What do you bring as a carryon?
In the packing cubes thread, loves2travel2 mentioned bringing 2 outfits in his/her carryon. In the past, I've brought a small backpack with my toilet kit, laptop and a few odds and ends, but there's no room for a day or two of clothes. Given my recent Air Canada to Egypt fiasco, I'm reconsidering carry-ons.
So what do you bring as a carry-on? Specifically, what are its dimensions?
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My husband brings his backpack like you with travel documents, chargers, neck pillow and essentials we need on board the plane. Once we arrive, he turns it into our daypack and repacks it for bus/land travel. I am in charge of the 18” rolling suitcase that fits under the seat. We aren’t retired yet so mine has the laptop and all items we need that should not be packed in our suitcase. My jewelry, medicine, set of clothes for each of us, iPads, snacks If our luggage doesn’t make it, this bag is what we survive on. The cute little bag they give you in first class goes in here as well ( toothbrush, comb…).
Once we arrive, my rolling case joins the other luggage as we go from hotel to hotel. We travel very well together. We each have our own responsibilities.
We usually take a rolling backpack as our carryon. Put a change of underwear/socks/shirt plus travel tooth care stuff plus our meds in it. We also (with one bad exception) put 1 or 2 changes of clothing in each other's checked luggage so if one is delayed we have something different to wear. Forgot to do that on our Tauck Ireland trip last year. My suitcase arrived the day after us but my wife's took a week to catch up. So, our first effort on our "extra" day was shopping. Hopefully that reminder won't leave us again and we won't need it!
Mine kind of varies from trip to trip but if Tauck will be handling my luggage I have a small underseat roller bag and a thin, small backpack or tote for items I might want during the flight. I use the backpack/tote for my daypack during the tour to hold anything I want while on the bus or sightseeing. On land tours I bring them both down with me to the bus. The roller bag is big enough for essentials - 3-1-1 bag, meds, electronics, 1-2 change of clothes. My back and shoulder can't handle a heavy bag for long so I like that it rolls and there's never an issue getting it into an overhead.
For our Scotland tour this year I'm planning to go carry-on only. This is only partly because of the fear of lost luggage. It's mostly because I had such a miserable time dealing with my luggage last fall when we ended the Douro cruise by heading to Barcelona on the train/metro. I'm fine with it in places like airports with smooth, flat rolling surfaces but not so much if it's bumpy, inclined or I have to lift it a lot. Following the Week in Scotland we're heading to Oban on the train and will return to Glasgow for the flight home the same way. I have a 21" hardside spinner and a boarding bag which will be plenty. I've already done a test pack and can do this easily after many hours watching packing videos. One or both might get checked on the way home and for our Christmas cruise later in the year I'll be going back to my usual checked bag and the pair mentioned earlier. Gotta have room for shopping.
I carry a canvass courier style man-purse with camera (or two if I also take my little GoPro), iPad, Bose, a few accessories, and paperwork. My wife carries a purse and a collapsible, rolling Biaggi with her reading material, a spare set of clothes plus extra underwear for each of us.
BKMD,
To answer your question on dimensions, our carry-on is 21" H, 15" W and 9" D. We only use it on those trips that exceed three weeks. It has several small compartments and even a section for hanging a dress or two.
I have a large, unstructured tote bag that matches our luggage (not sure of the dimensions), but I don't care for it since everything seems to get lost inside...even when using those dreaded packing cubes!
Last year I purchased a more structured hand bag/tote that has three separate compartments. I will be using it for the first time this spring. It holds everything I need for the flight plus a change of clothing (sans pants) in case our checked suitcases take a detour.
If you have a luggage store in your area, I highly recommend visiting it. A good one will carry far more than just luggage. Good luck.
I am a guy but the general principles work regardless. If I am checking a standard medium 25 inch suitcase and I am going to Europe the following is my carry on: usually a 28 or 30 liter backpack although I do have larger ones. Typically a travel pack or pack from AER or Tom Bihn. Much more than this size begins to get a little heavy and then you may want to consider hip belts and these larger bags are less useful as a daypack. Items: mirrorless m43 camera set up usually with one mid range zoom and a fast prime with one extra battery, and the charger cable. These are usually in a small 6L(peak design) camera bag in my pack and I then use this for a small day bag when I don't want to deal with a backpack. This will take up a quarter of my space. iPad and charger, small power bank. electrical adapter. Prescription and minimal over the counter medications, wipes, 3 masks and a small amount of laundry detergent.. Tooth brush, floss, and tooth paste. Clothes: one packing cube with one pair of socks, one merino or sport underwear, one merino t shirt, one pair of pants or shorts. One rain jacket(I am picky and a good one is pricey.). I am of course wearing my walking shoes, merino socks, merino or sport underwear, pants, and a light fleece, sweater or vest. I carry an empty water bottle through security. With this set up I can make it easily 4 or 5 days alternating my merino items. Hotels have the rest of the needed bath supplies, pharmacy are everywhere, and buying a cheap shirt or sweater is usually no problem. I do leave my suitcase 20% empty and can slide the packing cube from my carry one into I when I arrive if I want to use my backpack for day trips or bus rides while on tour. If I am going a little more remote I will take two sets of clothes in my bag and some additional toiletries. I have enough bag options that I can jump to 33 to 36 Liters. I do have a small pacsafe cross body bag that is just big enough to hold by phone, wallet, and passport. If I am going carry on only then its a 22 inch rolling bag, and a small 18 to 20 liter backpack that will go under the seat. In this scenario you must take into account any European budget airlines that have pretty rigid luggage allowances.
This is a recurring question on the forum but is always useful. I say the same every time, we both take small backpacks for our carry on. I almost always take two outfits and one extra piece of undies in it plus another pair of shoes and always a swimsuit if there is any chance of swimming. Then I have my mini iPad, a book, meds and if I take any, my jewelry, and if I take it, a camera, that goes in too but not in a case, just in a cotton or nylon bag. Oh, a folding sun hat and sometimes folding rain poncho. We recently found the lightest and least bulky day backpacks ever….my husband’s folds into a little bag which is about two by three inches, that one was quite expensive, I found one which takes up more room but is also very light and has a reflective coating on it…I just found that in what I think is a Spanish cheapo store in Spain called Ale Hop which has lots of branches, the stores always have a large cow outside, think it was pink….got it three months ago in Spain for about $5.
I either have a small lightweight small purse with me or mini mini backpack for money, credit cards, hairbrush etc
Having just returned from a trip today, I personally feel backpacks are the way to go for us. We watched others in our group struggling with large wheelie bags up and down the escalators, having to keep lift them. Meanwhile we had both hands free and could walk quickly to immigration, gate etc. There have been more and more occasions where we have had to run in airports too.
If I’m traveling with hubby, we check one large bag for the both of us, and each take a small wheeled carryon with us. Traveling solo, I check a bag about 24” that I hope to never lift again. I just purchased an expandable Biaggi for a Tauck trip to Japan in April. So excited….it’s super light weight, and is a small wheeled carryon that can fit under the seat, but pops open to 21”. Lots of pockets, which I love! Should be enough for two days of stuff should my checked bag take its own tour. Also I fold up a small lightweight backpack into my checked luggage to use during the tour. That also serves me well to take home any shopping.
I and my husband love our multi pocketed travel vests. They won’t hold a change of clothes, but can hold glasses, phones, passports, nasal spray , money, travel documents, hat or scarf, etc.
Having back problems I can't do backpacks so I have a small carry on 15 x 5 with a change of clothes shoes, chargers etc. I also have a small purse for money, credit cards etc. So far this has worked well for me. I do check in my larger suitcase which is not that large.
Recently I purchased the largest backpack you could take as a carryon. Never again. Despite all the pockets and places I was always in a panic because I could not find anything in it. Too many hiding places!! I am just going to get a tote with a light color interior for my next carry on.
That is the precise reason that all my totes and handbags do not have a dark interior.
We always carry a back pack each, and a rollaboard that is packed like we will never see our checked luggage again. We wear clothes that are suitable for the trip we are taking, so going to Africa I travel in safari clothes. Elsewhere I wear what is appropriate for the destination.
We are still learning how to carry less on our trips.For carry on each of us take a back pack and a carry on that is allowed by the airlines.The back pack has essentials such as medicines and electronics.My small baggalini for cash ,cards etc also in the back pack.The carryon suitcase usually has clothes for the first destination with one extra footwear.We only check in one suitcase that has both our clothes in compression packs.We have stopped carrying camera.;using cell phone instead.
I love these questions and always learn something. For us, it really depends on the length & type of the trip AND if it's us or Tauck handling our bags.
Most of our favorite CarryOns are from Tom Bihn. We LOVE our Tom Bihn Techonauts as our OVER THE HEAD BIN bag - we have the 45L, but they do make a 30L if you want smaller. They can be carried as a backpack or duffle, and in backpack-mode, the straps are the most comfortable we've ever had. Tom Bihn makes 'edgeless' straps on their backpacks and they are a game-changer.
These were especially useful on our recent Xmas Market River Cruise - we took them over with just our coats in them and brought them back full of our purchases from the Xmas Markets. If you prefer to carry this as a duffle instead of a backpack, I HIGHLY recommend upgrading the strap to the Tom Bihn Absolute shoulder strap - it is SUPER comfy for long hauls thru the airport for those who can't do a backpack.
As our 'under the seat bag' or 'Personal Item' bag - my husband takes his Tom Bihn CoPilot and that is also his Day Bag around town. He did upgrade the strap to the Absolute Shoulder Strap.
For my personal item, I change it up - I like my Red Oxx PUP which holds all things I need in flight and my cross body purse, or my Briggs & Riley Tote -- but the one which maybe becoming my favorite is my new Tom Bihn Synapse backpack -- they have a 19L and 25L - we both got a 25L -- it is well organized and carries very comfortably as either a backpack or just as a shoulder sling - actually, I like it as a shoulder sling better than a tote as totes do sometimes slide off my shoulder - so I'd say my new favorite CarryOns are the Techonaut 45 as a backpack and the Synapse as a shoulder sling - the straps on both make it feel like I'm barely carrying any weight. We've had many 'fails' over the years, but I think we've both finally found our favorite CarryOns.
We do both check a bag with our clothes in it.
Our carryons are 2 Away roll aboard bags, 1 Away satchel, and 1 back pack. We pack them with our medications and any essentials that we would not be able to replace at our destination. Because we both wear sizes that aren't standard that includes some underwear and shoes.My satchel will have iPads and phones , charging cords, emergency meds, and travel documents.
We cross pack our 2 larger Away bags so each bag has a mix of our clothes. we have found that these bags will not hold more than 50 pounds so that limits what we pack.
Good info. I have a couple of questions. Claudia Sails, what problems did you experience with travel from Madrid to Barcelona. We are booked on the Douro cruise in Sept. and plans to travel on to Barcelona via train after the trip ends in Madrid. I've traveled on trains with a carry-on roller bag with no problems before. Is there something I should look out for on this specific train journey. And TerriLynn mentioned "Tauck handling bags". I've only taken one Tauck trip before and they did pick up the bags in the "before cruise hotel" and transport them so we didn't have to do so on the train (Paris to Lyon). Do they not always do so? We are on the Exploring the Douro with Lisbon and Madrid. Does anyone know if there are times we will be transporting our own luggage?
SandyB - We’ve been on several Tauck tours and have never had to transport our own luggage. We are on the Douro trip with Lisbon & Madrid eastbound starting Oct 11. When are going?
Since I started this thread, might as well post a follow-up.
I wound up buying this and will take it with me to Japan in a couple of weeks:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07H8TX91R/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It will allow me to pack a couple of days-worth of clothes in it. I'll still bring my smallish backpack to carry stuff while out on-tour. Hopefully I'll never be Cairoed™ again, but better safe than sorry
(edit - typo corrected)
SandyB, the train from Madrid to Barcelona was fairly easy though I needed my husband to lift my 24" bag into the rack for large pieces. Others had gotten onto the train before us and had taken the easier, lower spots. The overhead racks are big enough for normal sized carryons like the airline. The real problems came when we got to Barcelona and used the Metro to get to our hotel. It was hard to find the entrance to the Metro (Barcelona Sants is a big train station) and we had trouble finding elevators or escalators. I think there were elevators but they were tricky to find. We should have taken a cab. Would have been well worth the expense.
We stayed in a hotel on Ramblas and took the Aerobus from Plaza Catalunya. A very easy way to get to the airport but the sidewalks around there are all decorative brick so a bit of a challenge to roll my bag.
A couple of quirky things about the train. Don't book the quiet car if you plan to eat. You aren't allowed to and have to go to the dining car even if you brought your own food. The Madrid train station has flat escalators (instead of the usual steps) which were great initially but as the elevation changed your bag wants to roll downhill. A fun exercise keeping it from getting away from you. Also, be aware that while there are 3 different companies with high speed trains between Madrid and Barcelona they don't all include luggage in the ticket price.
Let me know if I can help with anything else. We loved Barcelona and were so glad to add that to our visit.