Luggage Purchase

[ferco]

Looking to make a purchase of new luggage for ER travel over the next 10-15 years. Want to purchase quality but at a good price. Anyone with experience in this area. We've looked at 4-5 piece sets both Travelpro and Samsonite. Any suggestions on these and other brands ?

 

[Sesq]

If you sign up for clothing e-mails from amazon you can get 20% off a one time purchase of up to 1k of clothing and luggage. I used this trick to get a briggs & riley carry on (verb fuse, small but love it). Some of the spendy brands can get really, spendy.

 

[calmloki]

Very interesting - as a luggage problem. Are you going to be traveling light? or heavy?

Joe vs the Volcano - luggage salesman scene - YouTube

 

[marko]

After over 4 million air miles, I suggest a hard side Samsonite. You sort of get what you pay for IMHO...YMMV

 

[timo2]

Check out the line of Skyroll products, just to see something different. SkyRoll. Lose your wrinkles, not your luggage | SkyRoll Carry On Luggage, now your clothes can fly first class even if you can't I 've used an older model of the skyroll garment bag for 10 years, and it's finally falling apart. I plan to get a new one for my next trip. It's one of my favorite bags.

DW bought some COSTCO luggage recently. She had a giant suitcase from COSTCO that held up well, but it was just too big anymore, so she replaced it with smaller bags.

 

[travelover]

If you buy it from LL Bean or Costco, you can just exchange it occasionally, for free.

 

[tmm99]

Whatever brand you buy, I highly recommend the 360 degree spinning/rotating luggage. So much easier to maneuver. If you've never tried it, it's worth checking it out.

 

[imoldernu]

Might check Sears for hardside... spinner etc at all price ranges...
Lost, destroyed or stolen... especially with sets, may be expensive to replace a single piece...
Easy place to check different styles, brands...

 

[steelyman]

I bought a set of Wenger (Swiss Army logo) at TJMaxx in 2008 and have been very happy with them. But I am not and was not when working a "road warrior", maybe 4 or 5 round trips a year.

I used to see someone who had been a flight attendant and she told me two things: don't buy black (can be hard to pick out at baggage claim), and don't buy Travelpro.

 

[samclem]

I have not found expensive luggage to be worth the cost. I buy "acceptable" quality stuff (Samsonite and American Tourister are available) at TJ Maxx. It's usually heavily discounted and serves me well. Unless the luggage is really bottom-tier, the things that eventually kill it (a wheel caught in the baggage handling machinery or snapped off when dropped from the belt) are random events and just as likely to kill a high-dollar bag as a middle-of-the-road one. I'm not trying to make a fashion statement or impress the bellhop, I just want the luggage to get stuff safely from Point A to Point B, and a less flashy bag might even be less likely to be a target for theft.

Spinners: I didn't like mine, went back to a conventional "roller." Spinners are okay if all the travel is on very smooth surfaces, but a regular "roller' with large wheels works much better on rougher stuff (asphalt, etc). And the spinner wheels and casters are more susceptible to damage.
Light/bright colored luggage looks bad after one or two trips. Go with a dark color, add a ribbon or big tag if you want it to stand out on the baggage belt.
Warranties: As someone who has tried to get something fixed, it's usually not worth the trouble to document your purchase, mail a bag somewhere, pay their "handling charge" for the "free" repair, etc.
Any bag is is going to look bad and wear out after hard use. Consider them expendable items.

 

[Throwdownmyaceinthehole]

I've been the road warrior for 8 years and my Eddie Bauer rolling expandable from target has held up better than the more expensive brands. It's just small enough to carry on as long as its not stuffed...

 

[CoolChange]

EagleCreek

Another road warrior here. And, the best bag I have found for my purposes (carry-on for clothes with laptop and accessories) is an EagleCreek carry-on.

I agree with most, but not all, of samclem's comments:

• I have not found expensive luggage to be worth the cost either; but, I do avoid really cheap stuff too. Having a bag break in transit is no fun; retire the bag when it starts having any issues.

• Spinners: I don't like 'em either for all the reasons he mentioned and more. If you plan to roll the bag anywhere other than nice airports and hotels, a regular "roller' with large wheels is the way to go in my opinion.
• Nothing more to add: Light/bright colored luggage looks bad after one or two trips. Go with a dark color, add a ribbon or big tag if you want it to stand out on the baggage belt.
• Warranties: This is where I diverge a bit; in general I agree. But, I have returned my current EagleCreek for a brand new replacement with no hassle or cost when a zipper broke.

If I were buying another bag to support my current road warrior lifestyle (several cities in one week), it would almost certainly be one of the new EC Morphus or Switchback bags.

But, if I were planning on trips where I was staying longer in each destination, I would probably just go with a decent backpack that could be checked and a small day pack that I could carry-on. (I have done this a few times when vacationing; and, that seems to work well for me.) I do tend to vacation in slightly less developed areas than my road warrior destinations.

 

[brett]

I bought a 21 inch Kirkland brand roller at Costco about 10 years ago. It still looks new. Lots and lots of business travel, plus extensive personal travel. I take this case on all trips from one week to six months. I prefer to pack light. Plan is for me to give this to my spouse to replace her 24 inch Travelpro (not nearly as good) so that I can move down to a smaller carry on.

Don't be misled by those 50-75 percent off sales or those outlet store products. You only get what you play for.

 

[Ready]

I bought a 21 inch Kirkland brand roller at Costco about 10 years ago. It still looks new. Lots and lots of business travel, plus extensive personal travel. I take this case on all trips from one week to six months. I prefer to pack light. Plan is for me to give this to my spouse to replace her 24 inch Travelpro (not nearly as good) so that I can move down to a smaller carry on.

Don't be misled by those 50-75 percent off sales or those outlet store products. You only get what you play for.

+1

Costco is the only way to go for luggage. Highest quality at the lowest price, and lifetime satisfaction guarantee. I can't imagine why anyone would shop anywhere else!

 

[calmloki]

A relative bought my gal a Zuka TravelPro.
Pro Travel Black/Black : ZÜCA Store
Which she uses and which I loath. Awkward metal frame that bangs the leg, horrible handle, tweaked the frame after a couple trips. Zuka did send replacement frame parts so I could fix it (she didn't have time to ship it back for warranty repair), and they were friendly and gracious and easy to deal with. I stick with my soft bag that stuffs anywhere. Probably cost me $8 a decade or more ago. No frame, no rollers, side and end pockets, done. Granted, I'm not packing suits or ironed clothes, but for T-shirts, toiletries, socks and shorts it works just great - even shoes in a plastic bag or a bottle of wine.

 

[HFWR]

If you buy it from LL Bean or Costco, you can just exchange it occasionally, for free.

Bwahahaha...

No road warrior here, so still using my 20yo Ascot set bought at Target.

 

[Sarah in SC]

EBags convertible max carry on and two sturdy backpacks bought years ago from Campmor that all lived on the top of the bus in every weather imaginable. Those bags could only dream of traveling on a conveyor belt!

And for the backpacker set--I got a couple of old waterproof pack bags from a retired military guy that are the best things ever! Kept dust and rain out very well and nice to tuck the pack into so the straps don't get snagged once you finally get to an airplane.

 

[johnrlawjr]

I agree with the folks who recommended the four wheel spinning luggage. The maneuverability in crowded airports is a plus.

 

[haha]

Mostly I use an REI backpack that can be carried on. Sometimes I need a suit. I have always before taken a larger bag that will keep a suit fairly Ok. I think I will buy this rollup garment bag mentioned above for this use. A few trips and I will have recouped my investment in the bag by saved baggage charges. Currently I only need a suit for weddings or funerals, but I do need it in my family for these events.

I don't like rollbehinds, I usually walk to the train to reach the airport and Seattle sidewalks will ruin the suspension of these before I complete one trip- or cause me to wear myself out wrestling with the things bouncing and twisting behind me, not to mention clobbering my ankles. Long handles have too much negative leverage. Shorter handles mangle the ankles.

In my daily life I am used to carrying loads on my back, not to dragging them along behind me.

Ha

 

[CoolChange]

It sounds like a couple of folks, Sarah in SC and haha specifically, use backpacks for travel luggage.

And, it sounds like Sarah in SC has found a solution to my problem with this; but, I am not sure it is reproducible: I would like to find or make some kind of bag to wrap my backpack to avoid damage and general grime when checking with an airline, tying to the top of a bus, etc. Currently, I am using a laundry bag; but, these are flimsy and must be replace fairly often.

What do others use for this purpose?

 

[Ronstar]

I use a backpack, but I don't check it in as airline baggage. It's a small backpack that I keep by my feet on the plane. And I keep it on my lap on trains, shuttle bus, etc. I take it work, hiking, etc - I use it a lot. It still looks like new, but I haven't been caught in a storm yet. I don't wrap it or seal it with anything- just keep it with me at all times.

 

[Meadbh]

I don't like rollbehinds, I usually walk to the train to reach the airport and Seattle sidewalks will ruin the suspension of these before I complete one trip- or cause me to wear myself out wrestling with the things bouncing and twisting behind me, not to mention clobbering my ankles. Long handles have too much negative leverage. Shorter handles mangle the ankles.

On a recent visit to Seattle I was shocked at the poor condition of the sidewalks. Some of them looked as if they had been left undisturbed following a 7.0 earthquake. Pieces of concrete were projecting upwards at 30-45 degree angles from the horizontal. A nightmare for suitcase pullers, wheelchair and walker users, and a major tripping hazard.

 

[haha]

On a recent visit to Seattle I was shocked at the poor condition of the sidewalks. Some of them looked as if they had been left undisturbed following a 7.0 earthquake. Pieces of concrete were projecting upwards at 30-45 degree angles from the horizontal. A nightmare for suitcase pullers, wheelchair and walker users, and a major tripping hazard.

You are right on all counts, except the quake was a 6.8, the 2001 Nisqually quake. The other main problem is our tree hugging- I think you went up to Volunteer Park. North Capitol Hill has blocks of heaved up slabs of concrete, pushed up by the roots of giant maples. Also right about tripping hazard- a few years ago I was hustling along in the dark about 1am, and caught my foot on one of those upthrusts and went down -bam! my ribcage on the edge of another one. My R ribs hurt like hell, but I was familiar with the feeling of broken ribs, and these didn't make the cut. I was feeling fine in a few days

Ha

 

[audreyh1]

If you sign up for clothing e-mails from amazon you can get 20% off a one time purchase of up to 1k of clothing and luggage. I used this trick to get a briggs & riley carry on (verb fuse, small but love it). Some of the spendy brands can get really, spendy.

Good tip. We also need to upgrade luggage.

Seams are starting to rip, and the shapes of our current luggage are not optimal.

 

[timo2]

I think I will buy this rollup garment bag mentioned above for this use. A few trips and I will have recouped my investment in the bag by saved baggage charges. Currently I only need a suit for weddings or funerals, but I do need it in my family for these events.

o carrying loads on my back, not to dragging them along behind me.

Ha

since I don't travel for business anymore, I use my skyroll garment bag mostly for taking fancy dinner clothes on cruises. That way they are separate from my regular travel case (which is a Rick Steves no wheel bag with backstraps and a handle.)