We’re planning a trip to Italy later this year. Sometime around September or October when the weather in the northern hemisphere is just turning towards winter. That means my thoughts are turning towards a new travel bag.
When we popped into Singapore after Christmas for a five-day trip, we did the whole thing with carry-on baggage – and we did well. It made for a list stressful trip, wondering whether the airlines or airports would lose our shit along the way. (And it afforded me the perfect opportunity not to buy a bunch of crap while we were over there. No room in the carry-on to bring it back).
If you’re going for less than a week, no matter where you're going, it's not that hard to pack light. But Europe for a month in mid to late autumn? That’s a bigger ask. Still, it’s an adventure we are willing to have. I’ve heard too many horror stories since Covid of people losing their checked luggage in transit. In fact, it's become a whole genre of online post, with people putting Airtags into their bags and tracking them into the mass grave sites of lost luggage on the other side of the Hell Portal you’ll find in most international airports.
Long story short, I’m looking for some new cabin baggage. I did buy myself a new gym bag the other day, which I think would make a pretty good travel bag. But I’m getting some severe side-eye every time I suggest it. So I had a look at the new season offering from Crumpler, who I've always had good luck with in the past.
I did like the look of this bad boy called the Spring Peeper.
It doesn't have any of the bells and whistles of my Verve backpack, but sometimes simplicity is a virtue. If I'm absolutely forced to buy another bag, I reckon this might be the one unless somebody has a better option.
Unless it's been 17 years since your last big trip, whatever big bag you currently own should be fine. Have the weevils been at it? We still use the backpacks we...ummm...backpacked with. [side note: what is it with rolling luggage? A backpack keep my handsfree to do all the things that airports want me to do until I check that sucker in.]
My logic extends to whatever you're going to put in it, as well. I don't pack anything in the check-in bag that I would be horrified at losing. They have shops where you're going, too, so if it is lost it's not the end of the world.
We (or the airport or the carrier) lost Little Miss W's bag last year. Sure it was an annoyance, especially because Mrs W insisted on going back to the airport to try to find it. I'd written it off the moment we realised it was gone. An hour in a department store and, yeah, a bit of money later, and LMW had enough clothes for the rest of the trip.
For the past 6 years we have been traveling throughout the world with carryon bags only. It is usually a duffel bag of 45-50 litres, which is the max capacity for overseas flights. The beauty of the soft bags is that if someone makes you put it through one of those silly size frames you can just remove stuff from it until it fits.
I also strongly recommend packing cubes which work great especially when changing accommodations a lot - one just moves the cubes to the closet and everything is already organized. Also we wash the clothing once or twice during the trip.
Another suggestion is to make a packing list. Usually i work on the list for about one week. The packing itself is a couple of hours. This greatly reduces the risk of forgetting something. I use microsoft excel and i just add a new sheet for every trip. By now i have a packing list for most destinations/seasons/durations.
We will each do carry-ons stuffed to within a milligram of the weight limit and then one check in. These days i like to take photos so my carry on is almost exclusively camera body/lens. Shudder thinking of those going in the check-in luggage. I dont have any advice of whats good - we thrift and just use whatever we have. I reckon as long as it has a good balance between durability, fitting the precise container measurements and doesnt weigh a tonne then anything will be fine. If you get an oversized container just ignore the death stares of your fellow passengers as you lift an obviously "should have checked it in" bag and fart in their general direction. A "dont you know who i am?" thrown in for good measure would also be equally infuriating. lol.
We're also thinking of going to Italy later this year, Sicily mainly because ms insomniac's daughter has married into a British family with Sicilian heritage, and as we're only going for a month or so, we, and by that I mean not me, will have to pack almost every item of clothing 'we' own, just in case it's 23 degrees instead of 22.5, etc etc
I'm a fan of blue luggage. Mine's an ortlieb duffel. Has wheels but rolls/folds up quite neatly when empty. Checked though. A week is about my limit for carry on only. These days my preference for carry-on is my satchel that I can fit under the seat, avoiding the angst and grief of the inevitable overhead bin scrum.
Been lucky enough to do a bit of travel over the years and I've always liked going lighter. One thing I swear by is the use of packing cubes to help you separate your items. You can also use one for "dirty" items until you can find a place to wash them. I have a 2 week trip to the US/UK coming up in August and I'm playing with the idea of just doing carry on with a larger backpack.
Fellow fan of Crumpler and the Spring Peeper looks good. Although if I was going carry on only I would probably look to avoid the space and weight of the wheels.
That said I am just not a fan of carry on only for international. You are going to spend time in customs anyway, so you might as chuck your bag under. Lost luggage maybe up, but I wonder statistically how big of an issue it really is? That said, after watching the Lama's dramas I always chuck an AirTag in my luggage now.
Unless it's been 17 years since your last big trip, whatever big bag you currently own should be fine. Have the weevils been at it? We still use the backpacks we...ummm...backpacked with. [side note: what is it with rolling luggage? A backpack keep my handsfree to do all the things that airports want me to do until I check that sucker in.]
My logic extends to whatever you're going to put in it, as well. I don't pack anything in the check-in bag that I would be horrified at losing. They have shops where you're going, too, so if it is lost it's not the end of the world.
We (or the airport or the carrier) lost Little Miss W's bag last year. Sure it was an annoyance, especially because Mrs W insisted on going back to the airport to try to find it. I'd written it off the moment we realised it was gone. An hour in a department store and, yeah, a bit of money later, and LMW had enough clothes for the rest of the trip.
For the past 6 years we have been traveling throughout the world with carryon bags only. It is usually a duffel bag of 45-50 litres, which is the max capacity for overseas flights. The beauty of the soft bags is that if someone makes you put it through one of those silly size frames you can just remove stuff from it until it fits.
I also strongly recommend packing cubes which work great especially when changing accommodations a lot - one just moves the cubes to the closet and everything is already organized. Also we wash the clothing once or twice during the trip.
Another suggestion is to make a packing list. Usually i work on the list for about one week. The packing itself is a couple of hours. This greatly reduces the risk of forgetting something. I use microsoft excel and i just add a new sheet for every trip. By now i have a packing list for most destinations/seasons/durations.
There are great things on the market today. You might wanna look also at this Kiwi beauty: https://nordace.com/en/product/nordace-siena-smart-backpack
And another real lifesaver is one of these (or like minded breathern): https://www.amazon.com.au/LEICKE-Universal-Adapter-International-Countries/dp/B08R43Q4B7/
We will each do carry-ons stuffed to within a milligram of the weight limit and then one check in. These days i like to take photos so my carry on is almost exclusively camera body/lens. Shudder thinking of those going in the check-in luggage. I dont have any advice of whats good - we thrift and just use whatever we have. I reckon as long as it has a good balance between durability, fitting the precise container measurements and doesnt weigh a tonne then anything will be fine. If you get an oversized container just ignore the death stares of your fellow passengers as you lift an obviously "should have checked it in" bag and fart in their general direction. A "dont you know who i am?" thrown in for good measure would also be equally infuriating. lol.
We're also thinking of going to Italy later this year, Sicily mainly because ms insomniac's daughter has married into a British family with Sicilian heritage, and as we're only going for a month or so, we, and by that I mean not me, will have to pack almost every item of clothing 'we' own, just in case it's 23 degrees instead of 22.5, etc etc
I'm a fan of blue luggage. Mine's an ortlieb duffel. Has wheels but rolls/folds up quite neatly when empty. Checked though. A week is about my limit for carry on only. These days my preference for carry-on is my satchel that I can fit under the seat, avoiding the angst and grief of the inevitable overhead bin scrum.
"the Spring Peeper" sounds like the title of a yellow press series on the dangers that lurk in suburbia
Been lucky enough to do a bit of travel over the years and I've always liked going lighter. One thing I swear by is the use of packing cubes to help you separate your items. You can also use one for "dirty" items until you can find a place to wash them. I have a 2 week trip to the US/UK coming up in August and I'm playing with the idea of just doing carry on with a larger backpack.
Fellow fan of Crumpler and the Spring Peeper looks good. Although if I was going carry on only I would probably look to avoid the space and weight of the wheels.
That said I am just not a fan of carry on only for international. You are going to spend time in customs anyway, so you might as chuck your bag under. Lost luggage maybe up, but I wonder statistically how big of an issue it really is? That said, after watching the Lama's dramas I always chuck an AirTag in my luggage now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AJvw5_RnYQ