Suitcases - medium or large

[buttercup877]

We are going to be travelling to Mexico soon and I am unsure which cases to buy.

We have no cases at all at the moment and I am unsure whether to buy the large size and take less cases or get medium and take more. It will be me, dh and two older teens travelling for 9 nights.

Last time we went away the dd’s were much younger so now not sure what to get.

What's your luggage allowance? Some cases are so big that if you fill them you'll be over your baggage allowance weight so you're better with a slightly smaller case per person than shared bigger ones.

We go for one medium case each but cross pack in case any don’t make it. It spreads the risk.

Your luggage weight allowance is important.

Also, consider weather and access to laundry facilities. You'll be bringing light/ summer clothes, presumably, and if you're staying in an urban area or at a resort you'll be able to use laundry facilities.

I'd go with medium sized suitcases, personally.

Medium sized case and use packing cubes to maximise space.

Thanks all, the luggage allowance is 23 kg.

Thanks for the tip on the packing cubes I have had a look and they look good.

I bought packing cubes this year and they’re a game changer! Literally 4 or 5 things to unpack into hotel wardrobe shelves or drawers.

The difference in weight between medium & large suitcases is very small, so I'd go for large - you don't have to fill them.

Only 9 days this time, but next time you might need the capacity

Medium one each

Large every time. We fill ours and it is always at the 23kg weight limit. Better to have more room in my opinion rather than realising the medium is too small

Medium. Our medium can still fit 21-22kg, so if you use large you’re likely to go over weight.
Many other companies only allow 20kg also, so on another trip large way too big.

2 medium is plenty for 2 week trip for 3 of us. That’s back ‘home’ also, so one almost empty on way out and full on way back.

Remember, 4 large suitcases will be very hard to fit in your own car, or hire car or taxi. Plus heavy. 3 medium is probably the max you can fit in a large boot.

We have an expanding middle. It’s great. When expanded it holds as much as many large cases.

We have both sizes and mostly just use the medium - particularly if only travelling for 7-10 days and warm climate. We only tend to use the large size when travelling to Spain during the winter as weather can be so variable we need a range of clothes. Not had a problem with weight though - fully packed last February including thick joggers, jeans and sweatshirts we were under the Ryanair 20 kg allowance .

Are you thinking of a case each or between you, as that would make a difference .

I would mix it up, a few of each or 3 medium 1 large and spread your stuff between them all using packing cubes.

We bought large ones but it’s very tricky to keep them under the weight, particularly on the way back, they easily take 30-35kgs and under packing them things get broken. This year got a medium and it still took 20kg. I wouldn’t buy large again and we didn’t go for the largest

We find a medium case and a cabin luggage case per person comfortably holds enough clothes for a week. The full medium case weighs around 11 to 14kg.

1 small to medium case per person here. Mine is a little bigger than cabin size and expands. Large suitcases would be totally useless for us. We do a lot of travelling on public transport to and from airports and between destinations. Large cases are rubbish for navigating mass transit systems. They are also not allowed on trains and buses in some countries. We are never away for more than about two weeks at a time though.

I travel on the light side… so think most people would want a more solidly medium sized case, but the large ones are really unwieldy. I think it’s better to have one manageable sized case per person.

I can never fit more then 15kg in my medium case. Even when packed to the brim. I bought a large case this summer and could comfortably fit 20kg in there. It made packing so much easier!

Packing cubes are also a god send!

Thanks all for the advice. We have now brought 2 medium cases and 2 large cabin cases to be checked in.

We also have packing cubes as these look great

I agree about medium cases. I always wonder what people put in the large ones when they all arrive with a huge one each!

You don't see as many large cases these days. I'd rather medium in the hold and a cabin case in the cabin. Works well for us and gives us flexibility for mini breaks when we have no hold luggage and just the small cabin suitcases- that's a real game changer if you can pack effectively!

Medium soft sided. Can't stand hard cases that have to stand in the corner of the room reminding you you're going home 😂. Buy compression packing bags from Amazon for clothes.