Should I buy a smaller, lighter suitcase for RyanAir's 15kg limit??

[LittenTree]

We have 2 large cases which, quite full, weigh 18-20kg. Being quite big cases, they weigh a bit in themselves though are maybe 10 years old so not made of cast iron and mahogany!

Do you think it'd be a good idea to go out and buy 2 smaller, lightweight cases for this sort of trip? We do anticipate doing this more in the near future. Just booked our first 'package' tho we put it together ourselves, to Majorca and are very mindful of RyanAir's Terms and Conditions...

IF you think we should, any ideas where to buy sensibly priced cases? I need to weigh up (pun!) the £50 a proper lightweight case would cost (x2) against buying more hold-luggage weight on the plane, don't I? Or should I see lighter, smaller cases as being a long term investment?

definitely get lighter suitcases. And by the way, isn't the Ryanair limit 10kg?

We've bought hold baggage but only 2 x 15kg. I can pack very light but a 7 day family holiday for 4 ... even I can't get by on 40 kg packed into 4 small 10kg bags! But I gather there's no size restrictions for hold luggage, but they're just as stringent about weight!

Look in TKMaxx and Matalan. If you will fly regularly it will save you loads in excess baggage charges on budget airlines. Look at big holdall-on-wheels types, but pack toiletries in plastic bags right in the centre to protect from the baggage handlers olympic 10m throw in case they split! I speak from bitter experience, shower gel all over the wash bag and it's contents, yuk.

You could pack a change of clothes in each of your hand luggage too, take ones that are as large as the size permitted. Invest in a luggage weighing scale so that you can check before you leave home, in case you need to leave some stuff behind.

I take much less underwear, too, and a tube of travel wash to do them by hand in the bathroom basin. Good for treating food spills and stains as well.

Thanks girly (you've been giving me tons of advice!). Hadn't considered either shop, actually! Holdall on wheels is actually good because it'll provide an alternative size and shape to our big oblong suitcases. As an aside, we bought the big cases to shove them full as we were effectively emigrating from abroad to the UK and needed to make use of every gram of weight. We had to take our chosen bags back to the shop because you could only 2/3 fill them to hit 20kg. The woman in the shop admitted that happened a lot!

Have just looked at the villa spec where you are staying and there is a washing machine, so you can take almost no clothes and keep washing them!

While in TKMaxx look out for microfibre towels for the beach. We have two Trekmates travel towels, each measures 75 x 130cms and folds up really tiny, weighing just 230g! They are super absorbent and very quick drying. We paid £12.99 each (RRP £35.00) They are usually found near the mens sporty and gadgetty things. Lots of beach towels weigh a lot.

I'm glad I've got you as it hadn't really occurred to me to actually use the machine! As a rule, on holidays, I don't BUT on this one, an hour or so's work to save filling the bags with change after change of clothes makes sense, doesn't it?

I was wondering whether to buy (beach) towels there but I hate waste and it'd annoy me to have to discard them before coming home! Travel towels might be the very solution- we could take the villa towels to the beach, wash them and use the travel towels for that evening's shower.

"but pack toiletries in plastic bags right in the centre to protect from the baggage handlers olympic 10m throw in case they split!"

And then wrap them in towels as well. I have some really lightweight travel towels that are perfect for this kind of thing. I got them from Lakeland several years ago, but they don't do them any more.

Only take travel-size toiletries and buy shower gel, shampoo, toothpaste, sun cream on arrival (and leave it behind when you come home).

Do you have 2 lots of 15kg luggage plus your 10kg each hand luggage? As all together that is not a bad amount.

NO, altogether we should be fine.

The ishoo is actually that to fill a cabin size bag with 10kg of stuff, it all has to be 'the heavy stuff' and in these days of 'no liquids', most of one's kit is bulky rather than heavy! What I'm saying is it will be tricky to use the whole allowance of 10kg (esp as 2 DC are carrying 2 bags!).

However, we all went to Iceland 3 weeks ago and were actually quite shocked that the 2 suitcases weighed 18 and 19kg each! (non RyanAIr, thankfully...)

If you have the facilities, make good use of them I say. Even if there is no laundry detergent supplied, a small pack will still cost far less than excess baggage charge.

Packing a change of clothes and a swimsuit in each hand luggage will help fill them up, also drinks, snacks and reading material (bought airside) for the flight.

We always manage circa 30 kg for a family of 4, but I limit myself on clothes massively.

OK, our original cases (the big ones) weigh in at 5.8 kg each!! And are ^probably 75litre,+) So we've just been into town and bought 2 smaller ones, 50 litres and 3.8 kg each, and a reasonable £13 on spesh in SportsDirect. They're not vastly bigger than a cabin bag, tbh!

Happy!

We are now going to do a 'dry run' to make sure we can get everything in 4 x 10kg cabin bags and 2 x 15kg hold luggage. I am sure it won't be a problem!