[nordsieck]

I'll admit that I don't travel outside of the US much, so those issues don't really apply to me.

> 7 kg is laughably little, a standard cabin bag already weighs 2

One thing that I have done is move from roller luggage to a travel backpack. I personally use the Osprey Farpoint, but there are many in the category to choose from. Not only is it much lighter than hard sided luggage, but it's typically much more forgiving of dimensional requirements, and can often fit in overhead bins, where hard sided luggage may not be able to (if you're the last person trying to put something in the bin).

And on top of all of that, it's been much more reliable for me - I've had and seen roller luggage fail pretty often - at both the wheels and the handle. Neither of those exists on the bag, which just keeps trucking.

I get that for many people a travel backpack isn't an option. But if it is something that might work for you, I highly recommend it.

[Al-Khwarizmi]

Worth considering to be honest, as I'm in reasonable shape so carrying a backpack is not out of the question.

But do you think one can pack as much as in roller luggage, while conforming to the size limits? I've always been under the impression that roller luggage would be more efficient in this respect, but have no real experience traveling with a backpack.

[nordsieck]

IMO, backpacks are better at conforming to size limits.

They're typically advertised by volume, so 30L, 40L, etc., so you can get one the size you want. I think carry on size is typically advertised as 35-40L. They've got all the same stuff as roller luggage - straps, dividers, etc., depending on what you want. Although, IMO, the best setup is to just get a bag with the volume you want and use packing cubes.

The great advantage of backpacks is that they're soft. Every carrier has their own "box" that your item is supposed to fit into. As long as you don't have too much stuff, you can just squeeze your bag into the box. But with a hard sided roller, it either fits or it doesn't.

[ghaff]

Fully agree. Even if it's not completely soft, a 40L-ish travel backpack is just about perfect for most trips unless you just physically can't carry.

I do have a larger travel pack and sometimes favor a slightly larger wheeled pack. But even though it's a bit heavy for any really long schlepping, it's lighter than the wheeled frame and is a lot easier to deal with on trains etc.

[ghaff]

Roll-a-boards are the devil IMO but then I'm not usually dressing up when traveling. I tend to use a probably somewhat larger 40L Osprey than what you use but it's a lot more flexible than the standard carry-ons to put in overhead.