duffel bag- good luggage?

[flying_babyb]

Anyone travel with duffel bags? Do they survive?

 

[pepe of ohio]

My wife and I switched to rolling duffle bags a few trips back. They are easier to roll, low and squat to the ground. Since they are soft sided, alot more can be packed into them. They take alot of abuse, aren't very expensive and roll fine. We use Amtrak and wheel them in the stations to make our connections with no trouble. Wife has hers and a carryon and I have the same. Had hard sided luggage before, pain to pack and top heavy to roll around.

 

[flying_babyb]

good to know, ever used one as checked luggage?

 

[ducklite]

I've checked a rolling duffel many times.

If you mean a duffel with a pull string top, I've checked on of those too, but you need to make sure the strings are well tucked in or they won't take it.

Anne

 

[flying_babyb]

its like this aabout the same size too. I was gonna take the carrying strap off and tie down the hand strap. just worried about wether or not the airline will give me grief.
http://www.amazon.com/Xara-Competit.../102-5658866-0008935?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods

 

[ducklite]

As long as you remove the long strap and tuck it inside, that will be fine.

Anne

 

[Mrs Grumpy]

We have a huge one that folds up really small that we took with us. On the way home we used it to put all our dirty clothes in and checked it. Didn't have any problems with the airline. We did take the long strap off and the the two handles it had one of those wrap things around it to keep them together. Made the trip just fine.

 

[robinb]

I love my rolling duffle bag. I can fit a lot of things in it including a booster seat for my DD and pool noodles.

 

[Tinkim]

All five of us have rolling duffle bags. I haven't had any problems with them yet. They are easier for the kids to pull I think because the suitcases seem to tip over with their overly enthusiastic pulling. I just got a black WDW rolling duffle on e-bay for myself. I paid $29.99 plus shipping. The original price tag was still on there . . . marked at $125 from Disney World. I love it and can't wait to use it in about 66 days but who's counting? So far the bags have made several airplane trips pretty much unscathed except there was a small hole in the outside pocket of my DS's bag but DH fixed that by putting a piece of duct tape inside the pocket. Gotta love duct tape.

 

[englishteacha]

I like duffle bags, too. They're easy to tote around if they have wheels, they aren't heavy when empty, they fold to store when not in use, and you can fit a LOT in them. The disadvantage I've found is that sometimes it's hard to find things in a full duffle bag. They aren't as easy to "live out of" as a suitcase in that regard.

 

[houseofmouse]

My Family debated over traditional luggage or duffles for a couple months, we decided on duffles and a nice garment bag (for fancy duds). So far we love it, especially for cruises. The duffles stack neatly when empty and we can usually fit 4 empty ones on the top shelf of the closet. They fit under the hotel beds nicely too. No tripping over bags in the middle of the night on the way to the bathroom.... Great for storing at home under our guest beds too, no more bulky storage. After researching we decided on LL Bean Large Rolling Duffles (we each picked out our own bright color) the only drawback is they do not stand upright on thier side. They are lined with a waterproof fabric and they sell a 3 pack of gear bags that fit perfectly in the bags. The large is a good size and its easy to handle/manuvure and keep to the airline weight limit with it. (My aunt has the extra large and has to pay overweight fee when she fills it up). We are able to fit about 10 days of "regular" clothing (for our alaska trip we used a seperate one for our bulky jackets and sweaters, for our Caribbean Cruise everything fit into one bag no problem. I guess it depends on what kind of a packer you are (me heavy, my DH Light)Alas you clothing does require some ironing upon removal, but a better packer might be able to avoid this. Rolling clothes and such...... They hold up well just a few scuffs from overzealous baggage handlers.....Happy Shopping....and Happy Travels......