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I don't even get why everyone has these roller carry-ons. I have a soft-sided backpack designed specifically for air travel. It always fits in the bin and it'

I don't even get why everyone has these roller carry-ons. I have a soft-sided backpack designed specifically for air travel. It always fits in the bin and it's way faster to carry than something that rolls on the ground with wheels. And ditching all the hard sides and wheels makes everything weigh less.

BerislavLopac 7y ago
Do you have any links to check those out? Thanks!
- siberianbear 7y ago
  I have the "Sky Train" bag from Red Oxx and I love it. It's a bit expensive, but it's very well made. I've abused mine a lot over a ten-year period and nothing has broken. The shape and size makes it perfect for overhead bins. https://www.redoxx.com/sky-train/91019/product https://www.redoxx.com/sky-train/91019/product
leetcrew 7y ago
do you also bring a "personal item"? for me the backpack is my personal item, so my carry on needs to be something convenient to carry while already wearing a backpack.
- siberianbear 7y ago
  I have a laptop bag, but I usually don't bring it and just put my laptop in my backpack.
- alistairSH 7y ago
  I've taken to traveling with this[1] bag from Osprey. I typically put my cameras and tablet in a separate small backpack, though for shorter trips all my stuff will fit in the Osprey (just in case I get really unlucky with overhead - I will not gate-check my electronics). For longer walks, I strap the small backpack to the Osprey. For short walks, I wear the Osprey normally and sling the other bag over a single shoulder. 1 - https://www.osprey.com/us/en/product/farpoint-40-FARPNT40_526.html https://www.osprey.com/us/en/product/farpoint-40-FARPNT40_52...
  - phendrenad2 7y ago
    Small/medium, or medium/large?
    - alistairSH 7y ago
      My wife has the SM and I have the ML. Mine is slightly taller overall, but unless you set them side-by-side and have them packed full, you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference. In theory, if mine is fully packed, it might not fit in a smaller overhead, but I've never actually had that happen - even full, they have enough "give" to jam into the bin. Also, as mentioned elsewhere, the backpack is much more likely to be allowed onto a flight that is doing the "mandatory" gate check thing that is common on smaller regional jets/turbo-props. Edit - FWIW, my last trip to Scotland, I had 2x shoes (running, hiking), clothing for 4 full days, 1x running clothes, a Patagonia Nanapuff jacket, baseball cap, belt, rain coat and rain pants, and toiletries. All fit with ease. In the second pack (an REI UL pack), I had 2x camera bodies, 3x lenses, iPad Mini, chargers/cables and spare batteries for all, binoculars, sunglasses, headphones, and passports/travel documents. Not sure I could have crammed it all into the Osprey - probably if I cut back to a single camera/lens and went to 3 days clothes (doing laundry either way, so 4 was overkill).
  - dpark 7y ago
    Can you stash/remove the hip belt while still comfortably using the shoulder straps? The omnipresence of hip belts is one of the reasons I don't care for carry-on backpacks (that and the fact that I'm normally wearing a small backpack with laptop, headphones, snacks, anyway). I find the hip belt very useful if I'm actually backpacking and otherwise really annoying.
    - lp251 7y ago
      no, but they lie close enough to flush against my back
      - dpark 7y ago
        Ok, thanks. I might take a look at some of Osprey's other bags. They seem to have similar options without the hip belt in their "duffel" section.
crispyambulance 7y ago
> why everyone has these roller carry-ons[?] Because backpacks duffel-bags easily get heavy and uncomfortable. They're especially miserable in hot weather. Also all the straps, do-daads, pockets and zippers get annoying. The optimal thing is a hardshell roll-on with 4 wheels that stands up by itself. A smallish one is very good for overhead, but if you have to check it, no problem.
- alistairSH 7y ago
  Bags designed specifically for carry-on use[1] don't have most of those problems. Comfortable shoulder and hip straps. Straps that zip away when needed. Removable cross-body (duffle style) strap. No bulky external pockets to snag on things. And unlike some of the larger "carry-on" rollers, it fits in the overhead on all airplanes, even the smaller turbo-props. 1 - https://www.osprey.com/us/en/product/farpoint-40-FARPNT40_526.html https://www.osprey.com/us/en/product/farpoint-40-FARPNT40_52...
- Tyr42 7y ago
  Also, hard shell bags are less likely to pick up bed bugs than soft cloth bags.
finnthehuman 7y ago
>I don't even get why everyone has these roller carry-ons. They over-pack, can’t carry that weight, and don’t have a checked luggage strategy. Sometimes you just can’t check or slim down, but a lot of people don’t really try.
wmil 7y ago
One big reason is that they are clearly labeled as being legal carry on size. No one wants to pack a duffel then pull out a tape measure.
Terretta 7y ago
Because roller carry ons don’t make your shoulder tired, especially when waiting in the lines. And my roller is probably smaller than most people’s backpack. This Tumi Voyageur 4 wheeled carry-on bag fits even in the regional jump jet bins, and under the seat of full size planes: 16” x 14” x 7.5” = https://www.tumi.com/p/osona-compact-carry-on-01100001077/ https://www.tumi.com/p/osona-compact-carry-on-01100001077/ I often business travel 6 full business days with this bag, including a sport coat, dress shirts, etc., in fact I’m heading to CNCF with it right now. (Have leisure traveled 3 weeks with it.) It is the smallest sensible 4-wheel roller I’ve found, but I’m always on the lookout for others. This bag though, I’ve never once been asked to check. Tumi also has slightly larger options, but they won’t fit under the seat or in the regional jet bins: 16” x 16” x 8.5” = https://www.amazon.com/TUMI-Carry-Wheeled-Briefcase-Computer/dp/B07MQTNPSL/ https://www.amazon.com/TUMI-Carry-Wheeled-Briefcase-Computer... 15” x 17” x 8” = https://www.tumi.com/p/compact-4-wheeled-brief-01171781041/ https://www.tumi.com/p/compact-4-wheeled-brief-01171781041/ Your airmiles may vary...

BerislavLopac 7y ago

Do you have any links to check those out? Thanks!

siberianbear 7y ago
I have the "Sky Train" bag from Red Oxx and I love it. It's a bit expensive, but it's very well made. I've abused mine a lot over a ten-year period and nothing has broken. The shape and size makes it perfect for overhead bins. https://www.redoxx.com/sky-train/91019/product https://www.redoxx.com/sky-train/91019/product

leetcrew 7y ago

do you also bring a "personal item"? for me the backpack is my personal item, so my carry on needs to be something convenient to carry while already wearing a backpack.

siberianbear 7y ago
I have a laptop bag, but I usually don't bring it and just put my laptop in my backpack.
alistairSH 7y ago
I've taken to traveling with this[1] bag from Osprey. I typically put my cameras and tablet in a separate small backpack, though for shorter trips all my stuff will fit in the Osprey (just in case I get really unlucky with overhead - I will not gate-check my electronics). For longer walks, I strap the small backpack to the Osprey. For short walks, I wear the Osprey normally and sling the other bag over a single shoulder. 1 - https://www.osprey.com/us/en/product/farpoint-40-FARPNT40_526.html https://www.osprey.com/us/en/product/farpoint-40-FARPNT40_52...
- phendrenad2 7y ago
  Small/medium, or medium/large?
  - alistairSH 7y ago
    My wife has the SM and I have the ML. Mine is slightly taller overall, but unless you set them side-by-side and have them packed full, you'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference. In theory, if mine is fully packed, it might not fit in a smaller overhead, but I've never actually had that happen - even full, they have enough "give" to jam into the bin. Also, as mentioned elsewhere, the backpack is much more likely to be allowed onto a flight that is doing the "mandatory" gate check thing that is common on smaller regional jets/turbo-props. Edit - FWIW, my last trip to Scotland, I had 2x shoes (running, hiking), clothing for 4 full days, 1x running clothes, a Patagonia Nanapuff jacket, baseball cap, belt, rain coat and rain pants, and toiletries. All fit with ease. In the second pack (an REI UL pack), I had 2x camera bodies, 3x lenses, iPad Mini, chargers/cables and spare batteries for all, binoculars, sunglasses, headphones, and passports/travel documents. Not sure I could have crammed it all into the Osprey - probably if I cut back to a single camera/lens and went to 3 days clothes (doing laundry either way, so 4 was overkill).
- dpark 7y ago
  Can you stash/remove the hip belt while still comfortably using the shoulder straps? The omnipresence of hip belts is one of the reasons I don't care for carry-on backpacks (that and the fact that I'm normally wearing a small backpack with laptop, headphones, snacks, anyway). I find the hip belt very useful if I'm actually backpacking and otherwise really annoying.
  - lp251 7y ago
    no, but they lie close enough to flush against my back
    - dpark 7y ago
      Ok, thanks. I might take a look at some of Osprey's other bags. They seem to have similar options without the hip belt in their "duffel" section.

crispyambulance 7y ago

> why everyone has these roller carry-ons[?] Because backpacks duffel-bags easily get heavy and uncomfortable. They're especially miserable in hot weather. Also all the straps, do-daads, pockets and zippers get annoying. The optimal thing is a hardshell roll-on with 4 wheels that stands up by itself. A smallish one is very good for overhead, but if you have to check it, no problem.

alistairSH 7y ago
Bags designed specifically for carry-on use[1] don't have most of those problems. Comfortable shoulder and hip straps. Straps that zip away when needed. Removable cross-body (duffle style) strap. No bulky external pockets to snag on things. And unlike some of the larger "carry-on" rollers, it fits in the overhead on all airplanes, even the smaller turbo-props. 1 - https://www.osprey.com/us/en/product/farpoint-40-FARPNT40_526.html https://www.osprey.com/us/en/product/farpoint-40-FARPNT40_52...
Tyr42 7y ago
Also, hard shell bags are less likely to pick up bed bugs than soft cloth bags.

finnthehuman 7y ago

>I don't even get why everyone has these roller carry-ons. They over-pack, can’t carry that weight, and don’t have a checked luggage strategy. Sometimes you just can’t check or slim down, but a lot of people don’t really try.

wmil 7y ago

One big reason is that they are clearly labeled as being legal carry on size. No one wants to pack a duffel then pull out a tape measure.

Terretta 7y ago

Because roller carry ons don’t make your shoulder tired, especially when waiting in the lines. And my roller is probably smaller than most people’s backpack. This Tumi Voyageur 4 wheeled carry-on bag fits even in the regional jump jet bins, and under the seat of full size planes: 16” x 14” x 7.5” = https://www.tumi.com/p/osona-compact-carry-on-01100001077/ https://www.tumi.com/p/osona-compact-carry-on-01100001077/ I often business travel 6 full business days with this bag, including a sport coat, dress shirts, etc., in fact I’m heading to CNCF with it right now. (Have leisure traveled 3 weeks with it.) It is the smallest sensible 4-wheel roller I’ve found, but I’m always on the lookout for others. This bag though, I’ve never once been asked to check. Tumi also has slightly larger options, but they won’t fit under the seat or in the regional jet bins: 16” x 16” x 8.5” = https://www.amazon.com/TUMI-Carry-Wheeled-Briefcase-Computer/dp/B07MQTNPSL/ https://www.amazon.com/TUMI-Carry-Wheeled-Briefcase-Computer... 15” x 17” x 8” = https://www.tumi.com/p/compact-4-wheeled-brief-01171781041/ https://www.tumi.com/p/compact-4-wheeled-brief-01171781041/ Your airmiles may vary...