Luggage opinions

[Scotgirl]

We use hard shell 4 wheeled cases - flying from Scotland via London to Orlando. They get thrown about a fair bit I would imagine but we've not had any issues with broken wheels. I would be wary of using soft luggage - doesn't seem like much protection for your stuff - perfume, make-up etc.

 

[quoo]

For checked luggage we have a hard sided delsey aero spinner which is quite easy to navigate through the airport despite it's large size. You do have to be mindful of weight though as you can pack too much into it and risk having overweight luggage. It's also large enough that we were able to get those light up mickey swords in it last disney trip.

For checked luggage we also have a hybrid rolling duffle that has a hard sided base which I liked but it's getting pretty worn out now that it's nearly 10 years old. This is a nice option if you prefer a duffle but also want some protection for some of your things. Although I try to put all fragile items in my

I like both, although most trips for our family of 4 don't require both suitcases (we'll use both for like a 2 week trip that involves a wedding or other need for extra 'fancy' clothes).

Our strategy for packing relies heavily on packing cubes. On a short trip they usually just stay in the suitcase to keep everything organized. On longer trips they're nice because they're easy to transfer into drawers and when packing for a few of us in one suitcase, easy to keep our clothes separate. I will also pack a small one to go in each of our carry ons with a change of clothes for arrival / swimsuit if needed just incase something goes awry with the checked luggage.

For shorter trips, myself and my two boys have rolllaboards. My husband sees it as a personal challenge to get all his items into his backpack though. The boys really like hard sided rollaboards for some reason - i think maybe because they look cool. I have a briggs and riley soft sided that I prefer as I can slide things out of it easily while it's in the overhead if needed. For the boys I have them pack anything that will be needed in flight in their backpacks rather than rollaboards.

We've managed a week trip with just the rollaboards, but that trip had easy laundry access. For our upcoming 1 week trip to disney I think I'm packing the big hardsided checked luggage with most of our items, and then just backpacks for the boys. I may carry on one rollaboard or I also have a carry on travel backpack that holds about as much as a rollaboard, where I'll pack our spare clothes.

I need to be sneaky this trip as the boys (6 and 9) do not know we're going so I can't have them pack their suitcases. I am going to ask them to pack their backpacks for a short surprise trip though I htink.

 

[MrsPete]

I love duffle bags -- we have Lands End bags, and I like the way they have a kinda "square" C-shaped zipper top, which means you can see everything in the bag easily. What I don't like is that the sides don't stand up on their own.

I also like the BIG -- no, GIANT -- Vera Bradley bag, which is probably the size of a Lands End or LL Bean medium-sized duffle. It does stand up better on its own, and it has pockets inside /out.

As for larger luggage I LOVE the four-wheeled spinners -- I have only one, a carry-on size. You can roll them "flat" or tilt them like a two-wheeled suitcase. I personally have never had any problem with wheels popping off, but I don't check bags. Ever, never, nope. My suitcases are never out of my personal control.

 

[EACarlson]

I use hard sided Samsonite both checked size and carryon size. I prefer hard sides because there is less chance of damage to the stuff inside. Everytime I fly to Orlando I'm right against that 50 lb limit and most of the time it's work stuff.

 

[quoo]

I need to make sure I can find my luggage scale before this trip. I hate having to re-arrange at the airport.