lightweight luggage

ali-t

I am looking for some tips for lightweight luggage. I have never mastered the art of packing light and always overpack - just in case.

I am going on holiday soon and with only a 20kg allowance (not just for hair and makeup!) I am a bit concened about packing. I have loads of suitcases at home but they are all really heavy. Despite this I am not convinced that a lightweight canvas bag is strong enough for the rigours of being flung around airports and planes.

Any suggestions for light and roomy luggage?

Moto2

I've never had any problems with soft luggage, I use a North Face Base Camp duffel for most trips, it's survived - at least - 100 flights
Just make sure the breakables aren't anywhere near the outside and are wrapped in something soft.
Hard luggage with good armour is always going to be heavier, when I buy motorcycle clothing, the best armoured is always the heaviest, looking for the same protection but much lighter is like looking for a unicorn.

paddyrg

Get a good digital luggage scale. Allow for it to be calibrated slightly differently than the airline ones, so pack for maybe 19kg - but you can pack that 19kg accurately!

db21111

The IT Worlds Lightest range is actually pretty good in my experience. I have a carry on, with extra pocket at the back for a laptop etc, also a medium which has been to colombia and back, via a lot of airports and now a large shoulder bag which I used to work (I'm a photographer).

I think now even they have a 10 year warranty, but I have no experience of claiming on that.

They are super light and so far, well made and durable.

Also I've learnt that it's best to roll clothes, most clothes. There are some good youtube videos about packing light. Vacuum bags can be good but beware of the weight, as you can fit even more in the weight will understandably go up. Cubes looked interesting but not worth it in the long run.

balletshoes

my tip would be - before you shell out a lot of money on a lightweight case, buy a cheap luggage scale (mine cost about £2 from Amazon). I think you might be surprised how much 20kg actually is - I was convinced that I'd easily pack way more than 20kg in my case for our holiday last month, it was a big case. I had 16kg in it (including the weight of the case) and that was with extra stuff bunged in it just because I could!
It felt really heavy though, and I think thats where our concern comes from.

ali-t

balletshoes wrote: »

my tip would be - before you shell out a lot of money on a lightweight case, buy a cheap luggage scale (mine cost about £2 from Amazon). I think you might be surprised how much 20kg actually is - I was convinced that I'd easily pack way more than 20kg in my case for our holiday last month, it was a big case. I had 16kg in it (including the weight of the case) and that was with extra stuff bunged in it just because I could!
It felt really heavy though, and I think thats where our concern comes from.

I bought one from eBay last week but have in the past gone way overboard with the packing.

I will look into the suggestions made, thanks very much

WTFH

Moto2 wrote: »

I've never had any problems with soft luggage, I use a North Face Base Camp duffel for most trips, it's survived - at least - 100 flights
Just make sure the breakables aren't anywhere near the outside and are wrapped in something soft.

I always use soft luggage (and make quite a few flights per year). A good bag will hold a lot, pack your breakables in the centre and wrap clothes around them.

We took North Face duffels on our honeymoon - total weight limit including carry-on was 20kg. I managed to get my camera gear down to 13kg, so the small North Face bag had loads of room in it for 7kg of clothing.

Len5

Hi,
I actually have one of those light weight suitcases and they are fab! I have used mine for many trips and it is still in good nick. It has no tears in and is still going strong after 2 years.
I also travel quite often so I can honestly vouch for these bags! Well worth their money and you are able to pack more clothes or shoes if your like me.

db21111

db21111 wrote: »

The IT Worlds Lightest range is actually pretty good in my experience. I have a carry on, with extra pocket at the back for a laptop etc, also a medium which has been to colombia and back, via a lot of airports and now a large shoulder bag which I used to work (I'm a photographer).

I think now even they have a 10 year warranty, but I have no experience of claiming on that.

They are super light and so far, well made and durable.

Also I've learnt that it's best to roll clothes, most clothes. There are some good youtube videos about packing light. Vacuum bags can be good but beware of the weight, as you can fit even more in the weight will understandably go up. Cubes looked interesting but not worth it in the long run.

Oh dear. I was reading this and about to reply to say that I do exactly the same thing.. then realized it was me. :money:

InsideInsurance

To be honest this topic has been covered many times before and a quick search will reveal a number of other suggestions.

I fly on average probably twice a month and the Mrs joins me a fair amount of the time. She always seems to pack mountains but is very good at folding and never are we close to the weight limit.

Despite that we decided to go to middle of the range and bought a set of lightweight Samsonite suitcases as whilst the cheap ones lasted they looked scruffy very quickly (and smelt a bit funny). 4-5 years on and all but one still look exceptional with just a little wear on the wheels. No idea what happened to the 1 other case, its got a small cut on the outer layer at the front but in 9 months and c15 flights since its not spread at all.