Weight of luggage

If you go to a specialist luggage shop they have a good idea of size and the likely weight of normal packing. I went into an Antler store and had a chat with the lady there and she was a great help. She also explained to me why their hard cases are more expensive than the supermarket ones - they are made of a material which will not split when heavy stuff is put on top.

Definitely get the lightest, middle sized suitcase and luggage scales, although weighing the bag on normal bathroom scales is what we did before we acquired hand-held scales. I don't see the practicality of using volume to determine suitability. You are right, gillybob! Also, it depends on the season and length of your holiday. Heavy clothes obviously bring up the weight but you can wear coats etc. to travel in.
Will you have some hand baggage? If so, this will help, but for a 3-week visit, 20k is ample, even in winter! Enjoy your rail holiday, chickenlegs! Orient Express??

Those little hand held scales are very useful. Much easier to use than balancing on bathroom scales as we use big wheelie hold-all travel bags rather than cases. We take the scales with us as they don't take up much space and they're handy for weighing hand luggage and impulse buys. Bluebells guide is a good one. If you're just going for a couple of weeks and not taking specialist stuff like hike boots or skiing gear the middle weight should be fine for 20kgs. Also are they counting handbags and camera bags? I always take a large handbag with a small one packed inside for holiday use and DH takes his large camera bag - but that's for flying. Cabin space maybe more a consideration for a rail holiday than weight.

(We used to pour our cat into a small hold-all and weigh him that way. It was his hold-all - he hated being trapped in a cat carrier but was happy with his head out through a six inch gap in the zip. He could then retreat inside when he felt threatened).

Oh maybe I am not as dumb as I thought I was then.

Those little hand held scales are brilliant (if you can take the weight of the case in your hands) but I have also done the bathroom scales thing of getting on with/without the case. I really was beginning to think it was just me. Thanks all .

Last year I bought something similar to this case - it's medium sized, H66 x W42 x D36cm, capacity 62L. (I've never seen a suitcase measured by volume alone.)

Suitcase

The total weight including case was under 20kg, about 18kg - can't remember exactly. Filled with clothes, shoes and toiletries for a three-week trip.

I find that a typical large suitcase rarely weighs 20kilos when full (and I often take books for my grandchildren). Pop the case on your bathroom scales (I stand on my scale holding my full case and deduct my weight) filled with what you think you'll need then take out stuff if you are overweight. I am sure you have no need to worry.

BlueBelle, some scales are very slimline and a suitcase can actually rest on the floor a little giving a false reading. Much more accurate when you do the holding and subtracting your weight. Trust me I've tested both ways many times!

But size and weight do equate to some degree Nellie because you aren't going to get many hob nail boots in a small suitcase you might get one pair or perhaps two at a push so the size does have bearing on NORMAL travel items

Chickenlegs The size of the case is not the issue it is the weight of what you put in it that is the problem.

Litres are a volume measurement not weight. If you filled a very small case with gold bars it could weigh more than a bigger case full of silk undies.

Actually looking at your question again it's about guidance of size Suitcases normally come in three sizes Cabin size which I use for 10 k trips middle size case which most would use for medium weight travel 21k and the large which I use for long haul 23 to 30k
Yes obviously if you are packing Heavy boots shoes books and the kitchen sink you ll need a large hold case but if it's an average pack the medium one should do

I can understand the need to weigh cats by holding them but why suitcases they don't wriggle I always put my suitcase on my bathroom scales for a rough guide ....it doesn't try to get off
20k is quite a good bit if you have a lightweight suitcase I nearly always travel with just cabin luggage (not long haul of course) and am surprised how much you can get in a lightweight 10k size case

As you will probably be moving around a lot on your rail holiday chickenlegs I would suggest that you try to minimise the amount of luggage you take. Hauling large suitcases on and off trains is heavy work. I always over-pack for holidays and have lived to regret it - and returned home with half the 'essential' garments unworn.
However, I have just spent two weeks in Majorca and managed fine with just Ryanair's hand luggage allowance : 55 by 40 by 20cm, weighing less than 10kg. I rolled all my clothes very tightly and they came out of the bag uncreased and I packed 2 pairs of shoes in the case as well.
We are too mean to pay the exorbitant cost of putting luggage in the hold and also avoided all the hanging around waiting for the luggage to be checked in and unloaded at the other end.
Enjoy your trip.

If you don't want to buy luggage scales (though they're handy if you travel a lot) just weight yourself on bathroom scales with and without the full cases. The difference is the weight of your case.

We also weigh our monster-sized cats that way as they won't cooperate with luggage scales.

We were allowed 30kgs last time we went longhaul but, even full to capacity, our extra large cases didn't weigh that.
I can't remember what volume they are though, sorry, but they are extra light cases.

It is definitely the weight not the volume. We have the luggage scales and gives you a good idea if not completely accurate. Our cases are large but generally about half filled and usually about 16kgs. This is clothes, shoes, toiletries. iPad, kindles, magazines go in hand luggage.
The cases themselves weigh similar to the medium size cases so it is what is put in them that makes up the weight. Once ours have fallen apart we will get smaller cases.
We don't take the scales on holiday as we don't buy a huge amount of heavy things so it depends on what you are likely to buy whilst away. We are normally away for 2 weeks.

gillybob you are not a thicko!

It depends on the density of the object which you would need to know to convert from litres to kilograms.

Just buy those handhekd scales chickenlegs

I recommend those scales too but don't forget to allow for the weight of the scales because you may want to pop them into the suitcase to weigh it before the return journey.

gillybob I also don't see how you can guage weight by volume. Can't be done imo.

I get the lightweight suitcase thing but surely it depends on what you are packing into the volume of the case. Take my DH for example. He has massive size 11 feet and his shoes could take up half a suitcase. Surely you can't gauge the weight based on the volume. Omg maybe I am thicker than I even thought I was.

I have an Antler luggage scale which is worth it's weight in gold. I also take it away with me.

My suitcase is as lightweight as I could get.
It needs to be big enough but not so big that you find it difficult to handle. A suitcase with 4 wheels travels easiest. They just glide along, rather that pulling it by the handle on two wheels.

Mine too (I don't sleep very well though) Jayanna . My post seemed to make sense to me but then reading it back maybe it didn't answer the OP's question. I'm not the brightest of buttons.

Why are you a thicko gilly bob. I'm obviously one too. Though it is past my bedtime?

Ignore me I'm obviously a thicko.

Whilst I am not a seasoned traveller by any means chickenlegs you really need a set of those luggage scales that you clip onto a case an hold( you need to be able to hold the weight of the case mind you ). The volume of the case will be no indication as to the weight of what is inside. You could fill a case full of bricks or a case full of feathers. The case will be full but the weight will be very different.

I think the last bags we bought were 135 litres for 23kg chickenlegs.

This is a calculator that converts weight to dimensions rather than litres. The suitcase info should give the dimensions as well as the volume.
www.zoomluggage.com/calculator.htm