luggage for WDW and beyond

[Meshell2002]

My 15 year old 22ish inch Samsonite rolling suitcase finally died. It took me through college and my first decade of marriage.

Anyone who has bought luggage recently have any favorites?

I mostly travel by car BUT I want a carry on size in case I need to fly to see my parents out of state and I don't want to have to buy another suitcase for that. Also require a rolling or spinner suitcase that isn't $500.....but want one that will last a while....under 180 is good. Our WDW trip is in Oct so I need it soon. Anyone buy something recently they like?

I'm looking at the ebags TLS mother lode 21 inch wheeled duffle or another Samsonite carry on. I travel about 4 times a year.

I like to buy once buy right....if you get me....and of course on budget

 

[Honeybee83]

Big lots and Walmart will have ok suitcases for pretty cheap. Also, discount stores like Ross, TJ MAXX, Marshalls, and Tuesday Morning all carry luggage as well. Try pricing them out and if you fall in love with one go for it!

 

[distherapy]

I, too, like TJ Maxx and Marshalls for bags, but ebags.com has some good prices!

 

[Pooh2]

We each got a beans carryall duffel. Have not brought it on a plane yet but the description says it is within the guidelines for most airlines for carryon. We got our last names monogrammed on each bag, the monogram is pretty small so we can quickly identify our bags but it's not too obvious.

 

[aubriee]

I have a tendency to collect bags (always looking for that perfect bag). My favorite is my hardsided 21" Heys Exotic spinner. For some reason it holds more than any of my other 21" or 22" bags and is so light and easy to maneuver. I have had it for several years and it still looks new. I picked it and a matching 25" bag at Marshalls for like $79.00 and $89.00 respectively. Here's the bags I'm talking about. They had the largest bag too, but it was too big:http://www.overstock.com/Luggage-Ba...side-Spinner-Luggage-Set/3444035/product.html

About a year ago I picked up a set of the Kipling Teagan duffels and matching sherpa tote at the outlet in Orlando that I also like. The 22" might be hard to fit in the overhead if you overfill it though. I just make sure it's not too full. It's expensive online, but the prices weren't bad at the outlet. Here they are:
http://www.amazon.com/Kipling-Lugga...qid=1377166799&sr=8-2&keywords=kipling+teagan
http://www.amazon.com/Kipling-Sherpa-Luggage-Tote-Vibrant/dp/B00B4NM4S8

Another set that I have and love are the Vera Bradley 22" spinner with the matching Weekender that I use for under the seat. The only problem is the 22" spinner doesn't really hold as much as my other 22" bags for some reason. It just seems alot smaller, but I love it if I'm not carrying that much. This past May we had a washer and dryer in the condo we stayed in and I got like six pairs of shorts and tshirts, plus a sundress and everything else I needed for those ten nights in the VB 22" spinner and the weekender. I just washed clothes once. Here they are:
http://www.verabradley.com/product/...72516/c/638/sc/772/p/1001481.uts?fromSearch=1
http://www.verabradley.com/product/...78798/c/638/sc/646/p/1001684.uts?fromSearch=1

However, my favorite bag is definitely the hardsided Heys Exotic Spinner. If using the Heys, I usually carry a Vera Bradley small duffel or Vera Bradley Weekender and can easily pack for a week with a little room left over in the spinner and quite a bit of room left over in the duffel or weekender. (I also use packing folders and packing cubes to pack though). However, the other day I noticed an adorable Heys spinner bag at TJMaxx, but when I looked really close at it, found it did not have near the room my Exotic did. It was from the Britto collection, which is the more expensive Heys collection. It was cute, but decided to stay with my Exotic as it definitely had more room inside. Here they are. The prices at TJMaxx were like $109.00 for the carryon and $119.00 for the check bag though: http://www.ebags.com/product/britto...alm-26-spinner-case/212414?productid=10131228

I also have the LLBean rolling duffels (in a bright kelly lime green that they don't make anymore) that I also like sometimes. They don't have pockets and are just one big open area, but they are easy to organize with packing folders and packing cubes. However, for carryons I really prefer a spinner, as the LLBean duffels don't sit up well. Here they are:
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/63911?feat=904-GN1&page=adventure-duffle-small
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/63916?feat=large duffel-SR0&page=adventure-rolling-duffle-large

 

[mrsdrake625]

I have the TLS ebags carry on that you mentioned and love it. I have had it for a year almost now. Taken to Disney, car trips all around the country, plane trips all around the country, everywhere. Still looks great and so easy to pack. The ebags packing cubes fit perfectly inside and I've managed to easily pack for a week or so in the carry on - and I'm not really good at that kind of thing! There are lots of well placed pockets on it. I also really liked that I could get a pretty color - easy to spot on the luggage belt at the airport.

Just make sure you wait until they are having some kind of sale or coupon, it's like JCP where you don't want to pay full price. You can also sign up for the points if you set up an account and use them towards other bags. I did that for a small shoulder bag that I took to Europe and was so glad I did. (I packed in an ebags duffel for Europe as well but a much bigger one. That one did okay, sat out on the Tarmac in lots of rain so it leaked a little bit, but my fault for not using a trash bag or something for extra insurance.)

Enjoy!

 

[DawnM]

I went with the Kirkland bag from Costco.

http://www.costco.com/Kirkland-Signature™-21.5"-Expandable-Upright-Carry-On.product.11760915.html

 

[CluelessDisFan]

I bought my set of Samsonite spinners at TJ Maxx. I like them very much, and saved a lot. Now I want a set of Heys Disney luggage just for traveling to Disney!

 

[3angelsmom]

I LOVE the ebags mother lode line. I asked for recommendation on the dis after buying 2that fell apart. I have the carryon, the full size, and will replace both of my DD's with mother lode for our next trip. We use them 3-4 times year after 2years are in excellent condition.

If you buy at ebags don't forget to go through ebates and wait for a coupon. I got 30% off when I bought mine, but recently saw one floating around for 20% off.

 

[martiniglassesforme]

Check out the High Sierra line. They are nice and light, but tough bags with thick, durable zippers. You can expand them if you need to and they have several carry on models. I travel all the time - 8 or 10 times a year and my first bag is just now starting to fray at the seams after 7 years. I spent about $120 on mine. Amazon and ebags carry them. Sometimes you can find them at Kohls too - they have good sales and coupons but be sure to comparison shop because their deals, even with the coupons, are just the same as ebags's sale price.

 

[dkostel]

Another endorsement for the Mother lode. I used the carry-on size for a 2 week trip to Europe. It is surprisingly roomy. I believe all ebags brand bags have a lifetime warranty as well. You really cannot go wrong.

 

[Meshell2002]

Thanks for all the ideas.....I checked Tuesday morning ( had to buy a clothes iron my old one died) and they had a few samsonites and a high Sierra duffel...I may check TJ Max and Marshall's. If I don't fall in love with something I will be stalking ebags for labor day sales in the next few weeks.

Keep any recs and reviews coming!

 

[packofjedis]

I just bought 3 new suitcases for an upcoming trip. I went to more stores than I can remember and looked all over online. After touching so many suitcases in stores, I decided I didn't want to bother with online purchasing since each suitcase feels a little different, zips a little different, etc etc. I wanted to be able to touch, roll, unzip, poke around at it before it I bought it.

I ended up with a Samsonite 20 or 21" (?) from TJ Maxx. Spinner. I paid $69. Then I went to Costco. They had a Ogio 2 pack for $159. The larger one is 27", smaller is 21". They are really nice! They have added handles on the outside front and sides so you can literally pick it up in any direction. Again spinners. I had never heard of Ogio but they have good reviews and 1 suitcase on their website is $160+ and I got 2 for that, so I figured I was good. Plus Costco has an excellent return policy.

I haven't used any of them yet. Don't leave for several weeks, but I've looked at them enough to be happy with my purchase.

Google reviews of different brands. There are some things in reviews that you wouldn't think to look at or consider.

 

[martiniglassesforme]

Yes, those Ogio bags are fantastic. I have several of them that I have received as promo gifts at work.

 

[wiigirl]

We each got a beans carryall duffel. Have not brought it on a plane yet but the description says it is within the guidelines for most airlines for carryon. We got our last names monogrammed on each bag, the monogram is pretty small so we can quickly identify our bags but it's not too obvious.