We are traveling to monte carlo, paris and rome. We will not be renting a car so our travel will probably include wheeling our luggage to and from public transportation on european roads. I understand there are cobblestone streets so I am worried about the durability of the wheels. My daughter recently in ny had to wheel one of my carry-ons for one mile and now the wheels are non functional. I do not want this to happen in the middle of our trip. Does anyone have suggestions of what brand or am I worrying too much ?

Hello dallen03

Yes, the cobblestoned streets can be hard on your wheels.

I have found that the luggage with the inline skating wheels work best.

The luggage with the little round wheels don't hold up at all, IMO.

Happy travels!

Just make sure your suitcase is not so heavy, that you can easily pick it up and carry it for short distances when required (stairs, cobblestones, etc.).

Do you think you'll have to wheel your luggage for miles on cobblestone streets? I have never had to do that, only a short distance (say within the airport to the taxi queue, getting to/from the train from the metro or taxi stand, etc. I don't know Rome that well, but most areas don't have cobblestones or you wouldn't have to be wheeling your bag on the street for a long time, either (you should be on the sidewalk, mostly, although some very small, older pedestrian areas may be totally cobblestone passageways. Some courtyards in front of buildings are, also.

I only buy cheap luggage (less than $100) and haven't had any big problem, but did have one wheel chip or something on an old, cheap bag I had after a couple years. Just look for larger wheels, basically, you can tell about how big and sturdy they are. I still use cheap luggage, but not the absolute cheapest (eg, no complete 4-piece sets for $50, of course), but make sure the wheels are the larger, sturdier ones. They used to make them a lot smaller, also, I think (the wheels).

Any reputable brand should be sufficient.

Thank you. I guess I can eliminate spinners from my search. That narrows it down quite a bit. I've been looking at delsey and samsonite. I think finding a light weight carry on with sturdy inline wheels will be what I will focus on next. I did not realize that there was so many choices in luggage.

I'll add my two-cents: don't ever try to wheel two bags, one in each hand, whether on cobblestones or sidewalk or anywhere else. Get stacking bags if you need two bags. In wheeling two bags (neither very large) last year in Paris, one bag's wheels caught in a crack in the sidewalk and went one way, while I and the other bag went another. The result was that I fell down, landing on my knees full weight and ended up face down on the sidewalk, injuring my knee badly. Somehow I managed not to break my nose or knock out teeth. Not only did it nearly ruin my Paris vacation, I faced months of re-hab when I got home.

Two ideas: 1. Visit luggage shops and try out some bags...wheel them straight and then try a sharp turn or two. 2. Physics. A wide bag should track better than a narrow one. Large wheels function better than small ones. They can bridge paving gaps. Another possible is a heavy duty luggage cart! It may be possible to carry it in a piece of luggage. In general, make sure you and the handle work together. Note airline baggage regulations.

crckwc1, I am sorry to hear that. It sounds awful. Thanks for help.

Gsteed, thanks for your tips, that should eliminate quite a bit more. I have seen the ones with the wider wheels. They often look like they are going to be aluminum but once I check them out they are made out of plastic. I'm sure there must be a carry on bag out there with nice sturdy larger wheels on. The search goes on.

You might want to check out Briggs and Reilly. They are a little more expensive but I bought my husband a rolling bag (max allowable for carry on) and a matching back pack 5 years ago. He traveled an avg of 200,000 miles throughout Europe for 4 of the 5 and his suitcase is still doing just fine. I bought myself a set as well.

Hi dallen03

If you have a Ross, Marshall's, or TJMaxx near you, they've got a great selection of very reasonably-priced luggage. I've taken my Ross luggage just about everywhere, and it's held up extremely well even after being thrown about by baggage handlers, roughed up on cobblestones, or the like.

The wheels on most suitcases are really made for wheeling around airports and train stations - not for long distances on rough streets and pavements - esp not cobblestones.

Frankly - IMHO dragging a suitcase for a mile through NYC is close to madness. A cab would be a few dollars. Or, if you're really poor spend $2 on the bus.