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Need New Luggage ASAP! Help!

VacationForever

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I had many barely used Samsonites that I had literally threw away when I moved last year. They were very sturdy but very heavy relative to IT Luggage. IT Luggage is lighter and a little more filmsy - the spinner wheels ones are sturdier than the super light weight non-spinner ones.
 

GM600

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My Travelpro luggage has held up great over the 10+ years that I've owned it. I recently decided to upgrade to the Travelpro Maxlite 4, 29" spinner and 25" spinner. Great quality and they have a great warranty. The 29" is on sale on a Amazon right now for $114 and was even lower recently. Check around the discount luggage site for the best price.
 

b2bailey

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I was in Ross yesterday looking at luggage and thought of this thread. I want the lightest I can find. Small, but not carry-on. There were several pieces that met my criteria, until I tried rolling. It was only then I realized I must add: spinner wheels. When you have grown accustomed to that feature, the old way seems odd.
 

Jan M.

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I was in Ross yesterday looking at luggage and thought of this thread. I want the lightest I can find. Small, but not carry-on. There were several pieces that met my criteria, until I tried rolling. It was only then I realized I must add: spinner wheels. When you have grown accustomed to that feature, the old way seems odd.

Our luggage gets a lot of use. One and sometimes both of us have made 1-2 trips every month this year starting in February. January we didn't go anywhere!

A couple of years ago now I replaced several pieces of larger sized luggage with lighter weight good quality pieces purchased at Ross and Marshalls at great prices. I really wanted the spinner wheels but after reading a number of reviews I decided against getting them because I was buying larger checked bag size suitcases. Checked bags get a lot of abuse and the wheels too often get broken off. As OP stated you have no recourse with the airlines. Also the airlines aren't the only ones handling the bags. The off site parking shuttle to and from the airport and the bus to and from the rental car centers that many larger airports now have all handle your bags. My other reason for deciding against the spinner wheels was that the wheels added inches to the overall dimensions and many of the airlines are reducing and "policing" bag sizes these days.

If I remember correctly from the research I did there was one brand of luggage that the spinner wheels were more recessed or protected but it was considerably more expensive. I don't remember the brand name however.
 

T_R_Oglodyte

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I stopped buying Samsonite about fifteen years ago because I got tired of replacing suitcases every two years. I suppose their ok for occasional travel, but I have found they do hot hold up well.

I then bought some Atlantic Pro - those were better. They started falling apart after about five years. One piece survived ten years.

So then I moved further up the chain to Briggs and Riley, which we have had for approaching ten years, They are just starting to show wear, but look as if they have many years left.

If I need to buy more luggage in the future, it will probably be TravelPro.
 

T_R_Oglodyte

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Our luggage gets a lot of use. One and sometimes both of us have made 1-2 trips every month this year starting in February. January we didn't go anywhere!

A couple of years ago now I replaced several pieces of larger sized luggage with lighter weight good quality pieces purchased at Ross and Marshalls at great prices. I really wanted the spinner wheels but after reading a number of reviews I decided against getting them because I was buying larger checked bag size suitcases. Checked bags get a lot of abuse and the wheels too often get broken off. As OP stated you have no recourse with the airlines. Also the airlines aren't the only ones handling the bags. The off site parking shuttle to and from the airport and the bus to and from the rental car centers that many larger airports now have all handle your bags. My other reason for deciding against the spinner wheels was that the wheels added inches to the overall dimensions and many of the airlines are reducing and "policing" bag sizes these days.

If I remember correctly from the research I did there was one brand of luggage that the spinner wheels were more recessed or protected but it was considerably more expensive. I don't remember the brand name however.
Luggage is an item where you get what you pay for. For someone who checks bags 5 or more times per year, I think it will usually pay to spend more better quality

What makes it better quality? Wheels don't fall off. The sides and corners of the suitcase don't crush or collapse under "normal" baggage handling conditions. Telescoping handles remain functional. Zippers remain intact. The fabric on the outside of the suitcase resists wear and tear.
 

VacationForever

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For me lightweight is more important than durability. I had many Samsonites that were used only once and they could last a hundred years but I hated them. My IT Luggages will likely need to be replaced after 5 years or so but those few pounds make a huge difference in trying to put them overhead or even just lifting off the ground into the boot (trunk) of the car.
 

VegasBella

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Appearance is also a factor. We noticed with one set that certain colors were priced dramatically lower than others. Hubby thought it was great and wanted the ugly cheap colors but I didn't like it.

Another factor I haven't seen mentioned is related to appearance. I like to find something that stands out enough for me to recognize it easily on the conveyor belt but not stand out so much that people see it and assume it holds a lot of expensive stuff. I'm very wary of appearing super wealthy as I do not want to attract the wrong type of attention.


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Luanne

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I like to find something that stands out enough for me to recognize it easily on the conveyor belt but not stand out so much that people see it and assume it holds a lot of expensive stuff. I'm very wary of appearing super wealthy as I do not want to attract the wrong type of attention.


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We handle this by using distinctive luggage tags.
 

LisaH

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My Tumi luggage is more than 12 years old. I took it back to local Tumi store once to repair the backside and they came back totally re-conditioned including new wheels and new handle. All for free! Still using it now and bought two more since...
 

clifffaith

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Not only do we have luggage tags that I would recognize (notice I didn't say "we"!), I took a small paintbrush and painted an "H" (for our last initial) on the bottom in white paint. Even Cliff recognizes those! The first time I used my new Rick Steves bag (old one was supposedly no longer compliant with carry on rules) an area of the bag came unstitched. Had it fixed for $20 and RS reimbursed me.
 

Jan M.

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old one was supposedly no longer compliant with carry on rules

This is exactly why I won't spend the money to buy really good luggage. However I won't waste our money on junk either! The bags I replaced a couple of years ago still had a lot of wear left in them but with airlines changing the size and weight allowances it made sense to replace them especially at the prices I paid for the new bags.

I like to find something that stands out enough for me to recognize it easily on the conveyor belt but not stand out so much that people see it and assume it holds a lot of expensive stuff. I'm very wary of appearing super wealthy as I do not want to attract the wrong type of attention.

I agree 100%. It is fun to have "nice things" but in many instances you're just asking to be a target for thieves. We remember hearing several times on the news in the past year or two about a women in their late 60's or early 70's who got robbed in broad daylight in the parking lot of a Publix grocery stores in Boca Raton. For those of you not familiar with SoFlo, Southern Florida, Boca Raton is a very well to do area. Because doesn't everyone need to be decked out in $40k-$50k in diamonds and gold jewelry, carry a $1200-$2000 purse and have several grand in cash and of course a wallet full of credit cards in their purse to go to the grocery store? The thieves go to stores in well to do areas, look for women like them and follow them out to their cars. Frequently the thieves are a couple or even two women so it isn't just men you need to watch out for. Of course on TV they cried about how they've always shopped there and no longer felt safe. I've got a $20 bill that says they put their purses up on the counter, held them open while they dug out their wallets also holding the wallet open and on top of that I bet they paid with a credit card for the few groceries they bought so they didn't even use any of the cash they were carrying.
 
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Passepartout

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I have a big X in yellow duct tape on the flat sides of our bags. Easy to spot from any distance.
 

Jan M.

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I have a big X in yellow duct tape on the flat sides of our bags. Easy to spot from any distance.

I have a hot pink duct tape stripe on my bag!
 

Kal

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It's amazing to look at some of the stuff coming down the luggage carousel.:doh:It's the steamer trunk that needs a fork lift to get if off. Then the bag from the Caribbean with booze pouring out the zipper!:bawl:
 

Carol C

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Go with a "soft-sided" suitcase. Why? Well the sturdier/harder/heavier ones are around 17-19 pounds. That's nearly 40% of your 50 pound airline weight limit. The soft-sided ones are under 10#

I agree soft-side is the way to go. I bought two of the IT roll-aboards when they were on sale online, maybe it was on eBags or amazon. I'm still on the first one, it has just a bit of a tear on a topside corner but otherwise in great shape. I've been using it about 4 times a year for about 4 years. I do not like hefting my suitcase around, and this thing weighs so little empty that I feel pretty good about stuffing it and letting the weight of my own stuff pile up. :)
 

WinniWoman

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Luggage is an item where you get what you pay for. For someone who checks bags 5 or more times per year, I think it will usually pay to spend more better quality

What makes it better quality? Wheels don't fall off. The sides and corners of the suitcase don't crush or collapse under "normal" baggage handling conditions. Telescoping handles remain functional. Zippers remain intact. The fabric on the outside of the suitcase resists wear and tear.


Best to avoid checking luggage. Problem solved.
 

Talent312

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remowidget

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Can't be done when your spouse insists on packing half-the-house.
.
We are back and forth on hard side vs soft side. My last soft side set was red, which I really liked until I had made a few trips and they looked dingy.

The most important thing is keep your receipt and warranty. Our last set, we just purchased at Costco. Hopefully when we have problems and I'm sure we will, we will have the receipt to take them back to Costco. We plan on duct taping it up for ease of finding.

We like the spinners better, but two wheels are likely way more durable.

Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk
 

DaveNV

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The most important thing is keep your receipt and warranty. Our last set, we just purchased at Costco. Hopefully when we have problems and I'm sure we will, we will have the receipt to take them back to Costco. We plan on duct taping it up for ease of finding.

Just a head's up: You don't need your receipt for a return at Costco. Their refund system computers can search your shopping history to find the item you bought, when and where you bought it, and what you paid. If needed for some reason, they can even print you a new receipt. All they need is the membership card that was used when you bought the item, and they'll be able to process your refund. (My spouse is a career refund staffer at Costco.)

Dave
 

remowidget

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Thanks. I did know that, but keeping the receipt will help you remember how long it has been too. I love Costco. I call it the happiest place on Earth. Lol


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VegasBella

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Well, we ended up getting an inexpensive (but not cheap) set online and it arrived in time and we used it to go to Maui and now we're here and no damage to the bags or their contents. So... that's good! Now we have other problems though... I might start a thread about them.
 

DaveNV

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Thanks. I did know that, but keeping the receipt will help you remember how long it has been too. I love Costco. I call it the happiest place on Earth. Lol

You're in good company. Lots of people like Costco for various reasons. Imagine my spouse at work: Gets to hand out money all day. Sees a LOT of smiling faces. ;)

Dave
 

WinniWoman

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We are back and forth on hard side vs soft side. My last soft side set was red, which I really liked until I had made a few trips and they looked dingy.

The most important thing is keep your receipt and warranty. Our last set, we just purchased at Costco. Hopefully when we have problems and I'm sure we will, we will have the receipt to take them back to Costco. We plan on duct taping it up for ease of finding.

We like the spinners better, but two wheels are likely way more durable.

Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

We use black and dark brown soft carry on luggage with wheels. We also have large black soft duffle bags with wheels that have never fallen off. Walmart. Those were always checked because they are large, but we don't do checked luggage anymore. Then again, we rarely fly anymore either but when we did they made it through a bunch of connecting flights, etc. We do use them on some road trips if necessary. I have a red ribbons tied on all of our luggage.
 
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