DVC Owners - what Luggage brand is best?

[twinklebug]

OK folk - going to sound silly, but I need your expertise on luggage. I'm onto my 3rd set of luggage in 8 years: They all experienced death by one or more of: wheels snapping off, handle bars bent by 200# ghost footprint, corner reinforcements cracking, and even innards eviscerated and stuffed back in through a pocket (this was an ugly discovery upon opening).

I've tried Disney brand off their website, American Tourister and Samsonite. Of these, believe it or not, the cheap Disney brand held up the longest: a whopping 5 years and 9 trips.

If you've found a brand that will hold up to the abuse of airline banging, crushing, stepping on, and mauling of your luggage please speak up! Ready to just order through LLBean with their lifetime satisfaction guarantee and let the stompings resume.

 

[hbsprite]

OK folk - going to sound silly, but I need your expertise on luggage. I'm onto my 3rd set of luggage in 8 years: They all experienced death by one or more of: wheels snapping off, handle bars bent by 200# ghost footprint, corner reinforcements cracking, and even innards eviscerated and stuffed back in through a pocket (this was an ugly discovery upon opening).

I've tried Disney brand off their website, American Tourister and Samsonite. Of these, believe it or not, the cheap Disney brand held up the longest: a whopping 5 years and 9 trips.

If you've found a brand that will hold up to the abuse of airline banging, crushing, stepping on, and mauling of your luggage please speak up! Ready to just order through LLBean with their lifetime satisfaction guarantee and let the stompings resume.

Surprisingly, I have found the Kirkland Signature (Costco) branded luggage to hold up the best. We have 3 Kirkland Signature rolling suitcases and they have held up better than both Samsonite and Travelpro suitcases that were purchased more recently. Despite being a generic brand, they aren't cheap. The smaller carry-on sized rolling suitcase is around $100 and the larger rolling one around $125

The only downside to them is that they are fairly heavy, which I attribute to a higher build quality. For example, the 26 inch rolling bag weighs about 12 pounds empty, which cuts down on the amount of stuff you can pack if you are trying to keep your bag under the 40 lb. limit.

 

[DVCconvert]

I've got luggage from LL Bean which I think dates back to the '30's!

 

[Chuck S]

I just buy cheap stuff. If you fly, the airlines can ruin expensive luggage just as easily as cheap luggage.

 

[LauraLea]

I just buy cheap stuff. If you fly, the airlines can ruin expensive luggage just as easily as cheap luggage.

I agree.

Laura

 

[bwvBound]

We are currently on 5.11 "Rush 72" backpacks purchased earlier this year. They are now on their 4th trip with no signs of wear.

Our previous bags were REI Wheely Beasts. We *loved* those bags ... but mine started to tear at the corners after 8 years of really hard travel (Antarctica, Australia, South America, multiple trips to Europe, lots of air travel and cruise handlers). My husband's Wheely Beast is still going strong.

 

[BrianM]

OK folk - going to sound silly, but I need your expertise on luggage. I'm onto my 3rd set of luggage in 8 years: They all experienced death by one or more of: wheels snapping off, handle bars bent by 200# ghost footprint, corner reinforcements cracking, and even innards eviscerated and stuffed back in through a pocket (this was an ugly discovery upon opening).

I've tried Disney brand off their website, American Tourister and Samsonite. Of these, believe it or not, the cheap Disney brand held up the longest: a whopping 5 years and 9 trips.

If you've found a brand that will hold up to the abuse of airline banging, crushing, stepping on, and mauling of your luggage please speak up! Ready to just order through LLBean with their lifetime satisfaction guarantee and let the stompings resume.

We have Eagle Creek. It's very good and if you purchase at REI, their return policy is excellent. If at any time your not satisfied, they will take the return.

 

[Brian Noble]

I have three different lines.

I use TravelPro for my business travel. I see about 35K air miles a year. It holds up relatively well---zipper pulls snap off quickly, but otherwise my prior bag lasted a good 10 years or so before I finally replaced it. I'm on my second 22" roll aboard. Nice bag. Not cheap.

For family travel, we've got Delsey Helium 26" bags. These are much less expensive than the TravelPro bags, and somewhat less sturdy. But, they are a very good value. They were Consumer Reports Best Buys when we bought them. I wouldn't use Delsey for business travel (too strenuous) but for 1-2 trips/year, probably okay.

For international travel, when I can't reliably "roll" a bag, I have a North Face Gallileo internal-frame backpack+day pack combo. I can pack a week's worth of stuff in it, easily, and it is extremely comfortable to wear even fully loaded---I ran through the 6th arrondissement in Paris to catch a connection to the TGV that I almost, but did not quite, miss wearing it, and it was great. But, you are your own sherpa, so you have to be ready to rock.

Edited to add: if I were adding to my luggage collection, I'd probably go back to Consumer Reports to see if they've updated their rankings.

 

[Mousewerks]

I swear by Eagle Creek. Have had my SwitchBack Max 22 for nigh on 10 years with many many travels on it. I have their duffle for when I want to check something and it has held up with nary a stitch out of place.

 

[kikiq]

Our carry on rolling bags are 20 inch Travel Pro, going on 10 years. We bought 24 inch and 26 inch bags at the same time. They are still in decent condition although one has a broken zipper that got snagged on a long trip home from the Orient with 2 stops and 2 plane changes. Expensive yes, but we haven't had to replace any luggage for 10 years.

 

[lilpooh108]

The Disney luggage sold by Disney is actually manufactured by Heys, which is a pretty good company that makes spinning wheel hard shell cases. I love my luggage from Heys!

http://shop.heys.ca/SearchResults.asp?Cat=36

 

[CruznLexi]

My Mom bought me an LL Bean rolling duffle in 2000 for Christmas and still looks great. It had one small tear but we patched it. It has been on numerous cruises, many flights to Croatia. Still looks great. Plus if you cruise they have priority as unless they have a lot of them they can't stack them. So they get off loaded first.

 

[MouseMomx2]

We have 3 sets of Carribean Joe luggage and love it. It is the Malibu line of spinner luggage. It has held up very well and was relatively inexpensive ($135 for 3 pieces).

 

[Castillo Mom]

Look for luggage made of ballistic nylon, it holds up a little better. Kirkland Signature luggage from Costco is also excellent.

 

[Dizny Dad]

I just buy cheap stuff. If you fly, the airlines can ruin expensive luggage just as easily as cheap luggage.

I have had the opportunity of traveling all over the world. I agree with Chuck, except to add that it isn't just airlines that handle your luggage with no regard; taxis, shuttles, cruise lines, you name it, are all in a hurry to "process the load".

Whenever I see matched sets of luggage while travelling, I know the owners are megga rich or have not travelled much.

I buy whatever is on sale, they never match, and I never fall in love with them (disappointment on a trip can be consuming!).

The best options include cloth, not vinyl, piping around the edges, and wheels that are encapsulated in the bag, nor pushed on axles from the corners.

Remember, the airlines squeeze the "you know what" out of your bag to "get it all in", so pack accordingly!

 

[Kez250]

currently using Oakley bags, used to have Tumi (expensive) and the Oakleys have held up better than the Tumis did. had them about 3 years now, numerous flights later and they're still doing well,there is a slight issue with the fabric pulls attached to the zippers but the amount of time they've been used it's understandable and easily replaced

 

[jlewisinsyr]

We have Briggs and Riley, guaranteed for life, no matter what causes the damage.

 

[b-1]

briggs and riley here too. light and sturdy. worth every penny.

 

[Anal Annie]

We currently have a mish mash of various brands of stuff. We have a 30" Travel Pro duffle, a 28" Skyway duffle and several Ricardo suitcases (which we've used for YEARS & YEARS with no real visible wear other than scuffs). Also have a Samsonite suitcase that's held up for YEARS too. But lately have been using duffles more. They're lighter and seem to hold more which is important now with all the bag fees one has to deal with. Most of these bags have survived multiple trips to FL, cruises, several trips to Hawaii and now I can add to Europe & back.

(If you live near a TJ Maxx they usually have THE BEST prices!!)

 

[Dean]

We use Delsey but not the spinner type, I have pieces from 3 different series. Light, durable, better warranty than most and tend to be more functional internally than most. Given where I meet up with my spouse from time to time, I have the opportunity to browse TJ Maxx about once a week and I almost always start with the Luggage and don't get anywhere else in the store. I also bought 2 additional pieces this summer, one Delsey and one Samsonite (also owns AT now I believe). I also like the looks of the High Sierra Rolling Duffles but they don't fit our packing style as well.

My vote would be Delsey and from somewhere like TJ Maxx or Marshall's where you'll likely get out about 30-40% or more below the sales prices at Sears, Penney's, etc. You might not find complete sets at one time though. I agree with the sentiment above that it doesn't make sense to spend a lot on luggage but I do feel that one also needs to get decent quality in addition to a great price.