New luggage recommendations?

[pinkxray]

I would like to invest in some decent luggage since we seem to be flying once to twice a year now that DD is getting older.

I have been looking at Heys (the hardsided, not Disney print ) and really love the look of them, but don't want to have to replace them in a few years.

I really just need a 2 piece set- carry on and regular size suitcase for each member of the family. Should I just invest in Samsonite? Try Heys? Any other options? I did check out the LLBEAN website but am not liking the style of the luggage. (I don't really like rolling duffels)

Thanks for any help. There are so many choices it gets overwhelming.​

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Heys hardside is rated as good luggage. TJ Max sometimes carries this brand.

If you are interested in a softside the best thing to look for is the denier number. The higher the number the strong the material. So look on the label for the denier number a look for something higher than 600 denier.
We are a huge fan of rolling duffles!!! I have two of them. One is a drop bottom style which is great for packing jeans or swim towel. The other benefit to duffles is that they store better. They lay flatter and when you are in a hotel room the more space you save the better. Plus storing them at home is great. Again look for a high denier. I also have one that as mulitpockets on the outside and its great for storing underwear in one pocket, socks in another and so forth.

OBW stay away from the Disney luggage embossed. there is one brand that the large suitcase is actually oversized and will require an additional surcharge by the airlines. Here is the one that is oversized
http://www.luggagepros.com/disney-by-heys-mickey-and-friends-embossed-faces-30-spinner.shtml

 

[marie1203]

With any hard side luggage you have to expect that it is going to get lots of scratches and started looking old in just a few trips. Honestly if it is not something you want to replace too often then you will probably want to spend a little more but it will last you more. Samsonite price it really depends on the quality of the materials. We have samsonite pro-dlx line that has a lifetime warranty and we love our bags. They are not super cheap but they look great even after years of use.

 

[MomToOne]

If you are willing to invest $$$ for luggage that will last a long, long time, then I recommend Briggs and Riley. They are great quality to begin with - I have bags that I bought 10+ years ago and have travelled a lot with that are still in great shape - but if anything ever breaks, just send it back to them and they'll repair it for free. And they really do it, no questions asked and return the luggage promptly - my sister travels CONSTANTLY and has sent her bags in several times for various repairs (even several caused by the airlines), without any problem.

 

[swilshire]

I would like to invest in some decent luggage since we seem to be flying once to twice a year now that DD is getting older.

I have been looking at Heys (the hardsided, not Disney print ) and really love the look of them, but don't want to have to replace them in a few years.

I really just need a 2 piece set- carry on and regular size suitcase for each member of the family. Should I just invest in Samsonite? Try Heys? Any other options? I did check out the LLBEAN website but am not liking the style of the luggage. (I don't really like rolling duffels)

Thanks for any help. There are so many choices it gets overwhelming.​

You can't expect to fly too many times without the possibility of replacing your luggage, no matter what the quality.

LL Bean has some very nice luggage beyond the duffles. My favorite carryon came from there. It is the absolute max size for carryon, so I can put my work wardrobe in it for a four night trip. They also have the BEST guarantee.

I found a wonderful large Heys bag at Marshalls about a month ago for only $59. I would have purchased it in a hearbeat, but I was out of town and would have had to add another $25 baggage fee to get it home. I went back the next day to show it to a friend and it was long gone, of course.

Both my friend and I did get a carryon. Mine was $100, which was a little more than I meant to spend, but it was the Swiss Army brand and rolled better than any of the others, including Samsonite. My friend spent quite a bit less for a Samsonite to match the luggage she already had.

Sheila

 

[jiminy14]

Heys hardside is rated as good luggage. TJ Max sometimes carries this brand.

If you are interested in a softside the best thing to look for is the denier number. The higher the number the strong the material. So look on the label for the denier number a look for something higher than 600 denier.
We are a huge fan of rolling duffles!!! I have two of them. One is a drop bottom style which is great for packing jeans or swim towel. The other benefit to duffles is that they store better. They lay flatter and when you are in a hotel room the more space you save the better. Plus storing them at home is great. Again look for a high denier. I also have one that as mulitpockets on the outside and its great for storing underwear in one pocket, socks in another and so forth.

OBW stay away from the Disney luggage embossed. there is one brand that the large suitcase is actually oversized and will require an additional surcharge by the airlines. Here is the one that is oversized
http://www.luggagepros.com/disney-by-heys-mickey-and-friends-embossed-faces-30-spinner.shtml

Another vote here for rolling duffles! I have a BUM brand duffle that I purchased almost 10 years ago for $15 at Target that I am still using to travel to WDW. It has held up much better than some of the hard suitcases we have used in the past. Both my DDs use Reebok duffles (again from Target) that they love. The duffles are very versatile and you can stuff a lot of things in them. My DH still uses a regular suitcase and he goes through them much quicker. He recently purchased a Heys rolling suitcase from Kohl's that he thought would hold up better. After two trips, two of the "feet" on the side have broken off leaving exposed screws that someone could cut themselves on. Heys has a good guarantee but he has yet to contact them about fixing the "feet".
The way the bags are thrown around, I probably would not invest a lot of money in good luggage.

 

[mnasf]

I'm a fan of spinners because they can be rolled any direction. Very nice for crowded times. I used to dislike my hardsided cases, but now they are so lightweight. And the tougher outside really protects our things. I've been a fan of the Samsonite spinners that we usually get at Sam's Club, but I just bought a small Delsey I'm trying out.

I would like to invest in some decent luggage since we seem to be flying once to twice a year now that DD is getting older.

I have been looking at Heys (the hardsided, not Disney print ) and really love the look of them, but don't want to have to replace them in a few years.

I really just need a 2 piece set- carry on and regular size suitcase for each member of the family. Should I just invest in Samsonite? Try Heys? Any other options? I did check out the LLBEAN website but am not liking the style of the luggage. (I don't really like rolling duffels)

Thanks for any help. There are so many choices it gets overwhelming.​

 

[Interpol]

If you're a Costco member, just buy what you like from their luggage selection (either online or in-store). Costco's satisfaction/return policy is phenomenal. They carry various brands - at my local store I have seen Tumi, Briggs & Riley, Ricardo Beverly Hills, and Samsonite.

A while back I tore the handle on a piece of luggage I had purchased from Costco. I took it to the customer service desk at my local store not to return it, but to obtain contact information for the manufacturer since I liked the luggage. They insisted on taking it back and issued a full cash refund despite the fact that I had purchased it over 3 years prior and no longer had a receipt.

Their Kirkland branded luggage is also very high quality and I like the fact that you can bring the luggage to any Costco store for a refund or swap for a new one any time you want for any reason.

 

[hcoker1]

We bought new luggage last year and did a lot of research to do so. We decided on Delsey Hyper-Lite. The 27" suitcase is only 10 pounds which is 5 pounds lighter than our old suitcase! When some airlines restrict you to 45 lbs every little bit helps. They also have a 10 year warranty on the cloth and the zipper.

We found the suitcases on sale at Sears for $179 (regular $259) BUT because we are Direct Buy members we got them for $79!!

Oh, they are also 4 wheel spinner which are a must in March-Break-filled airports!

 

[maganda]

I have a Delsey hard side that works well but I find that I usually don't have a need to check a bag unless I'm flying for longer than 9 or 10 days. I've been traveling with a TravelPro rolling carry-on since 1992 (!) and it is in excellent shape for as much as I've flown in the last 20 years. This is a brand that a lot of flight attendants use and I understand that TravelPro has a very generous return/repair policy though I've never had the need to have anything repaired. No rips, and zippers and wheels work great.

 

[bookgirl]

I got a set as a gift from Penneys in 1999. Cheap set maybe $140 dollars. (one big, one pilots size, and shoulder bag). Ugly green leaf design to boot.

I just replaced them last summer. Not because the others were used up but because I switched to a better size and the new set has spinners. My old set now belongs to my best friends family as they didn't have any. They are still in great shape. A little thread bare at the corners but the wheels are all working and no bends in the frames.

My mom has been through 3 expensive sets in the same time period and we probably have about the same amount of wear. One bent beyond repair, one set of broken wheels and her current spinners have been bent so that one does not align properly.

It doesn't matter how much you spend it's all in the luck of the baggage handlers.

So I when I went to buy my new ones (bought them independantly as I wanted the two suitcases that I wanted and not a set with stuff I didn't care about) I looked at the features I wanted then purchased from a mid range samsonite line.

Spent enough to get decent quality but not so much that if they got popped in the first year that I would be out a fortune.

I have friends who purposly buy cheap luggage as they always assume that it will get knocked about and they don't feel as bad when they have to replace it. They figure as long as it lasts a couple of years then they got their moneys worth.

I like duffles and I have a couple of rolling ones but only for small one or two day trips. More than that and I want an actual suitcase. I also do not like duffels as checked luggage. Straps and cloth snag really easy.

 

[Maddle]

Love those Kirkland cases. (Costco.)