Rick Steves Luggage or Briggs & Riley
 

I'm leaving for Italy in 2 weeks. My old cheap luggage finally gave out on me. I want to buy a carry-on wheel luggage.

Im looking into buying a Rick Steves Luggage
http://travelstore.ricksteves.com/ca...Id=8&id=42

or a Briggs & Riley Transcend Bag.
http://www.briggs-riley.com/product.asp?pid=211

Has anyone ever use either one of these. Please Help!

elizabeth, we have two pieces of Briggs and Riley. One is a 26-inch roller, the other a 21- or 22-inch carry-on. The latter is very similar to the B & R you're considering.

It's the best luggage we've ever owned, and we've gone through a lot of bags over the years. B & R also have an exceptional warranty.

Anselm

One other thing I forgot to mention ... if you go to FlyerTalk.com, you'll find that the topic of luggage is raised every once in a while. Search for "Briggs and Riley" or "carry on" and you'll probably find a few hits. B & R, Tumi, and Travel-Pro are three brands that seem to be popular with the road-warrier set.

Anselm

I have owned Briggs and Riley for four years now. It is by far the best luggage I've ever owned. They also have a lifetime warrentee, regardless of the problem.

If you're near the SF Bay area, there's a Briggs & Riley outlet in Half Moon Bay. Haven't ever been there, but I have a friend, a former FA, who loves the luggage and highly recommends it.

Hi elizabeth022,

I also have a B&R, the 24" one, which I bought because of the great guarantee. I do like it.

But it's heavy. It's the heaviest suitcase I've ever owned. I stopped using it because I do a lot of train travel and lugging it onto and off of train platforms made me weary.

I haven't looked at the webiste you give so haven't checked the weight of this particular B&R, but you ought to make the weight a consideration.

s

Does a Rick Steves bag have special compartments in which to hide a "stash"?
;-)

Hi, Elizabeth:

I try to travel with only a 22-inch wheeled carry-on so I have looked into this topic.

What airlines do you expect to be flying? Some airlines have carry-on restrictions that are not only according to SIZE but also WEIGHT!

I know that Air France, Alitalia, and British Air...to name a few....have weight restrictions for carry-ons, although they may not always enforce them.

Therefore, you may need to consider this factor when choosing a 21-inch or 22-inch wheeled carry-on.

Rick Steves' bag weighs in at 7.1 lbs when empty. The B&R weighs in at 9.5 lbs when empty...according to their respective websites.

This 2 lb. difference might be important to you when packing.

swandav2000 makes a very good point about the weight of B & R. Our 26 inch roller is certainly heavy. I don't find it a problem for air travel, because we check it, but it is a handful if you have to climb stairs in a hotel or lift it over your head to slide it into a luggage rack.

suntraveler's point about the weight of carry-on luggage is also a consideration. (Air Canada, for example, limits carry-on bags to 10 kilos, and I think there are other airlines who are more restrictive.) If you think you will always carry your suitcase on board, you can opt for a less rugged (and lighter) bag. If you think you're likely to hand it over to the airline's baggage smashers, something robust like B & R might be the best bet. B & R's warranty covers damage by the airline, which I think is unique in the world of luggage guarantees.

Anselm

I'd suggest leaving Rick Steve's luggage to his discretion and deciding on yours yourself.

I've yet to find any luggage that I didn't want to abandon after hauling it onto a European train. If I could figure out someway to pack for 3 weeks using only my purse and a shopping bag, I would.:-)
However, I do have 3 pieces of Briggs and Riley wheeled luggage ( 22", 24" and the new 12" companion tote . ) I also have 2 non-wheelie B&R totes.
The handle system is on the outside of the wheeled pieces; that makes more room for packing .
I'm very pleased with the looks, the quality and durability of the luggage.

If I were buying new, I'd look for a 21" (if you really plan to carry-on to the plane) and the lightest weight available when empty. Good wheels and handle mechanism.

As mentioned above, many airlines on overseas flights have strict weight limits now (in addition to dimension) so my 22" reasonably packed must be checked-in on British Air.

Thank you so much for all the suggestions. I don't think I will get Rick Steves anymore. I did stop by the store and see a Eagle Creek 22" one that looked very decent.

Any comments on Eagle Creek?

Hi Elizabeth:

I took a look at Rick Steve's travel bags when I went for one of his all-day travel seminars in Edmonds, Washington. Although I did purchase several items from his travel store, I thought his suitcases were really rather cheesy. They looked like Target or K-Mart quality. I'd stick with Travelpro, Briggs and Riley or Pathfinder but I would watch the weight because the airlines are getting very strict about carryon luggage.

I just now bought a Delsey carry-on at TJ Maxx for $79.00. It's really light w/a graphite frame & made of ballistic nylon. It has some great mesh compartments inside & three zippered compartments on the outside. I may well go back and get one of the larger matching pieces.

I was looking up some old posts that mentioned this brand earlier and there was one tip that I thought makes great sense. That was to not buy black luggage, because so many people choose black, it makes your bag harder to spot on luggage trolleys. Mine is dark grey, but it's a carry-on, so I'm not that concerned about it. If I get a larger piece, I may see if there are other colors available at other TJ Maxx stores.

elizabeth022

I bought an Eagle Creek bag 10 years ago and have made countless trips with it and it is still in good shape. Very pleased with Eagle Creek.

It seems there is alot of anamosity toward Rick Steves on Fodors.. Im surprised as I have always had good luck with his guide books.?

duck, quick djf36! You've just expressed a heretical sentiment on this message board. There are those who totally dismiss Rick Steves variously as an idiot, a charlatan, and some kind of "real" travel wannabe. We don't have a tv, so maybe I haven't watched him enough, but we've rented his dvds and found them informative.

We have a lot of B+R luggage and it is VERY durable. We also have a lot of Eagle Creek products which are also very durable. Personally, I don't think you can go far wrong with either brand but I would definitely try to buy it through a discounter such as eBags or 1800luggage or similar.

PBH-
oh goodie. I am so glad to have a report on the appearance of the RS bag. It has sorely tempted me. I am totally uncontrolable when it comes to just the right bag for each trip. I have each increment of inches from 20 to 27, I think. Most of our stuff comes from EBags. Lots of asorted Eagle Creek small pack ins, but no luggage. But there is one out there I almost bought, then it disappeared. My worst buy- a rolly carry on. Tooooo heavy!