Two Rollerbags or One?
February 23, 2023 7:49 AM Subscribe
I currently have a 35l roller bag, and a 95l duffel bag. My intention was to replace the duffel bag with a similar sized roller bag, but I have an opportunity to snag a 120l roller bag and am wondering if I should consolidate? This is for city to city travel, so navigating busy sidewalks and subway stairs are required. All these roller bags have 2 wheels. If I got the 120l, I'd have to get rid of the 35l.
Of note:
1. I've never travelled with two roller bags, so I don't know how that works: one in each hand seems obvious, but that also seems a really wide footprint for a busy sidewalk or subway (also not sure how you navigate subway gates with a bag in each hand + subway pass?).
2. I'm getting rid of the 95l duffel bag because when packed it's just too heavy, so what does that say about how difficult it will be to carry a fully loaded 120l bag up/ down subway stairs (I'm assuming that 35l in one hand and 95l in the other would be better)?
3. I'm guessing that one heavier bag would put me at greater risk of paying airline baggage fees?
4. I'm not sure if there are situations where two smaller/ narrower bags are preferable to one larger/ wider one?
Of note:
1. I've never travelled with two roller bags, so I don't know how that works: one in each hand seems obvious, but that also seems a really wide footprint for a busy sidewalk or subway (also not sure how you navigate subway gates with a bag in each hand + subway pass?).
2. I'm getting rid of the 95l duffel bag because when packed it's just too heavy, so what does that say about how difficult it will be to carry a fully loaded 120l bag up/ down subway stairs (I'm assuming that 35l in one hand and 95l in the other would be better)?
3. I'm guessing that one heavier bag would put me at greater risk of paying airline baggage fees?
4. I'm not sure if there are situations where two smaller/ narrower bags are preferable to one larger/ wider one?
1. It's easier to handle two spinner bags at once because you can put the two handles together and control them with one hand. You can get through DC Metro fare gates this way, but NYC Subway turnstiles are awkward and involve lifting at least one bag over the gate or finding the handicap-accessible gate and going that way. I've traveled with two two-wheeled bags and it's possible, but it is indeed wide on the sidewalk and multiplies the difficulty of subway fare gates. Plus then you're the person on the subway with too much luggage.
2. If a bag of X capacity is just too heavy, do you really have to ask if a bag that's 33% larger would also be too heavy?
3. We have a couple bags that claim a packable volume of around 71l. When fully packed they weigh around 44 lbs / 20 kg. The common limit we encounter on domestic flights in the US is 50 lbs / 23 kg, and sometimes I've been close enough to it when packing that I've moved stuff around to make sure I'm under the limit (I travel with cameras in my carry-on and want to avoid calling enough attention to myself that they weigh that too). I'm honestly surprised you've been able to travel with a 95l bag without being hit with weight surcharges on every flight. I know some international flights may have a higher weight limit for checked bags (maybe 70 lbs / 32 kg) and you may have status with an airline that gets you a similar higher limit, but it's hard to say what limits will apply to any flights you happen to take.
4. Having one hand free to open doors, hold a boarding pass, hold a coffee, or whatever, generally makes it more practical to travel with only one rolling or hand-held bag. You can sometimes strap two rolling bags together so one rides piggyback on the other (I see this a lot with airline flight crew), but it may be heavy and awkward. My personal approach to this problem is often a rolling bag and a backpack, but you do you.
posted by fedward at 8:29 AM on February 23, 2023
2. If a bag of X capacity is just too heavy, do you really have to ask if a bag that's 33% larger would also be too heavy?
3. We have a couple bags that claim a packable volume of around 71l. When fully packed they weigh around 44 lbs / 20 kg. The common limit we encounter on domestic flights in the US is 50 lbs / 23 kg, and sometimes I've been close enough to it when packing that I've moved stuff around to make sure I'm under the limit (I travel with cameras in my carry-on and want to avoid calling enough attention to myself that they weigh that too). I'm honestly surprised you've been able to travel with a 95l bag without being hit with weight surcharges on every flight. I know some international flights may have a higher weight limit for checked bags (maybe 70 lbs / 32 kg) and you may have status with an airline that gets you a similar higher limit, but it's hard to say what limits will apply to any flights you happen to take.
4. Having one hand free to open doors, hold a boarding pass, hold a coffee, or whatever, generally makes it more practical to travel with only one rolling or hand-held bag. You can sometimes strap two rolling bags together so one rides piggyback on the other (I see this a lot with airline flight crew), but it may be heavy and awkward. My personal approach to this problem is often a rolling bag and a backpack, but you do you.
posted by fedward at 8:29 AM on February 23, 2023
I would replace the duffel bag with a same-size roller bag, and your existing roller bag with a backpack.
To address your specific points:
1. Yes, you end up with one in each hand, maybe both dragged behind you, maybe one pushed out in front. You take up a lot of space, and you are not at all nimble. Stairs are a real problem, unless the larger bag is lightly enough loaded that you can carry it up in one hand.
I travelled with two roller bags exactly once, then switched to using a backpack for my carry-on.
2. Yep, if the 95l bag is too heavy, you won't enjoy dealing with a fully-loaded 120l one, even with both hands free to wrangle it.
3. Yes, you're more likely to incur extra baggage fees, although only if you can haul the overweight bag to the airport in the first place (travelling without access to scales, I reassure myself that if I can lift my bag onto a train, it's light enough for the plane.)
4. A couple of situations come to mind where two bags are better than one:
- Two smaller bags are much easier to manage than a single large one on public transport, where dedicated baggage spaces may be small or non-existent.
- If you're taking a flight, anything fragile, irreplaceable or valuable really wants to be in a carry-on, not in the hold.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 8:32 AM on February 23, 2023
To address your specific points:
1. Yes, you end up with one in each hand, maybe both dragged behind you, maybe one pushed out in front. You take up a lot of space, and you are not at all nimble. Stairs are a real problem, unless the larger bag is lightly enough loaded that you can carry it up in one hand.
I travelled with two roller bags exactly once, then switched to using a backpack for my carry-on.
2. Yep, if the 95l bag is too heavy, you won't enjoy dealing with a fully-loaded 120l one, even with both hands free to wrangle it.
3. Yes, you're more likely to incur extra baggage fees, although only if you can haul the overweight bag to the airport in the first place (travelling without access to scales, I reassure myself that if I can lift my bag onto a train, it's light enough for the plane.)
4. A couple of situations come to mind where two bags are better than one:
- Two smaller bags are much easier to manage than a single large one on public transport, where dedicated baggage spaces may be small or non-existent.
- If you're taking a flight, anything fragile, irreplaceable or valuable really wants to be in a carry-on, not in the hold.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 8:32 AM on February 23, 2023
A 120l bag sounds like an absolute nightmare in any scenario other than cab to the airport, followed by cab from the airport to a location that you will not leave until you get your cab back to the airport (and honestly it kind of sounds like a nightmare in that scenario too). Would you consider getting a large roller bag and replacing your 35l bag with like, a backpack, or one of those bags that straps to the top of the big roller?
(on preview: jinx)
posted by goodbyewaffles at 8:34 AM on February 23, 2023
(on preview: jinx)
posted by goodbyewaffles at 8:34 AM on February 23, 2023
I've done a public-transit-and-trains trip with a 69-liter rollerbag, a 43-liter rollerbag, and a backpack. This was for an international trip extending multiple months, from cold spring months to the height of summer. It's doable (you wheel one bag in front of you and one bag behind you when you need to pass through a gate) but a hassle, and it only works if you can carry each of those bags one-handed up and down a flight of stairs, or are traveling places with highly reliable elevators. It would probably have been easier with two 43-liter bags, not just because they're lighter, but because then the load would have been balanced.
posted by yarntheory at 9:08 AM on February 23, 2023
posted by yarntheory at 9:08 AM on February 23, 2023
Not just overweight, but a 120 liter bag could also be oversized, even for checked baggage.
For instance this 120 liter bag from REI has linear dimensions of 62.75 inches ( length +height+width
.
VIA rail considers anything over 62 inches to be oversized.
That's for checked baggage.
Carry on dimensions even less
Oversized baggage
Between 158 and 180 linear cm (62 and 71 linear in.)· Linear dimensions = length + width + height.
$40 (tax included) per item and per direction.
They won't accept anything over 70 pounds .
posted by yyz at 12:44 PM on February 23, 2023
For instance this 120 liter bag from REI has linear dimensions of 62.75 inches ( length +height+width
.
VIA rail considers anything over 62 inches to be oversized.
That's for checked baggage.
Carry on dimensions even less
Oversized baggage
Between 158 and 180 linear cm (62 and 71 linear in.)· Linear dimensions = length + width + height.
$40 (tax included) per item and per direction.
They won't accept anything over 70 pounds .
posted by yyz at 12:44 PM on February 23, 2023
I have a big roller bag and now that we are no longer traveling with diapers we decided we only use it if we're doing car trips. It always ends up being overweight to check on planes and it's a huge pain to trundle through the airport.
You will miss that 35l if you get rid of it. If you have to toss it to keep the 120, I would not get the 120.
I've travelled with multiple two wheeler roller bags before. You can strap them together with a luggage strap and roll them together. It is not easy or quick.
posted by potrzebie at 4:50 PM on February 23, 2023
You will miss that 35l if you get rid of it. If you have to toss it to keep the 120, I would not get the 120.
I've travelled with multiple two wheeler roller bags before. You can strap them together with a luggage strap and roll them together. It is not easy or quick.
posted by potrzebie at 4:50 PM on February 23, 2023
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If the two bags are from the same brand, some manufacturers have ways for bags to link together to make multiple bags easier to carry. (Usually the smaller one will piggyback on the larger.)
Yes, a 120l bag would be quite likely to incur overweight baggage fees. My large suitcase is about 100l, and I always get nervous. It tends to come in just under the limit, and I always pack a second cloth bag in one of the pockets just in case.
But I'll be honest: what do you need a 120l bag for? I travel pretty heavy. As I mentioned, my bag is often at the weight limit. I only wear my pants once, so I have a different pair for each day of a trip, I bring my own pillow, I often have things like nerf footballs for the kids, sometimes multiple pairs of shoes, and sometimes if I've visited my mom I'll often have nonperishable food items to bring back. All of this plus a week's worth of clothes fits in my 100l suitcase. It's hard for me to imagine filling a 120l bag unless you're traveling for a really long period of time, or for specialized reasons.
If you need more space than 95l, wear a backpack. That solves the two-hand problem.
posted by kevinbelt at 8:24 AM on February 23, 2023 [1 favorite]