Luggage

[TW]Fox

[TW]Fox

[TW]Fox

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Joined
17 Oct 2002
Posts
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I really don’t have an awful lot of luck with luggage, I can’t remember the last time a piece of luggage of mine survived an entire trip without arriving back home broken. Almost always what happens is the slide out handle mechanism breaks – and either won’t retract, or won’t extend. I had to spend 30 minutes furiously smashing one against a hotel floor last year just to get the handle to close so I could get it on the plane.

Annoying.

So yet again it’s time to buy another one.

I either want:

a) Something sufficiently cheap that it can go in the bin when it breaks and I won’t be at all bothered as long as it survives 1 trip

b) Something decent that will last for a good amount of time before it breaks.

I’ve no idea what my budget is, how much I should spend, etc. I prefer the type of bag where it’s basically a large holdall with wheels and a hard base, if that makes sense. Needs to store enough general junk for a 2-3 week trip (Though I travel reasonably light and we tend to do laundry half way through so I don’t need an ISO shipping container, besides, the GF takes one of those and I can’t fit two in the boot of the rental car :D).

When browsing for this sort of stuff I have no idea what I’m looking for. Infact so far I’ve not been able to actually find the type of bag I’m after because I can’t even remember what it’s called :D

Any suggestions/recommendations etc?
 
My Sub Zero G suitcases have never had the problem you've outlined. They're incredibly lightweight too.

e: the mental image of you "furiously" doing anything gives me much mirth. :D
 
I had been using the same bag for my holidays and work trips for close to 6 years before it finally gave up in Vegas last year. Spent some time doing research and found one which I thought would do the job - I've been using it for about 5 months now and I can see this outlasting my previous by a long mile.

The quality is superb, the castor wheels are high end, the canvas material is extremely solid, the zipper too. It's compartmentalised which makes things much easier, and it's a breeze to wheel about. The handle is solid too, I hook my two laptops to it and carry it up and down stairs with it extended and have had no problems, it's very solid and it is behind an internal velcro backing so easily replaced if issues. It has plenty of other grab handles to which makes moving it about an absolute breeze.

It's a Dakine Duffle Roller, I paid £75 but it appears to have jumped up a bit since. The design (green/grey/blue, so easy to ID on a carrousel) I purchased is no longer on amazon but this is the same bag in a different pattern: clicky

I highly recommend this if it is a style you like.
 
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Unless you go high end like Tumi etc then you may be better just grabbing something on sale at Debenhams and treating them like a disposable item. For travelling hand luggage I have a small trip hard case which does the job alongside my Victorinox work bag which has been incredibly tough.

Unfortunately it depends how bad your luggage is treated by someone else which is completely out of your control.
 
I've a hard Samsonite case that's survived trips to China, USA, Japan, Guatemala and Spain without injury. It must be about 7 years old now. Very sturdy and the pull out handle mechanism works as well as the day I bought it.
 
I don't think i'd ever go down the route of spending lots on luggage. The airport crew who load/unload them literally throw them.

I think suitcases are one of those items where you need to try the item in the shop before you buy it. There was an Antec outlet store near me so I just went and had a look at a few.

Here's my typical criteria:
- Wheels must be built into the bag (not the ones that hang out like they do on office chairs - unfortunately I think this rules out the 4-wheeled stand-up-and-push bags)
- The handle must fit flush with the edges of the bag (I normally put a luggage strap length ways to prevent the handle from opening anyway)
- Hard/Sturdy (Fabric/Plastic - personally prefer fabric as they look nicer and are lighter, but plastic is more solid)
- Lightweight
- Compartments I'm not too fussed about
- Would be beneficial if you get one of the locking mechanisms built into the bag, the ones where you slot the zip handles into a lock - i watched some documentary/news thing where they were showing how a zip that can move around the bag can be broken into.
 
I've got a Samonsite case that has lasted nigh on 5 years. Pricey to start with but mines lasted pretty well bar the odd scuff.
 
Another vote for samsonite. My gf's mum is cabin crew and must've flown 100+ times in the last few years with her Samsonite case still going strong!

Cheap suitcases break, no surprise there really.
 
I brought a tripp hand luggage with wheels from debenhams a 3 or 4 years ago for a very reasonable price, it's still going strong!
I used to go from london to aberdeen and back weekly (at least 100 flights in total) and rolled the luggage through the town centre in aberdeen at least 120 miles in total, and on top of that trips to Canada, Tunisia, USA, Germany, Holland etc.

I paid around £30 for it in the sales! The wheels are still good, the handle still works, and it's not near enough warn to replace yet.
 
Westyfield2 said:
Agreed with the above. All of our family use Samsonite and they're great - especially the hard shell ones. Quite pricey though.
Click to expand...

Definately not after a hard shell type case though - it'll need to be a canvas/nylon/whatever type as they are far more convenient and you never know when you might show up only to find the reserved car class is booked out and all they can offer you is something ridiculously impractical with a small boot :p

Do Samsonite do that type? Where is best to buy this sort of stuff?
 
[TW]Fox;26580258 said:
Definately not after a hard shell type case though - it'll need to be a canvas/nylon/whatever type as they are far more convenient and you never know when you might show up only to find the reserved car class is booked out and all they can offer you is something ridiculously impractical with a small boot :p

Do Samsonite do that type? Where is best to buy this sort of stuff?
Click to expand...

If that's your requirement then the Dakine is perfect. It has strap adjusters too so you can compress when it's not so full etc.
 
a) Something sufficiently cheap that it can go in the bin when it breaks and I won’t be at all bothered as long as it survives 1 trip

b) Something decent that will last for a good amount of time before it breaks.
Click to expand...

Nothing exists that is cheap and good. Personally I have a Samsonite - This but in black.

http://www.johnlewis.com/samsonite-b-lite-2-2-wheel-cabin-suitcase/p469141?imageCount=2

Has been perfect and so far been on well over 20 trips / holidays / weekends away

Pretty expensive but has been great for anything from weekends away to 2 weeks working abroad. Travel light
 
[TW]Fox;26580258 said:
Definately not after a hard shell type case though - it'll need to be a canvas/nylon/whatever type as they are far more convenient and you never know when you might show up only to find the reserved car class is booked out and all they can offer you is something ridiculously impractical with a small boot :p

Do Samsonite do that type? Where is best to buy this sort of stuff?
Click to expand...

Yep, they do softside stuff too :). E.g. http://www.samsonite.co.uk/x-blade-...9inch-dark-brown/product-en.htm?or=6131366870

Our local House of Fraser always has a decent luggage selection in-store. A decent sized John Lewis store should also have some in.
 
I travel a LOT. So I have had some good, and bad bags in my time. I currently work offshore, so that's a flight to Norway, then Helicopter flights to and from the rig, and then flight back, so 4 flights every trip, and do 1-2 trips per month.

I currently use this one, : http://www.montroseropeandsail.co.uk/products/bags/4/kit-bag-medium/

It is an excellent bag, and stores plenty (although I do have a 10kg limit on helicopter flights). It's pretty much weatherproof (I almost wrote waterproof, but I doubt I'd be chucking it in the pool to find out). And it has been through airport security many many times, and not marked or tatty at all. There is it's bigger brother, here : http://www.montroseropeandsail.co.uk/products/bags/5/kit-bag-large/. We cant go for these are they are too big for helicopters. But not for normal travel. The only downside is everyone in the airport will think you work on the rigs, lol. MANY of these bags are in use in the North Sea, as they are among the best. My one has had a couple years of work use, and looks like new still (almost).

Of course, neither of these have the hard bottom and wheels you are looking for.

In an old job I had though, I only went to land rigs, usually long haul, and for a month at a time. So a bigger bag was very useful. On these trips, I took one of these: http://www.thenorthface.co.uk/tnf-uk-en/rolling-thunder-luggage-l/p50946.html. This one has had a good 5 years of work use, followed by 3-4 years of private travel use, and is still in excellent condition.

Clearly not a cheap option, but I have used it extensively, globally. And it is an excellent bag. The main problem that I found with it is that it is huge. So much so, that it is easy to go over the baggage weight limit with it. So you do have to be careful.

Now, I do not do so much international travel with work though, so it has been resigned to holiday duties, where it also performs excellently. We mainly do ski-ing holidays, and it is excellent for that, as it easily swallows big, bulky ski-ing jackets, and all other manner of cold weather clothing. And having that extra large pocket on the side helps separate clean clothes from the not so clean (read : sweaty old ski-gear).

Anyway, they are my experiences, and the best bags I have found for regular airport travel. Bearing in mind that I do a LOT of flying for work, so these bags do get a LOT of use. I have had other bags, some more, some less expensive. None as good as the bags I have linked.
 
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Sanchez said:
I've a hard Samsonite case that's survived trips to China, USA, Japan, Guatemala and Spain without injury. It must be about 7 years old now. Very sturdy and the pull out handle mechanism works as well as the day I bought it.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I've got one, parents have a pair with an armoured back that must be 10+ years old and get used 4/5 times a year. Looking a bit scuffed in places, but the handles, wheels etc still work perfectly.
 
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