JO

My softside Samsonite roll-on zipper has just broken for the 3rd time. I travel a great deal and would like to have suggestions on soft-side vs. hard-side. Also what brands have held up well. Am leaving for Europe on Oct. 5th!!

Tony

always buy Louis Vuitton , it may be expensive but you don't see them spilling open at the airport

JO

Thanks for your input, Tony. Unfortunately, i think the L. V. is ugly. Do you know anything about Boyt or Hartman?

JO

Thanks for your input, Tony. Unfortunately, i think the L. V. is ugly. Do you know anything about Boyt or Hartman?

Marcia

We love our Travelpro Rollerboard suitcases. So far so good. They've all gone to Asia and to Europe, and some of it has gone a bit further than that. We have friends who feel the same way. <BR>It's not cheap - but you can sometimes find it on sale (about 25% off) or at outlets . I don't know where you're located. There is a big luggage outlet in Las Vegas, NV that has good prices. Sierra Trader is a discount catalogue/otlet store that sometimes has it in stock, but it is very come & go. <BR> <BR>and I know from experience that it regularly goes on sale at Macy's. Adn if it is not the luggage du jour on sale, sometimes you can get the sale price by asking. <BR> <BR>Hard/soft? I think really hard stuff, like Samsonite, is giving up too much weight to the luggage. It all gets heavy enough fast enough, without starting with a relatively heavy suitcase. <BR> <BR>We have older totally soft luggage by Lands End which is absolutely terrific. And it think it has unconditional, lifetime guarantees. The only reason we did not take it on our trip to Europe this summer was that the backs are getting to be middle aged, and when you have to hike a bit, it is nice to have that rolling feature. I believe that Lands End now offers rolling suitcases. I know they will accomodate you with speedy delivery. And believe me, when something of theirs doesn't work, it is fixed or replace.d Right now. Period. <BR> Happy travels.

Arizona

My wife and I bought matching Atlantic suitcases (middle size, not their monster size) with telescoping handles and two wheels. So far, after trips to Turkey, Scandinavia, and all over the USA, they're just fine. A security officer in Amsterdam, incidentally, told me that Louis Vuitton luggage is a target of thieves at airports because those who can afford such luxury luggage carry valuables inside.

Tony Hughes

<BR>Jo, my second choice would be a hard shell case from benetton but i am unsure as to whether there are benetton shops in the USA ? Boyt has the advantage of having a lifetime guarantee, thus their stuff is expensive but you wont really have to buy another case again. <BR>Tony

B.Irving

I want to second the notion on Lands End. We have used carry-on (soft-side) luggage from Lands End since atleast 1990. That is about 5 trips to Europe for us, plus all the other trips we have gone on in the states using those. We are able to fit 2 weeks of travel into those carry-ons. We end-up using those maybe 10 to 20 times per year & we are still using the original cases. They are still holding up well & should be able to be used for another 10 years. <BR>

Parrot Mom

Hi-we are luggage freaks--and have American Tourister (a 30" each)--we put colored straps around it and have never had a problem and they are incredibly great about any repairs--considered just this weekend a Samsonite (same company) hard sided and it was just too heavy empty to even consider. I also agree about luxury luggage being the target of thieves... <BR>

JO

Thanks for all the great comments. Does anyone know anything about Briggs & Reilly. They have a lifetime guarantee and seem quite strong. I understand Boyt went out of business and someone else bought the name. I did see that Land's End has a roller case now. Thanks again -I'm still working on it.

Donna

We have two "C-Folds" from www.qvc.com. At just over $100 each, they are an amazing value. We shopped the really pricey ones and these are just as nice and well made. We've had ours for five years and they've serviced us well on several trips to Europe and all over the US. Really nifty, because you hang it up to pack. Your "outfits" go in on regular hangers. There are pockets and compartments for fold-up and small items. You can pack an incredible amount of stuff into it. In fact, the more clothing you stuff, the more wrinkle free it arrives. No kidding. There are outside pockets, telescoping handles, sturdy wheels. Even better, when you are traveling from place to place, you can hang it up and live out of it without unpacking and repacking. We tie colored yarn on ours so we can identify them easily when we check them, but they also qualify as carry-on's. Ours are still in perfect condition after five years, which is too bad, because they've added even more and better features, but I can't justify "upgrading".

asif

I am a big proponent for hard-side luggage. I have been using a hard-side Samsonite piggy-back for a few years now and it has held up very well. I have taken it on several trips to Asia and Europe, besides "lugging" it around the U.S. It does tend to get heavy, but the plus side is security. I have the ones with combination locks, which help protect the case in Asia, where airports aren't as safe as in the western world. They have also been wonderful seats on occasion while waiting for the bus or train. I highly recommend them.

asif

I am a big proponent for hard-side luggage. I have been using a hard-side Samsonite piggy-back for a few years now and it has held up very well. I have taken it on several trips to Asia and Europe, besides "lugging" it around the U.S. It does tend to get heavy, but the plus side is security. The new cases come with combination locks, which are absolutely essential to protect the case in Asia, where airports aren't as safe as in the western world. They have also been wonderful seats on occasion while waiting for the bus or train. I highly recommend them. By the way, now they are available at Price Club for close to an amazing $100 (I bought them for $190 three years ago)

Bill Fleites

I've also been looking into small 18-22" rollerboard carry-on luggage. After looking at and researching all the brands I decided that you could not beat the TravelPro Plus Crew series on a price/performance basis. In addition, this brand is the one almost exclusively used by airline crew personnel. World Traveler Luggage & Travel Goods (www.worldtraveler.com) has some great specials on TravelPro gear right now. In fact I just ordered a 20" Rollaboard for just $89 (list price is $240, street price is $140). <BR>

lai yee

Hello to all & thanx for the luggage info. <BR> <BR>To : ASIF - Greetings from Singapore! I was rather amused with your remark 'ASIA is not safe'. Just out of curiosity, which part of 'unsafe' Asia did you go to? I certainly hope that I am not misinterpreting your message.. <BR> <BR>I was terrified with the cold & brr.. iCY treatment given by the custom officers & some unpleasent encounters when I reached New York JFK airport but I would definitely not generalise that airports in America is not as safe as in Singapore & Malaysia .....