# What's best quality, lightweight suitcase on wheels?



## Cathyb (Jun 3, 2010)

Tuggers:  We'll be traveling in Caribbean on some smaller planes with tighter weight rules and want to pick up a 26" rollable suitcase on wheels that is built sturdy, but is light in weight.

We love our present set of luggage but they weigh alot even when empty.  If you have website info that would help too!

What is your favorite luggage that you check in (not carry-on)???


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## Passepartout (Jun 3, 2010)

Cathy, 26" is HUGE. No matter how light it starts out, by the time you fill it up, you will exceed the 50# limit and either be moving stuff into a carry on or paying excess weight fees.

But that said, here's what I've been using the last 5 years or so: http://www.ebags.com/product/delsey...right-suiter-closeout/99150?productid=1262391 It's taken a beating, a couple of zipper pulls have disappeared, the 'Delsey' badges have come off, but functionally it still works. They say it weighs 12 1/2# and I've only had to lighten it once. 

www.ebags.com has a large selection, free shipping all this month and you can see in the specs how much they weigh.

I have re-educated myself and am now packing lighter. My Rick Steves convertible weighs 3#, holds a huge amount and is a maximum legal carry-on size. It's available on wheels if you want.

Happy travels!

Jim Ricks


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## janej (Jun 3, 2010)

Kipling Suitcases are very lightweight.  LeSportsac is even lighter.  I found this 30" Wheeled Duffle only weighs 6 lbs.  You can find both brands in local Ross or Marshalls store.


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## mtwingcpa (Jun 3, 2010)

I have a Rick Steves 21" roll-aboard that is more rugged than most, yet is relatively light (about 7 pounds). I think they also make a 24" or 26" version.


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## RedDogSD (Jun 3, 2010)

Passepartout said:


> Cathy, 26" is HUGE. No matter how light it starts out, by the time you fill it up, you will exceed the 50# limit and either be moving stuff into a carry on or paying excess weight fees.



Jim,

What are you packing in your bags?  I have 3 bags in my travel set.  I have a 29", a 27" and a 22" carry on roller bag.  If I stick to clothes and do not add too many shoes, wood hangers, or electronics, I can keep my 29" under the 50lb weight limit.  I have no problem keeping my 27" under the weight limit even with some shoes, camera, etc.  I cannot possibly pack enough stuff in my carry on to get any heavier than 35 lbs. 

This was recently verified on trip to Hawaii last month.


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## Passepartout (Jun 3, 2010)

RedDogSD said:


> Jim,
> 
> What are you packing in your bags? If I stick to clothes and do not add too many shoes, wood hangers, or electronics, I can keep my 29" under the 50lb weight limit.  I have no problem keeping my 27" under the weight limit even with some shoes, camera, etc.  I cannot possibly pack enough stuff in my carry on to get any heavier than 35 lbs.



The only times I've gotten heavy is putting clothes in compression bags and putting foodstuffs and electronics in for a TS stay. Then it was only a couple of pounds over 50 so I easily moved a couple of items to carry-on.

But now my computer turned into a netbook, my camera doesn't take film or batteries, and I buy food at local markets instead of carrying. I find that I can rinse out laundry every 4-5 days instead carrying enough clothes for 3 weeks of daily changes. The whole mess goes into 1 carry-on totaling 20 lbs or less. Life is good.

Jim Ricks


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## Cathyb (Jun 3, 2010)

*How about shoes, etc?*



Passepartout said:


> The only times I've gotten heavy is putting clothes in compression bags and putting foodstuffs and electronics in for a TS stay. Then it was only a couple of pounds over 50 so I easily moved a couple of items to carry-on.
> 
> But now my computer turned into a netbook, my camera doesn't take film or batteries, and I buy food at local markets instead of carrying. I find that I can rinse out laundry every 4-5 days instead carrying enough clothes for 3 weeks of daily changes. The whole mess goes into 1 carry-on totaling 20 lbs or less. Life is good.
> 
> Jim Ricks



OK Jim, you wear your heaviest shoes (tennis shoes), but you still have dressy sandals and water shoes that weigh; snorkle stuff; cosmetics over 3 oz and not in Quart bag; medicine hang-up (we are old and decrepid).  How do you get along without some of these?   
;


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## DeniseM (Jun 3, 2010)

Snorkeling - we do not take fins - they are very heavy, take up a lot of room, and can be rented very inexpensively after you arrive. We do take our own masks and snorkel.

We also don't take any toiletries except the 3 oz. essentials in our carry-ons.  You can buy the basics once you get there.  We buy sunscreen, lotion, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, bath soap, at our destination, and leave any leftovers behind.

Prescriptions should be very small and light?

We take/wear an old pair of tennis shoes and throw them away before we leave.

We only take 4 changes of clothes and do a load of wash every other day.


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## LisaRex (Jun 3, 2010)

I think 26" is optimal for a week.  I pack my clothes, toiletries and snorkel gear in one bag and usually end up around 46 pounds.  We've slowly learning to pack only essentials and make good use of the washer/dryer! 

Sticking to one color scheme helps minimize packing.  I pack one pair of black shorts, one pair of black capris, and one black broomstick skirt which I can dress up or down.  A lacy top one day and a cotton t-shirt the next completely changes the look. Sticking to one or two colors really helps with the shoes and accessories, too.  

And I wear my heaviest clothes on the plane -- usually long yoga pants, a t-shirt and a jacket -- because it gets cold on the plane.  

I just bought a 26" Delsey Helium 2 for each of my daughters and it weighs  11 pounds. Delsey and TravelPro hold up well.  Macy's is running a good sale right now on luggage where you can get 50% off + 10% off if you pay with a Macy's card.  I paid $122 (each) after all was said and done. 

http://www.ebags.com/product/delsey...dable-suiter-trolley/133973?productid=1347588


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## Cathyb (Jun 3, 2010)

DeniseM:  Thank you for your thoughts.  Most of your ideas would work for our Hawaii trips; but we are taking a three island Caribbean trip -- two of which are not timeshares (Tobago is t/s; Sandals Resort in Antigua is our first stop and only one 'luxury' place in our lifetime;  and Barbados for 2 nights for a break in flying from Tobago (near Venezuela) back home to Los Angeles. We have to 'dress up' for Sandals dinners   -- no shorts or sleeveless tops allowed in restaurants.  Our airplane from San Juan to Antigua only holds 70 people so I am working my brain on best traveling mode.  Will be gone about two weeks.


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## Cathyb (Jun 3, 2010)

LisaRex: I'm checking out your website contribution; thank you!


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## Kagehitokiri2 (Jun 3, 2010)

id recommend considering the 3 brands that offer unconditional lifetime warranties >

http://www.briggs-riley.com/simple-as-that-lifetime-warranty/
http://www.eaglecreek.com/ethos/lifetime_guarantee.php
http://www.boyt.com/product-info/warranty/mach5-warranty.html


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## Cathyb (Jun 4, 2010)

*Thank you!*



Kagehitokiri2 said:


> id recommend considering the 3 brands that offer unconditional lifetime warranties >
> 
> http://www.briggs-riley.com/simple-as-that-lifetime-warranty/
> http://www.eaglecreek.com/ethos/lifetime_guarantee.php
> http://www.boyt.com/product-info/warranty/mach5-warranty.html



Just spent two hours pursuing those websites -- thank you!


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## RedDogSD (Jun 4, 2010)

I also recommend Kirkland Signature bags if you are a Costco member.  I did a head to head comparison of my new Kirkland 27", and my old TUMI bag.  The Kirkland bag was $150 and it is SOLID.   It is as good, if not better, than the best TUMI bags on the market today.  There are rumors that Tumi is the one making the bags for Costco, but you will never prove that.


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## LisaRex (Jun 4, 2010)

I love me some Costco, but I don't find their bags to be light enough to be practical in the days of sock-it-to-me penalties for going over 50 pounds.


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## LisaRex (Jun 4, 2010)

Cathyb said:


> We have to 'dress up' for Sandals dinners   -- no shorts or sleeveless tops allowed in restaurants.



Just bring along a nice dress sweater and they'll never know that your top is sleeveless.  Seriously.


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## ronandjoan (Jun 6, 2010)

Cathyb said:


> Just spent two hours pursuing those websites -- thank you!



Cathy
What did you decide on?


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## MichaelColey (Jun 6, 2010)

We bought a set of Samsonite spinner luggage at Sams Club a few years ago, and it's been great for us. We have a garment bag (that was separate from the package), a carry-on bag, a mid-size bag (our favorite, perhaps 26"?) and a large bag (29"?, that we seldom use - it's too easy to overfill it).  They're fairly durable and the four spinning wheels makes it very easy to pull. I can turn two suitcases back to back and pull them both (upright on all four wheels) with one hand, so I can pull up to four suitcases (plus laptop bag and backpack on top) by myself.


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## Judy (Jun 7, 2010)

I have a Deep See Travelok rolling duffel.  Mine is the 30 inch one and it weighs only about 7 1/2 pounds empty.  One of the reasons it's so light is that it has no internal compartments and no hard sides (only a hard bottom and wheels). That does make it a bit of a challenge to pack so that clothes don't wrinkle and/or to live out of, but it meets the light-weight, good-quality requirement very well. If you google Deep See Travelok, you can easily find retailers.  Here's the company site:  http://www.deepseeinc.com/products/travelok_750.html


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## briankim09 (Jun 9, 2010)

janej said:


> Kipling Suitcases are very lightweight.  LeSportsac is even lighter.  I found this 30" Wheeled Duffle only weighs 6 lbs.  You can find both brands in local Ross or Marshalls store.



Thanks so much for your link. I agree with you.
__________________
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## m61376 (Jun 12, 2010)

*Victorinox werks line*

The Victorinox werks line (the new ones are 3.0; I have the 2.0) are really nice pieces. The luggage is lightweight, packs easily (even the 20" and 22" carry-ons have removable suiters- great for an overnight or weekend trip) and, what I like best, a different handle system. It is a monopole handle which rotates so your wrist/hand can be in an ergonomic position rather than twisted and rotated behind. If you have a carry-on and a check-in bag, it makes it so much easier to maneuver both. I find the 31" split duffel great for packing.

Warranty even covers airline damage.

They are on the pricey side (although I bought them form Marshall's and then from the Friends and Family site sale 2 years ago which was really bargain priced), but they have held up quite well. After one trip with them we landed up replacing our luggage.


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## Susan_Wilder (Jun 15, 2010)

+1 for Briggs & Riley and its lifetime warranty, which really makes the money spent upfront worth it. By the way, they have just introduced a new line geared towards the adventure traveler called BRX (http://www.briggs-riley.com/category/group.aspx?col=BRX), which is their lightest collection so far. I’ve browsed through the collection and the products look pretty neat. Check them out!


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## MichaelColey (Oct 20, 2010)

MichaelColey said:


> We bought a set of Samsonite spinner luggage at Sams Club a few years ago, and it's been great for us. We have a garment bag (that was separate from the package), a carry-on bag, a mid-size bag (our favorite, perhaps 26"?) and a large bag (29"?, that we seldom use - it's too easy to overfill it). They're fairly durable and the four spinning wheels makes it very easy to pull. I can turn two suitcases back to back and pull them both (upright on all four wheels) with one hand, so I can pull up to four suitcases (plus laptop bag and backpack on top) by myself.


FWIW, I took at peek at the luggage at Sams last time I was in one.  They still have a Samsonite set, but it's nowhere near as nice.  They also have a lightweight carry-on (different brand, don't remember what it was) that was very impressive.  It looked just as durable as normal bags, but was noticeably lighter.  The only thing that held me back was that it only had two weeks and I've found the luggage with four spinning wheels to be very convenient.


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (Nov 13, 2010)

Updating this thread - the Victorinox with the removable suit holder sounds good, as I am looking for something for my son, who as a graduating student in journalism, may do much traveling and may need a suit with him. Does anyone know of other brands with that same feature?
Thanks,
Liz


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## Passepartout (Nov 19, 2010)

Liz Wolf-Spada said:


> Updating this thread - the Victorinox with the removable suit holder sounds good, as I am looking for something for my son, who as a graduating student in journalism, may do much traveling and may need a suit with him. Does anyone know of other brands with that same feature?
> Thanks,
> Liz



Liz, I got my DW both the 22 & 25" Victorinox and I have Delsey. The hanger feature of the Vict. is better IMO. I have reservations about the single handle on the Vict. if one is going to stack them. The top piece rotates on the single handle whereas it stays straight on a two-extension handle like most bags have. 

I'm almost thinking there's no 'perfect' suitcase. Just the best one at the price you want to pay at the time you shop. 

One of these days I'm going to go through the storage closet where we archive old luggage and give all of 'em to charity and start over! Or not, and stay home. 

I just saw you can get 22 & 25" cardboard suitcases at the UPS Store for under $10. Use for one trip, pitch 'em and get new. Any color if you like if it's brown. No wheels, though. 

Jim Ricks


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (Nov 19, 2010)

I did buy the Victorinex Werks traveler 22" for my son, on sale at Macy's for $239 and with a 15% off coupon, I paid less than $225. I hope it works for him. My husband picked it up and I didn't get a chance to see it, so I'll be excited when he opens it at Christmas!
Liz


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