Are we crazy?

[Fouremco]

5 minutes ago, TheHawk1 said:

Rouge group are not generous with bags that are overstuffed and will tell you to take things out or check it.

Your comments brings back memories of flying out of Kona International Airport on the Big Island. My checked bag was 2 lbs over the limit, while my DW's was about 4 lbs under the limit. The check-in staff member insisted that I get down to the allowed limit, or she wouldn't be able to check my bag in. She explained that the flight was full and they couldn't allow any overage. I tried to explain that the two bags combined would have the same total weight , even if I moved a few items over, but she seemed unable to grasp the concept

 

So we dutifully moved a few things from my bag to DW's and both made the limit. The staff member seemed very relieved that we no longer posed a threat to the security of the flight!

[iancal]

NA airlines are VERY lenient when it comes to carry on size and weight.

 

Not so with many regional carriers in Europe and S/E Asia.   Last time we took a domestic flight on Jetstar from Brisbane they were sizing AND weighing our carry on at the boarding area.  The 7KG weight limit included any hand held items such as purses.   

 

We pre paid for one of us to increase from 7-10KG by adjusting our bags.  The cost of that was greater than the cost of checking a bag.

 

One thing though.  Boarding a flight in Canada or the US takes about twice as long as it does boarding carriers who actually impose their size/weight regs.

[broberts]

2 hours ago, Fouremco said:

Your comments brings back memories of flying out of Kona International Airport on the Big Island. My checked bag was 2 lbs over the limit, while my DW's was about 4 lbs under the limit. The check-in staff member insisted that I get down to the allowed limit, or she wouldn't be able to check my bag in. She explained that the flight was full and they couldn't allow any overage. I tried to explain that the two bags combined would have the same total weight , even if I moved a few items over, but she seemed unable to grasp the concept

 

So we dutifully moved a few things from my bag to DW's and both made the limit. The staff member seemed very relieved that we no longer posed a threat to the security of the flight!

 

Often baggage handler contracts impose weight restrictions and penalties per piece which may account for the staff's insistence on each bag being under limit.

[Fouremco]

15 minutes ago, broberts said:

 

Often baggage handler contracts impose weight restrictions and penalties per piece which may account for the staff's insistence on each bag being under limit.

As different airlines set different weight limits, I'd be surprised if baggage handlers would refuse a bag that is just a couple of pounds on the heavy side for one of the lower limit airlines. I've never previously or since had a bag refused, although I've had my share of "HEAVY" labels on my bags over the years,  To add to the confusion, some airlines' limits are 23 kg/50 lbs, while others' are 23 kg/51 lbs. 

[frteach]

At the boarding gate for our recent flight to Amsterdam on AC, there was one of those "size limit" racks. Anyone with a carry on that looked too big was made to test it, and those that were too big for the overhead bin had to be checked anyway. Since the flight was full, they started announcing that some bags should be checked in voluntarily, and since not enough did this, they DID force some to be checked. I don't wish to start an argument, but what makes some people think that if they get there first they have a right to all the space?

[TheHawk1]

5 hours ago, Fouremco said:

As different airlines set different weight limits, I'd be surprised if baggage handlers would refuse a bag that is just a couple of pounds on the heavy side for one of the lower limit airlines. I've never previously or since had a bag refused, although I've had my share of "HEAVY" labels on my bags over the years,  To add to the confusion, some airlines' limits are 23 kg/50 lbs, while others' are 23 kg/51 lbs. 

In my case I wasn’t commenting about weight but the size of the bag.  On a trip this past April home from Fort Lauderdale, the AC agent told me my bag was too “wide” because of items packed in the outer pockets, even though it is an official carry on sized bag. I had to remove items at the ticket counter and put them in my checked bag or be forced to check both. Needless to say I was not impressed and will be avoiding Rouge in the future.

[ski ww]

I think if all air lines started to enforce the carry on limits of seize, weight maybe the message will get out & people start to listen and follow the rules.

[*Miss G*]

In my experience, the smaller airlines using the smaller planes almost always check and enforce the size and weight of the carry-ons.  They just can’t accommodate them in the passenger cabin.

[iancal]

1 hour ago, *Miss G* said:

In my experience, the smaller airlines using the smaller planes almost always check and enforce the size and weight of the carry-ons.  They just can’t accommodate them in the passenger cabin.

Many of the regional airlines that we use from time to time in Europe, Asia or Oz, (Air Asia, Jetstar, Easyjet, Vueling, Scoot,etc) operate large planes.   They are very similar to North American budget carriers.  Some subs of national carriers.

 

The difference is that they consistently manage carry on via add on charge schedules and by strictly monitoring and enforcing carry on size and weight restrictions.  Their customers know what to expect at checkin or at the gate vis a vis carry on.

 

 The reason is simple.  If the plane is spending it's day doing 1-2 hour flights a faster boarding regime can mean one more revenue flight for that plane each day.  Not to mention the added passenger revenues from bag fees.

Edited August 6, 2022 by iancal

[*Miss G*]

It goes without saying that revenue is always a prime motivator.

[onelegcraig]

We travel with only carry-on frequently.  Two weeks Alaska (land & sea), two weeks Hawaii, etc.  We pack for three days, plus one swimsuit, one lightweight dress (dress pants for hubby) and hiking sandals.  Roll clothes tightly.  We wear jeans and running shoes on the plane (black runners do double duty as 'dress shoes' in main dining room for hubby).  We wash out clothes every night in cabin and hang to dry overnight.  Mark's has the best travel clothes, no wrinkle, quick dry.  Except for meds, we do not bring any liquids, happy to use whatever soaps/shampoo/lotion etc the hotel/cruise ship has to offer.  We buy sunscreen at the destination, and leave it for room attendant to either use or toss out.

[SilvertoGold]

17 minutes ago, onelegcraig said:

We travel with only carry-on frequently.  Two weeks Alaska (land & sea), two weeks Hawaii, etc.  We pack for three days, plus one swimsuit, one lightweight dress (dress pants for hubby) and hiking sandals.  Roll clothes tightly.  We wear jeans and running shoes on the plane (black runners do double duty as 'dress shoes' in main dining room for hubby).  We wash out clothes every night in cabin and hang to dry overnight.  Mark's has the best travel clothes, no wrinkle, quick dry.  Except for meds, we do not bring any liquids, happy to use whatever soaps/shampoo/lotion etc the hotel/cruise ship has to offer.  We buy sunscreen at the destination, and leave it for room attendant to either use or toss out.

 

So, rolling clothes seems to be popular.  I've never tried this, but just may. 

 

Any other suggestions for packing?  I take shoes (flats) and one extra pair of runners, as does my DH, and have a lot of "little things" like a small flashlight, hair brush, toothpaste and toothbrushes, razors, that I put in plastic bags which don't fit too well into the nooks and crannies left over once I have most of the clothes packed.

[*Miss G*]

45 minutes ago, SilvertoGold said:

 

So, rolling clothes seems to be popular.  I've never tried this, but just may. 

 

Any other suggestions for packing?  I take shoes (flats) and one extra pair of runners, as does my DH, and have a lot of "little things" like a small flashlight, hair brush, toothpaste and toothbrushes, razors, that I put in plastic bags which don't fit too well into the nooks and crannies left over once I have most of the clothes packed.

 

These are my absolute favourite purchase: Lewis N Clark compression packing cubes.  I got them at Dollarama and liked them so much that I paid full price on Amazon for more after my husband scoffed some.  (Pic shows US price.)  I have other brands but these remain my favourite.

 

The reason I like them is they are soft and light, have no residual manufacturing odour, and are well made.  They breathe and wash well.  I sort clothes in groups by putting t-shirts/tops in one, pants in another, etc.  Once filled, close the main zipper then close the compression zipper.  Then I Tetris them in my suitcase.  I use a carry-on but sometimes I’ll check it, depending on circumstances.  When I unpack on the ship I expand them and transfer the entire cube from my suitcase to the shelves or drawers.  Et voilà, c’est tout.

 

 

[Senga]

We’re requesting air tags for Christmas!  The luggage may still go missing but at least we’ll know where it is!  😂

[daisy-mae]

4 minutes ago, Senga said:

We’re requesting air tags for Christmas!  The luggage may still go missing but at least we’ll know where it is!  😂

I recently bought an air tag at the Apple Store. The first question I was asked by the "associate" is "are you travelling"? I suspect there has been a recent increase in sales of that particular Apple product.

[SilvertoGold]

4 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

These are my absolute favourite purchase: Lewis N Clark compression packing cubes.  I got them at Dollarama and liked them so much that I paid full price on Amazon for more after my husband scoffed some.  (Pic shows US price.)  I have other brands but these remain my favourite.

 

The reason I like them is they are soft and light, have no residual manufacturing odour, and are well made.  They breathe and wash well.  I sort clothes in groups by putting t-shirts/tops in one, pants in another, etc.  Once filled, close the main zipper then close the compression zipper.  Then I Tetris them in my suitcase.  I use a carry-on but sometimes I’ll check it, depending on circumstances.  When I unpack on the ship I expand them and transfer the entire cube from my suitcase to the shelves or drawers.  Et voilà, c’est tout.

 

 

 

Hi, Miss G 

Superior info, merci!  Never tried cubes but this is convincing. Not sure where I will find these in Canada but I'm on to it.  Any special way you pack shoes?

[Fouremco]

54 minutes ago, SilvertoGold said:

 

Hi, Miss G 

Superior info, merci!  Never tried cubes but this is convincing. Not sure where I will find these in Canada but I'm on to it.  Any special way you pack shoes?

DW and I use Eagle Creek cubes and related packing gear https://www.eaglecreek.com/collections/cubes. Absolutely love their product. We bought ours online from Jet-Setter in Montreal: https://www.jet-setter.ca/collections/packing. Reasonably priced and quick delivery.

[*Miss G*]

1 hour ago, SilvertoGold said:

 

Hi, Miss G 

Superior info, merci!  Never tried cubes but this is convincing. Not sure where I will find these in Canada but I'm on to it.  Any special way you pack shoes?

 

Nothing special with shoes.  I wrap each one in a plastic bag and then Tetris them into the nooks and crannies.  👍

[SilvertoGold]

13 hours ago, Fouremco said:

DW and I use Eagle Creek cubes and related packing gear https://www.eaglecreek.com/collections/cubes. Absolutely love their product. We bought ours online from Jet-Setter in Montreal: https://www.jet-setter.ca/collections/packing. Reasonably priced and quick delivery.

Thanks for tip.  I am researching this today, without knowing much about cubes so your info is helpful!

[SilvertoGold]

12 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Nothing special with shoes.  I wrap each one in a plastic bag and then Tetris them into the nooks and crannies.  👍

Shoes are the one big problem, so I try to get away with fewer than I would like!

[Fouremco]

22 minutes ago, SilvertoGold said:

Thanks for tip.  I am researching this today, without knowing much about cubes so your info is helpful!

There are lots of good videos on YouTube on choosing and using packing cubes. Here's the first one that popped up on my search: 

 

[Been There, Planning That]

16 hours ago, SilvertoGold said:

 

  Never tried cubes but this is convincing. Not sure where I will find these in Canada but I'm on to it.  Any special way you pack shoes?

We bought a couple of sets of regular Air Canada packing cubes at Walmart.  We've been using them for dozens of trips.

 

https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/air-canada-packing-cubes-set-of-3-assorted/6000197763302?skuId=6000197763303&offerId=6000197763303&region_id=202200&utm_medium=paid_search&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=always_on&cmpid=SEM_CA_280_RBC49D1IS5_71700000092875347_58700007764569172&utm_id=SEM_CA_280_RBC49D1IS5_71700000092875347_58700007764569172&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=CjwKCAjwx7GYBhB7EiwA0d8oex4bOQs2b2l4jmDvzZTG3CQNNJNiWutEywPXxm6z4Bg2nVH9iuHeJhoCAdUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

I've never tried compression bags though.

 

Ruth

[iancal]

When we decided to go carry on only the next thing we did after buying international size carry on rollers was to think about what we wanted to take. And what we knew made no sense whatsoever to drag along for weeks on end.

 

First decision was shoes.  One pair on our feet, one very light pair in the bag.  DW takes two and places on pair in my bag since there is room.

 

Second was fabric.  Only lightweight easy care (in case we had to rinse things out in a pinch) fabrics made it.  Layered clothing with matching colors.

 

No coats.  Just a light cotton sweater and an all weather nylon shell with hood. Even when we leave home in the winter to to to the airport.  Valuable jewelry stays home or goes into the safe deposit box while we are away.  We have no reason and no desire to impress anyone with bling.

 

The other thing that we realized is that travel stores often sell expensive clothing.   We both know about fabric.  Some of my best travel shirts than have come from Costco of all places.  One or two have seen trip after trip for five years.  Now replacing one or two because I am tired of them.

 

Finally...we cut out all the just in case stuff.  Just in case we end up on Mars where there are no stores, nor services, no suitable product.   We have found the opposite.  Especially when it comes to drugs-OTC and prescription.  No duct tape, no hooks, none of those useless (to us) dollar store items that push our bag weight over 8-8.5KG.   The last time I needed a good tape was six years ago in Hong Kong.  The airline check in clerk look at the handle on by carry on and said let me tape that up for you.  Better than duct tape...plastic baggage tape.

 

This has made us good to go on extended land trip and those that are sometimes punctuated with last minute cruises.

Edited August 29, 2022 by iancal

[SilvertoGold]

2 minutes ago, iancal said:

When we decided to go carry on only the next thing we did after buying international size carry on rollers was to think about what we wanted to take.

 

First decision was shoes.  One pair on our fee, one very light pair in the bag.  DW takes two and places on pair in my bag since there is room.

 

Second was fabric.  Only lightweight easy care (in case we had to rinse things out in a pinch) fabrics made it.  Layered clothing with matching colors.

 

No coats.  Just a light cotton sweater and an all weather nylon shell with hood.

 

The other thing that we realized is that travel stores often sell expensive clothing.   We both know about fabric.  Some of my best travel shirts than have come from Costco of all places.  One or two have seen trip after trip for five years.  Now replacing one or two because I am tired of them.

 

Finally...we cut out all the just in case stuff.  Just in case we end up on Mars where there are no stores, nor services, no suitable product.   We have found the opposite.  Especially when it comes to drugs-OTC and prescription.  No duct tape, no hooks, none of those useless weight dollar store items that push our bag weight over 8-8.5KG.   The last time I needed a good tape was six years ago in Hong Kong.  The check in clerk look at the handle on by carry on and said let me tape that up for you.   Lasted three years until I replaced the bag.

Way to go!  I'm with you on this, except I do have to take some of the "little things", but not as many as I used to cart around. Excellent planning - thanks for the ideas :)

[iancal]