18 Days in Europe - Tri-Star doable?

[tunesmith]

Hi, taking my first-ever overseas trip in about three weeks, and am considering bags. Roughly six days in London, plane to SW Ireland, two days Dingle, car to Galway, four days Galway, train to Dublin, one night there, plane to Brussels, train to Bruges, four days there, train to Amsterdam, one day there, flight back home to Seattle. We're mostly staying in B&B's.

Is it possible to do it with a TriStar without going completely mad? Due to my lack of experience, my packing list feels pretty arbitrary. But regardless of bag size, I probably wouldn't pack more than five days worth of clothes, anyway. I'm undecided on bringing a second pair of shoes. I'm going to do without the laptop and bring just the iPad and iPhone, and I am not bringing a suit or anything. On top of that, my coat/vest will be a ScottEVest Revolution (the lighter one) so it'll have plenty of pockets. Plus I'd probably get the packing cube backpack.

I could do the Aeronaut I suppose but it just looks so big. One funny note about the TriStar - RyanAir's travel restrictions are 55cm x 40cm x 20cm for carry-on, and the TriStar's length is 205mm. Argh!!

[JLE]

Hi, taking my first-ever overseas trip in about three weeks, and am considering bags. Roughly six days in London, plane to SW Ireland, two days Dingle, car to Galway, four days Galway, train to Dublin, one night there, plane to Brussels, train to Bruges, four days there, train to Amsterdam, one day there, flight back home to Seattle. We're mostly staying in B&B's.

Is it possible to do it with a TriStar without going completely mad? Due to my lack of experience, my packing list feels pretty arbitrary. But regardless of bag size, I probably wouldn't pack more than five days worth of clothes, anyway. I'm undecided on bringing a second pair of shoes. I'm going to do without the laptop and bring just the iPad and iPhone, and I am not bringing a suit or anything. On top of that, my coat/vest will be a ScottEVest Revolution (the lighter one) so it'll have plenty of pockets. Plus I'd probably get the packing cube backpack.

I could do the Aeronaut I suppose but it just looks so big. One funny note about the TriStar - RyanAir's travel restrictions are 55cm x 40cm x 20cm for carry-on, and the TriStar's length is 205mm. Argh!!

I have a Tri Star and I think it would work well for the trip you are describing. I have used mine for international leisure trips of up to eight days, also with an iPad and no laptop, without doing laundry. It could certainly hold the load you are contemplating (5 days' worth of clothes). It can easily take a pair of shoes. The one advantage of the Aeronaut, though, could be that its single open compartment configuration would probably be better for packing any bulky or oddly shaped souvenirs that you might pick up along the way. I don't know about you, but I always pick up something along the way! I have just ordered an Aeronaut for that reason as I think it will be better suited to a trip I have coming up. The TriStar's narrow, flat compartments are particularly well suited to packing clothes and tech gear or papers.

European-based forum members will doubtless be able to comment about the likelihood of carrying the bags on board Ryanair. Certainly, I had no problem with the TS on Qantas and Cathay Pacific, which both have tight weight restrictions for carry on (7kgs).

[Frank II]

You're losing sleep over 5mm?

The Tristar is a soft sided bag. As long as you don't pack it to the max, your bag will be able to squeeze into the sizer.

Just as important with Ryanair is watching the weight of the bag.

[Sco1t]

Put all your heavy items in your jacket; fill those pockets!

Ryanair are just dying to weigh your bag at the departure gate and charge you extra if you are over. I am sure the cabin crew are on commission.

[Badger]

Congratulations on your first trip. Ireland is a lovely country; living there for a year was one of the best of my life. You'll have a great time. If I was contending with only five days' worth of clothes, I wouldn't hesitate to use the TS (Hell, I could fit that into a WF). I would, however, recommend a second pair of shoes. Ireland can be very, very wet at this time of year--similar to Seattle, in fact--and if you are hiking in Kerry or the Burren, you can totally soak even Gore-Tex shoes quite easily. When I go to Ireland I always pack two pairs of shoes, one for hiking or rambling and one other, either casual shoes or dress, depending on if I'm planning dinners out or participating in other formal activities. That way, I'm more likely to have one dry pair of shoes. Of course, the weather could also be quite warm and sunny, so it helps to have light layers.

I agree with the others: Ryanair are way more picky about weight than perceived length. The TS will look way small compared to most of the bags others are carrying, so make sure the bag looks "light" by not packing it to the gills. You can always post your current packing list and the activities you'll be doing and we can make suggestions.

[Lani]

The Tri-Star will be a WONDERFUL bag for you to travel with. In fact, it's basically designed perfectly for the kind of travel you're planning.

I'm with Badger on shoes. Check the weather. If it looks at all inclement, take an extra pair. OR if you'd rather avoid that, take extra pairs of socks (wool is nice for cold weather but I don't know how quickly they dry), and make sure you dry your shoes when you get back to the hotel every day (remove the insoles and stuff them with newspaper).

Traveling to/within Europe, you're looking at two factors for your carry-on bag: Weight and dimension.

Make sure to check the carry-on restrictions for all of the carriers you're traveling with. The Tri-Star should be no problem at all dimension-wise with anyone, as long as you don't pack it so full that it looks like a blimp. Even if you wind up carrying it with its backpack straps everywhere else, at the airport, use the shoulder strap and look like it's just a nice little carry-on bag. It will be considerably smaller than almost all rolling upright carry-ons so you should be good there.

If you're concerned about it being a wee bit too big for Ryanair, I'd take some very light strapping material and truss the thing up like a pork roast (go check out How Strict is the Ryanair Baggage Allowance? for some interesting info).

Your other issue is weight. Some airlines, like Virgin Atlantic, have a thing against heavy carry-ons. On our travel with them to Rome, we had to pack down to 13 pounds, which is exceedingly difficult with a bag like the Tri-Star, which empty, weighs a little over 3 pounds (you can read how we did it here: The Ultra-minimalist packing list: How I packed for Europe « The Travelite FAQ). Your best friend? Your ScotteVest. Pile on all your heavies in there. Your iPad, your cables, your 3-1-1 toiletry kit.

I'm unaware of any airline that weighs the clothing you're wearing. When you get to the airport, take a moment (perhaps in the restroom if you don't want to look like you're setting up camp) and transfer all your heavies into your jacket (take that opportunity to pull out your passport and boarding pass, remove your watch, your belt, etc). If you need, take a small luggage scale with you (that's something I wouldn't bother carrying, but if you can find a tiny one that you can then stash in your pocket, it might work) and check before you go to the airline counter and/or security. Any heavier garments (like maybe you decide to take one bulky heavy sweater with you), wear that under your jacket, too.

It LOOKS like Ryanair actually has a very liberal weight policy for your carry-on of 10 kilograms. That's what, like 21 pounds? 22 pounds? You should be fine weight-wise with them. But you may still want to take some of the bulk out of your Tri-Star by carrying them in your jacket.

You can always post your current packing list and the activities you'll be doing and we can make suggestions.

Yep. We're just a bunch of OCD packers around here, and we'll be happy to help!

[Frank II]

I'm unaware of any airline that weighs the clothing you're wearing.

Lani, let's not give Ryanair, or any airline for that matter, a new idea for collecting fees!!!!!

About that second pair of shoes....I don't like taking them because they add weight. What I do, however, is get a bunch of those disposable insoles, cut them down to size, and change them out about once a week. Should my feet get wet, I can easily change them out more often . They weigh practically nothing and take up no room. They also add a little extra padding for those long days on your feet. Good quality socks are a must. Your feet will thank you. And so will anyone else traveling with you when you take your shoes off. Smartwool are very popular.

[tunesmith]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. If you're interested in my packing list, it's on this thread:

http://forums.tombihn.com/packing-lists/4775-18-day-trip-tri-star.html