Help! - The perfect hand luggage is?

[anotherglassofwine]

I travel weekly between Dublin and Stansted, and once a month Dublin - Krakow. I bought Pierre Cardin hand luggage which claims to fit all overhead lockers, but on several occasions (in particular at Krakow), I've been forced to check it in. Could anyone recommend a bag preferably with wheels that has enough room for a laptop and a weekends worth of clothing? Something fairly robust, but guaranteed not to be cast into the belly of an aircraft!
(I predominantly fly with Ryanair and Aer Lingus)
Many thanks,
AGOW.

[The Real Slim Shady]

How about this one?

[UniFoxOs]

I wouldn't say it's perfect but we bought a couple of cheapos from Matalan (about £12 as I recall). Wheels and handle or you can carry it portrait or landscape, with shoulder straps to wear it like a rucksack as well. About 4 compartments. Thought they might last a few flights, been using them now for about 4 years, weekends away in UK as well as foreign (prolly 20/30 flights) and can't find any signs at all of deterioration. Never had them queried at check-in (apart from getting them weighed once at CVT.

UFO

[smith]

slim shady

$275 for that mate? You're 'avin a giraffe!!!

[The Real Slim Shady]

But there are others on he same site!!

[beachbumflyer]

I would look on a 20" Travelpro.
I've had one for more than 10 years and I'm very happy with it, never had
to check it in and can fit a lot of things in it.

[A2QFI]

Cargo Jacket

Excuse the thread drift (slight). I saw a post the other day relating to a multi pocket cargo vest. It is part of your clothing and as such, subject to security checks, but not to weighing. A scheme of putting heavy stuff in the jacket and light but bulky stuff in hand luggage might work. I have used a wheeled Samsonite case for years; it is claimed to be legal hand luggage size and it fits all the gauges and at all the airports I have flown thru but check R'airs permitted dimensions - they may be smaller than standard!

[anotherglassofwine]

Thanks for all the suggestions folks.
I'm a bit dubious about buying luggage online, would like to have a look at the bag and kick the tires as it were!
The travel pro 20" certainly looks the part, so i'll find a stockist in Dublin and check it out. $275 might be stretching my budget a bit too far, but there were plenty more on that site to give me food for thought.

Thanks again
AGOW

[HuntandFish]

I do three day business trips in the UK often using Logan air (small lockers )
I use a squashy holdall I got at a garage for £5 no problems . No wheels though

[The Real Slim Shady]

FR will shortly introduce their own label carry on bag.

If you turn up at the Gate with one of themas your hand baggage you don't get hassled.

[anotherglassofwine]

Really Slim?
Any further details on this? .. might be worth waiting until this is available. I dread to think what it would cost ..

Probably £9.99 + £59 taxes and charges ..

[The Real Slim Shady]

Sorry can't help there.

I was told ( reliable source) that the company will be introducing their own FR labelled carry on bag: if you turn up at the gate with a branded bag you will not have it weighed or checked.

It is imminent, but how imminent I couldn't say.

[smith]

Re: the cargo jacket.

I was on an FR flight to a ski destination and there were people onboard there with full ski gear including boots and poloneck sweaters and about 20 layers so as to avoid paying baggage charges.

Note to MOL, turn the heating up onboard and make these people sweat it out, they will happily pay next time.

[Schroedinger]

slim, the weight shown, if correct, is 256 oz., or 16 pounds! Doesn't leave much (if any) for contents. If you paid say $30 for a carry-on, how many years would it take to pay off the investment? About 10 years ago, I bought a Delsey roller, travel about 4 times a year, mostly long-haul, and it shows absolutely no deterioration-and why should it, since its been rolled/carried everywhere it has gone. BTW, it has never beed weighed, and only checked for size once at Vancouver by WestJet.

I do like the idea of a soft-side, however.

[A2QFI]

Thomas Cook, among others, now have a 5kg limit on cabin luggage. In order to carry anything worthwhile I would think a supermarket "Bag-for-Life" would be the best bet! Any proprietary hold baggae, as described above, would probably weigh 4 kg empty!

[muppetbum]

with regards to the cargo jacket

its called a scottevest
SCOTTEVEST/SeV - Travel Apparel and iPod Clothing Solutions, Buy Jackets, Vests, Windbreakers, Hoodies, Pullovers, Pocket Shirts, Cargo Pants

you can fit a laptop in the back pocket !

OH has one , he never carries handluggage. As people have pointed out , they don't get weighed.