luggage advice

[memobrien]

So our trip is approaching in Jan and I had a sudden realization.... i have no luggage for the trip. I have small weekend bags and a MASSIVE one that is just too much for me to move when it's packed. But nothing for a week long trip. I realized that this is because I haven't gone on a real vacation for 10 years.

Since then my traveling style has changed, most importantly because I now have a 5 year old. Anyway, I think there are at least some of you out there who travel much more often. I'm hoping you have some good advice.

What's your favorite bags? Anyone use rolling duffels? What I'm looking for needs to be rolling, easy to wheel and manuver. I need to pack for me and my DD (5). So multiple bags would be good. Also what do you use for carryons? I'm planning on making traveling a much more frequent habit. So I don't mind spending a little on this...but I also LOVE a bargain!

Any thoughts on what to get and where to get it? I was looking at some of the rolling ones on ebags. Anyone have any experience with those?

Maura

 

[LowesChevy]

If you are looking for a good deal now-I would find the nearest Macy's. They are having some pretty darn good sales or any department store for that matter. I saw some matching rolling sets for reasonable prices. Good luck.

Since I have had the opportunity to travel with little ones recently and travel frequently throughout the year, I can give you some suggestions. It is much easier to carry on one bag-so leave room in your carry on for your purse. It also makes it so you do not need to put on the screening separately. Also if you need to carry something for your kids because you do not have some many items to grab. I would have a small backpack for your kids to put activity books or anything they want to play with on the plane.

I always carry a backpack-it keeps my hands free to grab my coat, shoes, and hold onto my ticket and license. We have older rolling Samsonites, they have withstood many trips over the past 7 years and are still in great shape. We really would like the new pivot wheel luggage that turns on a dime-I would look for these because the older bags really only move straight. We have regular standing suitcases, the clothes do not wrinkle too bad.

We fly direct fron Cleveland to Orlando, but I always have a spare pair of undies, shirt, shorts, socks in my carry on because you never know. So if you arrive with no luggage, you can at least change you clothes or having something else to sleep in. Its always good to have an extra outfit for the little ones as well.

The three of us adults usually use three checked bags, sometimes four. We need lots of stuff I guess-extra shirts, socks, and shoes are important. We do laundry while on vacation-to keep up with the dirties. We go to Florida and Arizona in the heat and need to clean up for dinner, so extra ts or tanks are needed.

My dad uses the cross pack method. Three bags, three people, spread all the clothes thorughtout the bags. So if you do not get your luggage for some reason-you have some clothes to wear for the next day or so. Carry on you swim suit if you will be using the pool the first day. Shoes and bathroom bags are tougher-these usually end up in one bag, so clothes do not get ruined if they leak. This is usually the bag the airlines misplace in our case, but there is nothing you can do, except carry necessity medications or contacts and glasses in the carry on. Make sure your liquids are in the quart size bag TSA recommends.

Well I hope this information helps you. I kinda rambled on, but we travel 3-4 times a year via plane, so we have some good tricks. Good luck and have fun

 

[mom2taylorandemily]

Last year in Oct. Target put a luggage set on sale that had about 8 different bags in it. We wound up using the large, next and the next smaller one (we purchased an additional one this size and both DDs used these). Then we had a bag that carried toiletries and meds. The largest one carried mine and DHs clothes, and the next size carried everyones pillows. We shipped a box down earlier with food and snacks and we used that to ship home souviniers. The bags we bought all had pull out handles and wheels. The ones we got for the kids, they were able to pull along, and we used ME so all we had to do was get it to the airport and ME took care of the rest.

 

[Megan07]

I'd go to your nearest Kohl's department store. I just got a 6 piece luggage set on sale for $47.99, original price was $159.99. There were many sets to choose from.

 

[Jedi Master Gonzo]

My whole family of 6 uses rolling duffles. I have one. Wife has one. Oldest has one. Middle has one and the two youngest share one. They are all the same size(extremely large, My 4 year old could sleep in one comfortably.) and easily manuevered. We got them at a Samsonite Outlet store for $99 each.

I can't comment on carry ons as we road trips and seldom fly.

 

[ducklite]

Because it sounds like you really won't be using it all that much, I'd look at the Jaguar brand luggage the JC Penney's carries, I think it's on sale 50% off right now. We had a full set of that in the past, and it held up very well for infrequent travel. We've still got one of the pullman's, and the garment bag which is really roomy, and this is probably 15+ years later.

We've got one rolling duffel, DS uses it, I don't really care for it because I feel like things get jumbled and wrinkled in it.

Look for the wheels that are like inline skate wheels that roll smoothly.

Most of all, see how heavy it is. Most airlines now restrict you to 50 pounds, and if it's more than a few pounds to begin with, you'll probably end up overweight.

 

[goodferry]

I was just going to say that. We have this huge bag that we love, great wheels on it, easy to manuever. However, it's overweight when it's more than half full, so it's a pain. I would also check out Ebay, you can find some deals there also.

 

[MisunderstoodLilo]

I registered for my luggage when I got married (four years ago). It's from Target. It's a five piece set that was about $100.00. I have one large bag, one rolling duffle, one small duffle, one carry on size bag and a messanger bag. It's not American Tourister, but it does the job!

Definatley look for something with great wheels. And if you don't mind what it looks like...get something w/ a fun color or pattern so you can spot it easily on the luggage carrosel.

 

[Disney Doll]

I am on my 3rd set of luggage in my adult life.

My next set will be a duffle set, probably from LLBean, because I like their quality. It may be more expensive that some others that you will find, but they stand behind their merchandise.

Look for quality fabric and stitching. Look for something that is not too heavy when it is empty. That is the mistake we made with our current luggage....it is very sturdy, but also heavy empty which limits what you can pack in it. The lighter the actual luggage, the more you can put in.

If you don't mind, get a stand out kind of color so you can spot it coming off the luggage carousel.

Our current luggage is a mossy green color, so it's pretty easy to spot. I also put a copper colored metallic luggage tag on it, which also adds to its "spotability".

 

[PGHDisneyfan]

So our trip is approaching in Jan and I had a sudden realization.... i have no luggage for the trip. I have small weekend bags and a MASSIVE one that is just too much for me to move when it's packed. But nothing for a week long trip. I realized that this is because I haven't gone on a real vacation for 10 years.

Since then my traveling style has changed, most importantly because I now have a 5 year old. Anyway, I think there are at least some of you out there who travel much more often. I'm hoping you have some good advice.

What's your favorite bags? Anyone use rolling duffels? What I'm looking for needs to be rolling, easy to wheel and manuver. I need to pack for me and my DD (5). So multiple bags would be good. Also what do you use for carryons? I'm planning on making traveling a much more frequent habit. So I don't mind spending a little on this...but I also LOVE a bargain!

Any thoughts on what to get and where to get it? I was looking at some of the rolling ones on ebags. Anyone have any experience with those?

Maura

Maura,

Im a bit of an authority on luggage since I was a district sales manager for Samsonite for several years. Heres my free advice- for a check bag spend as much as you feel comfortable parting with. Look for ballistic nylon fabric, honeycomb style frame, in-line skate wheels and double rivited outside handles, # 8-10 sippers also.

As a bit of a road warrior I dont like rolling duffles since you cant put breakables in them like cologne/ perfume bottles, hair dryers and curling irons for ladys and things like that. Your bag will get thrown and kicked and stuffed like a bean bag , its just what happens, no one knows better than I do. Besides rolling duffles usally are made of 600 poly, or duck fabric that wont hold up in the long run. On they up side they are big and cheap.

So, the $64k question whats the best deals out there?? Well not at Target, Walmart, or any other bargan store . Want a deal on a good piece stick to the department store sales. What brand and lines???? Pound for pound Samsonites best bargain bag was Tribute by American Tourister ( same company) a few other good lines- Delsey, Travelpro( a bit pricey but good) and Pathfinder by Paragon. Hope this helps a little drop me a line if you have any other questions.

Brent

 

[Taja]

Love my TravelPro bags! Bought them at Marshall's when visiting California two years ago. They're holding up beautifully! Finally sold/gave away my older bags, which were too heavy when packed.

I would suggest one medium (24" or 25" maximum) and one smaller (20" or 22") wheeled bags for the two of you. As a PP noted, cross packing your bags is a good idea, in case one gets lost in the shuffle. They usually turn up within a day or two--frequently a few hours--but it can be temporarily inconvenient.

I also would use a small wheeled duffel or similar for a carry-on bag. I have one that is 18" long and can fit my laptop, 2 sets of underwear and a serious day's worth of clothing in it (two or more if I don't mind a few wrinkles), plus the 1 quart bag of lotions and potions. I've even been known to squeeze (love those packing bags!) my reversible fleece/water repellent stadium jacket in it! I also use a shopper's tote (small backpack probably would be better for you) that contains my purse, reading materials, snacks, etc., for the flight. The duffel fits overhead and the tote under the seat in front of me. For your DD, a small backpack if she will carry it, or a small child's rolling bag (you might want to avoid the ones with stuff adhered to them--everything seems to fall off fairly quickly).

Don't worry about everything matching--sometimes my cases match, sometimes they don't! It just depends on what I need for a specific trip!

Invest in the sturdiest, lightest wheeled cases you can afford for your checked bags. You can skimp a bit on the carry-ons, as you'll be the one handling them. Just be sure the wheels work properly, the handles are sturdy and they meet the airline's requirements for size.

 

[marivaid]

Because of the restrictions on luggage weight, we use only duffle bags now, they're lighter than suitcases. The maximum weight allowed without a fee is 50lbs which really isn't that much especially if you intend to bring any large bottles of shampoo, shower gel etc..
My favorite luggage brand is Kipling and I bought the largest rolling duffle I could find there, 30" Grand Canyon. It was packed full of stuff when we came back home from Disney yesterday and weighed 49.8lbs.

We also bring 2 folding bags for all of our shopping. $7 at Walmart, they fold into a small rectangle and saved our lives more times than I could count.

Whatever you choose, avoid light colors. I wanted a pink suitcase for years, finally got one a couple years ago and it got ruined on the first trip.

 

[only1alexa]

You've received tons of great advice here so I'll only add this: Ebags. I checked out luggage at Target and such, then went to department stores, then took what I needed and wanted and found it on Ebags for less. Though there are alot of good sales going on now in the department stores so check it all out before you buy. Good luck!

 

[safetymom]

moving to Disney tips board

 

[memobrien]

Maura,

Im a bit of an authority on luggage since I was a district sales manager for Samsonite for several years. Heres my free advice- for a check bag spend as much as you feel comfortable parting with. Look for ballistic nylon fabric, honeycomb style frame, in-line skate wheels and double rivited outside handles, # 8-10 sippers also.

As a bit of a road warrior I dont like rolling duffles since you cant put breakables in them like cologne/ perfume bottles, hair dryers and curling irons for ladys and things like that. Your bag will get thrown and kicked and stuffed like a bean bag , its just what happens, no one knows better than I do. Besides rolling duffles usally are made of 600 poly, or duck fabric that wont hold up in the long run. On they up side they are big and cheap.

So, the $64k question whats the best deals out there?? Well not at Target, Walmart, or any other bargan store . Want a deal on a good piece stick to the department store sales. What brand and lines???? Pound for pound Samsonites best bargain bag was Tribute by American Tourister ( same company) a few other good lines- Delsey, Travelpro( a bit pricey but good) and Pathfinder by Paragon. Hope this helps a little drop me a line if you have any other questions.

THANK YOU! this is exactly what i was looking for. I had been going back and forth on the idea of a duffle. so you make some great points about packing it. Thanks for the ideas of what to look for. When I was younger I had American tourister and it was great. We use to have a factory outlet right my where i grew up. I'll have to look at the travelpro, delsey and pathfinder.

You've received tons of great advice here so I'll only add this: Ebags. I checked out luggage at Target and such, then went to department stores, then took what I needed and wanted and found it on Ebags for less. Though there are alot of good sales going on now in the department stores so check it all out before you buy. Good luck!

Thank you. Good tips as well. I don't mind spending some money on something good. I plan on it getting a lot of use. I use to travel a lot, but the last few years that stop for a variety of reasons. But now I want to get on the road more and make a point of really getting away. So investing in some good luggage would be a good idea. That being said....I love a bargain. I wasn't sure if ebags was that good of a deal.

I also need to get something to bring in the parks with me. I don't want a big bag. but i'll need something for my cell phone, room key, sunglasses and those little extras. I'm determined to not carry my usual HUGE suitcase of a purse.

you've all had great tips! thanks!!!

one more thing....any ideas on size? what would qualify for a med size bag. i'm just having a had time picturing the bags. i think i need to order online as i don't think i'll have a chance to get to some stores.

we'll see if i can get my DD to cooperate with shopping for it tomorrow.

maura

 

[A&CsMom]

FYI, earlier this year I bought our family a set of Delsey luggage at our local CAA outlet (like your AAA). Half price for a 4 piece set that all have wheels except for the smallest piece, and they nest for storage. They have worked well for us.

 

[PGHDisneyfan]

Maura,

I should add duffles are great for carryons since no one but you handles them and if you but things like an extra change of clothes in them they can be stuffed and squished into an over head or under a seat.

Ebags is the biggest online luggage dealer but I would be suprised if their price was any lower than a department stores sale price only because all dealers must stick to MAP or minimum advertised pricing in the luggage industry. At the least I would check things out in a department store so you can get your touchy, feely jollys

 

[kimis]

We went to walmart and bought four of the biggest suitcases allowed by the airlines. I only two of them with clothes and use the other two for souveingers (spelled totally wrong!). It works for us. Good luck.

 

[_queenie_]

I really like the brown travel pro rolling suitcases, the teal ones are nice, too. You can buy them right at Macys. The thing I like about them is the material it's tightly woven and resists stains, the color also helps. I had a set of bright blue delsey bags, avoid those. The fabric gets stained very quickly, the frame is also kind of cheap, one has a huge dent in the side. TJ Maxx is suprisingly a good place for luggage. They have brand names about half off, the only drawback is that you might end up with a mismatched set.

 

[ZoZo]

I would stay away from anything to cheap - the quality probably won't be great. I found some great luggage deals at stores like TJ Maxx, Ross, Marshalls - they carry name-brand luggage (Samsonite, etc.) for great prices. Good luck!