Recommend your luggage

[MrsMinease]

The subject line pretty much sums up the reason for the post.

DH and I need new luggage and our upcoming trip is a great excuse to buy. Please recommend (or advise against) your luggage!

 

[allonte]

I bought us a set of Swiss Gear luggage about 4 years ago from TJ Maxx. I has held up so well. It's still in excellent condition with the exception of a small tear in a part of netting (mainly decoration) and some black marks courtesy of the baggage handlers. I just bought my DD a Heys hard side Tinkerbell suitcase for our upcoming trip so we'll see how long it lasts, lol.

 

[mishoe01]

I have Samsonite Spinner luggage - LOVE the 4 wheels!! It makes it so easy to travel! I have all 3 sizes (carry-on, medium & large). Something similar to this, but not exactly. http://shop.samsonite.com/Samsonite..._name,brandtextbin,subjectbin,color_map,price It does give you the idea. I bought them at a luggage outlet in Orlando.

 

[Magic3forme]

we bought the Samsonite with 4 wheels also. I bought it at Kohls with a 30%off coupon. Dh has the carry on bag for work since he travels so much.

 

[mmouse37]

I also love the spinner wheel bags....but....I really find a rolling duffle so much more travel friendly as it folds down flat for storage and is lighter right off the bat (allowing for more packing weight).

Our family each has one of the following from LLBean, in different colors of course:

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/63916?feat=506804-GN2

They come in solid colors or the tropical print. I recently saw plaid prints but I don't see them now at the site.

Anyway, what we love about them is that they fold flat, are easy to wheel (although they do fall over when on their end...hopefully a design flaw that will be fixed), very easy to identify at the luggage carousel and best of all....LLBean's 100% lifetime guarantee. If the bags gets ripped, or damaged you just send it back and they send you brand new one. We have done this over the years and it really is a great guarantee.

DO NOT BUY THE XLARGE SIZE for air travel....you will have overweight fees all the time. We find the large size is perfect for our cruise vacations. I am taking mine for our two week vacy this time.

The site has free shipping for orders over $75.00 now.

MJ

 

[hamm1207]

My husband and I each have a LuggageWorks Stealth series bag. They are made for pilots, but anyone can buy them. They have a metal frame and come with a lifetime warranty. We have a lot of pilot friends who have had the same suitcase for 10+ years. We've had ours for over a year now, and we travel about 10 times a year--so far they have been wonderful!

 

[drparoo]

I also love the spinner wheel bags....but....I really find a rolling duffle so much more travel friendly as it folds down flat for storage and is lighter right off the bat (allowing for more packing weight).

Our family each has one of the following from LLBean, in different colors of course:

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/63916?feat=506804-GN2

They come in solid colors or the tropical print. I recently saw plaid prints but I don't see them now at the site.

Anyway, what we love about them is that they fold flat, are easy to wheel (although they do fall over when on their end...hopefully a design flaw that will be fixed), very easy to identify at the luggage carousel and best of all....LLBean's 100% lifetime guarantee. If the bags gets ripped, or damaged you just send it back and they send you brand new one. We have done this over the years and it really is a great guarantee.

DO NOT BUY THE XLARGE SIZE for air travel....you will have overweight fees all the time. We find the large size is perfect for our cruise vacations. I am taking mine for our two week vacy this time.

The site has free shipping for orders over $75.00 now.

MJ

Those are exactly what we each have.....hate that they don't stand on end, but we have taken them on vacations for 5 or 6 years and they're indestructible. Plus, they are some of the lightest empty wheeled duffels around. We each had one for our 12 night Baltic cruise this past summer.

 

[MrsMinease]

Great suggestions so far! Those rolling duffle bags have my attention for sure. Any other recommendations?

 

[jello_makin_girl]

We have three of the half suitcase/half duffle bag kind. They are fantastic! We got them for $40 at Costco, not sure of the brand name. But they are super durable and pack a TON of stuff! We can fit everything we need for us and 4 kids in the three bags (plus one small duffle just for diapers). We LOVE them!!

 

[mom2brooke76]

The place that I always buy from now is www.ebags.com

If you go to www.mousesavers.com, and look at the menu on the left, click on "Disney Discount Shopping Mall" (something like that). If you look down the page in a yellow box you'll see a list of stores. Click on ebags. This will take you to a special link for 15% off most things in their store. Hope this helps!

 

[lildeb724]

I have been on the fence about getting one for each of the kids. I have read thought that they don't stand up on their own. Is this true? Do you find it to be a problem. I have a similiar bag from Kipling that stands but it is double the price. Not looking to spend so much this time.

I also love the spinner wheel bags....but....I really find a rolling duffle so much more travel friendly as it folds down flat for storage and is lighter right off the bat (allowing for more packing weight).

Our family each has one of the following from LLBean, in different colors of course:

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/63916?feat=506804-GN2

They come in solid colors or the tropical print. I recently saw plaid prints but I don't see them now at the site.

Anyway, what we love about them is that they fold flat, are easy to wheel (although they do fall over when on their end...hopefully a design flaw that will be fixed), very easy to identify at the luggage carousel and best of all....LLBean's 100% lifetime guarantee. If the bags gets ripped, or damaged you just send it back and they send you brand new one. We have done this over the years and it really is a great guarantee.

DO NOT BUY THE XLARGE SIZE for air travel....you will have overweight fees all the time. We find the large size is perfect for our cruise vacations. I am taking mine for our two week vacy this time.

The site has free shipping for orders over $75.00 now.

MJ

 

[Silverfox97]

Victorinox luggage - it can be expensive, but we get our pieces from TJ Maxx & Marshalls. It is truly amazing luggage and worth the price (I would never pay full retail, though!!); also has a lifetime warranty.

I do have some American Tourister luggage that I received as a college graduation set from my parents that has held up well.

 

[allonte]

I heard the 4 spinner wheels break easily. Has anyone had any issues with them?

 

[kaseyC]

Briggs and Riley Transcend Line. I have the 22 in Carry On, 24 in Upright, 27 in Duffle, Rolling Cabin bag and Tote. Extremely durable. It can be a bit pricey but it carries a life time warranty.

http://www.briggs-riley.com/category/group.aspx?col=transcend

 

[Anal Annie]

We have converted almost completely to duffles. Look for something like this: http://www.ebags.com/product/atlantic/optima-30-wheeled-duffel/142951?productid=1369676 This particular one has a "foot" on the wheeled end so it will stand up on its end, has lots of pockets to organize AND has inside tie-down straps (hard to find in duffles).

Duffles are easier to store, take up a smaller footprint in the room, are lightweight and HOLD A TON!! I agree with mmouse37 - don't buy THE biggest one you see or you'll overload it and will be overweight. We have a 30" one similar to this one & I have to be REALLLLLY careful not to fill it completely or it WILL be over 50 Lbs. I have found that I get along better with a 28" one for not overpacking. Look for a product that has a limited lifetime warranty and that is made of like the ballistic nylon stuff. It will be strong and lightweight.

I have bought bags from ebags.com but usually find my best deals at TJ Maxx (I go often when I'm on the prowl for new bags). I look at Burlington Coat Factory too but I usually find the better stuff at TJ Maxx. I recently found a couple of Ricardo brand "international size" 17" carry-ons there for about $60 each - the same bags are $100 at eBag.com which usually has pretty good prices. http://www.ebags.com/product/ricardo-beverly-hills/sausalito-superlite-free-wheelers-17-universal-wheelaboard/204899?productid=10110738 (We have some older Ricardo brand luggage that we've had for probably 12 years that has held up WONDERFULLY thru trips to the Caribbean, cruises, Hawaii etc. Our only problem with it is that it's realllly heavy and with all of the luggage restrictions these days it is impractical to continue to use when we fly.

I would also recommend taking 1 regular (traditional) suitcase that is a "suiter" for your hanging clothes like dresses and suits. We have an old 27" Samsonite that has this capability & it works really well for our dress clothes for formal night. http://www.ebags.com/product/american-flyer/american-elite-26-wardrobe-valet/78770?productid=1000952 or http://www.ebags.com/product/ricardo-beverly-hills/bel-aire-22-expwheelaboard/208078?productid=10120904

One more tip for not over packing and for staying organized - packing folders and packing cubes!! They have been THE biggest and best thing for me!! We have several sets of the eBags brand in various sizes + one of the 15" Eagle Creek packing folders for each of us...the folders are GREAT for slacks & nicer button down shirts & blouses that I don't want to roll. I roll our more casual stuff that I put in the cubes - perfect for stuff like shorts, t-shirts, bathing suits, undergarments etc. http://www.ebags.com/search/packing-folders-and-cubes?lastterm=packing+folders+%26+cubes

 

[mmouse37]

The only time the LLB rolling duffle is a pain is when I forget that it does not stand on end and then it falls over....I only seem to do this when I am checking in for a flight.....I let it go thinking it will stand and then it fall over...no beig deal.

Just remember to lay it down.

Oh...and I second the packing cubes comment.....I bought all mine at ebags and use them all the time now...love them!!

MJ

 

[jeffl]

How timely, I was just going to ask a very similar question! I have been looking at rolling duffels. I have it down to two: the Travelpro TPro Bold 26" Duffel and the eBags Mother Load TLS Jr.

I have been able to find plenty of great reviews for the eBags TLS. My only concerns being that I don't like the look as much as the Travelpro, I can get the Travelpro for 3/4 the price, and the lack of duffel handles makes me a little worried about how baggage handlers will handle it (may be more tempted to do the two handed grab and throw than a pick up and set). The Travelpro bag is new and there is only one review I could find (single reviews tend to be hit and miss).

Does anyone have any experience with either bag? Also, I am wondering about what the clearance is under the beds on the Magic/Wonder for storing the bag.

The eBags collapses down to about 5 inches, but i have received conflicting reports on whether the Travelpro bag can collapse down. As you can tell I WANT the Travelpro bag, but if it doesn't collapse at all it is a show stopper and I will get the eBags one (which is also very nice: stands up, collapses for storage, lifetime warranty, etc)

P.S. Had a spinner before. Wheel broke off after one trip. YMMV

 

[ti2xgrr]

We have a samsonite rolling duffel bag and a garmet bag. We bought these about 15 years ago and travel several times a year. They have held up well. In addition Samsonite will repair things. You just take them to your outlet and they will then mail them back to you. Have had the garmet bag repaired once and the one of the wheels on the duffel replaced at no charge. In comparison we were given a set of luggage that didn't last through getting off the cruiseship in Alaska and we still had 8 days left of the trip, not fun. We are lucky that the samsonite factory was here in Denver until recently and we could go and buy factory seconds. We just replaced the duffel so that when we wear this one out that we will have another the same and we bought it at one of the outlet stores.

 

[cwdefouw]

I can't say enough about Club Glove luggage. The company specializes in golf club bags that are so good that they are what 90% of golf pros use.

However they also makes very good, durable, soft sided, rolling, very, very light luggage. Did I say the bags were light. This was our primary reason for going with them, durability and weight. My wife and I each have two pieces, one carry-on rolling bag, and one medium size rolling duffle (with extendable handle and solid base). We routinely take trips of more that two weeks with these bags and have no problem getting all of our stuff in them, and we tend to be over-packers. The medium rolling duffle, I don't think that you could get it over 50 lbs unless you were packing bricks. The bags also link together in a way that makes it very easy to roll both bags with one hand, the company calls it "Train reaction" They are a little pricey, but they did come with multiple packing cubes included and a NQA five year warranty. I feel they are definitely worth what we paid. They did give us a 20% discount just for asking.

http://www.clubglove.com

 

[Dallas_Lady]

Great question! We got our luggage 10 years ago when we got married, back when there were no kids to pack for. We need more pieces now. What's your luggage "setup?" How many pieces do you have for your family?