Mimar:
That's interesting. Would you look at this site? Use the drop down window and choose the photo of the handle. It
gives a close up of the zippers.
http://www.luggagebase.com/btc/produ...00000&pn=1

Those zippers look awfully flimsy. Are they different than yours?

Re water and soft bags:

Another good reason to pack everything in Ziplock bags (which we do anyway for other reasons.)

We also carry those super-cheap 'poncho' raincoats to 'dress' our bags in if it rains. Worked wonders when we had to pull them in a teeming downpour a couple of hundred metres or so.

I still like soft-sided bags, especially when cramming them into the rather small trunks of the small cars we rent. They also take up less storage space at home. But I know that "hard-siders" are equally as passionate about their choice.

Jeanne, one of the zippers that broke for me was a sturdy looking affair on a 27'' rolling bag (yes, I know, I learned to take a smaller bag!) - and it did so somewhere in air transit. The irony is that we've never had to use our repair kit with our cheaper small bags - although I'm a bit worried about my H's new bag (partly because he always overstuffs the thing.)

JeanneB, in future you can prevent the horizontal scrolling caused by that long URL by reducing it to this: http://tinyurl.com/ajnu3

carry on soft side for shuffing in cramped spaces'


bigger stuff a pullman but not to hard sided because it adds weight.

P.S just this past summer sister bought soft sided super light pullman and no it did not make it home. So look for durable weight can be deceptive in providing durability.

Sue- The poncho trick wouldn't have worked in my case, it was the airline that got my suitcase all wet!!

UPDATE for ANYONE FOLLOWING THIS THREAD

I found the Int'l Traveller suitcase at Steinmart today. Again, I wasn't impressed. The "hard"side...isn't. It's like cardboard.

I guess you get what you pay for. I'm back on the hunt tonight.