As we prepare for a trip, I have learned to check the latest luggage restrictions for each airline we will be using. The airlines have been changing the size and weight limitations for baggage frequently.
For most US-based flights, baggage sized is measured by Height + Length + Width. You need to measure this yourself because suitcase manufacturers are inconsistent about whether they include the protrusions (wheels, handles, etc.) in the measurements. Airlines are very consistent about including all the protrusions. At the moment, most US airlines use a maximum size of 62 inches for checked baggage. Most airlines set a limit on each dimension for carryon bags, and the limits can vary by country.
My oldest suitcase (with broken wheels) measures at 64.5 inches, so it is now too large to travel on an airplane. I bought an Eagle Creek 25 inch suitcase to replace the old one when I was frequently traveling for work. That 25-inch suitcase measures in at 53.5 inches and weighs 25 pounds.
So the next step for the airlines was to limit the weight of baggage. Today most large airlines have a limit of 50 pounds per bag for checked baggage and 15 to 18 pounds for carryon bags. When that happened, my Eagle Creek suitcase lost a lot of value for me. It was excellent for the one-week work trips, but pretty much useless for longer vacation trips because a full half of the baggage weight allowance was taken up by the suitcase itself.
After retirement, my husband and I bought new suitcases to address the weight problem. We ended up with PacSafe “wheeled duffel,” which is a hybrid between a typical soft-side suitcase and a duffel bag. The PacSafes are 29 inches in height, and 59 inches total with an empty weight of 9.26 pounds. Because of their design, they don’t need additional luggage straps, so we followed our friend Carol, and put strips of colorful duct tape on the bags so we can easily see which suitcases are ours.
Those PacSafe bags have held up really well, but for this trip, we needed additional suitcases. With all the changes in technology, hard-side suitcases are now available in lightweight options. We are experimenting with some Tommy Hilfiger “hard-side” bags that close with a zipper. The exterior is hard but extremely thin and flexible. We also purchase a new duffel bag – the Eagle Creek No Matter What. The two loaded PacSafe bags left us on Dec. 17th and should be in our cabin on the Viking Sun when we get to Miami and the ship. Viking paid for having these bags delivered to the Viking Sun, but we had to pay to bring them home.
We have gone through multiple changes with the carry on baggage as that has changed more drastically and more frequently than the checked baggage. For a trip to India, we needed really lightweight carryon luggage because of flights within India. We bought a pair of North Face Overhaul 40 backpacks. We now use those most of the time for carryon baggage, even though we have some other more typical bags that still meet today’s size and weight limitations. The grandchildren have used our old and now over-sized carry on bags as their overnight bags when they visit friends or go camping in the summer.
Any flight in or out of the United States must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. This means that any medical equipment you have (CPAP, Cane, Walker, etc.) can be carried on to the plane in addition to the stated allowances for carryon baggage and personal items. Also, any liquid medication can be carried on — even if it is larger than the quart-sized bag for liquids. But if you are in another country — even just to change planes — you can end up in a different set of rules. I once got stuck in London because I didn’t think to pull out my liquid medications when going through a bag check between flights. I never had that issue in the Frankfurt Airport. In India, we had to fit our CPAP machines inside the backpacks with everything else we needed for an overnight trip and still meet the weight limit! That was a challenge.
We have learned that it helps to have medical ID tags on medical equipment that looks like an ordinary bag. Without the ID tags, the airline employees just assume you have too many bags. With the label, the conversation takes a more productive direction.
