Women's carry comfort

[Traveltech]

im eagerly awaiting my first shipment from TB while actively picking out my next purchase. �� Looking for advise on which bag would work best for one-bag travel for a "mature" woman.

I'm 5'6" and have shoulder and back issues. I purchased a lightweight rolling bag recently from Eagle Creek and loved everything about it until I strained my shoulder hoisting it into the overhead compartment and carrying it up and down stairs to the NYC subway. No matter how lightweight the materials, the wheels add weight.

I am considering the A30. I usually travel with a photo backpack and have no problems with this if the bag is balanced and fits well. Can anyone comment on how the A30 sits on a woman's back and shoulders? Does it slide on the shoulders? How about the sternum strap? Is there any way to attach this to a rolling bag for extended travel?

Thanks for the help!

[featherwitch]

Don't get me wrong- I love my Aeronaut 30 and 45, but if I had ongoing back and shoulder issues, I am not sure I would want to carry my luggage. Instead of having to lift it up and down stairs, I would have to carry it everywhere.

A30 and A45 fit for travel, but are definitely not something I would want to wear for very long distances. I'm 5'7" woman with a long torso, and feel like even with the sternum strap, it moves around a bit. I haven't tried the hip belt yet... which would help balance it better, IMO.

[Grandcache]

I have an A30 and a WF...both in Halcyon. I am a "mature" woman about your height, have back issues and tend to do better with my WF and a second small bag: SE, MCB/Swift, occasionally pilot than carrying everything in my A30. By splitting the weight into 2 bags, it gives me some options. It is surprising how much the WF holds--one caution, the more you pack, the heavier the bag becomes.

Just a reminder--it is easy to tuck an empty bag/backpack, or a lightweight wrap/sweater/jacket in the backpack strap pocket of either the A30 or the WF.

A suggestion--when I was transitioning from my wheeled luggage to TB, I ordered a couple of the PCSB to get an idea of how my stuff would fit...the A30 can hold 4 in the main compartment, still leaving room in the end compartments, and the WF holds 2 in the main compartment and 2 in the divided compartment. Most of the small second bags hold at least one, some 2. I get a lot of use out of my PCSB, so it was a good investment...some of the other threads will give you an idea of how the PCSB fits in different bags.

Another option is the SA...I don't have one (yet?), but it is similar in size to the WF and others have commented about how comfortable it is to carry.

Good luck with your search--at this point I can't imagine going back to a rolling bag. :-)

[haraya]

I am 4'11" - so, very different from you, and sometimes no matter how I try I cannot get any bag into the overhead without stepping on the seat! (I was a business traveler for several years so I perfected the lightning-fast clean-step-and-shove my bag into the overhead bin.) With that said, these days if I am not careful I can tweak my back and be sorry for days. But I found the A30 quite comfortable on a recent trip (East to West Coast RT) with several stops and walking thru airports.

I packed it full but not bursting and was careful to wear my heaviest items (boots, pants) rather than packing them. I had to run for one of my connections and it was helpful to have the waist strap to keep the load from shifting. I always use the sternum strap on all my packs, at the highest setting, so that it doesn't chafe the girls but still keeps the straps cinched in. (On me, it acts like a suspension system - when properly adjusted it makes the straps hover ever so slightly, and so minimizes pressure points.)

I also use the A30 around town when I am toting bulky stuff (usually my martial arts gear, which is thick but not too heavy). It's comparable in comfort to my Smart Alec, which is purpose-built to be a backpack, vs. the hybrid A30. (The SA comes out ahead, but I don't find it a letdown to wear the A30.)

If I was having consistent shoulder/back issues, *for myself* I'd think about switching to ultra minimal packing, where everything fits in a 19-25L pack (S19, S25, SA) -though I do like having choices. Or, I'd check my roller and carry a small pack with one change of clothes and essentials. I can carry a decent amount, but I move much more slowly if I have 30 lbs. on my back (not that I would normally pack that much). And these days I place more value in being comfortable and at ease while in transit, not just once I get to my destination.

Best of luck finding your perfect bag!!

[flitcraft]

I am mature myself. No, check that, I qualify as old now that I hit Social Security age.😊 I admit that going wheelless is more of a struggle these days, though totally worth aspiring to. The A30 is too much for me, so my ancient Aeronaut is relegated to Autonaut status for road trips these days. But the Western Flyer still works, especially in Halcyon to save weight. I have become a fanatic over paring down weight, because for me it is weight in travel that leads to those nagging injuries that take forever to resolve. Now that I have swapped out my laptop for a tablet for most of my travel, the WF works for trips where I don't need multiple types of clothing. I used it as my primary bag for a ten day trip to Iceland and Denmark this past month and got by just fine, even with needing cold weather clothes. Right now I am writing this from Hong Kong where I am for a week, and there was room to spare in my trusty WF.

My advice is to try out your bag, test pack it with what you think you will need and head on out to someplace like a shopping mall as a surrogate for an airport. Walk around for at least a half hour and see how things feel.

And don't be shy about asking some tall and young person for a little assistance in getting your bag into the overhead bin. Or, if you ever find that you wish you had a footrest on the plane, you can skip the overhead entirely and put the WF under the seat in front of you. Once I'm airborne, I pull it forward a tad, slip off my shoes, and voila, a footrest!

[BWeaves]

I am your height and age. I have an A30 and WF for hubby and me. They fit under the seat in front of me. I've only had one flight where they had to go in the overhead bin, and they are smaller than most carry ons so are easier to lift. That said. I don't like carrying them for long distances backstrap, cross body or in hand. That would be true of most bags.