Rolling Cabin Luggage Not Such A Popular Choice

Upright small suitcases on wheels may not be the best choice of luggage this summer. Inherently heavier, a new survey has shown that double checks are more likely to be carried out by airport staff on cabin bags on wheels than luggage that travellers carry themselves.

London, England (PRWEB) May 4, 2006 -- It's not just luck who avoids problems with carry on luggage at airports. A new survey by consumer research group Inside Shopper shows that travellers with rolling style cabin luggage are much more likely to have their bags checked for size and weight restrictions. Nearly one in four travellers surveyed using rolling style carry on bags had had their luggage double checked by airport staff, compared to only 6% with tote bags and suitcase style backpacks.

Inside Shopper also found that carry on bags that fail luggage limits spell problems for travellers. Four out of five travellers with over size or over weight carry on luggage had been made to check luggage into the plane's hold and some had been subject to extra baggage charges.

Inside Shopper's advice is to pay extra attention to carry on luggage. ' There are new compliance checkers landside at airports as well as airside checks at the gate this summer', said Debbie Davies, Inside Shopper's editor. No airline that Inside Shopper knows is operating a policy against rolling carry on luggage but staff watch out for luggage. ' There seems to be an expectation that travellers with luggage on wheels are less likely to pack economically,' she added.

Although very popular since their introduction in the late 1980s , upright suitcases on wheels are inherently heavier. Inside Shopper surveyed ten soft sided bags advertised as carry on. Wheeled carry on bags on average added 100grams for every litre carried compared to 34g/litre for bags without wheels. ' To find the most efficient luggage, don't rely on descriptions like ultralite but check size, weight and capacity,' said Davies.

To test bags, Inside Shopper submitted luggage to a packing test to see if they would hold sufficient for a five day leisure trip. Lightweight items were used, for example a microfibre towel, synthetic fibre socks and travel size toiletries. Durability tests included stabbing with a fish knife and leaving luggage outdoors on a rainy day.

'The top performing bags all combined materials and construction techniques developed for extreme sports gear with suitcase styling,' said Davies. Best Buy was Patagonia's Maximum Legal Carry On (MLC) which is more suitcase than backpack with shoulder straps that tuck away and no hip belt. A mesh panel to compress clothes inside the case keeps the bag smart on the outside. Runner up was Ortlieb's Travel Zip. Made from tough, ultra light Cordura with external compression straps, this bag had the best weight to capacity ratio of only 19g/litre.

For further information and picture contact Debbie Davies, editor in chief, Inside Shopper debbieeditorial@aol.com

Inside Shopper is an independent consumer testing panel. It carries out new product testing for media organisations including the leading UK women's website ivillage, BBC Magazines and Associated Newspapers and publishes a series of topical subscription newsletters on travel and leisure, home and garden, health and beauty, parenting, computers and technology.

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