lynni

For those of you that are happy with your luggage or have recently shopped and found something wonderful, will you please share your findings with me?

My sweet husband has offered to "treat" me to a new carry on and also a extended trip size piece of luggage since mine gave out on my last trip ( just before the shutdown.) I want something relatively light and with wheels that will last! I remember seeing a thread on this years ago and will search for it but thought updated info would be good too!

TIA

crefloors

I have several pieces of Travelpro and it's been great. The wheels roll very easily and you can also pull it like the two wheel versions which is nice in some situations. I have four different sizes.

lynni

I'm looking at their website right now! I pulled up the last thread I remembered from here that appeared in the search and it was from 2004, so I decided not to link it here but it did have several mentions of travel pro!

I have been seduced by the Tumi hard sided Latitude luggage and am having a hard time finding anything else that catches my eye! I obviously have too much time on my hands! https://www.tumi.com/p/short-trip-pa...ase-0287664NVY

Weekender

lynni,

Take a look at Rimova luggage. www.rimova.com

suze

I am all about light-weight... REALLY truly light weight. My go-to brand is "IT". They weigh (empty) about 1/2 what the others being suggested here so far do. I have found them at TJ Maxx (~$50).

historytraveler

I have several pieces of Rimowa and love it but it is expensive. My daughter recently bought a piece from Away and is very happy with it.

gruezi

I just want to say I like your optimism!!!


ps Of all the luggage we’ve bought over the years, the Tumi always seems to hold up the best... do not recommend Hartmann - gave to our daughter and it lasted less than a year even though it was beautiful. Since it wasn’t “broken” - just very worn - they won’t replace.

suze

A 21" that costs $1000+ and weighs 9.5 pounds -lol- I don't think so (Rimowa)

charsuzan

I got a piece of IT at TJ Maxx and loved the weight but after about a year and a half of weekly us (combination of air/car travel) it is starting to show lots of signs of wear. However, for the price I paid, I cannot complain. It is light weight and has allowed me to pack way more than I needed to.

travelgourmet

That is for the bullet-proof metal version. Their lighter model is under 5 pounds.

lynni

Gruezi: I have to travel at the end of the month , so I do need to purchase something soon! ( My son has been in a therapeutic boarding school in Mississippi for a year and we are traveling to pick him up! My husband travels a lot for work and swears by his Tumi! When we married a few years ago, I think he was a little embarassed at my rag tag luggage and I couldn't justify just tossing it for no reason. On my last trip, just before things shut down for Covid, I was using his Tumi but the handle broke on my lightweight Revo carry on that one of my other sons was using!

starrs

One thing to consider - do you like packing a clamshell style suitcase?

I've learned that I do not.

Totally personal preference, but something to consider before spending several hundred dollars for a piece of luggage.

travelgourmet

In general, hard-sided is the way to go if weight is a concern and you want wheels. We’ve had good luck with both Rimowa and the higher-end Samsonites.

flygirl

The suitcases I used the most (I have several) are the ones by Rick Steves.

If you are looking for the "personal bag" that you can take on board with you, I can vouch for Lo and Sons. I bought two of their pieces in December/January timeframe and have used one of them so far - it has a trolley sleeve which I won't do without, now, and it's very thoughtfully designed.

suze

Their lighter model is under 5 pounds.

But does it still cost over a $1000 dollars?? Sorry but that's just insane to me for a suitcase.

Guenmai

For me it's Tumi V-3 luggage (now called V-4). I've traveled annually with my Tumi V-3 on extended vacations since 2015 as that's when I switched over to it and that luggage has been dragged through the ringer, so to speak, as I usually do a trip to Europe, 6 weeks in S.E. Asia and other parts of Asia, 2-3 weeks in Japan and one domestic trip and many times in the same year. So, a lot of airports and a lot of the airlines banging around my luggage and a lot of taxi drivers tossing it into car trunks. But, the V-3 still looks great. Plus, I've received great customer service from Tumi over the years. I started buying their suitcases and other pieces back round the early 1990s, I think it was. Then, when it's time for me to move on to something new, I either sell or give the older Tumi suitcases and other pieces to friends and family.

I've been totally into luggage since elementary school and have owned a lot of brands of luggage. I should have gone into the luggage business. LOL! I've owned U.S. brands, European brands, and Asian brands and brands from other places and in various price ranges as in from my hard sided-LV suitcases, bought new in Europe in the 1980s and of which I still have , to Samsonite to Tumi and and about everything else. My preference is hard-sided luggage although I do have two, small soft-sided Tumi, carry-on suitcases along with my 2 hard-sided, Tumi carry-on suitcases, one in the international size and the other in the domestic size (a bit larger). Before I switched to Tumi V-3, it was my soft-sided Kipling suitcases/ carry-on for a good decade that I traveled around the world with and which held up really well on trips to West Africa. I finally passed the Kipling on to a friend who has been using it for nearly 5 years.

Happy Travels!

Fra_Diavolo

We're happy with the Travelpro carry-on we bought a couple of years ago. When we decide to fly again I'll probably buy another.

I like the looks of the premium luggage I see gleaming in the store windows, but there's no way I'm paying that kind of money for a suitcase. I bring a suitcase on the plane (or, more likely, answer the call to volunteer to gate check -- for free), then I unpack it in the hotel and hide it in a closet. So far my plain cloth luggage seems to hold up well. Perhaps if I traveled more often it might make sense to buy the bulletproof grade, but for the two or three trips a year I have no need for it.

starrs

This article may be interesting reading -
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-checked-luggage/
It's the NY Times Wirecutter recommendations
I found it via reviews for the luggage I bought for wedding gifts in 2018. One review referenced Wirecutter. Evidently the Delsey Paris was recommended that year. Both bride and groom have traveled internationally all of their lives and seem pleased with the luggage they selected for their registry.

There's an interesting section discussing soft vs hard. Also a photo of the well type packing that I prefer over clamshell.

But all of it is personal preference. Enjoy your shopping!

schmerl

Oh suze.....here we go again. I also love the IT luggage. I haven't been able to find anything as light as their cases.

sf7307

what is “well type” (I can’t find the picture you referred to)