Luggage Size for Winter Break

My freshman son will be flying home for winter break. He has a carry on 22" duffle bag at school. Looking for a bag to hold enough for the month long break and maybe stuff he wants to bring back home or vice versa. Just trying to guess what size is best. Option for the same style of bag. 29" or 34". Any advice for which size.

Check out LLBean. They have duffles in all sizes. I would suggest not getting something too big because your son does have to be able to move this thing around.

Will he be flying?

Size depends on what he wants to bring on the trip. Perhaps:

  1. Ask him what he will bring.
  2. Find a similar set of items at home and see what size of bag will be needed to put them in.

Of course, if the bag is larger than airline carry-on size/shape, it must be suitable for use as checked baggage.

Costco often has sales on luggage, but usually sets rather than individual pieces. IMO, rolling bags are easier to handle in addition to a backpack (which can qualify as a “laptop” bag if you wear jackets etc. rather than keeping them inside,) but that’s just me.

My kids brought the bare minimum, especially when flying. They all had clothes/shoes at home. They brought their computers and jackets.

If flying, a full 34" bag will likely be overweight and incur extra charges.

My kids fly and in a normal year a backpack and a 26" checked bag would be sufficient. This year is different thanks to COVID. Both will be home before Thanksgiving and classes aren’t starting back up until late Jan/ early Feb. Also, even though they aren’t packing up their dorm rooms completely, the schools are saying take home whatever you need for remote school, in case things change up and students can’t go back. Both will probably check a second bag.

I’ve been using this for a long time. They’re cheaper in the warehouses. https://www.costco.com/ful-rig-deluxe-30%22-drop-bottom-rolling-duffel.product.100647161.html

They last many many trips. The bag itself is light. Stuffed, it weighs 40-50 pounds, so perfect for flying.