Luggage Life Expectancy

[akck]

When I was w*rking, our luggage lasted for 10+ years, mainly because we didn’t travel as much. With the advent of airlines charging for baggage and placing weight limits, we purchased lighter luggage so we could pack more in each bag, eliminating a second checked bag.

Now that we’ve been retired for a couple of years, we’re finding a lot more wear on our bags. Part of it is due to the lighter bags, but I think the majority of wear is due to the greater number of trips we make with the bags being tossed around a lot.

Are other retirees finding more wear on their luggage? How long do you expect them to last? My guess is they’ll last about 5 years at this rate. Or, is there better quality luggage that will last "forever" or at least long enough to be worth it?

 

[Walt34]

We don't travel much either before or after retirement (actually I travel less) and have found no increased wear on luggage. DW has a suitcase that I think my mother purchased during the Eisenhower administration. She mostly uses it when babysitting grandnephews or grandnieces overnight.

 

[karen1972]

well 2 of the last 3 suitcases I bought broke within a few uses, so guess thats not a good sign. Always an issue with the pull-out handle, wheels, etc, but not the bag or zipper itself. With the change in carry on size I do need to go out and buy another one but so annoyed with them not lasting

 

[Red Badger]

As a former road warrior, my experience with decent (not premium) luggage was ~3-5 years. Brands included Swissgear, Delsey, and similar. That was at 40+ weeks a year of domestic and international travel.

 

[NYEXPAT]

I bought Tumi in the late 90's and they always repaired it free in the states. Could use repair now, I will see when I move stateside in a few years.

 

[Danmar]

Our Briggs and Riley luggage has held up for about 11 years since retirement but is starting to show some wear. Use it quite a bit, at least every month. I think it should last another 5 years maybe.

 

[Throwdownmyaceinthehole]

I travelled internationally extensively for work for 10 years. My best piece of luggage was an Eddie Bauer from Target. Swissgear and Tumi both failed.at the wheels in just a couple trips. The Eddie Bauer lasted all 10 years until I broke a bottle of curry sauce in it and couldn't get the smell out. I'm now 5 years into a Samsonite hard sided rolling carry on with no problems and I check it frequently.

 

[aja8888]

As a former road warrior, my experience with decent (not premium) luggage was ~3-5 years. Brands included Swissgear, Delsey, and similar. That was at 40+ weeks a year of domestic and international travel.

I traveled about the same frequency.

What lasted the longest was an Eagle Creek carry on, but the wheels disintegrated in about 5 years. I replaced them with really good ball bearing roller blade wheels. Still have the bag today.

Ask a flight attendant what bags they use.

 

[ABQ2015]

I have 25 year old soft sided Samsonite luggage that is still functional despite traveling at least once a month while working. It has some wear and is heavy so I would like to replace it with something lighter but hate to get rid of perfectly good luggage.

Added: The large suitcase has solid framing, two ball bearing wheels, and a very solid retractable handle - you have to push a button to retract it. Of course these features add to the weight.

 

[38Chevy454]

The wheels are definitely the primary weak link. What you want is ball bearing wheels like aja8888 suggested. Second weakest is the retractable handle. Sorry I don't have a good suggestion, my old air travel days I never did find a brand that held up for a good long time. Hard-sided is better to prevent frame bending and damage that the soft sided would experience.

I think the airline luggage guys and conveyor systems could break an anvil if you tried to actually ship one.

 

[Sunset]

My current luggage is 17 years old. It was a $100 set from Sears.
The roller skate wheels are perfectly fine.

I can see the fabric is getting worn but works fine, except the carryon handle got stuck pulled out when we were leaving Amsterdam. I was of course in a bit of a panic and had to empty out my suitcase to see if I could fix it.
Nope, so finally in desperation I hit the handle down really hard and it closed.

This reminds me I need to examine it more and either fix the handle or get a new carryon bag. The big bag is of course perfect.

 

[FireFool]

I view luggage like electronics. You don't want to spend too much as the technology and formats change frequently. There's constant advancements in luggage material, changes in style, and then the ever changing airline size/weight restrictions. Also if you're flying where the bags outside your personal control it'll get scuffed, stained and generally beat on by the airline bag handlers. I would be upset over the damage caused if I spent a lot on my luggage. I just accept that I should replace every 5 years or so.

 

[Meadbh]

I’m travelling now. Using a 2005 vintage hard shell Samsonite on wheels. It has carried heavy loads and has been to at least 20 countries. It’s looking a little beat up, but it keeps my stuff secure and dry. I use it for all major international travel. No plans to replace it at this time.

 

[Bamaman]

I probably have 3 sets of good luggage on hand. Our latest was ultralight Travel Pro 21" swivel wheel carryons. I have noticed that it is one brand commonly seen with world travelers that is available at Amazon and T.J. Maxx for reasonable prices. I think they would be 5/year bags.

What is funny about our retirement travel is that we seldom leave town--that is unless we are leaving the U.S. We don't even go to the 3 large cities 2 hrs. away more than once every couple of years.

 

[Badger]

I think it is the luck of the draw if you are traveling by air. Sometimes they come out fine and other times it could be a new bag that gets torn up the first time out. I had one well constructed piece that had the stitching ripped out on part of a zipper rendering the bag unusable. Nothing was torn or damaged otherwise. How they were able to do that I don't know. I hope I can get it repaired somewhere there is a heavy duty sewing machine.

Cheers!

 

[gayl]

Mine is a California Pax carryon that I paid around $40 for 10 years ago. It's beginning to show wear but 4 wheels still swivel fine. I only travel 3 × a year since then but trips are longer this year (FIREd). The back 1/2 is hard and in perfect condition, top 1/2 woven and fraying on the corded part (beginning to fray but still fine). Trying to figure out how to 'repair' the frayed part.

Any suggestions?

 

[brett]

We had occasion to visit a luggage repair store that did a lot of work for the local airlines.

Asked about luggage as I traveled frequently for business and for pleasure.

The answer I got was price is not a good indication nor is brand. Apparently some of the name brand manufacturers produce product destined for the 50 percent discount retail stores and for their outlet stores. They may look the same but are not made the same according to the person we spoke to.

We only do carry on now so less damage. We travel frequently. Just bought a new international size carry on. I wanted two good wheels that were partially integrated into the bag, heavy duty zippers, good quality covering, not hard shell, good handle, and light as possible. I was not interested in any of the bags that had four wheels attached to the bottom. They are not good for us since many places we go have cobblestones, uneven payment, etc. They may be great for the airport or in the store, but not for us.

My last one is 15 plus years old. A Kirkland NA carry on size. It is still good only it is slightly too large for international standards and it is a little too heavy. I expect the replacement to last as long.

 

[akck]

Unfortunately, I don't think we'll ever be able to travel with carry on only. I know our luggage takes more of a beating when it's loosely packed. On one trip, our smaller suitcases were just too small so we went with our larger ones that were comfortably filled. On the trip back, they were loosely filled (all the grand daughter items removed), and they definitely showed signs of being squished.

I had a hard shell suitcase once. I ended up not liking it because it was difficult getting items out of the top section and was too big to just lay flat. I recently ordered a hybrid, hard shell on the bottom and fabric top. Hopefully it will work out better for our travel needs. I guess I'll join the replace about every 5 years.

 

[Scuba]

Our Briggs and Riley luggage has held up for about 11 years since retirement but is starting to show some wear. Use it quite a bit, at least every month. I think it should last another 5 years maybe.

I have a Briggs & Riley garment bag I've used all over the world, and it's lasted for 17 years so far. A few minor wear issues but still 100% functional.

Eagle Creek has a lifetime warranty on their products. We have Eagle Creek carry-ons that are about 5 years old and love them. Our 20 year old EC backpack had to have the water carrying pockets on the sides replaced. They did it for free, no hassles.

For dive bags, I recommend Stahlsac. Lifetime warranty. Just took my four year old bag in for a minor zipper repair and they gave me a brand new bag.

If you spend a bit more up front and get a quality product with a great warranty, you save money in the long run.

 

[brett]

Recently purchased an Eagle Creek duffle carry on. Very pleased with it. Had it out for a week last month in preparation for a much longer trip. Excellent wheels. Did not realize how my previous bag had depreciated.

What I like about the Eagle Creek offering is that they have international size carry on offerings. These are slightly smaller (20") than the NA carry on size.

 

[caninelover]

+1 on Eagle Creek. My little carry on has been all over the country and world with me for 10+ years and still looks great.

Dear BF is starting a new role at w*rk that will require some long international trips. He wanted a hard sided bag so after doing some research, I ordered an Away brand suitcase for Christmas. They sell only on the web but have gotten excellent reviews. The one I ordered arrived shipped promptly and looks terrific. He will be using it in January so we will know better then how it functions. They also have a lifetime warranty and 90 day money back guarantee.

 

[aja8888]

As mentioned previously (by me), my Eagle Creek wheels failed (disintegrated) on a European trip two years ago. The bag was 7 - 10 years old. I replaced them myself with high quality roller blade wheels.

 

[jimnjana]

We get 2 to 3 years out of our luggage. We buy used luggage at yard sales. This weekend we bought a samsonite bag for 2 bucks.

 

[Sarah in SC]

I have an eagle creek crossbody bag that I dearly love, and always take on trips.
I do not buy luggage with wheels. I use hybrid shoulder strap/tuck away backpack strap luggage and strictly carryon. My two favorites are the weekender from ebags and one from Patagonia.
When I do have to check a bag, like I did for the Red Cross deployment to Puerto Rico last month, I have a fantastic 70l Patagonia duffel with a massive and sturdy shoulder strap.
And of course our dog eared old backpacks, which have seen at least 15 years of wear, can’t even remember the brand but got them from Campmor and repair with gear tape when tears show up. I have put them inside big sail or military bags for when they’ve been checked, to keep machinery from eating the straps.
I don’t seem to go anywhere the wheels would be useful, so avoid them altogether.

 

[97guns]

I like Cabellas duffels with lifetime warranties, mines gone to Asia 4 times and many domestic trips and it’s holding up fine