How heavy are they really? I had mine empty (rare event) last night, and moved it around a bit. Thought to myself "this thing is not as heavy as people imply." Mind you I did not put it on a scale. It's not a feather, but it's okay. I tend to believe that the metal external frame creates a psychological impresssion of weight that exceeds reality. Compared to the crap I load in it, overall trip weight is not greatly impacted by the bag's empty weight. I am currentlt considering other options, but PNT/LW has worked sufficiently for me over the years. I once tried the Kirkland roller bag that was infinitely returnable (probably why Costco does not sell them anymore). It was fine and probably held more stuff. But believe it or not I missed the J hook and sometimes its thickness was too much for certain OH bins. I also missed the external pockets, which I rely upon heavily. Never noticed it being different from LW in weight, but mind you I did not conduct a comparative weigh-in. If the bag's going to be 51.5 pounds when road-worthy, does 53 really matter? That's the sort of difference I perceived. Eventually somebody gifted a used LW to me and I switched back. Main reason for considering something else now is the LW zippers seem less robust than they once were, but I do thrash them. And LW repair and rebuild costs are so high. Used to be a no-brainer to do the overhaul after the bag got beat up. Now, might as well buy something else. I'd be happy with something that does not scream "crew" but has some external pockets, a quick attach/detach system for a tote or backpack and otherwise suits the mission. Still searching.