Trips are beautiful. However, packing without an appropriate suitcase is the scariest part. One needs to consider so many things before getting a suitcase for a 1-week trip.
You don’t want to pack more than you need, but you also don’t want to under pack. When under packed, you can ALWAYS buy the thing you’re short of, whether it is clothes, shoes, makeup, or even your phone charger. But when you pack MORE, that’s it, and you will be hauling it along for the rest of your journey. Here we discuss how to find the best size suitcase for 1 week trip.
You don’t need to pack more than 7 Pairs of outfits and two pairs of shoes for a week-long trip.
There is an interesting article on ride on suitcases you might like that and we also recommend our famous review on 30 best laptop bags for women available on a separate page.
How Much Storage Capacity Do You Need to Pack for a 1-Week Trip
- 30-40 Liters: The occasion for traveling can change a lot about what capacity you might need. Generally, people can pack seven outfits in any suitcase with a 30-40 Liter capacity. Such suitcases will also give you plenty of space to house your other travel essentials, whatever those might be. The ideal suitcase dimensions for 30 to 40 liters is 20 x 13 x 11 cm.
- 40-50 Liters: To be on the safe side, you might want something more than just 30 Liters if you are packing a more formal type of clothing. A formal dress is going to take up much more space than your average cotton t-shirt. In such cases, get something with 40-50 Liters of capacity. The ideal suitcase dimensions for 40 to 50 litters is 55 x 35 x 20 cm.
The type of gear you carry could also change your purchasing decision. If you are a travel blogger or photographer, you would be going very heavy-on gear. Make sure that the suitcase you’re buying has more to offer than just the optimum capacity. Think about the protection level, build quality and sleeves for your laptop, and more.
5 Important Considerations
1. Shopping
Don’t forget the shopping you will do at your travel destination. People often forget to factor in the extra storage space they will need on the trip back home. Obviously, when you visit a place you’ll likely visit just once or twice in your life, you’d be bringing home many souvenirs.
There are also gifts you might buy, some shoes and some clothing along. That is why you want to secure an extra 10-20% of the storage space for housing your new shopping.
2. Size Vs. Capacity
When listing their suitcase sizes, all manufacturers list the height from the carry option to the bottom. This means their height measurements tell you the luggage’s overall height and not of the main part. Because of differences like this, it is crucial to focus on storage capacity as well.
3. Soft vs. Hard
It would help if you always remembered that soft side luggage will always be smaller in capacity than hard-shell suitcases even when they offer the same storage capacity. This is because when you pack a hard shell suitcase, it will let you organize more orderly.
Basically, hard-shells let you maximize your storage capacity, and you can accommodate more clothes.
4. Summer Vs. Winter trips
If you are packing seven pairs of clothes on a summer trip, you will be packing 14 for the winter ones. You could technically do just fine with 2 or 3 jackets only, but if you’d like to make their outfits match, get something with at least 40 Liters of capacity.
5. What type of suitcase is best for 1-week trips?
As we discussed earlier, hard shell suitcases give you more storage than soft-sided ones even when they are in the same capacity. When you want to pack everything you need using just one bag, you must get a hard shell one.
Best suitcase for 1 Week trip
When you know about the right size that you need, it becomes easy to make a purchasing decision. Our researchers find out some products which are ideal for one week trip, have a look at them:
1. Travelers Club 20″ Chicago Expandable Spinner
Key Features
- Compact Body – The 20-inch suitcase is very compact and easy to maneuver.
- Optimum capacity – Offers just the right amount of capacity for weeklong trips.
- Sturdy Exterior – You get a tough-quality ABS hard shell that keeps your stuff secure and protected.
Travels Club is a reputed name in suitcases. Durable yet lightweight, this compact suitcase is the perfect choice for light packers. It offers 47 Liters of capacity, which is more than enough to pack-in all the clothes and essentials you need for a 1-week trip.
A lot of suitcases offer the capacity but fall short of the expandable feature. It’s a thoughtful build that let you expand your luggage for extra storage capacity. This means you won’t have to switch suitcases when you want to use it for winter trips as well.
Coming to the build quality, this one features a dense and sturdy ABS exterior, which is up for any rough and heavy usage. It also has four heavy-duty, smooth spinner wheels that let you navigate through the airport without any friction. You can’t forget about organization and portability when you want to maximize your storage space.
This suitcase gives you plenty of freedom over organizing your stuff so that you can store more overall. A full-coverage X-strap lets you keep your clothes nicely separated form everything else. The strap ensures that you can pack or roll your clothes as you want and not have to worry about them getting crumpled up.
Overall, if you want something that can be used frequently and will not give out after just a few trips, then this one might be the perfect all-rounder for you.
2. Aerolite Lightweight 55cm Hard Shell Luggage
Key Features
- Combination Lock – A three-digit combination lock adds an extra layer of security.
- Full-size Pocket – The luggage comes with a mesh pocket that can hold your medicines, phone chargers, etc.
- Scratch-resistant – The hard shell is fairly scratch-resistant, ensuring a smooth and glossy surface even after many uses.
The Aerolite Suitcase is impressively durable and sturdy for frequent flyers and also light-packers. You get 34 Liters of capacity, which makes it an ideal choice for summer trips. This compact suitcase is handy if your trips involve a lot of walking and multiple airports. When you don’t want to be hauling bulky luggage with you through various flights, then get this one.
You get a combination lock on it for added security, which takes away the stress of continually monitoring your luggage.
We all like luggage that can withstand the tests of time. Much affordable baggage deteriorates in looks and attraction too soon. To avoid just that this suitcase is fully scratch-resistant.
Scratch-resistance is one of the most important considerations for people who don’t want to keep changing to new luggage again and again.
Overall, this one packs all the features that you need for a fully relaxed and stress-free trip. If you want luggage only for yourself and won’t be packing any extra outfits or gear, this is a great purchase to keep your weight burden minimal.
3. Cabin Max Velocity Cabin Suitcase Expandable
Key Features
- Expandable – Suitcase can expand to give an extra 10 liters for different storage needs.
- Lightweight – The 2.9 kg of weight helps you keep your luggage weight and burden minimal.
- Durable Build – You get a durable suitcase that will remain in perfect condition even after rough usage over many years.
Cabin max gives more expandability than any other lightweight suitcase. 1-week trips in winters can be very different from the ones in summer. To make sure that you get enough capacity for both seasons, get this Cabin Max Velocity suitcase.
The suitcase can expand in size to go from 40 Liters of space to 50 liters of space to house all those chunky jackets. Not just for winters, sometimes you need more space overall, and that expandable feature can be a real-life saver then.
The 2.9 kg weight is impressively lightweight for the storage space and durability that it offers. What makes this suitcase stand out from literally any other is its level of sturdiness and durability. When you are packing luggage to its fullest capacity, you often risk it breaking from somewhere. That would not be the case with this one.
You get tough-quality telescopic handles that will remain functional and firmly attached to the luggage no matter how heavily you pack.
In conclusion, this one is great for people who want something long-term and want to invest in luggage they can fully depend on. Get this one when you want to know compromises on durability.
Conclusion
Our first pick, the Travelers Club Suitcase, is the ideal all-rounder. It offers the most storage space at a relatively small price tag. The price and quality make it ideal for everyone, whether you are an occasional flyer on a budget or a frequent flyer with the highest packing needs.
Consider our second pick for when you feel like you pack lighter than most people. Get this one if you want something lightweight but also don’t want to compromise on the durability.
Finally, our third pick is excellent for regular flyers who will be using their suitcases for winter and summer. If you go heavy-on gear or want more storage for your winter clothes, then definitely go for this one.
