Looking for advice (very minor issue)

I have a very silly question and I'm feeling very wishy-washy, so I thought I would ask you guys what you would do. I'm trying to decide if I should exchange the suitcase I bought yesterday for a smaller one. Here is the story.

I'm going on vacation Saturday, and I'm flying there and back. I got my suitcase down from the attic and it was missing a wheel and had a broken zipper (don't ask how I missed that last trip ). So, DH and I went over to the mall yesterday and found a good sale on Samsonite luggage.

My broken suitcase is 27 inches, and it's worked for the past several years, although I have had to cram stuff in a time or two. Anyway, the only sizes the Samsonite came in were 24 inches and 29 inches (or 30?). The 24 looked too small, and the 29 looked way too big. DH convinced me to get the 29 inch one.

I was pretty happy (saved almost $300 ) until I looked at the airline's web site to see what their check in policy is and found out that there is a weight limit of 50 pounds for checked bags. I knew there was, but forgot about it when I was shopping. So, I weighed my new suitcase, and it weighs about 15 pounds. DH says I can fit a lot of stuff in there before it reaches 50 pounds.

Do you guys agree, or should I go exchange it for the smaller one? There's not that much difference in price, and none of the other brands had 27 inch cases or I would probably have bought that one.

Thanks for reading this far - I told you it was pretty silly.

DH told me the same thing. Usually it's the shoes that weigh the most.
Good Luck! Enjoy your trip

Originally Posted by Crazyforinfo

DH told me the same thing. Usually it's the shoes that weigh the most.
Good Luck! Enjoy your trip

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Thanks. I'm not taking extra shoes, so it will probably be okay.

I'm going to weigh my old suitcase when I get home, to see how much of a difference there is in weight.

I really doubt there's much difference in weight between the 24" and the 29" suitcases.

15 pounds for an empty suitcase?!

My luggage is a tough/durable canvas and looks something like this:

http://www.global-b2b-network.com/di...VA_Luggage.jpg

I have the medium and the carry-on ones and neither of them are 15 pounds when empty.

You have to consider how long you are going away for; what you need to pack; if you are going to be buying anything to bring back.

Don't forget you have to pack toiletries and those things add up. Hair dryer and/or curling iron, shampoo, cream rinse, cosmetics, books, shoes (dress and comfort).

Personally I would go and look for a suitcase that weighed less than what yours does because I wouldn't want to be carting around 15 pounds of dead weight.

I'd say there's not much weight difference between the 24 and 29 also. I think it's better to have the extra room so you don't have to cram things. If you were already having issues before, you don't want to go smaller.

Whenever I go back to Australia I always have presents, books, food and other heavy bulky things as well as all my extra stuff and I've been nervous about weight a few times, but I've never managed to actually hit the 50lb limit, and I have a big, hard shell suitcase.

So, you have to cram stuff in the 27 and you're asking if you should get the 24?? I'd find a lighter 29.

I got a great set of American Tourister (5 pieces) at WalMart for about $70 total!

Heres my 2 cents. I have both sizes of suitcases, a 24" (American Tourister) and a 29" (Air Canada). I find the larger one too big most of the time, and can definately notice it being more difficult to maneuver. It is a nightmare to get into a compact rental car sometimes, and has WAY more damage on it - from luggage handlers being less delicate with its bulky size (or so I suspect). I also have gone overweight on it several times, because you have the space you tend to "fill it" (and yes- I will overpack if I have the room to have variety), and in contrast to what others have posted, it is not that difficult to get to 50lbs with a 29" suitcase. I have managed to transfer items around to other suitcases/carry ons, or sweet talk check in staff, to avoid fees. Also, can fly with an airline that will allow you a 70lb bag. You will have to be more careful with what you pack in the larger bag, but you will also have more room for bringing more things. That said, I have never *needed* my larger suitcase, though I have not gone away for longer than 13 nights at a time. If you dont fill it up, your bag can look like a nightmare when you pick it up - I can pack much more neatly in my smaller bag.
So personally I'd recommend the 24", though there are benefits to both.

Aw heck, just get the bigger one and if you have to pay a little extra - no big deal.

Originally Posted by Yosemite

Aw heck, just get the bigger one and if you have to pay a little extra - no big deal.

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Well, the "little extra" is $70, which is why I started to freak out.

The reason I got the suitcase I got was because I made a mistake and brought DH along with me. I wanted another 27, which is plenty big enough for me, and the only time I've had to cram is when I'm coming back and people have given me stuff. They didn't have any 27 inch though, it was pretty much either 24 or 29 whichever brand I got. Anyway, DH was sold on the Samsonite brand, he always figures bigger is better than smaller, and he wouldn't let me shop around for soemthing I liked better. I was happy at the time that I got a $350+ suitcase for less than $100, but I'm definitely not sure it was such a smart move on my part. I let him pressure me to make a decision, and as usual I probably made the wrong one.

I weighed the 27 inch one, and it's 11 pounds, so not all that much different, but the 29 seems so much bigger.

Thanks for all the advice everyone. The jury is still out on whether I take it back or not.

15lbs and its empty?? Seams a bit heavy to me.

If you pack anything like I do I would go bigger I leave wed and I have to pack Jaiden and I in one suit case for a 2 week trip and not go over 50lbs. It it were me I would be looking for a lighter suitcase.

If you're really concerned about the weight and the smaller one "zips out" to make more room if needed, I think you should trade. That darn convenient wheel set up is what increases the weight, .

I think it depends on how long you travel at a time. I travel a lot, and I tend to use my 29" more often than my smaller one - as the majority of women, I overpack
If I travel for longer than a week, I use the large one for sure. When I was working I was traveling at least once a week, and I can tell you I very very rarely had problems with luggage weight. What you can do is to pack inside of you luggage pocket a very light foldable gym bag - if you ever run into trouble, just empty some of your luggage in there, and take it with you in the plane as a temp carry on.
Enjoy your trip!!