2 Suitcases and a Backpack
When doing my final packing last Friday, I decided to take 2 suitcases with me. One really big one for checking in and one carry-on size.
My thinking was that I might want to do smaller weekend trips, so I want to have a small suitcase for that. Also, my larger luggage is usually too heavy for airline weight limits, and it's usually way cheaper to pay to check in a second suitcase (if needed) than pay for the heavy baggage fee.
I'd love to have way less stuff so it could fit into one suitcase, but I just can't get below 2 suitcases worth of my stuff!
So far, travel with 2 suitcases has been great. For international flights, it's free to check in 2 suitcases! So I didn't even have to deal with my carry-on as a carry-on. And of course my big suitcase was over-the-weight-limit by a few pounds. I put a few things into my smaller suitcase, and boom! My baggage check-in was free!
So while some people can live with just a carry on and a backpack, I"m just not that person and I'm ok with it.