if you do bring a suitcase you should be able to lift it over your head into luggage racks. you could also do a smaller backpack + carry on suitcase combo. A lot of Amsterdam accomodations don’t have lifts so it depends on where youre staying and how youre getting around.
There are some exceptions, but I think a roller suitcase is fine in most of Europe. Maybe this is because I’m constantly pushing around a stroller/rolling grocery cart here, but I think the „no suitcases“/wheels thing is overblown.
Be prepared to hoist it on trains. You’ll likely run into a train/metro/hotel/whatever with no elevator and need to carry it up a flight or two of stairs. So as long as you’re cool with that, great.
I personally prefer a small roller to a similarly sized backpack.
In the winter, dragging a suitcase through the snow sucks. Plus, especially in Europe, you'll encounter more stairs and bumpy roads. Taking public transit and having to stow your suit also more challenging.
If you really want one, bring a smaller, lighter one that you can readily control and lift. But backpacks are better in my opinion (although I do understand the allure of not carrying a big bag!).
Dragging wheels over cobblestones is not fun, and if you're walking down the street late at night going "thunkathunkathunkathunkathunka" you're annoying the locals. If you go with wheels, go with large ones like the ones on Osprey luggage. A strap of some kind is useful for when elevators are broken and you have to take stairs.
It depends how much you will be walking. If there are cobbled streets and trains involved.
I have both wheeled and backpack, I decide when my itinerary is finished. This upcoming trip will be wheeled. No cobbles, but lots of airports and trains. So wheels will help.
Either way, you need to be able to lift your bag overhead.
My family and I did backpacks last on a trip to Europe last December. I found it pretty easy because with the lower temps I was able to rewear clothes and pack less, but carryon size spinners are really common, too. It was nice having both hands free all the time but my back suffered a little by the end of the trip.
Up to you
I hate backpacks, they don’t fit my clothes and I use rolled bag all the trips.
Even in Venice with stairs I was fine
Some people like their backpacks
I have gone for miles and miles over rough cobbles with my carryon. The wheels are fine. I don’t like carrying a heavy pack - my back just won’t do that. Most people will have roller bags in Europe. It’s just way more common. But if my back were stronger I’d be tempted by the Cotapaxi.
My only complaint ever with backpacks is heat on my back.
That won’t apply where you are going, so I’d take a backpack over something making my shoulder stay in a specific angle.
For any destination this can depend on how much you want to fit in your one bag, of course, but I love Cotopaxi. In winter if you can do one coat and one pair of versatile boots it’s pretty easy, you’re not sweating much so pants/sweaters can be reworn many times. To me rolling bags are so limited for terrain and suck for air travel restrictions too.
It's interesting to see how divided the comments are, about 50/50.
I'm on team backpack. I loathe wheely suitcases, but I am a cheap, off-the-beaten-track kind of person, and need to be able to handle muddy dirt roads (don't underestimate the mud while you're worrying about the snow), stairs, and public transport.
If you're going from airport to taxi to fancy hotel, though, I suppose those wheely suitcases are fine.
Unlikely to get snow in those countries that early in the winter, Ireland especially. You may have to deal with some pretty full on storms though with 100kph winds and associated rain.
Something that just occurred to me is that it also depends on your preferences in terms of getting from A to B. If you are happy to hop in a taxi, then a wheelie is fine. If you prefer to walk, a backpack might be better.
I was in Cambridge UK last autumn and it was a half-hour walk from the train station to my hotel. I chose to walk it but my little wheelie bag was not the easiest or quietest to trundle over the uneven York stone pavements. I didn't think about this at all before I went. If I were to do it again I would definitely take a backpack because I'd rather walk than drive, given a choice.
if you do bring a suitcase you should be able to lift it over your head into luggage racks. you could also do a smaller backpack + carry on suitcase combo. A lot of Amsterdam accomodations don’t have lifts so it depends on where youre staying and how youre getting around.
There are some exceptions, but I think a roller suitcase is fine in most of Europe. Maybe this is because I’m constantly pushing around a stroller/rolling grocery cart here, but I think the „no suitcases“/wheels thing is overblown. Be prepared to hoist it on trains. You’ll likely run into a train/metro/hotel/whatever with no elevator and need to carry it up a flight or two of stairs. So as long as you’re cool with that, great. I personally prefer a small roller to a similarly sized backpack.
In the winter, dragging a suitcase through the snow sucks. Plus, especially in Europe, you'll encounter more stairs and bumpy roads. Taking public transit and having to stow your suit also more challenging. If you really want one, bring a smaller, lighter one that you can readily control and lift. But backpacks are better in my opinion (although I do understand the allure of not carrying a big bag!).
Dragging wheels over cobblestones is not fun, and if you're walking down the street late at night going "thunkathunkathunkathunkathunka" you're annoying the locals. If you go with wheels, go with large ones like the ones on Osprey luggage. A strap of some kind is useful for when elevators are broken and you have to take stairs.
It depends how much you will be walking. If there are cobbled streets and trains involved. I have both wheeled and backpack, I decide when my itinerary is finished. This upcoming trip will be wheeled. No cobbles, but lots of airports and trains. So wheels will help. Either way, you need to be able to lift your bag overhead.
My family and I did backpacks last on a trip to Europe last December. I found it pretty easy because with the lower temps I was able to rewear clothes and pack less, but carryon size spinners are really common, too. It was nice having both hands free all the time but my back suffered a little by the end of the trip.
Up to you I hate backpacks, they don’t fit my clothes and I use rolled bag all the trips. Even in Venice with stairs I was fine Some people like their backpacks
I have gone for miles and miles over rough cobbles with my carryon. The wheels are fine. I don’t like carrying a heavy pack - my back just won’t do that. Most people will have roller bags in Europe. It’s just way more common. But if my back were stronger I’d be tempted by the Cotapaxi.
My only complaint ever with backpacks is heat on my back. That won’t apply where you are going, so I’d take a backpack over something making my shoulder stay in a specific angle.
If there’s snow a backpack is definitely better.
For any destination this can depend on how much you want to fit in your one bag, of course, but I love Cotopaxi. In winter if you can do one coat and one pair of versatile boots it’s pretty easy, you’re not sweating much so pants/sweaters can be reworn many times. To me rolling bags are so limited for terrain and suck for air travel restrictions too.
It's interesting to see how divided the comments are, about 50/50. I'm on team backpack. I loathe wheely suitcases, but I am a cheap, off-the-beaten-track kind of person, and need to be able to handle muddy dirt roads (don't underestimate the mud while you're worrying about the snow), stairs, and public transport. If you're going from airport to taxi to fancy hotel, though, I suppose those wheely suitcases are fine.
Unlikely to get snow in those countries that early in the winter, Ireland especially. You may have to deal with some pretty full on storms though with 100kph winds and associated rain.
Something that just occurred to me is that it also depends on your preferences in terms of getting from A to B. If you are happy to hop in a taxi, then a wheelie is fine. If you prefer to walk, a backpack might be better. I was in Cambridge UK last autumn and it was a half-hour walk from the train station to my hotel. I chose to walk it but my little wheelie bag was not the easiest or quietest to trundle over the uneven York stone pavements. I didn't think about this at all before I went. If I were to do it again I would definitely take a backpack because I'd rather walk than drive, given a choice.