Attention Organizational Addicts: Let's Talk Luggage

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Garethe7

Garethe7

Train Attendant
Joined
Oct 21, 2013
Messages
94
Location
Kansas City, MO
I have spent the last couple of weeks on various sites looking for great luggage suitable for train travel....I'm one of those organizational freaks so this is fun and so is packing, isn't it?

So far I am bringing my Ebags Mother Lode backpack/case for clothing, toiletries, laptop, and a few odds and ends. And I will have my daypack for my travel documents, electronics, a couple of paperbacks/magazines, and food/snacks (even though I take all meals in the dining car even when riding in coach). I will not have to check any luggage nor use the downstairs luggage area, everything will fit fine in my roomette. The nice thing about my upcoming trip being my second roomette experience means I already know what to anticipate in terms of space. For instance, in the old days when traveling coach, I would bring my daypack with me to the dining car, and as you all know, there is really no room for it. This time I bought an Ipad folio case that I can easily grab and go to the dining car, in the event I'm sitting alone, or the lounge without having to lug around my daypack.

I've recently discovered "packing cubes". And there is always the chance I have not yet seen the perfect backpack, so offer up your suggestions, especially if it's well-suited for train travel.
 
That sounds kewl, will have to check that out. Wheels might be a good idea actually because I will have the LONGGG walk from Chicago's lounge to the sleeper.
 
The one I have is the Delsey Helium Aero Titanium 25-inch Spinner thru Bed, Bath & Beyond (which is in the AGR Mall at 3/$)! Yes, it may be a little expensive, but it is super light, rolls easily and fits enough for a weeklong trip. And right now (10/24), they are offering free shipping! :) (I don't know for how long.)

As for that long walk at Union Station in Chicago, two words - Red Cap! Best few dollars I ever spent! :p
 
Ooooohhh.... I LOVE packing and packing gadgets!

I love trying to find the next great thing.
I just bought some packing cubes too and will use them on this trip.
I use a 22" spinner and have another carry-on tote that I put on top of it - I intertwine the carry-on tote's handles on to the handle of the spinner.
Easy to pull and carry on to the train.

I also used a rolling duffel bag on shorter trips but then I found some cute luggage and I had to say goodbye to that boring bag.

You sure can pack a lot into a duffel though.

I think eBags has some great deals, that's where I got my packing cubes, but, if you have Marshalls or TJ Maxx nearby, they always have a ton of great luggage at equally great prices.

Like your day pack, I use a great travel cross body bag from Baggalini that has a dedicated compartment for my iPad as well as compartments and zippers for just about anything I would need in my travels.

A couple of ideas....

Since you use an iPad, you could save a lot of space and weight by using the free Nook or free Kindle app on your iPad instead of carrying books.

There is also another fantastic app that I LOVE for magazines - Next Issue

Some might balk at $10/month but for unlimited access to over 100 magazines, it's a steal. Magazines for everyone!

You can read them on WiFi but when you're ready to take a trip, you can download the ones you want to read and then delete them when you're done.

I don't subscribe to or buy any physical magazines anymore.
 
I just got my eBags TLC weekender backpack. It is basically a "standard airline" 22x14x9 But with really nice backpack straps and security straps. (that can stow in a zip compartment still attached at the top) and turn into a hand carry, or "J hookable" bag) There is a shelf inside. that will fold down.

Behind "your back" is a slip in padded area that will accommodate a 17" laptop. All kinds of zipper areas on the outside and inside.

packing cubes are fantastic!! Watch the website for specials, and never order from them unless you get free shipping. (if they don't, try the next day. They almost always do with $25 order.)

My travel set Includes my Travelpro 22x14x9 - the Ebags 22x14x9 backpack, and an Ebags crew cooler that has a shoulder strap, you can slip it over your pull handle, or Jhook. Then I have the Ebags Commuter laptop bag, 14x9x6 as my "purse" if you will. For smaller electrionics, and their accesories, snacks, and bric-a-brac.

If you pack everything in packing cubes, its like tetris in everything. The cubes can also fit in the laptop bag, or wherever, in an emergency repack with "something left over". Also you can access anything in any bag, anywhere, anytime, because you remove the "embarrassing public repack" out of the equation. Anything personal, is concealed.
 
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MiRider said:
There is also another fantastic app that I LOVE for magazines - Next Issue

Some might balk at $10/month but for unlimited access to over 100 magazines, it's a steal. Magazines for everyone!

You can read them on WiFi but when you're ready to take a trip, you can download the ones you want to read and then delete them when you're done.

I don't subscribe to or buy any physical magazines anymore.
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Posting so I remember to grab that app later. That sounds awesome. Sometimes I just want a quick read.

As for luggage, I have a Chaps set from Kohl's. It's not super awesome fancy storage or anything, but it's really durable, the extender arm on the smaller, rolling carry-on has a couple different settings for tall/short people, it has a huuuuge suitcase that fits Amtrak's specifications and is JUST WITHIN most of the airlines' carry-on measurements, and the pockets (of which there are many) are really deep and lined. I can stuff so much stuff into that smaller carry-on and all of its pockets it's ridiculous. I call it my Mary Poppins bag. I can use it for a week-long trip and still get souvenirs into it on the way back.
 
I am pretty sure that both my roller, and the TLC Backpack, will fit under the seats in the roomette. They will both fit sideways under a seat in a 737.
 
Garethe7 said:
I have spent the last couple of weeks on various sites looking for great luggage suitable for train travel....
Click to expand...
My recommendation: Get a "train case" (yes, that's the name of a specific type of luggage) for the stuff you're going to access constantly. They're hard to find these days. I inherited one from my grandmother, and I swear by it. They're the perfect size for going under the seat in front of you, and in a Viewliner roomette they fit perfectly on the shelf. They fit pretty well on the shelf in a Superliner II roomette, as well; in a Superliner I (with the useless coat closet) it's a bit trickier to find a spot.
 
I use a Heys spinner carryon bag, hard sided on back, soft on front, Has a front pocket that fits my small laptop. I can cruise for a week with it, including formal wear. I bought it at Target, but two years later saw it at Big Lots for half what I paid. I also recommend Burlington Coat Factory stores for great luggage selection and great prices. CJ
 
I had an Olympia Elegance II roll-aboard I bought for $50 and used all over the country and the rest of the world for over a decade. Planes, trains, and automobiles from tarmacs to cobblestones. I was more recently given an Eagle Creek roll-aboard from the Container Store as a gift. The Eagle Creek luggage looks similar at first glance, but even though it costs five times as much it's also missing all the little features and functions which made the Olympia such a useful and dependable bag. Things like quality zippers, reinforced wheels, durable handles, and adjustable anti-tip legs. Those kinds of things might sound insignificant at first, but if you travel a lot you'll know that sometimes it's the little things that can make all the difference in the world.
 
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I've finally perfected this for my own train travel. Travelpro rolling tote with a packing cube for toiletries and other small items, and a lightweight across the body messenger bag. Easy to roll along, easy to haul up the stairs, easy to fit in a roomette, and (with a tablet instead of laptop and books), holds enough for a weeklong trip.
 
I went a completely different direction for my the Gathering, and I loved it.

I used an across the body messenger bag for my camera/iPad/scanner, with a insert to convert it into a camera bag:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047P0QLC/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

618fxXPtsEL._SL1500_.jpg


For my clothes, etc I used the backpack that I use for backpacking - everything fit and was organized, my "overnight bag" with medicine/toothbrush/hair brush fits in the top for easy access on the train. Fit in the overhead with ease in coach, and on the bunk that I wasn't using in the roomettes (on the LSL I slept in the upper and left the bag in a chair, on the Cap I slept in the lower and put the bag on the top rack.

This made getting on and off the train and walking around the stations (and hiking the 2 miles to my hotel!) a breeze - everything was on my body and tucked in nicely.

I'll definitely go this way in the future, it worked great.
 
Ziploc bags. In addition to the standard food sizes, I found 3 gal (and bigger ones) bags that worked for my sweatshirts, jackets & travel pillow. These are great for fitting clothes and other items into the bag.
 
Absolutely. Great for camping too, since you can always be assured of a dry change of clothes. There's also something uplifting about opening up a fresh bag of clothes the smell like home after you've been away for a while.
 
I've received folded clothes in durable plastic bags when picking up finished laundry in other countries. I thought my clothes would smell like plastic but the bag appeared to have no odor whatsoever and kept my clothes from picking up any smells from anything else. I've never seen these bags when shopping locally but if I ever come across them I'll probably pick some up.
 
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Ziplocs are a great idea! My clothes always smell like the train when I get to my destination - that weird combination of cleaner, drainage, and diesel. I can't really describe it, but I know the smell instantly. When Brent came to visit me, I could always smell it on him, so I cringe when I think about smelling like that when I arrive somewhere. I'll be sure to pack like that from now on, maybe shove some dryer sheets in my suitcase too.
 
Wow, a ton of awesome ideas. Thanks everybody!

-I've used Ziploc bags before, they are great for any kind of travel.

-I googled "train cases" and they all look like cosmetic bags resembling tackle boxes, do women really lug that much makeup around? Pretty kewl though since I never knew they existed.

-Will check out the ebooks/emags ideas; I have some books from ITunes, but just the free "classics" that put you to sleep...I'm really into Game of Thrones so I will look for that, the best part about it I guess is that books are so bulky, this would eliminate that problem.

-Packing cubes are fantastic and I need to pick up a few more, they ARE pricey though.

-UGH, nothing more embarrassing than a public "repack" which the sleeper eliminates, thank the land; I won't even get plastic bags at the grocery cuse I don't like everybody to see what I bought.

-I love ebags and can spend hours on that site, Baggalini is a great brand and has some nice options

I toyed with the idea of bringing a cooler for food items, but I really don't think it's necessary, but I haven't completely ruled it out.
 
Another advantage of the Ziploc bags is that they act like the vacuum bags. I roll my shirts as tight as I can then place them in the bag as tightly as they'll fit, then as I close the bag, I squeeze out the air and the shirts end up taking up less space. The 3 gallon bag was great for my travel size pillow (didn't need a 3 gal size, but a 1 gal was too small), shrinking it to a size that took up a lot less space in my overnight bag.
 
In response to the "tackle box" - It's not just makeup. It's makeup, toiletries, medicine, personal products, razor, lotion, jewelry, hair stuff, etc. :) I use the larger part at the bottom to hold my hair straightening iron and larger things like a brush. It's a nice way to keep everything organized and easy to find.
 
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Garethe7 said:
I toyed with the idea of bringing a cooler for food items, but I really don't think it's necessary, but I haven't completely ruled it out.
Click to expand...
Get a collapsible cooler, freeze a bottle of water for cooling, bring a large ziploc bag too.

On the trip back, ask the SCA for ice to put in your ziploc and you have cooling again.
 
Bringing this back up to the top again.

If you're looking for cheap/free books for your device - btw, both Kindle and Nook have FREE apps/programs to read with.
This website sends out daily deals: BookBub
You can always do a $0.00 price search in kindle books on amazon.com and nook books on bn.com for free books too.
 
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