I bought a new suitcase

[Watson's aunt]

Hi

 

When I pick my luggage I always check and see how much it weighs.. Some luggage can be 10-15 pounds or more... Thats a lot when you are only allowed 50 pounds.

 

 

Mary

[lindaler]

New luggage and in Florida the airlines set them in a puddle and they had water marks and musty smell. Next new luggage, one lost a wheel on the cobble stone roads outside of San Diego cruise terminal and the other was a nice orange that came home so smudged it looked too dirty to use again.

[Randyk47]

We have mixed luggage. I prefer and have had great luck with Delsey. Mrs. K likes Samsonite and has also done well with them. She particularly likes the "spinner" models as she finds them easier to handle when she travels by herself which she frequently does. Delsey now has spinners but she not fond of their colors so I haven't been able to talk her into trying them. Truth is we have bags that have gone on and on and on while we've had bags from either brand that have gone on one trip and been damaged. It happens.

[stlouistravelers]

I use a American Tourister. It is fabric with wheels and a handle. Medium size so when packed it is about 50 lbs. I had a hard sided one but the previous cruise line destroyed it. It wont be treated well by the cruise line so don't send a fortune. The soft sided one has endured many cruises and still works well.

[Thebes]

I tend to disagree with the previous replies.

If possible, buy the best suitcase you can afford.

I have had mine (Samsonite) for over ten years. It has been to Europe at least ten times and the Caribbean/Mexico also at least ten times plus other trips in between. It still looks practically new!

 

Same here. Samsonite hard shell is great. Have used them for 7 years ( still looking great) on trips to Europe, Middle East and everywhere in between :)

[donaldsc]

Most of my suitcases last at least 10 years. I have 2 Travelpro suitcase that I have had for maybe 15 years. I have had only one suitcase that did not last. It was destroyed halfway through it's first trip. I had to use Gorilla Tape during my trip and had to have it wrapped with that plastic stuff at the airport.

 

There are suitcases that are guaranteed forever against everything - some Eagle Creek suitcases and all Osprey suitcases. One of the Osprey lines is super light - the 28" model weighs less than 6 pounds. You might look at them.

 

DON

Edited January 16, 2014 by donaldsc

[GeriatricNurse]

I swear by Briggs & Riley and the TravelPro pro series.

 

These are great brands but I think that Briggs & Riley is quite overpriced! :eek: I have TravelPro & I have done very well with them! :)

[1of4]

My thoughts on luggage and why we buy 27" hard sided Samsonites with a gasget seal and no zippers.

 

We buy colour so it sticks out. We have had 2 red hard sided non-zipper suitcases by Samsonite for over 10 years...still good as new. We just bought a third orange one with spinners to make it easier for our DD while in Australia in March.

 

I call them flying buckets as that is what they are. One zipper compartment in the top for formal wear and the other side is a bucket. They are waterproof, no zippers to stick a pen through to open (yes it happens), and bed bug proof. When I travel I don't want to think about soaking luggage and people who steal. 10 years and counting and the only ones that have been in my cases without my prior knowledge is the TSA...and yes, they did "borrow" some things and not return and their 24 hour help line never answered.

 

The read ones have no visible marks; the orange one will need some cleaning up before the Australia trip. A few black marks here and there, nothing a Mr. Clean eraser won't handle with ease.

[Desdemona01]

We have several pieces of Travelpro, from roll-aboard totes to 30". We've had them for years and they are holding up great. DH chose this brand because the important parts (wheels, pull-up handles, etc) can be replaced easily. One of our pull-up handles became bent and would not retract--a call to Travelpro resulted in the part being shipped to us, with instructions, and DH replaced it in a matter of minutes.

[silvercruiser]

Luggage repair is available on most cruise ships with no charge. I had a retracting handle that was damaged by the luggage handlers and another time a wheel broke. I was told to bring them to the information desk both times, which I did, and they called two days later and told me to come down and pick them up.

[silvercruiser]

Find out where the airlines in your area take damaged luggage for repair. We have a place here in Sarasota that even has the tiniest parts for luggage that's years old.

[rafinmd]

I'm probably the real oddball here. I use several pieces of luggage, generally taking the smallest that will carry for a given cruise. I also tend to avoid wheels, using a backpack and a smaller one worn backwards on my chest. I prefer to keep my hands free whenever possible. I've found most of my luggage pretty durable, and actually most of it has long since disappeared from the market.

 

On my last trip (62 days) I used my normal 3 go to bags. 2 Are carryovers from my Arctic Explorer in 2011:

On the right is my Osprey Porter 90, purchased in 2007. It's primarily a backpack but the straps retract into pockets to be checked for flying. It takes a ton of stuff but I keep it to about 50 pounds. On the left is a Rick Steve's carryon sized bag. It does quite well and fits into an aircraft overhhead compartment. I've used it since 2008.

 

When I need more than 2 bags I need one with wheels, a Samsonite hard sided bag. I'm not sure exactly how long I've had it but do remember using it on my 2001 Columbia River cruise and I think it was fairly old then. The lock failed on my Amazon cruise, but Samsonite is sending me a new one.

 

 

Roy

Edited January 16, 2014 by rafinmd
Forgot attachment

[Cindy]

We just got new Briggs and Riley luggage for Christmas. I looked at several brands, but I was really attracted to their "No Questions Asked" lifetime warranty.

[PatsyAnne]

I go for lightweight, durable, and not so expensive I'll cry when they get banged up. I've had good luck with Kirkland (Costco) except for the zipper tabs and Eagle Creek. When I was working, I usually had to replace about one a year, but that was for an average of four hops a week so not too bad. Years ago, Samsonite came out with a line called Survivor. I think the baggage people saw it as a challenge because it was twisted on its second flight and never sealed properly again. I have a bright colored strap I put around my bag so I can spot it easily. I usually use a TSA lock, but the last time the TSA inspected my bag they didn't return it. :mad:

[runnergirl71]

Mine is all from LL Bean. I've got a rolling duffle (either large or XL - I can't remember) in a fun print pattern and a three-piece set in a reddish color - the two bigger ones are rolling. I've had no issues yet, but I love their lifetime guarantee! My dad had had a piece of their luggage for about 10 years and they still replaced it with a new one!

[tjcletsgo]

Have always used Travelpro for business as the softside is durable and lightweight - the 22" is perfect for carryon and zippered sides can be expanded and then checked on the return if "extras" are acquired on the trip. Some I have had for years and they still do the job.

 

But a few years ago, I wanted a bigger one to check, and I got it at Costco. Good, strong zippers, good wheels, etc. Has survived many airlines, trains in Europe, and cruise ships. I swear by Costco products, and this is a good example.

 

Ditto Costco. I have a 10 year old soft sided large suitcase that's been on 6 cruises and many flights. It still look great and everything works fine. I love my Costco suitcase~:D

[iancal]

My Costco 21 roller is 10 years old. Many business and leisure trips. It looks like new and is the best 'roller' that I have ever had. DW has a three year old Travelpro 25'. No comparison, it is starting to look old and the wheels have been sub standard from day 1. I think we got a lemon. Just replaced it with a light 21 inch Rick Steves roller. Leaving for 7 in Asia so we will be trying it out. The Kirkland is much heavier, we may replace it with another Rick Steves if DW proves to be a good one.

 

Like others, we are big fans of Costco Kirkland branded products. They have all been top notch.

Edited January 16, 2014 by iancal

[sugarlipz]

We have had the airlines crack one of our hardsided pieces of luggage at least every 2 to 3 trips - the most recent time was on the first leg of a trip to India and we had to gorilla tape it together for the rest of the trip!! So I have given up on the hardsided & gone to featherweight softsided TravelPro. Hope we have better luck with this one!

[Chelly]

My thoughts on luggage and why we buy 27" hard sided Samsonites with a gasget seal and no zippers.

 

We buy colour so it sticks out. We have had 2 red hard sided non-zipper suitcases by Samsonite for over 10 years...still good as new. We just bought a third orange one with spinners to make it easier for our DD while in Australia in March.

 

I call them flying buckets as that is what they are. One zipper compartment in the top for formal wear and the other side is a bucket. They are waterproof, no zippers to stick a pen through to open (yes it happens), and bed bug proof. When I travel I don't want to think about soaking luggage and people who steal. 10 years and counting and the only ones that have been in my cases without my prior knowledge is the TSA...and yes, they did "borrow" some things and not return and their 24 hour help line never answered.

 

The read ones have no visible marks; the orange one will need some cleaning up before the Australia trip. A few black marks here and there, nothing a Mr. Clean eraser won't handle with ease.

 

Hi 1of4. Just wondering if you, yourself are able to lift the 27" hard-sided Samsonites when they are packed?

Thanks!

Edited January 16, 2014 by Chelly

[Tampa Girl]

I use a American Tourister. It is fabric with wheels and a handle. Medium size so when packed it is about 50 lbs. I had a hard sided one but the previous cruise line destroyed it. It wont be treated well by the cruise line so don't send a fortune. The soft sided one has endured many cruises and still works well.

 

 

Are the baggage handlers employees of the cruiseline?

[OHCruiser]

Our current criteria for luggage is that it meet international airline travel size limits [62 continuous inches= H+W+L], be as lightweight as possible [10lbs. or less], roll easily, and cheap.

 

We refuse to pay to check luggage, or for overweight luggage, on an airline, so lightweight allows us to pack as much as possible-and doing that allows us to [sometimes] avoid paying to have laundry done on the ship.

 

Sometimes, the cases will last for several years through multiple cruises and trips. Other times, the damage done by the handlers makes repair cost more than replacement.

 

My favorite case was recently ruined coming off of the Noordam. The frame on one side was bent into a "< " and the 2 wheels on that side were splayed 45 degrees and missing attachments. Cost of case $90 [retail value $190], cost of repair [no an option, but wheel replacement alone would have been $60], cost to replace with a lighter weight case with spinner wheels $75.

[sapper1]

To make our luggage stand out I use luggage straps with a bright pattern. I also use coloured pom-poms that snap onto the handle. Add to that a colourful name tag with a funny message on the front and a piece of bright yellow duct tape on the side with our last name in black marker. It may not look so good but I can spot those bags from the minute they hit the carousel and nobody has ever taken them by mistake.

 

Just in case they are taken in error I have contact information on top of the clothing in each bag.

[Spinner2]

We have mixed brands between my DH and myself as well. He's using, quite happily, some Costco luggage; it's several years old now and the one repair it's needed (rough day port side in San Diego once) was repaired by our local luggage shop after some delay for them to find the right part needed to repair a wheel assembly and paid for by HAL. Small damages were repaired by HAL right onboard some years ago to two of our pieces; port side can be rough! My luggage is of a brand I don't remember because it was provided by American Airlines in Heathrow about 5 years ago. While waiting for our luggage to come off the carousel there we heard this horrible noise from the other side of the wall, and the carousel stopped for some half hour. When it resumed it was clear that both pieces of my luggage, together on the belt which is rare enough, had somehow caught their wheels in the mechanism and both bags were ruined. American Airlines promptly rolled out a very nice selection and told me to choose any two that I wanted. They were of higher quality than what was ruined so other than having to repack right on the floor in the Heathrow claims area, all was good and I continue to be very happy with them. No damage, despite many cruises, yet!

 

On a related subject I am now a huge fan of packing cubes and envelopes to go inside the luggage. Mine are from the Container Store and at first I was reluctant to try them because together, empty, they'd weigh perhaps 5 pounds. But each of the envelopes has a folding board which is most of the weight and I only need one of those of each of the two sizes, so a couple of those stay home. I've found that when I pack everything of a similar type together in the envelope or cube wrinkling is minimal and everything similar is together. They are designed to fit without wasting space in a standard suitcase and once aboard, unpacking is so easy! Ditto for re-packing. Some of mine are the compression type which helps too. When we get home I don't lug a heavy suitcase up the stairs of our tri-level home; I leave luggage in the garage and carry an armload of cubes upstairs with me, unpacking as I go. I'm really sold on this system!

 

My day bag is from Rick Steves; it is the one they recommend for an entire week of travel and all of my considerable electronic gear fits safely in it, with plenty of room for other stuff. When we leave a cruise to schlep around a few European cities via train before heading home I keep my possessions to one suitcase weighing no more than 25# (so I can easily step onto a train, suitcase in hand, not needing to drag it up behind me) and the day bag which on my back can easily weigh 35# and my not notice the weight as it is a very well-balanced bag. This, even on a long cruise, with ship laundry, is more than sufficient, even though trans-Atlantic cruises for us, with travel on our own afterward, are at least a month long.

[Chelly]

Are the baggage handlers employees of the cruiseline?

 

I believe they are employees of the port.

[1of4]

To make our luggage stand out I use luggage straps with a bright pattern. I also use coloured pom-poms that snap onto the handle. Add to that a colourful name tag with a funny message on the front and a piece of bright yellow duct tape on the side with our last name in black marker. It may not look so good but I can spot those bags from the minute they hit the carousel and nobody has ever taken them by mistake.

 

Just in case they are taken in error I have contact information on top of the clothing in each bag.

 

I think we channell each other Sapper as I have the pompom that snap on the handle, the coloured straps, etc. Two suitcases are red and the third is orange. We can spot them anywhere!