In an interesting article by Consumer Reports, they say when buying a carry-on bag to ignore hand tags, advertisements and website descriptions that proclaim “Official Carry -On Size”, because there is no universal carry-on size yet. And stated measurements listed are often wrong. Consumer Reports suggests bringing a tape measure with you in person; or if online, make sure you ask them if the measurements include wheels and handles.
Another point they raise is the bag’s capacity. You can have two bags with the same external dimensions but that have vastly different internal capacity. If you want the most space they suggest to look for square edges, no outside pockets, no wheels and an externally mounted handle.
Read More:
http://www.consumerreports.org…on-luggage/index.htm
Wheels do add weight and take away space, but if you’ve a long connection to make at an airport, it’s so nice to have the wheeled carryon.
If I don’t have a roller bag, I use a backpack. Easier to carry and with better balance than a small duffer or other hand held bag.
I can agree with most of the points…although I can hardly think about wanting to go back to bags without wheels. But over the years, I’ve seen a lot of bags with external handle/frame setups on the conveyor with the frame ripped or twisted off the bag, something that’s never happened to me with internal frame. And because the two rods of the handle occupy just two bumps in the bottom of the bag, they don’t take away very much packing space, either.
Consumer Reports really raises some good points. If available, Id suggest the online or self checking kiosk option, because the airlines seem stricter at the ticket counter than after security. I’ve had the airlines tell me to check a bag when I knew it met the requirements., both size and weight. Since those were international flights with a free checked bag , I haven’t pressed the issue.