Large Roller Duffles vs. Airline Restrictions?

[Rock2r]

I just purchase a large roller duffle today which is 1680 on the fabric, 12lbs and 1/2 hard sided. I think this will be a great replacement for my old hulking suitcase however; when I got it home and out of the packaging it measures 3 inches more "linearly" than the tag stated.

Most domestic airlines permit 62 linear inches for checked luggage. This bag exceeds that by 2 inches. It is 31x17x16 "unstuffed". Those of you enjoying your large, wheeled duffles, should I keep this or return for smaller? Are your bags getting measured? I do NOT want to pay additional baggage fees beyond the "one checked bag" and I travel quite a bit.

 

[CalgaryDF]

I usually travel with large bags when I am going to and from college, and they never get measured (but I'm fairly sure they are within the size restrictions). I generally find that when I stuff those bags full they can get really heavy in a hurry, which is also additional fees.

I don't think that airlines would check the size of your bag, especially if it doesn't look really big in any one dimension, but its always hard to say what will happen.

 

[Damselfish]

The exact size of a duffel is always a bit vague, depends how you fill it. And I've never seen checked luggage measured. They might for something obviously oversize, but if it's close you're unlikely to have a problem on size.

However, if you fill that bag you may have a problem on weight. 12lbs is a lot of weight for just the bag, and if you're talking scuba gear it's likely to be overweight full. You might try a test pack (ideally not with wet gear so you can return the bag. ) If possible, I'd consider something slightly smaller and lighter. I don't recall the exact weight of our roller bags, but I think they are under 9lbs and within size limits. They have nice pull out handles in a hard bottom and are generally right around 50 when packed.

 

[DiveGear4Less]

There are a few less than 10 lb bags out there, and with all the extra charges the airlines are throwing at us, every lb counts. 12 lbs does seem pretty heavy.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

You need to read the rules for each airline. The last few times I have flown somewhere with dive gear in an oversized bag, the airlines waived the size limit as it was dive gear and that was one of the exceptions on the airlines' websites. It does not hurt to print that out in case someone did not get the word.

Weight limits are a different story - most aoirlines will not grant an exception for bags weighing more than 50 pounds so keep them under 50 pounds or bring your credit card to pay the extra charges.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I travel often with a variety of duffel bags from 26" to 36". They are never measured. Weight is a big issue, it depends on which airline and if you have FF status with them. The 50lb max works well with bags up to 30inches, the 36" will hit 70lbs (free on certain airlines with the proper status, expensive otherwise). If you travel and dive, invest in a luggage scale ($15 or so). You will always be pushing the limit.

 

[diver1011]

I have a large rolling dive duffle that I have traveled with for many years. I never had any issues until this year. In Jan and Feb I had the bag measured in Miami when returning home. The bags were just under the 50 pound limit both times. The first time they said the bag was too big but fortunately I was able to unzip two side pockets and made the cut. The second time I had to remove some items from the clothing pouch and put it in with the dive gear to meet the measurement. This was on Air Tran and both times I was flying business class. Also, both times I had no trouble checking it in Baltimore.

 

[spectrum]

Packing dive gear is an art of balancing size, density and payload or more correctly bag weight.

I play with the contents until things fit weight limits in the respective bags. Sometimes a smaller (lighter) bag can be used for smaller denser items and allow more for payload.

I try to land a few pounds under the limit. I then take a full inventory, print it out an put it in the bag. When it's time to pack to head home I can reconstruct the contents and those few pounds cover any dampness and provide a souvenir allowance.

Pete

 

[vladimir]

I've never seen them measure checked baggage, but big bags are probably going to be overweight when you fill them up, especially with scuba gear. I recently upgraded my carry-on and checked baggage to Cosmolite bags, and I opted for the medium-sized bag to be well within airline limits. A little on the pricy side, but this one weighs only 7.3 pounds (3.3 kg) and the four wheels make it a breeze to move through airports. If you're paying for overweight bags with any regularity you can easily justify the added expense.