What is the best type of luggage to take on a plane?

Question

Going to Cabo San Lucas in January and need some advisement on the luggage to take...7 days, so 7 days of clothes and minimal personal items are to be taken.

Answer 1

We go to Cabo San Lucas every year or San Jose Del Cabo. We always over pack too. I take my Samsonite med sized with 4 bathing suits , all my sarongs and 7 tank tops, one nice dining-out outfit, a 'Cabo' jacket I bought on my first trip and a pair of Levis and sweater and boots and jacket for my depressing plane flight back to snowy Tahoe. My husband does the same, one nice outfit and then 6-7 pairs of shorts and tank tops, don't forget the sandals or flip-flops (they charge $30.00 for a cheesy pair in Cabo, no kidding-local items, Kahlua, tequila, Mexican goods are cheap) anything else is not, so don't forget anything you absolutely need, like a shaver or suntan lotion) . We paid $27.00 for a 'Finding Nemo' floating ring...
We also take one large suitcase empty and place my husbands full suitcase inside, for our dirty clothing and because we usually do a little (allot) of shopping and need the extra space.

Answer 2

I hate checking bags. If you roll everything - and I mean roll, not wad up in a ball - you can fit lots more in your bag and eliminate the need for a big checked bag. An added benefit is that clothes unpack less wrinkled as well.
7 days of clothing is easy. Lots of mix and match stuff that dresses up and down - if you're game to buy a couple of new pieces, I highly suggest trying the Norma Kamali stuff at Spiegel.com - for example, one single piece can actually be worn as a dress, a skirt OR a top - they are the most fantastic traveling fabric AND they're not overly expensive. Your clothes may be repeats, but your OUTFITS won't be. The problem can be shoes. Flip flops and cute sandals take so little room, you can fit them in a large handbag (get a big ol' hobo bag and fill it up!) leave the dressy shoes for your carry on. One pair, maybe two MAX.
Bathing suits take up little space, same with undies. And horror of horrors - two bras. One strapless one strappy. Period. Cram makeup in a zip lock. Buy deodorant, shampoo, etc in Mexico. Leave it behind when you go...

Answer 3

If you are a light traveller then try packing in all your stuff in a 22 inch or smaller roller bag that you can take on the plane with you.
For carry on luggage - make sure you check tsa.gov before packing as they have some good tips. As a rule for a vacation such as yours carry maybe one pair of formal clothing and the rest depends on your preferences.
If you need a larger bag then any bag with TSA approved locks will do. For a vacation trip I would say check in a larger bag with everything you have. Hell you are on vacation - what's the big deal if you have to wait 20-30 minutes for your bags to come out.