How much is it?

 

I just clicked on the link. Ebags is selling it for $39.99. It comes in several different colors.

[crzndeb]

My Delsey under seat tote does this; I haven't used it in the field yet but at home it even seems to work perched on top of on my smaller suitcase. Don't have a link handy, but ebags and Amazon have it, keyword "quilted" should help.

 

I just ordered this in black off ebags. It was on sale for $50.99. I wanted something that I could slip onto my luggage handle. Now I won't have things hanging off my shoulder.

[cruisemom42]

Just thought I'd update this thread. I did send the Lo & Sons bag back and I found a similar type bag (no wheels, lighter weight) that I like much better: the Lipault 19" weekend tote. It is lighter weight, has easier access to the compartments, and has some of the same features of the Lo & Sons bag that I liked (such as fitting over the extended handle of a rolling suitcase/tote.

 

After much looking, I have not found any better wheeled option than my trustworthy Baggallini rolling tote. :)

[Newbcruiser1]

Very late to the game here but wanted to thank everyone for the ideas!!! I used to bring a shoulder-bag and minimize what I carried on (I always check a large suitcase). I then switched to a small backpack but again, not a fan of carrying things on my shoulder and limited use for times like the last night of the cruise when I have to carry my pajamas and other stuff kept in the room home.

 

So, I just splurged a little and ordered this - it has the strap to nest on top of my luggage, and comes with the other folding shoulder bag as an added bonus if my stuff doesn't fit in the carry on (coat, etc).

 

http://www.amazon.com/Travelon-Luggage-Underseat-Carry-On-Material/dp/B00A66VXVI

 

I will try to report back with my experience! Having to pull a carry-on on wheels through the airport is going to be an adjustment for me, but I think a necessary one!

[Froufie]

Yes I learned the hard way about 'shoulder totes' - the one time I had a 6 hr delay in Chicago and wandered about lugging this heavy thing around - never again!!

 

Also when boarding the ship and bringing wine/soft drinks carrying this heavy stuff in a shoulder tote (has to be in your carryon) is not easy or ideal.

 

Invested in a rolling duffle: http://www.luggagepros.com/diane-von-furstenberg-cianna-20-wheeled-duffle.shtml - which I love!!! Can get quite a few things in there - esp when my checked luggage has reached the weight limit - and able to get it in the overhead bin and have even once had to shove it under a seat!

 

I do also carry a shoulder tote -which I put under the seat which only holds immediate travel essentials so I don't have to be digging around in the duffle in the bin (e.g. water bottle/reading material/ snacks/ipad/glasses etc.)

Edited January 14, 2016 by Froufie

[Newbcruiser1]

You just reminded me that I own 2 rolling duffles. My issue is that they don't fit under the seat and I often have things that I need access to like snacks, water, a book, etc. I also don't like the fact that when I let go of the handles when it's upright on the wheels, it always tips over! Lol!

 

I'll let everyone know how the Travelon underseat one works out - it's supposed to come from Amazon tomorrow. My only concern is whether it fits on the handle of my 28" suitcase in terms of the height of it (I'll still need access to the handle to pull my checked luggage). If I can't stack them, it'll be going back and I'll be back to my backpack for this trip as I can't manage 2 rolling suitcases when traveling solo! :)

[slidergirl]

You just reminded me that I own 2 rolling duffles. My issue is that they don't fit under the seat and I often have things that I need access to like snacks, water, a book, etc. I also don't like the fact that when I let go of the handles when it's upright on the wheels, it always tips over! Lol!

 

I'll let everyone know how the Travelon underseat one works out - it's supposed to come from Amazon tomorrow. My only concern is whether it fits on the handle of my 28" suitcase in terms of the height of it (I'll still need access to the handle to pull my checked luggage). If I can't stack them, it'll be going back and I'll be back to my backpack for this trip as I can't manage 2 rolling suitcases when traveling solo! :)

 

At the hotel, I sometimes have to deal with 2 rolling bags at the same time to take the to the bell closet - it is NOT fun. I'll never do that to myself when I travel!

I still do the nesting thing, but old-school fashion, with a bungee cord. My current travel daypack has a waist strap that I can use to put around my pull handle to secure the lower half of the bag. Add a bungee for the top part and I'm OK.

If you like the messenger bag look, try Timbuk2. There is a cool bag, the Command TSA-Friendly Messenger. It has a pass through to hold it to your luggage handle. Comes in a couple of sizes and a bunch of colors. AND, some of the colors are ON SALE. I have a few messengers and I can stuff the bejeesus out of them!!

[Newbcruiser1]

Thanks for the information, slidergirl! I'm not a messenger bag fan as I find I end up smashing into things with it! Haha! My backpack does have a waist strap as well (even though it's a tiny fold-flat daypack) which works well for putting over my suitcase handle.

 

Unfortunately the Travelon underseat bag was a bust! It is REALLY cute and stylish in person (in the patent material) and looks very roomy inside, BUT when I put it over the handle of my 28" upright (which has a relatively short handle since it's a spinner), I couldn't access the handle because it's a few inches too short! It would have worked well with a smaller suitcase, but I would never be able to travel with anything smaller than a 28" for my purposes and overpacking (I've had a few trips where I had to use the 30"!). For the cost, I couldn't justify it for the very rare overnight trip here and there, so back it goes! Very disappointed! :(

 

(And yup I considered other methods of attaching it to my suitcase but it's not worth the hassle for me).

[SadieN]

Check out these IT bags. They connect together.

http://www.ebags.com/product/it-luggage/worlds-lightest-8-wheel-carry-tow-3-piece-set/298751?productid=10375083

[Froufie]

Love IT - but the largest one is over the 'size limit' for most airlines...and the smallest/carryon may also not be okay for some airlines, specifically european ones? :(

Edited January 16, 2016 by Froufie

[Newbcruiser1]

Those look nice but I'm quite "attached" to my hard sided luggage! :( And I don't need a full sized carry-on bag. Too bad! :(

[cruisemom42]

Just wanted to update this thread with a couple of comments on new carry ons I've tried.

 

I recently noticed that Lo & Sons now has a carry-on backpack (very "urban office", not for camping....) I wanted to try it out -- mainly for business travel, but also could be useful in situations where one needs to travel "hands free". So I ordered it but it seemed weirdly small and the padded shoulder flanges did not fit well on my (somewhat narrow) shoulders. One nice feature I liked is that it has a pocket to slide onto the handle of a suitcase as an alternate way to carry it. However, it went back.

 

I also was looking for an unstructured large tote bag to serve as my carry-on for my vacation in late August/early September to Spain and Portugal. I ordered a black crinkled patent-leather version of the old stand-by Le SportSac large travel tote. In it I had one relatively shallow packing cube with a change of clothes, my tablet, and other assorted things I did not want to pack in my suitcase. With the cube and a separate neoprene case for the tablet, it packed pretty well and didn't just become a big jumble. The bag itself is pretty light and I could heave it onto my shoulder or wrap the handles around my suitcase and perch it on top (although not 100% securely).

[islandgirlejfan]

https://www.amazon.com/Delsey-Quilted-Rolling-UnderSeat-EXCLUSIVE/dp/B00BRK3VUS

 

I have this bag that I use as a carry on and I love it. I like the extra compartments because it allows me to keep my computer and toiletry items separate from the additional clothing. I use this along with my Lipault collapsible rolling carry on that is so very convenient now that hubby and I live in a condo and really are limited with our storage space. There are things that you have to sort of get used to with a Lipault, however using the packing sacks or bundling clothing both work fine with it. I've had no issues! :)

[Froufie]

Curious - for some of you that use the 'under the seat' bags - do they take up all the space? The look like they do? what about your feet? and your purse? Where does that fit in? And if you want to get something from that bag - how easy it that to do in flight?

 

I generally bring a rolling duffle which goes up in the bin - then my tote bag (which also fits a purse if required) goes under the seat and that is where I keep anything I need for the plane so I don't have to go into the bag in the overhead compartment....