I need to buy a new rolling suitcase; 27" or 29". My last one was a Tumi but I was disappointed but how well it held up. Please give me your experiences on which bags can take Heavy Road Warrior International Duty.

Good question. It's really kind of a Consumer Reports one, though. Checking, I notice they did a luggage review on Dec 2001. Gotta be a member to access it, though. It does look like you can do it for a month for $4. If it were me, I'd consider it money well-spent.

If your Tumi didn't hold up then take it back and get a new one free. That's what they claim. Why buy a new one when they will replace your old one free?

We've had good luck with the Travel 2000 luggage we've purchased. We've bought more expensive bags, but as you said - they didn't last. With the Travel 2000, when anything happened at all to them - we just take it back and they give us a new one - incredible customer service. We do travel pretty much weekly - and the luggage hangs in there.

Take your Tumi back if it didn't hold up. I had the same thing happen and they gladly replaced it. I am also a heavy road warrior and couldn't find anything else that wouldn't fall apart.

I, also, was very disappointed with the way the Tumi luggage held up. We got two complete sets thinking that this would be it for luggage. The wheels became wobbly, the zippers separated...

So...about four years ago I went to Target and bought each of the 4 of us their $59 no named brand luggage. 26 states and 7 countries later this luggage is still holding up.

We bought a full set of Lark luggage (which I think is high-end Samsonite) 7 years ago. We have been on 9 trips using this luggage including 3 weeks in French Polynesia on 7 different flights. The luggage almost looks brand new. Every time we pack for another trip my husband and I always comment on how well the luggage has held up. Not one tear, no broken handles, zippers are perfect and the wheels are in A-1 condition. I highly recommend Lark.

I can't understand the idea of buying Tumi, having it fall apart and not taking it back. That is the main reason luggage like that is so expensive. Once you pay for it, they replace it. So in a way you are getting a "lifetime" of luggage.
I'm often accused of being a "spendthrift" here, but I'd never think of throwing an old Tumi suitcase in the trash when I could take it back to the store and get a brand new $500 one for free. Now that's being a spendthrift!!

I second the Target $59 set I bought 3 years ago. The luggage has been on 12 flights (International & Domestic), numerous connections and it's held up wonderfully.

Someone on another forum went through the Tumi Experience. His piece fell apart. He had a tough time getting them to replace it. When they finally did, the new piece did not fare much better. At that point, he realized that it was probably wiser to buy another make of luggage.

All the warranties in the world aren't going to do a bit of good if your belongings are scattered across an airport floor and you've got ten minutes to catch your flight....

Interesting. I had an easy time getting Tumi to replace my pullman. My new one has about 150,000 miles on it and is doing great.

I bought 2 Atlantic pullmans online at 1800luggage.com because they claim that Atlantic makes the largest on the market (the ones with the 4 inch zippered extension).

It was cheaper online than in department stores and I am really enjoying them. They seem really sturdy.

I've noticed that most pilots & flight attendants have TravelPro luggage...so I figure it must hold up pretty well. I've only been on a few trips with the bags...so far, no problems.

I agree with Laurie. I also have a set of Atlantic bought at a dept. store and it has held up well on two trips to Europe ,a trip to Thailand and numerous domestic flights. $500.00 for luggage??? You got to be kidding

I'm very happy with our TravelPro's.

The large one we bought somehow got tear-type damage down the side at the seam. I finally brought it in to get it fixed (after about 4 years) and the authorized dealer couldn't fix it, but shipped it back to HO. HO said their "line" was no longer set up for this product, and they sent us a brand new large one from their current line!

When you expand those already large pullmans, you are probably going to go over the weight limit and the bag handlers will treat your luggage horribly. Trust me, I know.

An excellent point....

If you do need to check out Consumer Reports and others consumer guides, go to the library. Our's has access to all of the magazines so when I need to research purchases I go there.

I've been very happy with my TravelPro luggage. It's held up very well, despite some less than desirable handling conditions (including getting ran over by a airline truck in China). I've used it for a number of international flights with no trouble and the smaller piece fits nicely in the overhead for domestic flights.

I bought American Tourister at K-Mart. It was cheaper than in a department or luggage store. The only difference I could see was that the pieces from K-Mart did not come with name tags. All luggage gets beat up by the airlines. So if I pay $40 to $60, I don't mind replacing it if it gets too beat up. I have not had any problem with broken zippers or wheels.