[luckystar]

We are travelling with Singapore Airlines from Manchester to Christchurch in January. From a previous thread by Red Devil, we have seen we are allowed 40kg per passenger (max 32kg in one case). That gives us a total of 10 suitcases (plus 5 lots of cabin baggage and laptops).

So, we have got to buy 8 suitcases (already got 2)! Any suggestions on what size cases people buy? Some seem to quote size in inches or centimetres, others quote capacity in litres. Prices vary dramatically and we've got to multiply the price by 8..and then never use the majority of them again.:cheers

[JandM]

Our cases are 20 inches wide, by 31 inches high, by 13 1/2 inches deep, roughly, including the wheels, handle assembly etc..

I recommend this portable luggage-weighing gadget http://www.balanzza.co.uk/ - as it's WAY easier to get an accurate reading from than trying to balance things on your bathroom scales, and you can have it in your pocket in case of needing to redistribute things at check-in or stopover.

[GrumpyGoat]

We brought a LOT of luggage when we came. We are a family of 4 with 2 small children (read: can't pull their own weight--or luggage)

It was a nightmare.

We got to the airport easy enough with help from my family.
But we had to change airlines in LA and had to put all of the luggage on 2 trolleys and move across the airport. (children in tow as well)

Then, getting it transported here was a real nightmare as well. Paid dearly for it.

We traveled around for a couple weeks and the luggage was a real problem. I wish I had found someplace to store it.

We had to buy a station wagon to transport it!!

Just something to think about--that honestly, I never thought about before we came.
And, yes, we have a garage full of luggage! But not nearly as much as we anticipated--as the airlines destroyed 3 bags on the trip--ripping off wheels and handles.

Good luck!

[JandM]

Another thought - make sure you do something to make ALL your luggage stand out from the heap, such as a distinctive strap, or coloured tape stuck on it, or ribbon round the handle. I learnt this lesson the hard way when I had my elderly mother along on my first trip to NZ, and I was the one grabbing bags off the carousel at Auckland. 'Help me spot your case, Mother. What colour is it?' 'Navy blue. Or is it black? Or grey? One of those. It's got my name inside the little leather thingy on the handle.' So of course I ended up standing there till almost all the other passengers had gone. :wah

[L00pback]

Hi

We are a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 kids - 1yr and 3yr old) and flew over in May via LA. We had 2 suitcases to start with and bought an additional 4 large holdalls for the rest of our luggage (we also bought a pushchair and a car seat with us which made up our 8 luggage items). As the holdalls are not solid sided we found they stacked well on the airport trolleys and after we unpacked, the ones that survived the flight are now stored inside the 2 suitcases so not taking up much storage at all in our garage.

From memory I think the holdalls were about 90 litres, approx 1mtre length by about 50cm high and wide. We didn't pay alot for them, (my mate found them at her local market for £12 each :nice1) and the ones damaged during the journey still kept their contents.

Hope this helps

Emma

[Silverwing86]

From a previous thread by Red Devil, we have seen we are allowed 40kg per passenger (max 32kg in one case).

Not sure whether this was mentioned in the other thread, but keep in mind that you will not automatically be allowed to take 40 kgs. of luggage with Singapore Airlines. You will have to contact them prior to travelling to arrange this and it is very important to have written confirmation as a lot of people still have trouble when it comes to check in time, even though they had pre-arranged the extra weight.

When it comes to types of suitcases;

Before we came to NZ back in January 2007, we splashed out and purchased Samsonite Spinners (one Fawn Spinner 82cm. (http://www.travel-world.nl/contents/en-uk/p26284.html) and one Fungi Spinner 74 cm. (http://www.travel-world.nl/contents/en-uk/p26285.html) each for both of us), mostly because of the excellent Spinner wheel system which makes them very easy to move around with. Expensive, but they made our lives a lot easier and have proved very useful afterwards as well so the expense was well worth it to us.

Note: the provided links are in no way a suggestion as a place to buy, just an indication of what they look like. There are now various other options, that have the Spinner Wheel system, available as well.

Good luck !

Cheers,
Silver

[shakyle2906]

We came over 2.5yrs ago with 6 suitcases and our 7 year old.

Have to admit it wasnt too bad, but even though we had bought some vacuum packs for the cases we were still over .......... we came through LA on purpose for the extra luggage allowance.

Bear in mind if you are going on a domestic flight then the luggage allowance is less but touch wood they let us through.....

Be careful on huand luggage though, we werent told at check in that hubby couldnt take back pack and his laptop so before we went through to departure lounge, we had to ditch a new bag with stacks of toiletries, out new travel iron (this was an accident) and the books we had bought for the flight ........ could have cried!!!

Least we got here in one piece though and not pay excess baggage, they would have had a field day.

Sharon
x

[mikey and tor]

can you not send it by sea frieght? it takes about 6 weeks but is quite cheap when you take into consideration the stress and strain of humping the bags around. We did this and just brought the bear minimum in our suitcases. This reduced our luggage down to just two suit cases. Now considering I am married I think that is great, rather than have to carry umpteen suitcases of handbags and shoes that have not been worn for ages.

[victoria24]

when you arrive, get a shuttle bus, you can fit a small hen called colin in those:nice1

[Duncan74]

If you're buying luggage then remember that if in the future you may fly via the states, then they use a size based limit (pretty big though!), but just consider that before you end up needing to buy yet more.

[luckystar]

Thanks for some really helpful responses. We have gone ahead and bought 6 hard suitcases (on an M+S 3 for 2 offer, so only paid for 4). We are thinking that these have got to hold all of our stuff until our container arrives so we need to take a bit more than just the minimum. Also got a Trunki for the youngest child to pull along or sit on as required.:nice1

[hosebergine]

Best of luck!!!

Now you just need to sort out getting to the airport with all the cases and the kids. We took 8 cases, two car seats, four pieces of hand luggage, a pram and coats. I drove in our car with the kids, a friend, the pram and all the hand luggage. OH drove with his best mate in their estate rammed to the rafters with our huge cases. Our friends then took our car back from the airport and sold it for us, but not before helping us get to check-in ;)

Agonising over this apparently simple arrangement kept me awake for weeks!!!!

If you need anymore cases, check out the Tripp website. They supply Debenhams and have outlet stores (may have one at Cheshire Oaks....?) but we saved a lot on decent quality cases - hopefully their prices remain low all the time. I kept going into their York store in the days leading up buying more because I couldn't decide how big they should be!!! In the end I went for the max size so I could fit in more toys and nappies :nice1

[Duncan74]

(The Manchester Debenhams has a Tripp store and a 'sale' on at the moment, although in fairness I've never seen them not have a sale on).

[hosebergine]

(The Manchester Debenhams has a Tripp store and a 'sale' on at the moment, although in fairness I've never seen them not have a sale on).

A point well made!

[2371]

40kg sounds great. With SIA, we usually get - if asking nicely - an upgrade from from 20kg to 30kg (eco). But u need to get it in written... Plus 5KG overweight is usually also okay...

( But you will get more if you fly first :) )

[Duncan74]

Go via LA and you get 64kg ;) Two bags up to 32kg.

And they stay on the plane at LA, so less chance to get lost / damaged and no hassle changing.

Clearly, of primary relevance to UK bods.

[lin]

Go via LA and you get 64kg ;) Two bags up to 32kg.

And they stay on the plane at LA, so less chance to get lost / damaged and no hassle changing.

That's what I'm doing - though lifting my cases is going to be the challenge now!!! :D

[Flutterby]

we were told by MH that it wasn't the size or number of bags but the weight that was important (despite the guidelines for number and size of bags on website) and with that in mind we used soft holdal type bags with wheels (the largest we could find), so we lost minimal weight in the bags themselves, we needed 2 trolleys to push them round the airport. we also found the largest allowable hand luggage bags, some flat pack ones from IKEA with wheels (these have been the single most useful items that we own) and the guidelines for MH say that you cannot put computers or cameras in your checked baggage so these were carried in addition to hand luggage and for that we found it useful to carry a fabric style holdal to put them all in until we go through the scanners, then the holdal could just be rolled up and stuffed inside hand luggage bag
I have mixed feelings about trunki, felt we could have been better off with another IKEA bag for space and/or to put trunki in at certain times when it proved to be more of a hinderance, but for DD's enjoyment it was almost essential.

[Kiwi Mac]

Best travel bags in the world are Red Oxx, made in Billings, Montana.

Absolutely tough as nails, light weight and superbly designed/made - backed up by a cast-iron warranty. They ship worldwide - see redoxx.com for details.

I have 3 and won't ever buy anything else.

[canuck-31]

Flying through LAX is insane (especially if you have a toddler), as we recently found out...

[girlwithanewf]

We were told that we have 46kg via LAX and AirNZ from Heathrow, 2 cases each, not weighing more than 23kg each.

[Duncan74]

That's right, unless you go Premium Economy or Business where it's 2x32 on Air NZ flights (any code shares drop that to 2x23 though).

That's the trade for the perceived negatives of going via LAX.