I'm traveling to Europe for a little over 5 weeks and want

Travel light, no more than 32L

>>1290421
This. Though I'd say somewhere between 30-35L.

Unless you want to carry a heckton of souvenirs with you. You don't need that many clothes with you for example, just find places to do your laundry at.

I'm a business traveler first and then taking a bit of vacation afterwards

I'm looking at taking a big ass laptop bag (I've put 1x 17" laptop, 1x surface, 1 dSLR + 2 lenses (standard + telephoto) in it and it counts as a personal item on delta/etc) and regular suitcase/roller bag

Are backpacks recommended here because they're good for hiking?

File: crew_11.jpg (88KB, 780x780px) Image search: [Google]

88KB, 780x780px

>>1290410
I recommend 4 wheels for sure..this saves your feet, neck, shoulders, back when you wait in those long queues in security and immigration with all your shit. Pile coats and personal items on top, and push that bag forward with your pinky in front of you. The overhead carryon size might be slightly small on foreign airlines, so check the fine print on their websites (or choose the right airlines accordingly).

The type and brand from there depends on your actual trip. A medium checked bag to overhead sized carryon will be about as large as you wish if taking trains and lifting those things yourself onto racks ,or up stairs in older boutique hotels without elevators. If you are moving hotels every couple of nights, then stay away from a clamshell hardside that needs your bed in order to open. Try a softside bag with a fliptop lid type opening that can be on the dresser and never unpacked. Have a lock to close it when not in your room, or even a bike rope that will secure it to a rack in a train, or to a table at a cafe, etc.

I have 40 years of frequent flying for business and pleasure as luggage evolved. Pricewise, this is your concern but macys coupons and sales can't be beat, nor can marshalls. I like travelpro crew bags best for the thoughtful interiors most of the time (see pic). If a female you might enjoy samantha brown or style. Nothing bad can be said about delsey, samsonite, high sierra, but remember their highest lines will have the most pockets and features. Packing cubes can take care of the rest. My favorite bags are still my hartmann suit bag and leather duffle, but it's for certain trips only, def not for europe.

>>1290450
Thanks for the advice.

I'm planning to gate check my `roller bag` because i have to connect through CDG to HAM and they seem to be a huge pain in the ass regarding size of bags and weight

That way my personal bag (which i am not checking no matter what, it has 10k worth of electronics -- i'll take a train if i have to) should be no problem to take on, even if i count it as an "overhead" bag but put under the seat.

Have you ever had problems with this sort of thing? European airlines seem to be terrible for people trying to fly with a lot of stuff

>>1290453
I just hate standing in lines with a shoulder bag and coat and no wheeled bag. If you don't need to check the bag, then don't. Or get wheels on your underseat personal bag.