Large rolling duffel instead of a pullman? Opinions?

[NotUrsula]

I'm in the market for a new piece of luggage for long trips, and I'm thinking about getting a large rolling duffel instead of a pullman this time. It seems to me that the long square tube shape might fit better in certain close quarter situations. Does anyone use one who can compare it to a traditional softside pullman? Is there an issue with it rocking off the wheels when being pulled, because it is narrow? I need a large piece that is easily maneuvered on public transport.

 

[GOOFY26]

I always use a large rolling duffel bag they are alot better than a suitcase. Just watch you can overpack them --the weight can be a problem if you fly. I have several rolling duffel bags and so does my family. Don't be afraid to try them I have some from Lands End and Samsonite like them both

 

[pepe of ohio]

We switched to these many years ago. We use Amtrak mostly and wanted something that would roll easily down the aisle of a train car but big enough to pack our stuff for 9-12 night trips. We each have a heavy canvas duffle with wheels on one end, about 48 inches long and as others have stated, you have to watch the weight, Amtrak allows 50 pounds and I can easily go over that. There is so much room, since the sides will buldge out, packing is easy, I use travel space bags, no vacuum needed and wife does the same. We each have a rolling duffle and a small carryon, that's it. They are a real chore to carry and you can throw the shoulder strap away but the wheels are a god send, just mark the end opposite the wheels so you know which end to grab and go. We'll never own anything but these from now on. They can take alot of abuse, tossing and stackingv and wear like iron, wheels are well protected, hard round and solid and have had no trouble anywhere, even pulling it thru the Ohio snow. We don't put valuables in them or a lock, you can cut it or just take the whole thing so we're not that thief protected and have no issue there either.

 

[princessjane]

I went on a 1 month Europe/Asia expedition with just 2 large rolling duffel bags. You can fit a lot of stuff in them!! I roll my clothes instead of folding them and they fit very neatly in the duffel that way...except when Customs decides to ransack your bag . I got a 3 piece rolling duffel set made of very sturdy rip resistant material from Overstock for less than $60. they survived 8 countries and 2 continents. Best money ever spent!

 

[disneylove69]

I have issues with a duffel. I see myself as a good packer but if you don't do it right they tend to fall over when they are standing.

 

[mareed]

We bought a couple several years ago and tried them a few times but hated them! We donated them to Goodwill to get rid of them.

 

[horseshowmom]

My husband and I went to Israel a couple of months ago and wanted our luggage to be fairly easy to handle (1 large bag each and 1 carry-on). He used our daughter's rolling duffel, and I have to say it was perfect. I really liked it much better than my own luggage. It held more, handled more easily, and seemed to travel better through baggage handlers.

 

[mrsstats]

We switched to duffel bags from hard sided luggage a few years ago. We find them much easier to handle and we can fill them. We have a hand scale to make sure we dont go over the weight limit.

 

[princessjane]

I have issues with a duffel. I see myself as a good packer but if you don't do it right they tend to fall over when they are standing.

Yes, you do have to balance them with the heavier stuff at the bottom which would be the end with the wheels.

 

[DVCBELLE]

I bought us new duffles for Christmas and when we tried to check them - the lady gave me a really hard time and said they were too big. Actually she said one was fine but the one with more in it was too big. She was crabby and a pain in the butt to deal with so I had to take some out of one duffle and cram it in the other one. Then she let me go -she told me duffles were not a good choice b/c they could go over the size limit easier than a suticase. On the way home - the guy never even measured it.

I think my suitcase is WAY bigger than the duffle but I have never measured it so I am not sure what her problem with the duffle was but I won't be packing it in the future - mostly b/c my home airport is small and odds are I will get the crabby girl again.

 

[NotUrsula]

Thanks so far, please keep those comments coming.

The train thing is a big part of why I'm thinking of this instead of a [softside] pullman for a checked bag. Mostly for commuter trains going to-from the airport; it seems like one of these might be easier to pull back toward you and take up less space when the train is crowded. It also might be easier in smaller rental-car trunks when we have the stroller with us, since it will go in cross-wise and not take up too much of the area near the bumper.

I'm thinking of trying a 30-inch. Most of these seem to have total dimensions of about 58-59 inches, so that gives me about 3 inches of slack for the airline limits. The 29" pullmans I looked at have a capacity of around 6500 cubic inches, but the 29" duffel has about 400 cubic inches more space. As I need to use it for business travel, I'm mostly looking at the kind that has the zippered bottom "box" compartment -- anyone have any comments on that? I know that they are a little bit heavier, but I'm not worried about that. I tend to stick to technical fabrics and one pair of packed shoes when travelling, so I almost never come close to the weight limit unless I have to carry paper for some reason. I also always carry a plain cloth duffel folded in my larger bag, for transfer in case I'm over-weight (as a second bag is cheaper than an overweight or oversized one.)

I have an old Samsonite UltraLite 24" pullman, the kind with the clip-on corner strap instead of a fixed handle. While the light weight is great, and it holds quite a lot for its size, keeping that thing on its wheels is a PITA. I also have a useful 27" pullman that has 4 wheels on the large side plus a built-in bungee; you can pull out a second piece of handle to convert it to a flat cart and put other bags on top. That one is WONDERFUL for family travel because of the pull-behind cart feature, but it's a bit awkward to handle if I am by myself, and it's too heavy empty for me to want to take it as my one and only bag.

Decisions, decisions ...

 

[frannn]

I have been using the luggage set I got at my bridal shower (over 10 years ago), a large duffel for DD6, and Disney Store luggage for DH for the past several trips. We used to take a second large duffel for odds and ends as well. Now that our preferred airline only allows 1 checked bag free, we want to use whatever baggage will give us the most space/weight available. I have found the duffels to be best, but ours are not wheeled and not very organized (even with the space bags I use). For this reason, I bought DH a wheeled duffel at BJs for 30 (or 40)? I found another at Costco yesterday, Ful brand, 30" (total 60"), with a separate level bottom compartment, and side/front pockets. It looks pretty good for the 40 I spent, and it looks exactly the same as the 30" ones that are sold at Sears and Target for 119.