When Cardboard Handle Boxes Outperform Suitcases | Sireprinting

Have you ever had to pay a surcharge to transport oversize luggage? Have you ever flown somewhere and ended up buying so many things that they no longer fit in your suitcase?

Here's a clever trick we used on our recent trip to Europe that allowed us to carry much more than we thought we could at no extra cost.

The Fundamentals

First and foremost, read your ticket's allowances for carry-on and check-in baggage. Check that you fully comprehend them, and if in doubt, contact your airline.

In our case, my wife and I were flying on a Swiss Airlines flight, and our ticket allowed us to bring the following items for free:

• Two carry-on bags.
• 3 bags were checked in.

The Weight And Length Of Checked Bags Were Limited:

• Maximum weight: 23 kg (50 lbs).
• 158 cm (62 inches) of linear length, where linear length is the sum of your suitcase's width, depth, and height.

In our case, we discovered that the large suitcases we used weighed approximately 7 Kg (15 lbs) empty. With no clothes or other items, the suitcase itself took up 30% of our allowance!!

The empty weight of the small suitcases was 5 kg, or about 21% of our allowance.

None of our suitcases came close to the 158 cm linear length limit. Furthermore, we discovered that if the suitcase had been a little taller and thinner, at least one of the large items we wanted to carry would have fit perfectly.

The Answer

We quickly realized, thanks to my extensive Tetris experience, that everything could fit within our free allowance if we had a much lighter and better shaped suitcase.

It's easier said than done, though: finding just the right suitcase in terms of size in a super-light yet sturdy material, with no space taken up by pockets or internal wheel mechanisms at a reasonable price is difficult.

But there was a simple solution: use a Cardboard Handle Boxes. Before you scream bloody murder, consider the following benefits of boxes with handles:

It is much lighter - the box we used ended up weighing only 1.7 kg empty, or 7.4% of our allowance, or a 22% increase.

You can shape it to your liking - with scissors, tape, and about 30 minutes of work, you can get almost any shape you want, with no cumbersome odd spaces to fill to allow for wheels and handles.

• It is dirt cheap - you can buy a cardboard handle boxes large enough anywhere in the world for about 5 USD, and you can probably get one for free at any supermarket or store if you ask nicely.
• It's so cheap that you don't mind if it breaks as long as your belongings are safely held together inside.
• It's sturdy, particularly if you wrap it in plastic before checking it in.
• It can be carried by any airline - after searching online for a while, I couldn't find a single airline that would refuse to transport a cardboard handle boxes as long as it fit the required dimensions. And I can tell you from experience that I have not had any problems thus far.

It Does, However, Have A Few Drawbacks:

It lacks wheels and handles, making it difficult to transport, especially if you must use public transportation. Moving around airports is fine, as carts are readily available.

Water and humidity may cause it to disintegrate more quickly. But don't worry: if you bag your clothes and use plenty of packaging tape, even if the cardboard breaks, your prized possessions will be safe. You can even plastic wrap the cardboard handle boxes at the airport for extra protection (and insurance!).

The Procedure

The first thing I did was determine which box would be best for my needs. Given that I needed to transport an item that was approximately 80 cm long, I determined that my ideal "suitcase" would be approximately 81 cm x 54 cm x 22 cm, or 157 cm total linear length. In inches, the dimensions are 31 3/4 x 21 1/4 x 8 3/4.

So Here's What I Did:

I asked if I could take a random cardboard handle box I saw lying around in a random shop. The important thing is that the box's length plus width exceeds the length plus width you require, and that it is taller than you require.

To get a nice flat cardboard surface to work on, I carefully opened the box on the top and bottom sides and cut through one of the corners along the corner. One of the corners is usually glued, but you can easily pull the two sides apart if you prefer.

Now I Worked To Get Back A Box Of The Right Size:

Starting from one side of the cardboard handle boxes, and along the length, I folded at the desired width. Then again at the desired length, desired width, and desired length. The trick here is to keep the sides about 1 cm (1/2 inch) shorter, so the outer size of the box is the desired one, rather than too large due to measurement errors and/or the thickness of the material. To make nice, sharp, and straight folds, use a piece of wood or a wood corner from the room's furniture.

At the end, I cut the leftover material, and used duct tape to get back a parallelepiped.

Now I cut through the corner of the upper and lower sides, so I could fold the bottom and top. Make sure the cut is long enough so that the side of the box ends up being the right height.

Use The Tap To Seal The Bottom Once More

Fill the box, bag the stuff if you are worried about liquids / humidity, seal the top, and profit!

Really, the process will take no more than 30 minutes, it is much easier to do than it appears, and if you are careful with your measurements, you will get a box that is exactly the right size.

The End Result

• The Swiss accepted it without batting an eyelid. This is how it happened:
• No problems, nice and clean. In comparison to my largest suitcase, here's what it looks like once opened:

Take note of how my expensive suitcase is slightly wider and shorter than usual, and thus would not have fit the object I wanted to bring with me. Also, the box is much more spacious on the inside: the thickness of the cardboard takes up less space, the corners are straight rather than rounded, and the mechanisms for the wheels, pockets, zippers, and so on take up no space.

The Financial Situation

If I go to a random website for suitcases, such as amazon.com or ebags.com, and select the "extra large" "checked in" size, I notice a few things:

Some of the suitcases on the market would not meet the airline's free check-in requirements. Linear length is frequently greater than 62 inches (158 cm).

sometimes just a few inches (65, 66,...). They are unlikely to pursue you, but they may charge you extra.

The majority of the suitcases weigh around 6 to 7 kg, and if you look inside, you can clearly see that zippers, wheels,... take up a lot of space. Almost all corners are rounded.

For the "extra large size," prices range from $90 to $1500. Even if we had to spend $10 for a cardboard handle box (bagging, wrapping, cart rental, etc. ), buying Boxes With Handles instead of suitcases would save you enough money for 9 to 150 journeys. Also, keep in mind that some of the less expensive suitcases are not as sturdy and may not last as long.

Conclusions

Utilizing cardboard handle boxes instead of bags seems quite appealing to me right now:)

This also saves space in my small house when I'm not traveling (no need to keep a suitcase around) and relieves the stress of having to choose, replace, or repair the suitcase when it breaks. When traveling, I can easily switch a smaller box for a larger one (or the other way around); however, I would certainly feel horrible about leaving or changing baggage.

The only unanswered question is how to get wheels: a handle is simple to construct with duct tape, but wheels are definitely essential when traveling by public transportation.

SirePrinting can assist you if you need sales-oriented packaging for your soap goods, pillow boxes and CBD boxes. For years, we have had extensive experience in packing and exceeding our clients' expectations. Call us at (410)834-9965 ,Whatsapp No 410-946-8181 or contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to place your orders.