SIGforum
New luggage advice

This topic can be found at:
https://sigforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/320601935/m/3480087144

May 15, 2018, 12:10 PM
Ackks
New luggage advice
I need a new 25" suitcase and could use some advice. Samsonite used to make decent luggage, but a softside spinner I purchased steered like a broken cart at the store and the zipper stuck fresh out of the box. Was that just a lemon or is that pretty common now?

Is there really a difference between the softside brands? They all look like they are made in the same Chinese factory.
May 15, 2018, 12:50 PM
HayesGreener
Up until I retired a few years back I traveled A LOT in the U.S. and internationally. I can't tell you how many Samsonite softside bags I discarded because of zipper failure. They would repair them under warranty but that is a pain in itself. Professional aircrews use Luggage Works and Strongbags aircrew luggage and swear by them. They cost more but cry once.


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May 15, 2018, 12:52 PM
italia
We went away from soft side luggage. Just bought some 'Delsey Paris' brand luggage (Helium Aero model) from Amazon after reading a bunch of reviews. Don't have a feel for how long it will hold up as we just got it.


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It's either sadness or euphoria
May 15, 2018, 12:57 PM
ensigmatic
Exactly what we were looking for. See: Checked Luggage: What Works, What Does Not? (Update: Got it!)

I got the Eagle Creek Expanse Upright noted in that thread. We got my wife a TravelPro Tpro Bold 2.0 25". We were both satisfied with our luggage on our recent trip to Europe.

Both are rollaboard, rather than spinners. We watched other travellers with spinners and decided we'd made the right choice going with rollaboards.



"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system,,,, but too early to shoot the bastards." -- Claire Wolfe
"If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living." -- Seneca the Younger, Roman Stoic philosopher
May 15, 2018, 01:17 PM
Ackks
quote:
Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Exactly what we were looking for. See: Checked Luggage: What Works, What Does Not? (Update: Got it!)

I got the Eagle Creek Expanse Upright noted in that thread. We got my wife a TravelPro Tpro Bold 2.0 25". We were both satisfied with our luggage on our recent trip to Europe.

Both are rollaboard, rather than spinners. We watched other travellers with spinners and decided we'd made the right choice going with rollaboards.


Thank you for the link. I apologize for not seeing that thread.

quote:
Originally posted by italia:
We went away from soft side luggage. Just bought some 'Delsey Paris' brand luggage (Helium Aero model) from Amazon after reading a bunch of reviews. Don't have a feel for how long it will hold up as we just got it.


I've heard good things about Delsey. After reading your post I found some softside 25" spinners for $69 on clearance. I could try to find a hardside, but for that price if they break I could replace them without a problem.

quote:
Originally posted by HayesGreener:
Up until I retired a few years back I traveled A LOT in the U.S. and internationally. I can't tell you how many Samsonite softside bags I discarded because of zipper failure. They would repair them under warranty but that is a pain in itself. Professional aircrews use Luggage Works and Strongbags aircrew luggage and swear by them. They cost more but cry once.

Thank you for the information. That saved me from placing a replacement order.
May 15, 2018, 01:29 PM
ensigmatic
quote:
Originally posted by Ackks:
quote:
Originally posted by ensigmatic:
Exactly what we were looking for. See: Checked Luggage: What Works, What Does Not? (Update: Got it!)

I got the Eagle Creek Expanse Upright noted in that thread. We got my wife a TravelPro Tpro Bold 2.0 25". We were both satisfied with our luggage on our recent trip to Europe.

Both are rollaboard, rather than spinners. We watched other travellers with spinners and decided we'd made the right choice going with rollaboards.


Thank you for the link. I apologize for not seeing that thread.

Eh, last post was over a month ago. Can't catch everything here Smile

Btw: All zippers worked flawlessly on both our bags. Both rolled cleanly and easily. Handles on each extended and collapsed just as they should, and were comfortable to use. Both were easy to grab several different ways.

Her's has the advantage of being less expensive and having multiple internal pockets. Mine is slightly larger and has the anchor for the TSA lock.

TBH: You probably couldn't go wrong with either of them.



"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system,,,, but too early to shoot the bastards." -- Claire Wolfe
"If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living." -- Seneca the Younger, Roman Stoic philosopher
May 15, 2018, 01:38 PM
SIG4EVA
I've had very good success with Travelpro. My work bad is 4 years old and still going strong. I use Samsonite for personal trips. I have the spinner full size and carry on that stack on each other.


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May 15, 2018, 01:47 PM
deepocean
Do the spinner wheels get broken off if checked?
May 15, 2018, 02:28 PM
corsair
quote:
Originally posted by deepocean:
Do the spinner wheels get broken off if checked?

Anything is possible. Was in Florence last year and saw a women struggling with a bag that had one snap-off. I've seen more problems with bad wheels or, designs, than actual broken assemblies/parts.
May 15, 2018, 02:50 PM
heisrizn
Buy this with $40 off using coupon "SAVE40"

https://www.buydig.com/shop/se...&utm_content=7206546


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May 15, 2018, 02:57 PM
esdunbar
I bought my wife, kids and I Delsey luggage (hard shell with spinner wheels) about 4 ago. We've flown with it probably 8 times.

I really like it. No issues at all with the wheels. A compression strap came loose inside one of them and Delsey sent me an entirely new suitcase. They had me send the old one back to them (at their cost). I was very happy with their service.
May 15, 2018, 03:39 PM
Ackks
quote:
Originally posted by corsair:

Anything is possible. Was in Florence last year and saw a women struggling with a bag that had one snap-off. I've seen more problems with bad wheels or, designs, than actual broken assemblies/parts.


It sounds like they can snap off, but it's not a regular occurrence.
May 15, 2018, 04:08 PM
Pipe Smoker
I know almost nothing about luggage, but it seems to me that a bag with no wheels, and a simple flip-down handle would provide max capacity for a given size limit. Nothing to break, and a 25 incher can’t be that heavy.

A google search found this article:

http://onebagger.squarespace.c...el-forum/post/436335



Serious about crackers
May 15, 2018, 04:14 PM
Rey HRH
I'm partial to Travel Pro and their Crew 11 line.

If you want something better, there's Briggs & Riley with their simple life time guarantee. I've owned B&R business bags but not luggages. My wife can't see spending that much money for something to be thrown around by baggage handlers.



"It did not really matter what we expected from life, but rather what life expected from us. We needed to stop asking about the meaning of life, and instead to think of ourselves as those who were being questioned by life – daily and hourly. Our answer must consist not in talk and meditation, but in right action and in right conduct. Life ultimately means taking the responsibility to find the right answer to its problems and to fulfill the tasks which it constantly sets for each individual." Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning, 1946.
May 15, 2018, 04:35 PM
aileron
We travel a lot internationally, and are hard on luggage. Briggs and Riley is good, but not perfect. We've busted some of them up too, but they live up to their "no questions asked" lifetime warranty.

I also have a polycarbonate Rimowa Bolero 25" spinner; it was a gift from a customer. Crazy expensive, but nice.
May 15, 2018, 06:04 PM
ensigmatic
quote:
Originally posted by deepocean:
Do the spinner wheels get broken off if checked?

The wheels on spinners are more vulnerable than those on a rollaboard, because rollaboard wheels can be more protected. That was one of my concerns, but the bigger concern was controllability. Sure enough: We saw people struggling to keep their spinners under control. At one point my wife even remarked on it.



"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system,,,, but too early to shoot the bastards." -- Claire Wolfe
"If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living." -- Seneca the Younger, Roman Stoic philosopher
May 15, 2018, 06:22 PM
sns3guppy
Don't buy luggage with four wheel ("spinners"). Use two wheels.
May 15, 2018, 06:56 PM
sig77
Travelpro.



There are 3 kinds of people, those that understand numbers and those that don't.
May 15, 2018, 07:25 PM
Ackks
quote:
Originally posted by ensigmatic:

The wheels on spinners are more vulnerable than those on a rollaboard, because rollaboard wheels can be more protected. That was one of my concerns, but the bigger concern was controllability. Sure enough: We saw people struggling to keep their spinners under control. At one point my wife even remarked on it.

On hills or they don't roll straight?
May 15, 2018, 07:37 PM
ensigmatic
quote:
Originally posted by Ackks:
quote:
Originally posted by ensigmatic:
The wheels on spinners are more vulnerable than those on a rollaboard, because rollaboard wheels can be more protected. That was one of my concerns, but the bigger concern was controllability. Sure enough: We saw people struggling to keep their spinners under control. At one point my wife even remarked on it.

On hills or they don't roll straight?

I really don't recall the specifics. But consider: ±50 lbs. of luggage on four tiny wheels that swivel independently of one another, controlled by a hand at the end of a 2' or so lever arm. Physics dictates that thing is not always going to go, or stop, where its owner wants or expects. And they didn't.

On smooth sloping surfaces I would imagine it would be unwise to take your hand off it.

As with just about everything else in life: YMMV.



"America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system,,,, but too early to shoot the bastards." -- Claire Wolfe
"If we let things terrify us, life will not be worth living." -- Seneca the Younger, Roman Stoic philosopher