Endurable Luggage

thepoohguy

Mouseketeer
Joined
Aug 30, 2010
So last March we took our first cruise, and had our first cruise luggage catastrophe. Knowing what goes on with the luggage, and since Black Friday is coming up, is there a good brand or type of luggage that is better suited for what awaits the luggage on a ship?

Thanks!
 
I have duffle bags from LL Bean they ship for free and one of mine I have now for 11 years! Plus they coming in all sorts of pretty colors. We have mickey yellow and red.
 
Have never had a problem with our American Tourister luggage. And the baggage handlers aren't the only ones who rough house our bags (we are guilty of it as well!).
 
I have duffle bags from LL Bean they ship for free and one of mine I have now for 11 years! Plus they coming in all sorts of pretty colors. We have mickey yellow and red.

Second that...Love LL Bean duffle bags. They stand up to years of hard use.
 


I'm waiting for another sale on American Tourister ilite 21" spinner on ebags. My last one is awesome. We'll have them for the kids since I don't believe in getting cheap stuff for them.
 
I have a Samsonite rolling duffle that has gone through the ringer a few times and is holding up remarkably well. It hasn't been on a cruise yet but some of the airports it has seen have be been brutal. I also have a L.L. Bean backpack that has survived 4 years of college as well as camping trips. Good luck finding some deals on Black Friday. I keep forgetting that's this week.
 
I have basic American Tourister luggage that I got at Sears on BF two years ago. It has gone on a few military deployments, several airlines and two Disney cruises. One of the bags was slightly damaged on our last flight but not enough to stop using it or make a claim. It just has a weird bulge now because the interior plastic is bent.
 


Our travel agent has been on so many cruises (probably over 100 by now) and I asked her about luggage. She said she just buys the cheapest she can find at a discount store. That way she doesn't get upset if the baggage handlers are less than gentle(!) with it.

We've had bad luck with metal clasps that won't stay closed so we look for zippered closures only. And four wheelers are easier to haul around than two.

We've had hard siders crack, and soft siders get their frames bent out of shape. Will probably choose hard side next time, but it weighs more. :confused3
 
I think I need more coffee. I read the thread title quickly and thought it said, "edible luggage" :rotfl2:
 
We travel extensively - as in 6+ flights a year and one or two cruises a year - and have just given up on good luggage.

Over the years we've had top end stuff like Tumi and Delsey and we've had cheap stuff like Jeep from Walmart. None of them were up to the torture that baggage handlers are able to inflict. So now we just buy the cheap stuff and shrug when its time to toss one out.
 
I have duffle bags from LL Bean they ship for free and one of mine I have now for 11 years! Plus they coming in all sorts of pretty colors. We have mickey yellow and red.

We use these rolling duffles as well...I think we use the large size...the extra large size is too big and you will be charged extra baggage fees.

Another great thing about these are they have a LIFETIME guarantee. If they tear or rip or break LLBean will replace them for free.

They do need to redesign them so they stand upright without tipping over.

The Wenger corporate office is near us and they just had their warehouse sale this week...hubby picked me up a beautiful red Wenger Carry on bag for $59....regularly $119. Can't wait to use it for our next trip for the stuff we don't pack in the checked bag.

http://www.wengerna.com/sierre-21-inch-rolling-upright-12433

MJ
 
We have tried the cheap and mid range route and the gentle baggage handlers at MCO have destroyed all that passes through their good hands. We now have gone to a more expensive route and got Briggs and Riley due to the lifetime guarantee. Now we have no issues with luggage. We have purchase several Transcend 27 inch bags and are very happy.

http://www.briggs-riley.com/
 
I don't buy a particular brand but I try to buy light weight and make sure that the wheels don't stick out. The wheels have to be up inside the luggage. I don't know if that description makes sense but if you look at different wheels you'll know what I mean.
 
We tend to use the Heys brand luggage. We have also used samsonite in the past as well. We opt for the lightest hard luggage. We usually try to stay away from luggage that has large exposed wheels that may break off. Currently we are using these two bags in different sizes

Samsonite F'lite

Heys Britto
There are several heys less expensive than this but their luggage has held up for us so far.
 
Ebags XO Spinner. Light & a lifetime guarantee. We have two 24" ones for our family of four, as well as the TLS 21" carry on. Also have a set of LLBean non-rolling duffles (Sportsman collection I think, not available anymore), also love those as carry ons for their size (and the lifetime guarantee!).
 
Another vote for Briggs & Riley. We went through American Touristers, Dockers, cheapos from Target. The B&R have made it through 5 trips with no issues. If we do have an issue, they're guaranteed.

We have more than made up for what we spent on them, compared to the cheaper brands.
 
Tumi, period.
Their guarantee and repair service is top notch. We have been told by baggage handlers that Tumi is by far the best for the job.
 
I have had great luck with Samsonite, although my main piece rarely has to deal with baggage handlers. It only has to deal with me dragging it around, which may be a little worse on some occasions. I do also have a Samsonite suitcase for checking, it's a hard case on the back, soft on the front and has proven very resilient. My most enduring piece, however, is my sea bag. The US Navy issued it to me in 1987 and it's still going strong.
 
We have Samsonite, Victorinox, and Vera Bradley. The Samsonite and Victorinox go through TSA at least once a month, they have been on multiple cruises also, they are a little dirty but have held up nicely. My Vera Bradley I get a clear thick plastic cover that I put over it to keep it clean and prevent and tears in the fabric. The cover is cheap and saves my luggage!

I think that it all comes down to luck and personal preference! Before our Alaskan cruise with Disney last summer, my luggage went from Denver to Portland and somewhere between the two a huge hole developed in the bottom by the zipper. We ended up having to buy new luggage in Vancouver before our cruise because the duct tape fix wasn't holding that well. So good luck to everybody's luggage as it goes through the airports and cruise terminals luggage handling systems!
 

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