No. of Recommendations: 2
We tend to look at the issue from different perspectives. Part of the solution lies in the weight of the luggage itself. But, before addressing that there are different criteria we use when we select what we will be carrying for a trip Or a leg of one if we are stashing larger luggage along the way).
If you are traveling by air in countries such as Turkey (or by train in Europe), it is helpful to evaluate both the checked luggage weight limits as well your ability to physically handle luggage pieces. We have a couple of 22" pieces using only a pair of wheels (not the more modern spinners) which started life as our carry-on pieces, but which both carry about 50% more stuff than today's carry-on sizes and count as free checked bags on a number of local airlines (limited to 15-20kg per bag).
There are occasions when larger bags are called for:
Carrying clothes for multiple seasons (say beach/diving and skiing on the same trip)
Carrying "special clothing" (tux/gown, riding cloths, hiking boots, waterproof pants, climbing harness, gym bag for taking on safari, etc.)
Enough different "outfits" to not appear to be wearing your "uniform" again on a long cruise
Place to safely carry stuff picked up along the way (Mona Lisa, Crown Jewels, tee shirt, magnet)
The trick is never carry anything that you don't need (leave anything which would be "nice to have" home)
The "full size 28 inch" suitcase we swear by is the Samsonite S'Cure line. It is a lightweight spinner (reasonably stuffed with clothing weighs in at exactly 50 pounds/23kg, uses clamps rather than zippers, is gasketed against water and is incredibly tough. They seem to run $300-$400 in the US, but can be significantly cheaper in Europe (we bought a couple of them in Italy for 150 Euro less VAT, but I've also seen them on-sale in Spain for about the same price). We've used ours for dozens of trips without them experiencing any damage. Hint: They are available in a rainbow of colors. The first my wife chose was yellow and she is constantly trying to wash the shmootze that collects on it in the belly of the beast. My philosophy would be to polka dot the bags with splotches of cyan and magenta paint to make them easy to identify and too ugly to steal.
Just some idle thoughts.
Jeff
