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Looking for good luggage

steve2112

steve2112

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Feb 20, 2009
3,023
6
East of Lyra, Northwest of Pegasus
So, I recently started a new job which will require more traveling. It's not an every week thing, but more than I have done in the past. The problem is that after only two trips, the baggage goons have managed to destroy my cheapo luggage I bought a couple of years ago. So, I am now looking for some good luggage.

So, any suggestions for luggage that won't be destroyed after only a few trips? I'm looking at checked for now, since my last trip was 7 days and I couldn't get everything into a carry on. People who can pull that off amaze me. I guess I'm just too unorganized. Budget is kind of variable, but from research I have already done, this stuff can get expensive in a hurry.
 
steve2112 said:
I couldn't get everything into a carry on.
Click to expand...

Are you going to the same place every time or is it basically random each night in a different hotel?

I got by over a year doing one week+ trips with a carry on by:
  1. Getting the right carry on. (Nothing too fancy, just a $130 Swiss Gear bag from Target with a couple Eagle Creek Pack-It cubes)
  2. Washing some things mid-week (which means finding a hotel with laundry capability)
  3. Leaving some essentials at the work site, especially things like a pair of shoes and toiletries

B
 
balamw said:
Are you going to the same place every time or is it basically random each night in a different hotel?

I got by over a year doing one week+ trips with a carry on by:
  1. Getting the right carry on. (Nothing too fancy, just a $130 Swiss Gear bag from Target with a couple Eagle Creek Pack-It cubes)
  2. Washing some things mid-week (which means finding a hotel with laundry capability)
  3. Leaving some essentials at the work site, especially things like a pair of shoes and toiletries

B
Click to expand...

We have three remote locations, but sometimes it is random. Last time, we spent 3 days in one place and two in the other. There is another trip coming up to our third site in a couple of weeks, but I think it may be a full week.
 
I used to travel a LOT.

Baggage handlers don't care if you have a 10 dollar bag, or a 1,200 top-o-the-line. They all get tossed and beat just the same.

However, expensive bags tend to have expensive things inside - and people know this.

Get something FUGLY, that totally stands out - so you can find it at your baggage claim quickly.

Get something strong - does not have to be bullet proof - but strong enough.

And the wheels - make sure it has good wheels! That's a huge one.

Now - your carry-on bag / laptop - get something fancy - and that can survive (with a laptop) being crammed into an overhead bin - because there's ALWAYS someone who tries to jam a 300 pound duffel bag in - every flight that's at least one...
 
Travelpro is what a lot of pros in the flight industry use.

If you've got a Costco membership then they have some high quality, very durable Kirkland Signature luggage. I've had the 22-inch rolling luggage for 5 years with probably about 50 flights and it still looks almost new. The zippers are the large type that are very hard to break and the fabric is ballistic nylon. The wheels are the inline skate type and are super smooth, silent (really) and replaceable (with allen/hex wrench). The thing is built like a tank.

Great article on them.
 
I would definitely recommend trying to make the carry-on only work. It's just so much easier than checking a bag.

I forgot one other key component in my strategy. The right "personal item". I was using an Incase compact backpack that had my laptop and a bunch of other stuff.

B
 
QuarterSwede said:
Travelpro is what a lot of pros in the flight industry use.

If you've got a Costco membership then they have some high quality, very durable Kirkland Signature luggage. I've had the 22-inch rolling luggage for 5 years with probably about 50 flights and it still looks almost new. The zippers are the large type that are very hard to break and the fabric is ballistic nylon. The wheels are the inline skate type and are super smooth, silent (really) and replaceable (with allen/hex wrench). The thing is built like a tank.

Great article on them.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I found a forum called Flyer Talk, and a lot of people on there seemed to like the Travelpros. They also seemed to like Briggs & Riley, but those seemed to be a bit pricey.

My current set has good wheels, but everything else is falling apart. The zippers on my big bag are bent into a U shape, the extendable handle gets stuck, and the main handle is about to fall off. I don't care what it looks like, as long as it stays in one piece! :)
 
I'm telling you, ugly is key!

I had co-workers a couple years ago tease me about my travel bag, because it had bright pink tape all over it. I told them it was for a very good reason.

18 hours later, while they were looking for their bags, I found mine on the wrong belt - but spotted it in an instant. Proceeded to get a cab, head to my hotel, order dinner, mid-way through my meal, they showed up. And by then, the kitchen had closed.

Then I shared the story of those "stupid pink stripes" on my bag. :D
 
I used to tour with ice shows and theater shows. So I moved every week for 7.5 years by plane, train, car, boat....you name it, all across the globe. My luggage went through everything.

My original full size suitcase handled quite well for the first 6 years I used it. I don't remember what brand it was unfortunately, but I can check it out soon. But then the airlines decided that a 63" bag was too big, so they changed their max size to 61". Really? So my awesome bag had to be retired.

So my wife and I both decided we would get some nice bags and decided on some Kenneth Cole Reaction bags. DO NOT BUY THESE. All three of our bags were practically garbage within two years, and this was after we were off the road and had made only a handful of trips. Handles broke off, seams ripped, parts missing...every single trip brought something new. And remember, this was from people who traveled for a living...we know how to treat our luggage.

My other bag, which is what I pack all my "stuff" in (tools, hard drives, etc), is a smaller TravelPro bag. That thing has been with me forever, and made almost every trip I have taken in the last decade (including 4 of my years on tour). It still looks and feels like new, minus one broken pocket zipper I believe. I love that bag. I'm pretty sure from now on TravelPro will be what I buy for anything.

Someone previously mentioned "ugly". Ugly is good...bags that stay in one piece are better!

Oh: and don't be the douche who has the huge roller bag AND another huge carry-on and puts both in the overhead bin. :D
 
My Victorinox suitcases are one of my best purchases ever. Lightweight, accommodates a lot of luggage, neat suiter compartment, and it looks distinctive without standing out.
 
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