Why wheeled bags are not recommended for ultralight travel

The super helpful blog OneBag.com was the first place I encountered any resistance whatsoever to the almost-universal acclaim for wheeled luggage.  Wheeled bags are the greatest thing since sliced bread, right?  Saves your shoulder, easy to navigate around busy airports, frees up one hand, great place to stash a computer bag?  How could you argue against all this?  Well this article - combined with my own experience - convinced me.

Here are my favorite 5 arguments against the wheeled bag, paraphrased from this post at OneBag:

• wheeled bags are heavier
• the bulk and configuration of the frame actually takes up room inside the bag
• wheel bags are not collapsible for easy storing or squishing into weird overhead spaces
• awkward on escalators - especially non-functioning escalators, when your only recourse is to pick the wheeled bag up like it's a refrigerator or a recalcitrant 4-year-old child and carry it up/down the stairs. on buses, trams, and other public transportation in many parts of the world
• lots of fragile parts to break - if your own experience, if you've replaced luggage it was probably because the collapsible handle broke

"...Merely adding wheels to a typical bag design increases the weight by 75% and .decreases the carrying capacity by almost half. "

Check out my Guy's Guide to 1-Bag Packing: Minimalist Travel Secrets That Save You Time and Money for more hacks and tips!

photo:  freeimages.com