Type of Luggage to make most of space

My family is moving from Chicago to Sheffield as a result of a new position for my husband.   This is a permanent move, and my husband, daughter and I will all be flying over together.  We will be shipping a small amount of our household things, personal items, books, cherished furniture, and some toys.  However, we hope to bring all we "need" in our luggage.  So the question is what type of luggage should we use?

Basically we want to bring most of our clothes, some toys, my husbands favorite pans/knifes, daughters favorite blankets and our computer on the plane.  We would like to bring as much as possible in our luggage for convenience and helping easy the transition of our daughter.  So as I look to acquire the largest suitcases I can find, I wanted to know if it would be better to buy very large Rubbermaid containers and pack 6 of those instead of regular luggage.  For our airline, they fit within the required sizes - but has anyone done this?   I feel like it would be more practical because they we could use the Rubbermaid as a toy box or storage once we are there.  I just don't know what I would do with 6 large suitcases after I get to Sheffield.

We generally travel in carry-on size luggage and currently only own one 29 inch larger suitcase.  Should I try and find more suitcases or just go and buy the nice Rubbermaids with the wheels when they are on sale?

Thanks for your help.

I know someone did this on here, but I can't tell you who. I just remember reading that they drilled holes in the lid and base and tied them shut with zipties to keep it together, so I'd say it's completely possible!

I'd also look into steamer trunks, as those tend to be bigger than suitcases.

I did this with Rubbermaid containers but stole the idea from someone else. It works brilliantly but double check with your airline what is the maximum weight they will permit. I came over 3 years ago and the excess baggage allowances were quite different then.

Also, I am not familiar with the wheeled containers and wonder if the wheels might get damaged in transit? I used the Rubbermaid Roughneck ones in the 17, 21 and 31 gal sizes.

Good luck!

Some airlines specify the maximum for each dimension (L, W, and H), while others allow a total number of inches/centimeters (L+W+H). For the former, find a bag that matches those numbers. For the later, remember that there are many bags with the same number of total inches, but each will have a different volume. In the case where you are limited by total inches a cubic box is best. Remember you are likely not reusing this luggage again. It just has to be sturdy enough to surivive one flight. There are also baggage carts easily available in Heathrow so wheels and handles are not needed.

I just used Rubbermaid containers in my move to Newcastle; I'll be bringing a couple more across in a couple of weeks.  I used a medium sized roughneck and and a 24-gallon ActionPacker:


The advantage of the ActionPacker is that it has handles that close it securely.  With the Roughneck, I just wound some packing tape around it.  TSA opened it up, possibly because it looked so funny, but wound it round with tape again.

Keep in mind that if you go with the larger sized Rubbermaid containers, you may find that they fit well over 50 lbs of stuff.  I was carrying a lot of kitchenware/china, so mine got pretty close to the weight limit even though they weren't huge.  I guess if you're packing clothes it might not be such a problem.

The rubbermaid container sound really good 'cause you won't really find anything as good over here after the move.  I'm the idiot that thinks of the logistics of getting the stuff to the house after landing.     The only issue I could forsee with that is transporting them from the airport after you've landed.

Have you planned which airport you'll be using to get to Sheffield (Manchester or Birmingham would be the closest as they're only about an hour from Sheffied, London you can be looking at a 2-3 hour (on a good run) commute) and are you planning on renting a vehicle or do you have someone to pick you up in a larger vehicle, or will you be arranging some kind of luggage collection separately?  Just something to consider along with everything else.