Luggage Recommendations

After our last trip, I've been noticing our luggage has seen better days even though they're not too old. One piece in particular really got banged up this time around. I was considering hard case luggage. Definitely want something that is light weight. I have one piece I think is too heavy even before I begin packing. Don't want to spend a fortune and would like to invest in something that will last.

Thanks everyone!

We have the Heys hard sided ones. My mom bought them on QVC. I took it to Europe and it lasted just fine, looks brand new still. It's not super heavy but it's not those really, really light ones either. It's these. My mom picked the leopard print, she was kind of a wild lady. I miss her a lot, and using some of her stuff makes me feel better.

I posted exact same thing in community area. Got no response but over past 2 weeks I've researched. First thing make sure measurement includes wheels and handles. I bought online from Macy's the hard side Skyway Nimbus 28 inch luggage. It was acruelly almost 2 inches oversized on most airlines. I saw 1 review stating that buried among the great reviews. Seems nobody charged but I am not chancing so I returned that today.

I've researched brands and hard vs soft. Like everything there are pros and cons to each. I'm the end I ordered from Macy's one I saw at store today the Revo City lights 25 inch. It's soft side has decent organization and weighs a little over 6 lbs. I liked the colors. Seems all brands have pros and cons. We aren't using until January but I know size is good.

Good luck

TravelPro Maxlite, hands down, is my recommendation. They seem to swallow things and maximize capacity in their size, don't weigh much, and hold up to lots of travel. I think mine's seen two dozen flights, checked, and looks brand new (aside from a bit of dirt).

Some of the older High Sierra designs are also quite good, but lower capacity in any given size. Still, I'm good at packing so I like that they're slightly smaller and more maneuverable.

Oh, and if you want the ultimate in hard sided, get Pelican.

We love our eBags Brand EXO 2.0 Hardside: http://www.ebags.com/search/b/ebags/bc/exo-20-hardside.

Our household has four of the EXO 2.0 Hardside 24" Spinner, and two of the EXO 2.0 Hardside Spinner Int'l Carry-on Mobile Office (which on a recent flight on a smaller plane with VERY small overhead bins I discovered actually fit under the seat in front of me ).

They are lightweight, made of polycarbonate and thus can take quite a beating -- our so far have no visible damage to them despite multiple flights with multiple legs. I find they move really well over almost all surfaces (thick pile carpet they will go over, but you have to apply some downward pressure on the handle as you roll the bag -- a bit of experimenting and you will find the right amount and once you get the hang of it it will move well over thick carpet too). I have gone over thick carpet, thin carpet, tile, other flat surfaces like roads and concrete, cobblestone, brick, and some other surfaces.

I have found the 24" to be a really nice size: eBags designed it the size they did to make it very hard to exceed the 50 lb limits. I have found this to be the case -- fully packed ours is usually in the 25-30 lb range; once I got it up to 37 lb when i had to put textbooks in it. The bag empty is quite lightweight. Finally, I absolutely love love love the 4 wheel spinners and to be honest it will be a very long day before I would go back to older style luggage with just two wheels Oh ! And the integrated TSA-friendly lock is appreciated - I have lost track of how many TSA padlocks I have had "lost" or damaged and replacing them gets old and expensive.

The final tidbit is that eBags has a great warranty for their brand items: lifetime warranty, exchange or return (they call it "whatever it takes").

I am a big fan of the eBags brand and have a bunch of other items from them: purses, packing cubes, bags.

Hope this helps.

SW

Starwind said:

I have found the 24" to be a really nice size: eBags designed it the size they did to make it very hard to exceed the 50 lb limits. I have found this to be the case -- fully packed ours is usually in the 25-30 lb range; once I got it up to 37 lb when i had to put textbooks in it. The bag empty is quite lightweight. Finally, I absolutely love love love the 4 wheel spinners and to be honest it will be a very long day before I would go back to older style luggage with just two wheels Oh ! And the integrated TSA-friendly lock is appreciated - I have lost track of how many TSA padlocks I have had "lost" or damaged and replacing them gets old and expensive.

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24" is actually the standard size checked bag, and dimensionally I can't think of a single luggage company that doesn't make them in that size, eBags didn't invent it, and it is easy to go over a 50 lb weight limit in it - the 70 lb in first class is tougher, but I've hit that too. It's just a matter of knowing how to pack densely, but I've hit 60 lbs in a 20" international carry-on, and a briefcase that fits under the seat in front of me over 40 lbs.

A better investment than luggage that may limit you though is a luggage scale, especially because weight requirements bounce up an down - I've had to meet one where my carry-on and checked had a combined weight limit of 40 lbs.

Buying 26+" luggage and expecting them to fit on the plane fully loaded is pretty folly, those are really for car trips where weight isn't an issue. They also tend to get eaten by baggage machines no matter who makes them or how well, it's simply a matter of their size and capacity.

One other consideration, is that after seeing how they go into the C-bin of a 737, I discarded all of my hard sided luggage except for Pelicans (which are a bit specialized) and finally understood why hard sided suffer the most damage getting checked, and even the baggage handlers and the baggage claim agents agree.

A few years ago I bought eBags mother lode and love them, they pack so well and sturdy. But, then with Allegiant weight limit I decided to invest in one lite weight hard wider. I got it at SAMs club. It's been on three cruises and four Disney trips. It may get scratched, but held up perfect. I use Ebacg packing cubes to keep organized too. They are always on sale.

I did find a disney Donald duck Heys bag, a 26" on the Internet for $89. Love my Donald.

My last trip the family took the hardliners, there was limited packing room in the car so I had to change from my eBay to a 22" duffle. I can't believe I actually got everything I need in there.

We had purchased 4 hard sided spinners from Heyes. Great Disney patterns - so awesome! 3 out of 4 the wheels cracked off after only 1-3 flights!! Sadly, I would not purchase any hard sided Heyes spinners again.