Modern Vespa

I'm looking for a case/bag that fits the "normal" cabin dimensions. I'd prefer a fabric or soft bag rather than a hard shell.

Anyone got any favourites//

Typical size for carry-on will be 22x14x9. Anything bigger may have trouble fitting in an overhead compartment in certain aircraft. Must have sturdy decent wheels (some bags called spinners now have 4). You don't know when you may need to gate-check your bag, and some bargain priced bags have wheels that can be easily damaged or snapped off. Also look for ones with straps to allow you to hang a shoulder bag/laptop bag with the wheeled bag. This can be a real big deal even in modest sized airports. Avoid really cheap no-name brands you don't recognize - often the zippers don't work smoothly, the wheels suck, and the stitching/material begins to fail. You can often find good quality luggage at TJ Maxx, Marshall's, SteinMart, even Big Lots. No need to go to a department store or luggage shop. (edit...just saw you are in England - these are all discount retailers that buy overstock or liquidation merchandise)

I have an old softside Samsonite roller that has been through hell and back - checked (thrown around), gate-checked, stowed and lost - that has held up remarkably well considering that I paid less than $60 for it over 15 years ago. I travel for business about 6-8 times a year and it has proven to be very rugged.

One thing to note - I avoid black luggage like the plague. There's just too damn many of them. Pick something that is easy for you to recognize. Mine is brown with light brown leather trim in the high impact corners so it's easy for me to recognize. I know some folks will put a piece of ribbon to help ID their bag, but that can be tough to see sometimes or fall off. Silver and red bags are easy to pick out at a distance - particularly if gate-checked and you're waiting on the jetway or tarmac.

Good Luck and Happy travels!

At: http://www.1bag1world.com/

I hang out there from time to time, traveling light
is sort of a side hobby for me. My bags? Depending
on the travel (RE: the airline's restrictions) I use either:

1)http://www.tombihn.com/PROD/TB0940.html
(tighter restrictions, shorter time periods)

Or

2)http://www.tombihn.com/travel_bags/TB0906.html
(domestic US airlines, or longer term trips)

Spendy ... but they will last a lifetime. Beautifully made.

I suggest that you look at the carry-on requirements of the specific airlines you expect to fly with. For example, British Airways is more generous at this point than several, if not all, of the US and Canadian carriers. There is no "standard" and the airlines are now very much using baggage limitations as a way to increase revenue.

Have a small bag made by Eagle Creek that has rollers and it fits under the seat in front. I highly recommend that route for electronics, etc important stuff for long flights. I love the bag, have no worries about gate check and fitting in an overhead. I've averaged about 30k miles teach month for the past 3 and hate having to worry about the carry-on fitting. Yes, it is small but no worries and board when I want. The only place it doesn't fit is the aisle seat on United that have the directv boxes.

http://en.lipault.com/collections.html

I have the foldable 22". It weighs 5 lbs., looks nice, available in many colors.

I fly for an airline, so use carry on luggage every time I go to work. I have always been happy with Sampsonite. If you look at the crew, they will either have airline issued bags, or they will have Sampsonite, Delsey or some other quality brand.

Things to remember - airlines are getting very strict with carry on luggage. Low cost carriers make their money by 'nickle & dime-ing', that is, they give you a cheap fare, but charge through the nose for extras. One of those extras is checked baggage. Make sure that you check the carry on size requirement (they should be fairly uniform across airlines) and also the weight limit. If it is too heavy, you risk having the bag checked at a price that may be more than if you checked in prior to flight. Because of this, it is worth getting a quality bag that is light, as every gram of weight that is taken up by the empty bag is a gram of your stuff that you can't carry.

I flew for (and will soon fly again for) a regional airline. I have found that 22" bags (the standard carry-on) will not fit on the two-seat side of an MD-80. Made commuting difficult. The 20" bag will fit in any overhead bin. I ordered mine from eBags. It was cheap, durable and always fits.

I have a 21" American Tourister Airline Carry-On that I bought in '07. With my Savage sissybar bracket so it is usable on air or road. I avoid flying if I possible can, but I had to last year and it fit just fine as carry-on.

I use a Berghaus Mule 40:
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/mule-40-p151433

This fits into all airline's size requirements as it 'squishes' - it's tough (mine is nearly 10 years old) - it fits into a GTS top-case when travelling by scooter, etc etc.

Zero Halliburton 21" Zeroller

Will sell one of them, a few scratches, instant travel cred.

I bought a Travel Pro back when the airline pilot that designed them was still flogging them. It was the brand every flight crew used back then. Say about 30 years ago. Its been everywhere and beat to hell, but still looks and works fine. It doesn't have some of the newer amenities but its still tough.

Flying isn't fun anymore. I was looking at a cool leather one but it weighed a ton. It would take up all of my weight allowance. I guess they figure if you can afford it you can afford the fees but i hate the fact that they are charging us now.

I suggest you take a tape measure with you shopping. I have found that the measurements given by the bag manufacturer are often less than the actual measurements of their bags. I bought a great bag at Costco that met the airline measurment requirements but it wouldn't fit in the bag measuring device at the airport. When I measured it at home it was almost 2 inches longer than the stated measurement. Evidently they either use the inside measurement or just don't count things like wheels and handles etc in their measurements. Does it seem unreasonable to anyone else that airlines can require different size carry on bag sizes for different airplanes?

Eagle creek 22.

If you use the packing cubes and folders you can get an amazing amount of clothes in it.

Lifetime no excuses warranty. Spendy, but get a coupon for REI.

Anyone else use their roll bag for travel? I've carried my Prima bag through on more than one occasion. It's great for a quick weekend trip but it does have the disadvantage of not having wheels but I never have too much in it.

With a 7kg limit size isn't usually a problem!

After losing my check in bag on the way to Sweden I discovered the airline and insurance were quite generous. So nowadays I only carry the bare essentials.

Very important point. If your carry on exceeds the airline's weight limit, it can quickly become a "checked bag" and the cost that such entails. We just completed a trip involving 3 different airlines. Most restrictive was 7 kg carry on. Other two were 8 kg. It doesn't take much to load 10 kg into the typical carry on, and if they weigh yours (2 of three airlines on this trip did), you are going to pay.

I just stuff it in my backpack and take my Scoot.
If I cant take my Vespa I aint goin!

I've seen airlines weighing at the gate. I think duty free is excluded.
Watching people binning items at check in is funny too.
Note you used to be able to carry on a bunch of 'personal items' ... coat, glasses, book, handbag, laptop etc and they were extra to your weight limit. Now you're allowed only one item (probably laptop).

Thanks for all the advice. I went out equipped with a tape measure and looked at a host of carry on bags. I'm not quite sure what the bag manufacturers were measuring when they state the size of the bags??!! Most bags were at least 2 inches longer than the stated size. The trips I'll be using it on will mainly be weekend city breaks in Europe which means I'll be flying pirate class. The pirates in this case are the operators! The Irish Pirate chief O'Leary is keen to relieve passengers of their hard earned dubloons at any and every opportunity. This in mind I've erred on the small size for the carry on bag.

I've chosen an Osprey Ozone 18" roll on bag. 18" in this case translates as 21" length which Mr O'Leary can happily stick up his bottom!

The Osprey brand looks good to me and it comes with a good guarantee, "any product, any reason, any era - The Osprey All Mighty Guarantee"

Next stop Roma! I'll be hiring a scoot out there, wish me luck!