[freudling]

Any travellers out there? Anyone who has ached over buying new luggage?

So hard to find reviews on luggage on the web. Few and far between. I have looked at and researched many different luggage brands. I feel that I understand what is out there now, what to avoid...

I have a 20" Hugo Boss carry on upright. Very nice. Got that recently. But for a long trip, I have been interested in a garment bag on wheels and a 28" upright suitcase. The 28" models are becoming scarce because from what I am told in this country anyway size allotments have gotten smaller. You won't find 30" suitcases anymore, and I believe here 27" is the max size now, anything over and you pay. Well, I am sure you can squeak through, because they don't really measure your bag often, they only weigh it.

Anyway, I just bought a 28" Victorinox Tallux suitcase for $300 (half price) new and a Victorinox Werks 3.0 garment bag on wheels.

Tallux 28" suitcase: Victorinox Swiss Army - TravelGear - Tallux™ 28

Werks 3.0 Garment Bag: Victorinox Swiss Army - TravelGear - WT Deluxe Wheeled Garment Bag

30 day return policy. Now I see another local store has Briggs and Riley on sale for $100 off each piece. More expensive, but seems to be better made. The 28" I have is nice, it's light, but the inside is cheap polyester and a bit flimsy, where the Briggs and Riley is more sturdy and the material inside is soft and silky. Plus, the Briggs and Riley has their handles on the outside of the case, so the inside is completely flat, and clothes lay better and don't wrinkle as much.

What am I packing? Dress shirts, suits, shoes, and casual wear.

The Briggs and Riley garment bag is 2 lbs. heavier than the Werks 3.0. And the Briggs and Riley 28" suitcase is 2.5 lbs. heavier than my 28" Tallux.

Oh and, Tumi, the luggage maker. Nice stuff, very nice. But out of my price range, since those retail for about $1000 per piece.

Any suggestions from some expert travellers out there?

[Paco500]

I travel a lot and hate all of my luggage. I buy cheap crap and end up hating it, but it's so hard to justify dropping hundreds on this stuff. (I think the most i've ever spent is less than $100 per bag)

If anyone has recommendations on well made, reasonably priced luggage let me know.

[downinflames68]

Are you a girl? I've never met a dude who cared much about luggage, so just wondering. ;P

[Paco500]

I travel internationally every few months and have overnight stays in the UK at least once a month- have better luggage makes difference. He's not asking about pretty styles and what might go with his corset, but about practical usability.

I would think an industrial designer might get that... ;p

[OreoCookie]

I travel a fair bit and I have spent $250 for my big suitcase and $120 for my smaller one. The smaller one is a Samsonite which holds up much better than the other one which has its fair share of blemishes from all the baggage handlers. But it still works perfectly. I hate to say it, but if you spend <$100 on a suitcase, all you get is crap.

@Rob
You start to care if you have to fly out > once a month.

[Paco500]

BTW- I've often thought about picking up one of these-

Victorinox Swiss Army - TravelGear - WT East/West Garment Bag

It's the only carry-on wheeled garment bag I can find. It's just a lot of $.

[downinflames68]

Gotcha. I've always had American Traveler and it's well built, big meaty zippers, nice fabric, works great. >shrug<

I guess I've never really thought about it much. As long as I can put stuff in it and it has some pockets for storage, that's cool with me.

[residentEvil]

why buy something nice that gets treated like **** by a bunch of people you don't know/can't see? carry-on is one thing, but checked? no way.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by downinflames68 

Are you a girl? I've never met a dude who cared much about luggage, so just wondering. ;P

Spend a few weeks on the road-actually traveling by air-and see what might change in your thoughts about luggage. Color is only a consideration for me because I like to see MY case on the carousel without having to read tags. But size, convenience of design, and robustness are really "guy" things-I don't want to look like a schlep at a meeting because my suitcase wound up wadding my clothes into a wrinkled bunch, and I don't want to have to buy new clothes because the suitcase broke and scattered my skivvies across the tarmac. And a case that doesn't hurt to move/carry is also a plus, so where the wheels are and how well they work are important too.

If you think airline baggage handlers are "undelicate" in handling luggage, you should see how an Air Force crew manages to "palletize" 300 suitcases for a flight on a C-130...especially when they're in a hurry. You'll think airline people are wearing kid gloves and packing your luggage in bubble wrap and cotton.

[turtle777]

If you have the money, I have heard good things about Briggs and Riley.

Personally, I have traveled well with Ricardo luggage.

My main travel bag is a Ricardo Hillcrest 44" wheeled garment bag.
Ricardo of Beverly Hills Hillcrest 44-inch Rolling Garment Bag Packinglight.com
Currently, you can get it for around $175.

It packs two or three suits, and I'm able to take it as a carry on on int'l flights from the US to Europe (fits in large plane overhead bins).

However, don't expect your clothes to be all wrinkle free, even in a good garment bag. It just ain't gonna happen.

-t

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by residentEvil 

why buy something nice that gets treated like **** by a bunch of people you don't know/can't see? carry-on is one thing, but checked? no way.

Because of what's inside, perhaps?
I sometimes put spare lenses in my luggage (I need to get a bigger camera bag) and some other things. Or coats, suits and stuff like that. They have to be kept safe. So I paid $50 extra to have a good metal frame in my suitcase and rugged ballistic Nylon instead of the cheaper stuff.

[osiris]

I've had an American Tourister for years - traveled the world 10x over with this battle ready hardshelled monster. Built in wheels, spacers, handles, place for shirts, and can hold a suit or two in place nicely.

I wouldn't buy anything too fancy - as already mentioned here, your case will be tossed around without any regard for anything. Also, expensive cases make you a target for theft by TSA and others that prey on travelers.

[residentEvil]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

Because of what's inside, perhaps?
I sometimes put spare lenses in my luggage (I need to get a bigger camera bag) and some other things. Or coats, suits and stuff like that. They have to be kept safe. So I paid $50 extra to have a good metal frame in my suitcase and rugged ballistic Nylon instead of the cheaper stuff.

you check camera gear? another bad idea.

again; never would i put anything of value in checked luggage. ever. theft and poor handling, no matter how expensive your suit case is, isn't going to stop it. so instead of having missing stuff and damage, you now have missing stuff and damage to something expensive.

[paul w]

I have this 28" hard samsonite that I use for short trips. Fits in the cabin, but if checked, it can take a beating (and believe me I've seen first hand how luggage is treated). So far none of my handcrafted artisinal bongs have been damaged.



Anything soft I like an over the shoulder bag - I like being able to carry my stuff easily and I'm in reasonably good shape.

[shifuimam]

I second the Ricardo recommendation. Good warranty, and you can find pretty good prices at Kohl's (especially if you have a Kohl's charge and use one of your coupons).

When I was younger, I only ever had the cheap multi-sets you can find at Wal-Mart, TJ Maxx, etc. I started traveling much more frequently in my last serious relationship - his family lived on the West Coast, and we went out there many times to visit in the two years we were together. My luggage barely lasted one trip, let alone two. As much as I hated spending $75 on a suitcase, it was well worth it. It's sustained lots of beatings without compromising the integrity of the luggage.

I wouldn't waste money on designer crap, but I've definitely learned my lesson and won't buy discount stuff anymore.

[freudling]

Hey, thanks for all these comments.

And to Paco500, anytime pal. Actually, by researching and wanting the best I am doing what a typical guy does before he buys something.

As others have mentioned, cheap luggage can spell trouble for your items. I have nice clothes, and I want them, and anything else I put in that suitcase to be secure. I had a Delsey 29" upright and it was a piece of junk. The material was not good, and the wheels broke on the first trip out. Plastic, plastic, plastic.

During my research, I have learned a lot about luggage. With the better stuff, you get:

-Longer handles, better for tall guys. Typically these have 2 stop points on the better stuff.
-Ballistic Nylon with high thread counts: stands up much better to abuse. The cheap stuff uses polyester.
-Stainless steel axles and packed ball bearings in the wheels, with inline wheels.
-Silky smooth insides, with foam crease points on the suiters (this reduces wrinkling substantially).

The Briggs and Riley, so far as I can tell, is the absolute best bang for the buck. These are high end suitcases and at half the price of Tumi luggage. And they have one of the best warranties in the business.

So why buy really good luggage if it is going to be thrown around? That's why you buy it, because it is going to hold up to abuse much better than the cheap stuff. And this is coming from someone who cares about what's inside his luggage. And like I said before, Briggs and Riley have outside handles, so the inside bottom is completely flat. This reduces wrinkling. Very smart. When you inspect the inside of the B&R cases, you will notice that the quality of the inside, the material, the sturdiness, is far beyond anything on other mainstream luggage models other than the Tumi.

And the suitcase expander? Forget the zipper. They have a one touch system. The luggage depth will expand 2.5" by pushing a few buttons, and it stays in that position - it's sturdy. All this stuff makes a huge difference when you are travelling and trying to preserve your clothes inside.

[waxcrash]

I've traveled throughout the U.S. and Europe for both work and fun. I've spent the last year backpacking throughout Europe. The best piece of luggage is that I own is a Victorinox wheeled carry-on that converts to a backpack in seconds. It fits in the overhead on a plane with no problems. You can also carry it on your back in seconds. I bought it from REI about 4 years ago.

victorinox backpack wheeled - Google Search

[freudling]

waxcrash:

Let me guess, you weren't carrying Armani suits? My needs revolve around business attire...

[waxcrash]

Originally Posted by freudling 

waxcrash:

Let me guess, you weren't carrying Armani suits? My needs revolve around business attire...

Suits are over rated. Armani please...save your money. You can pick up a decent black sport coat from Nordstrom for around $500 that folds nicely into your luggage. Pick up some pants from Banana Republic, combine that with the coat and you are set.

[Andy8]

Originally Posted by paul w 

I have this 28" hard samsonite that I use for short trips. Fits in the cabin, but if checked, it can take a beating (and believe me I've seen first hand how luggage is treated). So far none of my handcrafted artisinal bongs have been damaged.



Anything soft I like an over the shoulder bag - I like being able to carry my stuff easily and I'm in reasonably good shape.

Another vote for the small hard-side Samsonite!

My little carry on has visited 45 countries in the last 10 years, both checked and cabin stowed.

It has taken a beating and still works like new.

[cjrivera]

I have a set of the Victorinox Werks Travelers and they've put up with a lot of travel and lot of rough handling. Never had a problem with them.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by residentEvil 

you check camera gear? another bad idea.

Nah, not really, it's the 18-70 mm kit lens that I no longer use. I've put into the case of my 80-200, added some padding and checked it in. I would never ever do that with my `real' gear (I honestly no longer use it and I'd like to replace it) except perhaps a tripod. All of my other gear (with the exception of some chargers), I take with me in my carry-on luggage: my ProBook, my camera bag (which usually holds my passport as well), external harddrives (if I need them), my wallet with my other forms of id in my backpack/on me, etc.

Originally Posted by residentEvil 

again; never would i put anything of value in checked luggage. ever. theft and poor handling, no matter how expensive your suit case is, isn't going to stop it. so instead of having missing stuff and damage, you now have missing stuff and damage to something expensive.

The thing is: clothes are expensive as well. My father flew to an important business meeting and he wore just casual business clothes for the flight. Somehow his suitcase was at first `lost' and then rediscovered many hours later in the bomb shelter all banged up. His two suits were ruined (even though he had a high-quality leather travel bag made for suits).

[freudling]

Originally Posted by waxcrash 

Suits are over rated. Armani please...save your money. You can pick up a decent black sport coat from Nordstrom for around $500 that folds nicely into your luggage. Pick up some pants from Banana Republic, combine that with the coat and you are set.

Very American advice. I like my suits, thank you very much. And I don't do Banana Republic or Nordstroms. And we don't even have Nordstroms in my country.

I buy quality stuff, not fake stuff.

[freudling]

Originally Posted by cjrivera 

I have a set of the Victorinox Werks Travelers and they've put up with a lot of travel and lot of rough handling. Never had a problem with them.

Victorinox Werks! Nice!

[el chupacabra]

… .

[Dork.]

I'm currently looking for a good carry-on. I bought my current suitcase years ago, and while it was a carry-on when I bought it it is too large to be a carry-on now. My boss is threatening to send me on a few short trips next year, and I'd very much like to not have to check luggage. Most of the flights out of Rochester are the smaller regional jets, too, and the carry-ons which will fit overhead in the larger jets would need to be gate-checked in the smaller jets. I think I would be safe with a rolling suitcase in the 19" to 20" range, although I'm wondering if I would be better off with one of the smaller tote-style rolling bags I see all the flight attendants using.

This luggage will probably get used three or four times next year, but after that I will likely use it once or twice a year at most. I can't really justify paying much more than $100 for something that will only be used a handful of times, so I'm looking for value in addition to durability. Can I find it?

[nonhuman]

For everyone talking about how you should always buy the cheapest because it's just going to get destroyed anyway: look into manufacturer's warranties!

Briggs & Riley, in particular, has an amazing warranty program. Basically, you spend a whole hell of a lot of money on one of their suitcases and then never need to buy another one again. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Briggs_%26_Riley

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by el chupacabra 

Once I bought expensive extra durable luggage and the airline destroyed it on its first trip, absolutely wrecked it

Uugh. Maybe expensive didn't mean good quality ?

-t

[nonhuman]

Originally Posted by el chupacabra 

Once I bought expensive extra durable luggage and the airline destroyed it on its first trip, absolutely wrecked it and when I explained that it was new luggage supposedly durable they said "well it must have been defective..we arent responsible".

Had it been a Briggs & Riley, a) it probably wouldn't have been destroyed, but more importantly b) even if it had, regardless of whether it was due to manufacturing defects or airline incompetence, Briggs & Riley would have replaced it for free.

So, you could spend $400 on one expensive suitcase and never have to buy another for your entire life, or you could spend far more buying a bunch of cheaper suitcases over the course of the next however many decades.

[paul w]

I've had bad experiences with both Tumi and Victorinox. Both I got repaired, one for free. But who needs the hassle. My blue hard shell samsonite has been the most reliable. And it's many, many scuffs and scratches tell a tale of the abuse it has taken.

It lacks compartments and such, but I'm good at packing. Suits generally survive short trips in decent shape. And the nice shoes don't get squished or scuffed.

[freudling]

I agree with nonhuman about Briggs and Riley. To the poster that said his expensive luggage got destroyed the first time out, hard to believe. And what brand? You say expensive, do you mean $1000s of dollars, or $50 above cheap stuff like Delsey?

All of our bags are subject to the same treatment when we travel. It stands to reason that more expensive, durable bags will hold up to more abuse than cheaper stuff. I'll take my chances on more expensive stuff. And another thing, how are your clothes inside the case? Is the case sturdy? Is it lined? Does it have foam bumpers on the suiters? Etc.

Most all of the cheap stuff does not have any of this stuff inside. You get cheap polyester cloth with no underlying lining. The suiters don't have foam bumpers so your clothes will get more wrinkled, the suitcase material is usually polyester or cheap nylon. And the warranties are not as good as the better stuff.

nonhuman is right, Briggs and Riley will repair or replace your luggage even if it is the airline's fault.

I just picked up the Briggs and Riley 28" upright expandable (Baseline) and the Briggs and Riley Deluxe Garment Bag (Baseline). I have inspected them. The build quality. The material inside and out. The features. These things are exceptional, and far beyond everything in the North American market besides Tumi and Victorinox Tourbach stuff.

And I have the no hassle warranty. To me, this is money well spent. And they are half the price of Tumi or Victorinox Tourbach (27").

[freudling]

Here's a video, same color and style as what I got. I can't say enough about this luggage. I have yet to stress test it though, so I won't speak too soon, but the insides are so nice and the solidness is amazing.

YouTube - Features of Luggage, Business Cases by Briggs & Riley

[residentEvil]

hahaha, thanks! reported.