Good luggage for use with airlines?

S

Sid Post

Joined
Oct 14, 1998
Messages
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I am looking for luggage to use on International Air Flights. I need one "carry on" and one big piece for the belly of the plane.

My requirements at the moment are:
  • Quality
  • Durability
  • Security
  • Hard sided or tough as nails soft side
  • Ability to stand up to significant weight
  • Ability to survive rough handling while loaded
  • High quality roller blade or similar wheels
  • Wheels on the broad side or 4 way "Trolley" wheels
  • Reasonable price points (i.e. $300 is acceptable per piece - $800 is not)

I carry a heavy laptop and as few books as possible but, my bags get significantly heavy. I want a carry on that could be checked safely, if required, with a laptop and good camera in it, at a minimum of the expensive and fragile items.

All luggage must be able to roll across rough concrete and asphalt parking lots safely when I am dead tired. No, narrow tread widths allowed as it is hell on the wrists when a heavy bag falls over on a tram railway, rough parking lot or sidewalk, etc.

I would like to be able to hook them together so that one trails the other.

What bags to you recommend? Please be specific with:
  • Brandname
  • Model name or number
  • where to find it
  • pricepoints

Thanks in advance!
 
Sid,
Tough guidlines to meet. You did not say whether you prefered soft or hard luggage. I have stayed to the hard stuff simply for security reasons. I know if anyone wants in your luggage there is very little to stop them, however as my dad says, "If theives were not lazy they would not be theives." - no senses making it any easier for them.

I have traveled all over the world with one of the orginal Samsonite Clamshell's, and it has been absolutely reliable. I have used it for nearly 15 years and it finally broke this past summer. The pull handle broke off.

If you go to one of the Samsonite factory outlet stores you can pick up last year's models at very deep discounts. The original clamshell sells for around $67 on sale.

The newer models have a redesinged handle and 4-way trolley wheels. I picked one up for $147 dollars, which buy the way, was less than I paid for the original clam shell I bought 15 years ago. The brand new carbon fiber models are very nice and have a price tag to match, around $400, BUT they offer slightly "scuffed" at about 50% discount.

I know there is nothing sexy about them, but they work. Those orginal Samsonite commercials with the gorilla throwing the luggage around inside of his cage have stuck with me, and frankly I think the ape is more gentle than most baggage handlers.
Semper Fi
Tuna
 
Use what the Navy Seals really use...LOL

But seriously, I use the large Pelican Cases... and yes, Navy Seals really do use them, along with anyone who wants to keep sensetive equipment in dry, safe working order. I usually pack things in soft luggage and then stick it in the box. I save the foam in case I want to use it in the future. I also stuff little things in the spaces that are left after the soft bags goes in there.
 
I travel a fair amount for business and I have both the 22" roll on and 26" pullman bags from the Costco house brand Kirkland Signature line. THese bags are very well built knock offs of top line Tumi bags and they are very tough. They even use one grade stronger YKK zippers than Tumi uses on their bags. Better yet, Costco unconditionally stands behind their stuff. After 2.5 years of international travel, my Mom had an interior strap come unstitched on her Kirkland Signature roll on and went in to Costco to see about getting it fixed. They just gave her a full refund! So she walkie dfurther into the store and bought the newer version of the same bag and still uses it regurlarly.

For laptop/camera carrying duties, I went through several cases before finally parting with the long green and getting a big Tumi laptop bag. I got the Safecase Deluxe and have never regretted it. It doesn't have wheels but both Kirkland bags have a cool briefcase caddy strap so I don't have to carry it through airports. It carrys everything I need as a traveling sales rep including my laptop and all accessories, digital camera,cell phone charger, 8x21 binocs, shades, leatherman, small portable pharmacy, first aid kit, etc. If I'm heading off to a trade show it'll easily swallow a couple bottles of water as well as all teh literature I'll collect while at the show. While I've never done it, I'm sure it will take a small shaving kit and a change of clothes. This bag is really fantastic but want's cheap. THey do make a version with wheels as well.

For other bargain high quality loggage, I've seen Hartman, Dakota and TravelPro Platinum series bags at Tuesday Morning stores for over 50% off retail. $500.00 bags in the just over $200.00 range. Serious luggage at serious discounts.

Good luck.

jmx
 
Victorinox is branding some luggage nowadays. I've used their laptop/briefcase for two years and it's copped a pounding and still looks new. Their hard case luggage looks good but I haven't tried it yet.
 
C. C. Filson wrote the book on tough luggage.
Check it out here
Wish I could afford some though?
Lenny
 
I use Halliburton cases for my GOOD stuff. Just make peace with yourself that this stuff scratches very easily.
 
I'm in the same situation. My wife and I just came back from an airline trip and one of our expensive soft-sided bags didn't survive. It only took about 4-6 airline trips to fail - not very good.

I have become convinced that hardshell is the only way to go for the abuse dished out by the airlines. And really premium, fancy luggage is a waste if it's just going to get destroyed eventually anyway. I haven't decided on a replacement yet, but the Samsonite suggestion sounds good to me.

One tip: pick an unusual color if possible. That makes it easier to spot on the carousel. Black will drive you crazy.
 
What brand of luggage failed on you so soon?

When shopping for hard sided luggage, make sure the seam is an 80/20 split, not 50/50. The automated baggage equipment frequently uses an arm to push your bags from the middle which is right on the seam of a 50/50 hard side suitcase.

With soft sided psuedo-luggage (okay a Lowe backpack), I have put it in the belly of several airplanes. At first, I worried that the straps and buckles would get caught and rip the backpack to shreds. So far, no noticeable damage. The key here I believe is the fabric, in my case 1000 denier cordura. The Mil-Spec ballistic nylon like Travelpro uses on their Platnum III bags should hold up very well and, that is what I am looking at right now.

The best hard sided true luggage I have found is the Delsey brand, from the European products. In hindsight, if/when I go back, I'm bringing one of those back with me.

The Pelicans and similar hard sided cargo shells mentioned above would work very well but, some of them are way to heavy for the airlines once you actually put something in it. Be careful if you fly in Europe, they are no where as nice as the USA domestic airlines when it comes to baggage weight!
 
Lifetime warranty and unconditional guarentee. If it breaks they give you your money back, and then if you choose to, uyou can purchase another one. I've taken them up on this offer even after a couple years of service from the bag.

I have one piece of Travelpro Platinum and it seems exceedingly well made also.

jmx
 
I love Mountainsmith packs. I have the Ramble. The harness zips into a cover so that it does not get caught in the baggage handling machinery. I used to travel with a pack that did not have that feature, and straps were always getting ripped off of it. The Highlander is a larger pack, that I believe has the same feature. I have had one Mountainsmith pack for over six years and put it through rugged use and it is still holding up. Here is the link to the packs of which I was speaking. http://www.mountainsmith.com/product/productSelection.jsp?catId=46&next=3
 
Pathfinder TX2 26" softcase .

Softcase, bulletproof cloth construction (1000 grade denier cordura), aluminum "memory" frame, inline skate wheels, expanding suit compartment, and piggy back strap. Waterproof.

The frame is exceptionally strong, and you can stand on top of it when it is standing on it's wheels! (not usually possible with softcases)

My pathfinder luggage has been to china and back 7 times in the last two years. One time I loaded 50lbs of back granite samples wrapped in foam. The luggage and the granite arrived unscathed. Though, it might have broke the back of the handler that tried to toss the bag!

Comes in black or silver. I chose black because, eventually all luggage will be black from the dirt and debris.

The Samsonite clamshell cases would be tougher, smaller actual loading space and heavier. However, consider that you are only allowed 60lbs per bag with checked luggage. There is a monstrous charge for overweight bags (sometimes up to $10 per pound over).
So why squander weight on the bag it self?

High price ($300-$400). I knew that I would need luggage that would take a beating so I coughed up the dough. Before that I bought the cheesy $50 luggage that you find in k-mart and such. In my experience, the luggage handlers would destroy these bags in about 2 trips, some times one.

Carry-on luggage

beat Brendhaven for computer bags. Lots of ergonomic study went into the design of the Brendhaven line. Lots of models to choose from, I have the "Glove" and the "Slim". Sounds like you would need either the "Slim" or "Deluxe Slim".

Excellent design. Fully surrounding foam insert for the notebook itself. Tough ballistic cloth construction. Roomy compartments and pockets. Tough zippers. The most comfortable carry handles every placed on a notebook carry case. Very convenient luggage strap so the bag can ride on top of the Pathfinder luggage.

Brenthaven is not cheap. Average is $200-300 for the computer carrier.

I bought both of these items 2 years ago and they have been used extensively for travel. I use the "glove" as my regular briefcase, often without the computer in it.

I have ruined many pieces of luggage and bags and these two manufacturers worked for me. Check em out.
 
Originally posted by Sid Post
What brand of luggage failed on you so soon?
Click to expand...

It was a Pathfinder 29" wheeled suitcase that recently failed on me after about 3 years and very few airline trips. The main zipper is mangled at 2 different corners and will no longer open or close. The other Pathfinder I have still looks OK. There is a lifetime warranty and I will try to make a claim on it, depending on how much hassle they put me through (I no longer have the receipt, etc.). Also, the warranty only covers defects in materials and workmanship, but not wear and tear or damage by a common carrier. It is not a guarantee that the bag will last your lifetime.

If I have to shell out for another suitcase over this, I will just drop $80 on a (hardside) 29" Samsonite Oyster and be satisfied knowing that it just might last as long as or outlast any premium luggage and can be replaced several times for the cost of a premium bag. Looks darn near waterproof, too.
 
I would be interested in your experiences with the Pathfinder customer service. Even if they don't replace the bag, replacing the zipper itself should be something within their reach at either no cost to you or, a nominal cost. The classic problem with sending in a large bag like yours for repair or replacement will be the shipping costs.

Good luck and please keep us informed.
 
Well, I called the luggage store where I got the Pathfinder and they referred me to an authorized repair center that is in town, so no shipping problem. Hopefully they will at least put a new zipper on there, but I'll let you know how it goes.

By the way, this was my wife's suitcase and she has a habit of zipping it closed and leaving the sliders at the corner of the bag instead of in the middle of one of the sides. She also left the pad locks hanging on the zipper pulls and they eventually cracked the zipper pulls, probably by getting snagged in baggage handling machinery. I suspect these two factors put a lot of additional stress on the zipper and contributed to it's failure. If I can get her to close her bag differently it may help a lot, but it's not worth becoming the zipper police over.

It just seems so inevitable, with the zipper being the obvious weak spot and how it's positioned right at the edge of the suitcase where it is exposed to the most beating, that even the strongest zipper is going to fail sooner or later.
 
Originally posted by Lurker
It was a Pathfinder 29" wheeled suitcase that recently failed on me after about 3 years and very few airline trips. The main zipper is mangled at 2 different corners and will no longer open or close. The other Pathfinder I have still looks OK. There is a lifetime warranty and I will try to make a claim on it, depending on how much hassle they put me through (I no longer have the receipt, etc.). Also, the warranty only covers defects in materials and workmanship, but not wear and tear or damage by a common carrier. It is not a guarantee that the bag will last your lifetime.

If I have to shell out for another suitcase over this, I will just drop $80 on a (hardside) 29" Samsonite Oyster and be satisfied knowing that it just might last as long as or outlast any premium luggage and can be replaced several times for the cost of a premium bag. Looks darn near waterproof, too.
Click to expand...

Hey Lurker,

Pathfinder is just the brand. There are high durability/high cost and low durability/low cost lines within the brand. Check out which Pathfinder suitcase you had. I doubt it was the TX or TX2 line. You probably had an Avenger or similar mid-to-low tier product. The avengers are not that tough, and priced to reflect that.
 
Originally posted by Sundsvall
Hey Lurker,

Pathfinder is just the brand. There are high durability/high cost and low durability/low cost lines within the brand. Check out which Pathfinder suitcase you had. I doubt it was the TX or TX2 line. You probably had an Avenger or similar mid-to-low tier product. The avengers are not that tough, and priced to reflect that.
Click to expand...

You may be right. I do not remember the model name any more. I do remember the sales person pointing out numerous features that were supposed to maximize durability including the biggest, strongest self-repairing YKK coil zipper being used in luggage. The zipper is the part that is broken, but the rest of the bag looks new except for dirt (another thing I now don't like about fabric suitcases).

I would guess that broken wheel mounts would be one of the most common problems with suitcases, but these wheels are holding up admirably well. Still, if the zipper doesn't work the bag is completely useless. On the other hand, you can still carry a suitcase with a broken wheel. I don't want to see the result of my bag coming open inside the cargo hold of an airplane. It probably would have lost or ruined most of the contents. Thankfully the damage happened on the return leg and we were not forced to fix or replace the suitcase during our vacation prior to our return. At least I now have time to deal with it in a methodical way.

Considering the above, I guess it makes sense to invest in quality, durable luggage, but I am very curious to find out if the $80 hardside polypropelene Samsonite Oyster is every bit as durable as a premium bag several times it's cost. Maybe I'm just fooling myself, but I'd really like to find out. Afterall, while $80 is nothing in the luggage industry, it really ought to be enough to get a very basic, sturdy plastic container that will hold-up. And that's really all I want.
 
Lurker,

A busted zipper on luggage is busted luggage - trash. I would rather transport my stuff in a well sealed cardboard box than take a chance on broken luggage.

Get the TX2 you won't be sorry. The thing is ridiculusly tough. They are going after Samsonite, so they don't enjoy the brand recognition and premium that comes with it.

Still, expect to spend about $300 for the TX2.

Unfortunately, there is not too much quality to be had for $80.

In the end, if you do your research well, you get what you pay for.
 
I love but can't afford Filson.

I've had great luck with all of the Eagle Creek I've owned - it's tough stuff.

IIRC, K-Mart, of all places had the hard Samsonite for a good price.

I have a Samsonite suitcase of heavy vinyl my father sent me in Navy basic in the early 70's. It's been around the world, all over asia, North America, a lot in mil acft. and it's still a trusty standby for my wife and kids in the last while. Scuffed but in good working order...
 
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