Suitcase Challenge

[parkgirl]

Having booked BA Basic tickets at a great price we want to try and reduce the number of cases we will need to purchase. Hand luggage is 23kg (still can’t get my head around that!). We are 2ad + 1ch. Staying onsite for 10 nights. I am interested in whether others max out their allowance or do go minimal on clothing etc.

[lizzie145]

My suitcase, just me, for a week was 11kg out and 16kg home. Lots of m&ms!
I did have 4 pairs of shoes too!

[duchy]

23 kg easy ...
I'm doing the 10 kg challenge this year

Pack for a week and do a wash , job done. It's only light summer stuff

69kg is a massive amount

[parkgirl]

Originally Posted by duchy

23 kg easy ...
I'm doing the 10 kg challenge this year

Pack for a week and do a wash , job done. It's only light summer stuff

See more...

This is the thing, I think we can do 1 checked in bag for the 3 of us , it my dh who is saying we will need 2.

[cornishfrogboy]

My average for 4 cases (1 each with boys of 16 and 12) over our past 3 USA vacations
2018 2 weeks in California. 12kg. each
2017 2 weeks Pensacola, Destin, Tampa, Orlando 12.5kg each
2016 17 days at Easter, NY, Washington DC, Orlando 12.5 kg each
The above was with standard, medium sized suitcases.

This year it is Boston, NY, Dayton, Orlando over 21 days. We are confident of going sub 10kg each up until leaving as we have hand baggage only on our London-Boston, NY-Dayton and Cincinatti-MCO flights (it is train from Boston to NY).

We have purchased hold baggage for our journey home, but doubt that we will have more than one hold bag between us.

It really is easy to get this light, particularly if you have wash facilities at some stage of the vacation. It may also be because I was in the Army for 12 years.I will be taking..

On my person, Jacket, Chinos, Shoes, Shirt, belt with Camera in pouch, phone, passport, wallet etc.

In my lightweight hand baggage/suitcase. Washkit (very light), Satnav, Flip flops, shorts x 3, Shirts x 7, iPad , Charging wires, Trunks, Underpants. All of these will be lightweight. I don't need a towel until Orlando as I am in Hotels.

Hope it helps.

[duchy]

I love travelling light ... September was the first time in years I've not travelled hand baggage only as we had wedding stuff packed. It felt really odd to have to wait for bags rather than walk straight out of the airport.
Paying £279 return doesn't hurt either

[Lynda]

I need some lessons I think! We both struggle to keep our case under the 23 KG.

[LLamb]

For on site or actually any American hotel it’s easy as they pretty much all have laundry rooms.
I could probably get ours down to one case this year but I’m going with two for more space on return. 2a2c
So for us we have five days of outfits, two sets of pj’s, swimwear and then maybe two evening tops/outfits if you want.
This way you can probably just wash every third day. I’ll probably do one wash each day.
For shoes I have my brilliant teva sandals, then some flip flops for the pool. I have trainers for the plane.
We have quite a few accommodation changes this year so I have packaging cubes and will do a set of family clothes for each of the five sets of clothes.
You can buy toiletries out there or I have the little plastic ikea bottles that I refill for holidays.
We are flying with ba and I was going to indie the basic flight but our children our 5&2 and I want to get rid of the cases at check in.

[cornishfrogboy]

It will be interesting to see what will happen re cabin baggage being free in the next few years.

It would seem with airlines introducing different luggage tariffs groups (lite, delight etc), more and more people are responding by saying "cheers, I will take the discount and go hand luggage only".

10kg is easy to make for most and the specified suitcase size, generous. Of course the option is also there to upgrade just one of the family group to have hold luggage and gain a further 23 or so kg either one direction, or both.

[sotagals]

It always amazes me what people find to put in a big suitcase each.

We did 2 between the 4 if us last year easy and probably could have done it in one.

Mind you it cost me more than $50 in laundry at Disney and I'd brought my own detergent.