Does it make sense to use a weekender bag for air travel?
I have been thinking about getting a weekender duffle, but I worry that it would not be convenient for air travel as it usually would not have wheels. Most of them are too large to bring as a personal item anyway.
21 Replies
best advice I've ever heard for this kind of thing is that weekender bags are better for car travel and suitcases are better for air travel
you don't want to lug a heavy bag through the airport. get something with wheels
I always do a duffle carry on because I don’t want to ever worry about not having room for it in the bins but it is obviously less convenient in the actual airport part
Doesn’t particularly bother me but that’s basically down to you
How does a duffle help for the bins?
They will ask people with roller bags to gate check if they run out of room
Duffles always get on the plane
I also duffle on planes, I'd like to get a roller soon tho. It is a lot of weight to carry around
I switched from a duffel to a small roller bag for air travel and it’s much nicer. Wouldn’t recommend a duffel. Either go with a large backpack or a roller suitcase
Yeah if you’re gonna use a duffle it’s with the understanding that you are picking something that’s worse in the vast majority of cases and slightly better in a couple
get one of them rollers with a side handle so you can still pick it up and go if need be
idk, really depends on the size of the bag and how long you're travelling for. I personally use a weekender that fits as a personal item for short trips (a few days). Anything longer i'd probably want a suitcase
I would love a weekender for air travel. One significantly smaller than a standard suitcase. I don't like lil suitcases somehow. I wouldn't want a full size duffel without wheels though.
Like when I flew earlier this year for one night, I just had a backpack with modest camera gear, one nice change of clothes and one casual change of clothes, plus chargers. Would be better with a smaller weekender I think.
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Depends how long of a trip and how heavy/light of a packer you are. I have a leather duffle that's weekender size (small enough to fit under the seat if I wanted to) and I pack really light so it's great for me if I have a trip that's anywhere from 3 to 6 days and don't need a laptop. If I need a laptop or if I'm going for a week or more, I'll do a medium sized (26L) backpack. If I'm going for 3+ weeks, I have a small rolling suitcase that is international carry-on spec so it'll fit in the overhead of any flight.
I think a backpack is actually better for this - it’s easier to carry, less obnoxious during the travel process, and more useful on the other end
Usually yes. But I don't like a backpack over a sport coat. Which I was wearing.
I think a duffle would be more practical than a backpack, no?
That's one reason I travel in a teba these days. My wife has a balance handicap so I carry my clothes in a backpack and put hers in a wheely bag.
My experience is no - a duffle is less practical. Carrying a weekend+ weight duffle is a pain, and it’s easier to carry a comparably packed backpack
Also bc a lot of duffles are “heritage” and made of super heavy canvas and leather which means a similarly packed bag is substantially more expensive
Yeah I have an llbean waxed canvas duffle that is pretty hefty even with nothing in it, I've taken it through jfk before and i was very sore
Dont they hve duffle bags with wheels?
I would get a suitcase with smaller dimension though just cuz practicality
How heavy is it empty?