MexicanOnABike

I haven't been to this place as much as I wish in the last few months with work being so busy. And it seems like Travel has disappeared? I hope my question will still get answered.


I am going on my 1st out of country trip early next year. I want to find some good travel-safe, useful luggage.

Some info:

• I am a guy
• I am looking for something to carry enough clothing and washroom stuff for at least a week.
• I already have a great carry-on backpack.
• Price is not really a problem.
• I want something that will not fail after a few use.

Anything you can share would be fantastic!

PS: I thought of doing the "smart travel" way of having just a carry-on but i'm going with family members who will have check-ins so i might as well do the same and not worry about cramming everything in the same bag.

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Nepenthes

I bought luggage with soft-sides that will need to be replaced soon. If price is not a concern, I would go with a hardcase like this one: Luggagefactory.com - Luggage and Travel Accessories

Cynthetiq

I travel extensively and stay away from hardcases because they have smaller interiors than soft sided luggage. Not only that but when you have purchased more that your luggage can carry you cannot expand the luggage. Softsided luggage can expand in depth sometimes several inches.

There are a lot of luggage made out of ballistic nylon which is pretty impervious to most abuse. We happen to have a set of Vitrinox the maker of Swiss Army products. It has traveled around the world at least twice. It gets pretty good usage and we have a small carry on plus a large 24". We like the small roller board so much that we got 2 of them since it is perfect for getaways on the weekend for 1 and sometimes we can use 2 of them and still not have to check anything in.

Both of them have garment suitors as does the 24".

Mobilizer NXT® 5.0 - Travel Gear - Victorinox AG

We paid a good sum of money for them but they have lifetime guarantees. When the wheel fell off during a travel, we brought it in and it was repaired then and there. We also had a handle break off and that was also repaired for no extra cost.

I would buy this brand again because of this.

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dlish

you may also want to consider the weight of the bag.

hard cases can tend to be heavier also. if you wanted to carry 20kg in your check in luggage, and your case weighs 3, then you can only carry 17kgs. This is also the case with soft lugagge too.

whenever i want to carry the maximum weight, i carry my duffle bag which weights less than half a kilo (around 1 LB).

If you're travelling on business though, this may not be appropriate for you if you want to keep your shirts and pants wrinkle free

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AquaFox

Treat yourself to something fancy if you are spending the money to go out of the country... If you want to go cheap, a duffel bag will work fine. I've traveled for weeks at a time out of a cloth duffel bag without any problem... you really don't need anything more than that. Very light, just make sure it has a decent strap to put over your shoulder..

For jamming alot of stuff into a small space, I would suggest prepacking stuff into large 10 gallon heavy duty freezer bags. I got a few big bags, they seal on the top... one for pants, one for shirts and one for dirty stuff to prevent smell transfer. I also put my laptop inside of one, inside of it's laptop bag. I compress them and close them up and throw them into my bag. It makes it easier to sort though cloths. You can see though the bags, pick what you want to get out and grab it. No excessive digging and everything compresses right back in. I've found that this also waterproofs your stuff rather well. I've been caught on a plane and watched my bags sit in a total downpour for twenty minutes while the crew waits for it let up so they can put them into the dry plane. Having separate sealed bags will also help prevent you from transporting bed-bugs... your dirty laundry will remain contained and bugs will not be able to enter your clean bags while you are sleeping.

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amonkie

Another piece I would offer up is consider using a color other than black for your suitcases.

These days EVERYONE has a medium sized black roller check in bag. When you're waiting at the carousel to pick up, unless you have thought ahead and put on a very visible identifier such as a colored ziptie on the handle or a bright ID tag, you'll be grabbing every bag thinking it is yours.

I purchased a 2 set of luggage in a green color and that step alone has made picking out my bag one less hassle when flying.

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dlish

monkie is right about the colour. i ALWAYS pick out my duffel bag amongst the hundreds in the cart as its coming towards the caroussel

this is me with my yellow duffel bag




see what i mean?

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bagatelle

My first flight ever this autumn; I saw a fancy lime green wheeled carry-on luggage in the store before the trip and wanted to buy it. At home we noticed, it weighs almost 4 kg and the permitted hand luggage weight was 10 kg for free. Fortunately I could fit in everything necessary.

The_Jazz

As someone who travels more than just about anyone here, let me say that you're getting bad advice.

• Black is not necessarily a bad color. You just need features that make it unmistakable.
• Wheels, wheels, wheels. Unless you're walking down a lot of unpaved roads, don't carry it.
• You want to be able to use it again after this trip, so get something utilitarian.

Here's a mid-range suitcase from Lands End that can be customized by monogram:

22" Lighthouse Wheeled Carry-on from Lands' End

It fits into most overhead spaces, and the wheels are fairly rugged (which is key if you're ever going to take it anywhere other than a freshly mopped floor).

The most important variable is how you pack. If you're very good at it, you'll need significantly less space than someone who's clueless, which can be the difference between a 20" bag in the overhead and a 30" bag that you have to check.

I'm getting ready to upgrade my luggage (worn zippers, clicking wheels - 4 years of intense travel takes a toll). Here's what I'm considering:

Travelpro

But, if you don't want a rollerboard, check out this guy's blog:

Around The World With One Bag (Part Two) | Veritrope

He's got some interesting stuff there.

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MexicanOnABike

Wow! great advice. thanks Everyone!!

I checked a few models at the stores. The hard cases looked awesome but were much heavier.

I did check out the colours and the crazy ones were nice but the solid colours were still the ones i preferred.

Since I won't be doing some crazy backpacking or heavy world wide travel, I think I'll get a simpler one but still a high quality model.

Me and my girl checked out a few stores and I think she will pick out one at bentley's. Sears had a huge 50-60-70% off sale which were still almost 20 to 50% more than Bentley's.

Has anyone ever checked out Skyway luggage? Theres a set there that looks great especially the price. the Escape series. It's not on their website for some reason.

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G~man

I travel and live in hotels most of the year---on my 306th night THIS year..... I have one of these...

Timbuk2 Checkpoint Roller

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StanT

I travel a fair amount and use an REI brand duffel bag with wheels. My wife uses a similar Osprey one.

I find them light and fairly adaptable to different types of trips. Roller blade type wheels are non-negotiable for me.

RogueGypsy

Lightweight Hardside Luggage - Luggage & Bags - Tumi

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Tumi.

I may be a little out of touch, most of my travel was years ago. I flew weekly for years and this was the only luggage that stood up to the beating. I still have one of the soft side Kevlar carry-on bags like the flight attendants use. It's 20+ yrs old and still works perfectly.

The old style has a couple of features the new ones don't due to update security concerns, but if I were to buy another, it would be Tumi.

I linked the hard sides above, but they carry a full line of soft side as well. You can buy on-line or in most of the better travel stores.

I have the old style of this one:

Frequent Traveler Zippered Expandable Carry-On - Tumi

I can easily pack a weeks worth of clothes in it, carry it on or check it.

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