So the oldest kid is traveling on a school trip to Washington next week. Admittedly, although he is traveling for 6 days, I didn't think he'd need a large suitcase. He's just not 'into' clothes and would probably wear the same clothes every day if his evil mother didn't make him change daily. So, really for his trip any small carry-on bag should do. However, I was proven wrong again.

Clearly, I had not planned for all the non-clothing items that a boy of 13 would need. My real concern was not the size of the bag, but the weight. The school has carefully coached us, that any weight over the airline's weight limit would result in fines and extra costs. Since this little excursion is already costing me a fortune, I'm leery of another $50 or $100 charges in fines (the rest of the family would like to eat this month).

Lightweight Carry on Luggage

So, now I am on a mission to track down the lightest weight luggage that I can find. Here are the top three lightweight luggage options that I found: First, Delsey Helium luggage. Wow, even the name says 'lightweight luggage'. How light is helium...I'll have to ask the kid - he's taking chemistry. Anyway, Delsey Helium Luggage comes up high on my radar.

There are a bunch of Delsey collections: Helium Breeze, Helium Pro, Helium Pilot and even theDelsey Helium Pro H-lite. This is great, durable lightweight luggage. Most of the Delsey line is expandable and given all that the kid needs to pack, expandable luggage is a good thing.

Lightweight Carry On Luggage With Wheels

Second, in the area of lightweight luggage is the ultra lightweight luggage from International Traveler, called Sub 0 - G. This is the ultimate in lightweight luggage. The 26-inch Upright weighs a mere 5 lbs and 10 ounces. The 22" carry-on weighs in a just 4 lbs 6 ounces. Wow. This luggage has a bit of an unusual appearance... it looks more like a box with wheels.

No rounded edges; the handle looks like it belongs on a shopping cart and it comes in only a few colors. Here's a little fact from the International Traveler media folks: "The average weight of a conventional lightweight 26" suitcase is 13 lbs. - 30% of your total allowance. The SUB-0-G 26" suitcase is 5.6 lbs. only 12% of your allowance". Lightweight luggage makes a difference.