Which carry-on bag is the best for travel around Europe without being too heavy?

Learning to travel light with a carry-on is key. On a recent trip to Dublin, we were left for three days without our checked bag. It was tough, especially when the person with our bag called us while we were on a tour of the Wicklow Mountains and there was nothing we could do. During a trip to France and Spain, we went the carry-on route, but found that lugging two full bags onto trains and around different cities while on layovers is a huge hassle and is quite tiring.

Rick Steves’ travel bag

So, I have been looking for the best travel bags in anticipation of some upcoming trips that will include some city-to-city train travel.

I looked at backpacks, I looked at “lightweight” rolling bags and also bags that are both.

My first find was this Rick Steves bag. I am very tempted by this bag because it can easily be made into a backpack and into a rolling carry-on. The few drawbacks I can think of include: the bag being too heavy, not holding what we need and the bag being too hot on my back and getting really sweaty.

Another bag I found was just a backpack. Again, I love that it is on your back, but I am concerned about it holding what we need and getting too sweaty.

We have two rolling carry-on bags, but like I said before, they can get quite heavy when packed.

Fellow blogger @NomadicMatt has some suggestions on how to pick the right backpack…what do you think?

Which bags do you recommend for light travel from city to city? Please leave your thoughts and links to bags in the comments section.

Thanks! Safe Travels!