Weight and suitcase size?

[VolcanionSteamArtillery]

Please can i ask what size your suitcase/travel holdall is and how heavy when full? Especially cabin luggage size.

I know it will be different from person to person, but i need to get new luggage and am undecided what do get. We often need special assistance we limits us weight wise (15kg) so i think decent cabin luggage is probably best. But im really not sure if everything we need will fit.

What is it that you need to fit in (aside from the obvious clothes & toiletries)? And for how long?

I’ve just done a week with fractionally over 14kg (but had a 20kg allowance) that was myself & just 2yo (his birthday was during the holiday) ds packed in one case & included a full tub of baby milk, 2 packs of nappies plus the majority of toiletries for the 7 of us.

We have 2x sets of 3 suitcases, the type that fit in each other like Russian dolls,l. I think they were about £150 each from Amazon, they’re lightweight but the shell is solid enough to offer some protection & they wheel well (littlest ds was pushing ours with his hand while I pushed the buggy for a bit )

I’ve asked Dh to send me the link to get you the size by the way

Check what size your allowed to take as cabin baggage first, airlines differ then buy the smallest one allowed (see Ryanair) does not matter how much I can get in cabin baggage it has to conform with the airlines limit, I dont want to have the bag taken from me and put in the hold or pay excess to take in on board, again different airlines have different rules

As far as luggage for the hold, I prefer hard sided none zipped cases, cost more but worth it IMO, but I do travel a lot. Samsonite are my go to brand.

My case can weigh anything from 10 kgs to the max allowed dependant on where I am going and for what reason. Also with some airlines as I am a frequent flyer I get extra allowance on top.

Eurostar and Easyjet i think. 4 nights 5 days including warm stuff for me and 2 teens. DS is heavy on clothing due to SN (he needs a few spares often)

In the past i've used two oversized suitcases for four of us and not thought a lot about what i have taken (half empty there for shopping on the return). But I've split from DP who helped with them and they are too heavy fully packed for special assistance (or for DD who has dislocating shoulders).

Cabin luggage size possibly makes sense given i have some Easyjet trips in the pipeline. But i am worried im going to find that very limiting and once you get out the station how we will manage 3 carry on suitcases and a wheelchair between DD and me. (2 rollers and a cabin max are a thought) Two large well balanced mid sized cases are quite sensible but Theres no point getting anything that runs larger than 15kg fully loaded so i wondered how big a suitcase that was and how far off cabin luggage size

@BernardsarenotalwaysSaints thank you yes please id very much like to know what size case that 14kg was.

@Whatsitlike im a big samsonite fan too as i like cases that wont fall over and are well balanced. My beautiful oversized suitcases are samsonite. But its a big investment for me so i want to get the size right. That 10kg do you get that in the hand luggage?

We are 5 people, will have a week somewhere hot with Easy Jet.
We are hoping to only have one check in (23 kg limit, but probably will be under 15 kg, depends if she brings A-level study material), only b/c DD needs at least 4 pairs of shoes & her fashion sense placated. Rest of us hope to manage only on carry-on.

The size limits for Easy Jet seem quite strict but DH disagrees. In discussion.

Sounds like a good quality 15 kg size hardshell would suit OP.

Quite possibly. But tbh im not really sure what size case that would be! I overloaded a largish size fabric case to the tune of 23kg on our recent sun holiday and a small case which might have been 15kg, but we took everything bar the kitchen sink!! I wore perhaps a quarter of what i took and it fell over on DD a few time worrying me that she would grab it and wrench her shoulder. But there were other adults who could help that could help that time. The next few times are just DC and me. Got to be manageable and get back to sensible packing!!

Volocation, look at something like this, no zips to worry about good strong locks and as its a spinner its very easy to manoeuvre about with one hand, with easy to grip handles to the side and top. I go between hard and soft sided cases, but prefer the hard. I have 4 sizes of this case and they are excellent, and dont tip over. This is good for a week holiday.

www.samsonite.co.uk/s-cure-spinner-69cm-dark-blue/49307-1247.html?cgid=luggage_medium-luggage#start=1&cgid=luggage_medium-luggage

As far as cabin baggage for Easyjet go, there is no limit for weight, unusually for an airline, but you have to be able to lift it into the overhead lockers. I have been on Easyjet when all the luggage has been checked for size in the cage and people having to pay to put it in the hold being very strict and rightly so IMO, and other flights where things have just been let go with clearly passengers with bags larger than the permitted size, its a gamble, so I take a bag that fits there sizing and have no problems

Tip, put all your clothes etc. your wanting to take on the bed, then half it, decant all shampoos etc saves a lot of weight and travel in your heaviest shoes/clothing.

Should of added as well, maybe buy one of those digital scales you can use to weigh your cases, they just go through suitcase handle and lift it up to see the weight, they are quite accurate.

Sorry, I forgot yesterday, here they are, they’ve come down in price too

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07J4TX86K?pf_rd_p=330fbd82-d4fe-42e5-9c16-d4b886747c64&th=1&pf_rd_r=NEE2DTNKW4AK5CR6GNW9&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

The inbuilt lock is pretty useful too.

My suitcase going skiing for a fortnight weighed 14kg, plus a have a soft hold-all that clips onto my suitcase that can take 5-10kg of stuff but I don't like hand luggage, I keep it to a minimum. I would check the hand luggage sizes for the two main discount airlines and get bags that comply, then look for a medium sized suitcase (mine was from Tesco) rather than massive ones for the golf

Ok thanks to this thread ive worked out...
15 kg gets you about a medium weight suitcase.
The capacity difference between cabin luggage and a medium suitcase is significant enough to make a medium suitcase a serious consideration.

@Whatsitlike i love the s cube but i think it might be beyond my budget atm.

@BernardsarenotalwaysSaints thank you awesome. In many ways that set of three looks a very sensible option. Do they roll well? The reviews are good

@stucknoue i have a couple of those that can fold down. Probably a medium suitcase is a sensible option

I also probably shouldn't look at the samsonite disney page

They’re brilliant, the children were all able to wheel their own (4 & 6 yo had a small one each, 8 & 9yo medium each leaving the 2 large for Dh & me & the 2yo). I could do mine while pushing the buggy, when ds wasn’t doing it for me (from his buggy). They were worth the price we paid so are definitely worth it now. They seem like they’ll last too & the added bonus that you only actually have to store the big one as the other 2 fit in it.

Done a month in Far East my bag only weighed 9kg just washed stuff as we went and bought some new stuff as and when. Even then on return it was only 16kg.

It sounds like you need to stop packing everything you own and instead put some thought into what you actually need to take. That way you will travel much lighter!

I travel a lot and I don't take anything that I won't use. There are no "nice to haves". It means planning in advance and being organised verging on ruthless but it makes travel so much easier when you're not schlepping around a huge suitcase. Especially given your constraints with needing special assistance OP.

@BernardsarenotalwaysSaints Thanks thats helpful to know.

@fuzzyduck1 would be helpful to know the size suitcase that was in. I find packing light easy without my DC.

@HundredMilesAnHour
It sounds like you need to stop packing everything you own wink and instead put some thought into what you actually need to take.

Well i hadnt thought about actually thinking about what i pack

I wonder if you realise how rude that sounds....

I shall consider whether i take the Dr M boots that DD prefers and offer the best support, or the kickers she will need when she gets tired or the Converse knee highs that dont offer enough supprt generally but are the only thing walkable if she injures herself, or whether i take enough paracetamol and ibruprohen for a night running the risk that if one or other needs them for longer i have the faff and expense if calling a doctor because theyre not over the counter drugs or how if its warm DS will muck up his tshirt and if its cold his jumper so do i take multiple tshirts or multiple hoodies. Or i could pack a couple of each and wash, nightly, plus pants and even hotel sheets on occasion.

Perhaps im just not ruthless enough over whats a "nice to haves". Did i mention this is meant to be a holiday for me too?

Packing everything makes my life easier, considerably easier By the time it gets to me if i have a fraction of what i need, even if ive "overpacked" has been good enough for me in the past.

But there 'is a need to limit now because im attempting stuff solo, with 2 kids with their respective physical challenges. I know how to pack light, what im not sure is if it is in anyway realistic.

Either way working out what suitcase fits roughly what weight of stuff helps me considerably. So thanks to everyone that has helped with that.