Your luggage?

[offwithyourhead]

New luggage is never worth the price IMO, even on sale. I don't like paying money for something someone is literally going to chuck on and off a plane.

I've purchased all of mine at yard sales. I prefer spinners over 2-wheelers, they make a ton of difference, but aside from that, I just get what's cheap and if (when!) it gets mangled or the zippers break, I won't be heartbroken. I also decorated my handles and luggage tag with a holographic ribbon to make it more visible (my last suitcase was navy, not exactly a stand-out!) and did the corners of my mom's hard-side spinner with zebra duct tape from the dollar store.

The only requirement I have for my secondhand luggage is that it's as light as possible so I can fit more stuff in it!

 

[Indiana Scott]

We travel light!
For a week at DLR we each have a carry-on size bag with a matching personal size bag: (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000QPD7QI/ref=twister_B004E0Z3PY? We each have a different color so it's easy to keep track of what is where._encoding=UTF8&psc=1). We each have a different color bag so it's easy to keep track of what is where.
Since it's always warm in S.Ca. that is enough space for us to pack sufficient clothing and even have space for any souvenirs we pick up.
On either DLR or WDW trips, we never check bags and that really speeds up the process.

 

[Laundress]

Walmart soft shell luggage
Spinners
Each their own suitcase
Packing cubes

 

[smartlabelprint]

Soft, cheap, 2 wheel

We have 2 babies and bring diapers. We try to keep 2 bags max for us total. One is really big (don't fill with heavy over weight limit stuff) and one would fit under the seat. But we always check bags. We have to drag car seats on plane. Thats enough!

 

[choirboy501]

Pelican cases.

J/K! I use them for work, but are too heavy and expensive for my pleasure travel.

Someone had mentioned stout name tags, I use a set of embroidered tags for both my checked and carry-on luggage (I once had to grab my from a lady who grabbed mine and started heading for the plane exit, I had to point to the tag).

You can get them made at most embroidery shops, especially those close to military bases. If you aren't close to one, their are online companies that can make them.

 

[StormyCA]

Stormy CA, we are also celiac but not that sensitive to cross-contamination, so we've never had a problem with finding gluten-free options in the parks. We just bring power bars, and pick up yogurt, fruit and juice to have in the room for breakfast.

I agree, Disney does a wonderful job on GF meals & I've never gotten glutened there. I do think they lack in the GF snack area though. It would be nice to have more options in fresh baked goods and sweet treats. I just like the convenience (and lower cost) of bringing my own snacks and sammie fixings.

 

[beachdreamr1229]

For Disneyland trips, we drive, so we don't worry about space. Each of us has our own suitcase. The kids have American Tourist rolling bags with Disney characters on them. My husband and I use our cheap rolling bags that we got from Walmart. All soft bags. No sharing.

When we fly for a trip, my husband and I usually share a larger bag, then my children have their smaller bags to themselves. Theirs work as carry-ons, so that helps. In the larger bag, we usually also pack a duffle bag that can fold up extremely compact in case we need more space for souvenirs when we return.

 

[hellotoyou]

We also LOVE packing cubes. It is so much nicer when you open your suitcase after TSA has jumbled everything up. Also much easier to just put the whole cube into a drawer, rather than packing and unpacking each item.

We bought yellow luggage straps from a online store with our names printed on them ... everyone can see us coming.

We use heavy duty luggage tags, but also have our name and cell phone number printed on an 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper, inserted into a sheet protector, and left inside our luggage at all times.

We have had cheap and expensive luggage ... expensive luggage never again. Our first experience with a relatively expensive new suitcase had its wheels, on one side, destroyed and United informed us that they did not cover wheels ... oh well. Our second experience was our daughters expensive Samsonite suitcase, which she had saved all of her babysitting money to buy, and the first time she flew with it they smashed it to pieces. They did reimburse her 75% for it.

However, it isn't only the airlines. While at the beginning of a cruise, we were watching them load luggage: one time a suitcase fell into the water, and on a different cruise we saw a suitcase smashed by the fork lift ... luckily, for us, neither had a yellow strap!

 

[VandVsmama]

We have some Rick Steves luggage that has held up really well...both the backpack kind and rolling suitcase kind. Very affordable (about $69-79 from the Rick Steves website about 5-6 yr ago when we bought them) and they've gone on many trips with us.

A few years ago, I sprung for some more expensive luggage and bought a Red Oxx bag. This one, in fact --> http://www.redoxx.com/Airline-Carry-on-Luggage/Air-Boss/91018/100/Product. I love this bag. It comes with a lifetime warranty. If for any reason it gets ripped, damaged, or whatever, they will fix it or replace it for free and it's made in the US in Montana. The shoulder strap does not slip off of your shoulder. I've travelled for a week overseas with everything in this. And when it has nothing in it, it weighs only about 3 pounds.

And it fits underneath an airline seat.

My other favorite piece of luggage (again, on the pricey side) is a duffel bag that has a shoulder strap, but you can also use it as a backpack piece of luggage, too. They don't carry it anymore and I got it on super duper clearance directly from the company when they were eliminating it from their inventory. I paid about $100 for something that normally would have been over twice that. It, too, weighs about 3 lb without anything in it. It, too, comes with a lifetime warranty. The bag is awesome. It's built like a tank, but doesn't weigh like one. I use this bag for all of our DL trips and it's my go-to piece of luggage.

 

[NannyBeBe]

We each carry a JanSport Big Student backpack and a personal bag. We pack lighter each time we go and are getting very good at it.

 

[ehrawn]

The kids (DD7, DS5) and I get one backpack each (me 20L, kids 15L). I use a strategy similar to this, rolling clothes into packing cubes:
http://www.artofmanliness.com/2015/01/21/how-to-travel-around-the-world-with-just-a-20lb-backpack/

There are things that make this easier to accomplish. First, we stay in places that have laundry (with family, vacation rentals, etc). Second, we don't pack just-in-case items like an umbrellas and accept that we might have to buy something upon arrival. Sometimes extra gear does make it on the gear list, in which case it gets hand carried. For example, I'm bringing a pelican case with camera lenses/gear.

I don't dictate how DW packs, but usually she has a small hard-sided carryon and a backpack and follows the same quality, minimal packing strategy.

 

[ptlycloudy]

We all LOVE packing cubes. It also makes sharing a suitcase easier since everyone has their own color cubes. So Things don't get mixed up. We even have black cubes where laundry goes so it stays separate from any clean items. If you watch for sales at ebags or amazon you can get a good deal.

 

[disneyfirsttimer18]

I have a cheap set, $40 for a 4 piece luggage set, I bought 12 years ago that still works like I bought it yesterday. It's soft sided. Has been thrown around in airports 3 times(we usually drive). One piece of the luggage has been in many, many, many more airports than I care to count(family and friends borrowing), I'm pretty sure it's indestructible.

 

[NannyBeBe]

A U.S. Navy sailor taught me how to roll my clothes. It is amazing what can be fit into a small bag that way. An even more amazing that the clothes do not wrinkle any more than if they are folded.

 

[AlohaNow]

We have two wheeled el-cheapo stuff that my brother gave me when he upgraded to some fancy L.L. Bean luggage. We have used it for years! We also have one of the extra-large two wheeled rolling duffles from L.L. Bean in a bright blue aloha print. No mistaking that piece of luggage when it drops onto the baggage carousel! (Actually, one time, another family did have the same exact bag!) That is soft sided, so only clothes and shoes go in it, but it is big enough for all four people’s worth. First thing that gets packed for any trip is a lightweight zip-top tote that can act as an extra carry on for the trip home for anything that we may ‘acquire’ on the trip.

I found a luggage scale for about $7.50 at Wal-Mart that I know has saved us on weight fees! And I love luggage tags and always want to buy more cute / funny ones, but realize that we only own so much luggage so I have to stop myself!

 

[Rubygoose]

We usually take one big, light weight checked bag and one carry on each, plus one back pack with activities and snacks on the plane. We always buy a lot of souvenirs, so we like to have empty space in one of the suit cases. Sometimes we put a carry on suitcase inside the checked bag - we pack all of our liquids into that one, and then there's a bit of space in the big suitcase where we can put in our spare change of footwear and our bathing suits.

We often do a split stay, and coming up in March we will be staying at 3 different locations, so I like to pack each suitcase by the segment of the trip, rather than per person. That way, we don't have to even open up one of the suitcases until our last stop. Last year we stayed at Hojo for 4 nights and GCH for 4 nights. When we got to Hojo, I emptied the clothes into the drawers and hung what needed to hang in the closet - that gave us an empty suitcase to put our laundry into. Then, when we got to GCH, we didn't even need to bother with the laundry suitcase, since it was stuffed up with dirty clothes, just waiting to go home. Sometimes, though, I like to sort the dirty clothes into two different suitcases - one for darks and one for lights, so that when we get home, I can just put the clothes directly from the suitcase into the washing machine.

Another suitcase tip that I have is to buy really ugly coloured suitcases! My mom gave me the most hideous brown suitcase for a gift, and I liked it because it's huge, but couldn't stand the colour. After using it once, though, I decided that it was my favourite because it was so easy to notice it when it came down the conveyor belt. And there is no way someone else can accidentally mistake it for their suitcase and pick it up. Sadly, the zipper broke on that one, after using it for several trips, so I replaced it with a new, chrome coloured suitcase, that isn't quite as ugly, but likely won't look like any other suitcase in the airport.

 

[tzeitel]

Soft sides, 2 wheels (inline wheels that do not stick out), depends on how long the trip is we share.

We (DH, DD and I) each have a 20" suitcase which we carry on and a personal item. Have done up to 10 days (land and cruise) with clean clothes left over. For a 5 day trip to MA last week we took 2 of them and it was more than enough for all 3 of us. Have been using the Rick Steves and eBags cubes for years and love them! I do have a ripstop duffle that we pack if we think we might buy stuff while on vacation.

 

[smartlabelprint]

We have two wheeled el-cheapo stuff that my brother gave me when he upgraded to some fancy L.L. Bean luggage. We have used it for years! We also have one of the extra-large two wheeled rolling duffles from L.L. Bean in a bright blue aloha print. No mistaking that piece of luggage when it drops onto the baggage carousel! (Actually, one time, another family did have the same exact bag!) That is soft sided, so only clothes and shoes go in it, but it is big enough for all four people’s worth. First thing that gets packed for any trip is a lightweight zip-top tote that can act as an extra carry on for the trip home for anything that we may ‘acquire’ on the trip.

I found a luggage scale for about $7.50 at Wal-Mart that I know has saved us on weight fees! And I love luggage tags and always want to buy more cute / funny ones, but realize that we only own so much luggage so I have to stop myself!

Sounds like my sisters llbean!

 

[SerenityValley]

The idea is that you can carry on your bag and not have to deal with luggage waits

DH and I are carry-on only as well mainly from the FIL and MIL who swear by Rick Steves. On some of our other trips, it has been challenging as we've had to either hand wash in the skin or take everything off to a laundry; however, overall, I would really recommend carry-on.

Both DH's carry-on and mine are from Kohl's. While I don't expect the luggage to last for decades, it has withstood the last several years of "rough" traveling.

 

[xlxo]

For checked luggage..... I reach for my Samsonite hard shell with 2 wheels, no zippers. I also put a few strips of colored tape to ensure no one takes it by mistake. Black luggage is hard to identify when it blends in with other cruisers black luggage.

For carry-on? It doesn't get the same abuse. I prefer hard shell to keep dry in the rain. But the cheaper soft sided for road trips which does not get much abuse.