Best brands for luggage?

caitlinmca

FI has only ever traveled for the Army and I haven't really traveled much at all mainly to my sisters in Colorado and of course my most recent trip the flight people broke my suitcase. We plan on registering for some nice luggage, if we get it great, if we don't oh well I guess we will go luggage shopping the day after our wedding for our honeymoon or borrow some from my parents.

Thus what some of the best brands? We may only register for 1 big piece, or 1 big and 1 med/small piece or to try and find a set if sets are even being made still.

JoanE2012

I'll be honest, I'm not too brand loyal with luggage.  I usually go to TJ Maxx and buy whatever fits our needs and is reasonable.  We travel alot, and our luggage gets banged up and damaged quite often and we seem to find ourselves replacing a suitcase every few years.  We've stopped caring about buying matching sets because of this.  

I instead focus on the things I want in a suitcase:  360 degree spinner wheels, size, inside pockets/zippers and inside straps that extend from one side to the other (not an X pattern which squishes my clothes).  I think our two current suitcases are Samsonite and Ricardo.  They seem to be the brands we buy most, probably because I like the features of them.

als1982

I agree with Joan.  Also, everyone travels differently, but I've never once found a need for a large piece of luggage.  H and I both just have one carry-on size each, and by packing smart that's all we've ever needed (and we've gone on several pretty lengthy trips since being married:  20 days in Australia/New Zealand, two weeks in Morocco/Spain/Portugal and 10 days in Hawaii).  Plus, I like having the flexibility of being able to carry-on, or check.

AprilH81

Ditto @joane2012 about not being brand loyal.  No matter how much/little you pay for luggage it will eventually get broken by the airlines, so I don't buy name brand unless I find a good price at a place like TJ Maxx.

Things I look for:

1) Light weight (airlines charge for overweight bags so I want as much weight available for packing as possible)

2) Size.  I never buy a suitcase more than 25 inches because if I fill it up it WILL be over 50 pounds and then I will be charged extra baggage fees.  

3) 360 spinners are awesome

4) Color.  I try to avoid black because "all" suitcases are black.  I also avoid a light color because they will get scuffed up by the airlines...  So look for something just different enough that you will be able to spot it on the conveyor belt.

JoanE2012

AprilH81 said:

Ditto @joane2012 about not being brand loyal.  No matter how much/little you pay for luggage it will eventually get broken by the airlines, so I don't buy name brand unless I find a good price at a place like TJ Maxx.

Things I look for:

1) Light weight (airlines charge for overweight bags so I want as much weight available for packing as possible)

2) Size.  I never buy a suitcase more than 25 inches because if I fill it up it WILL be over 50 pounds and then I will be charged extra baggage fees.  

3) 360 spinners are awesome

4) Color.  I try to avoid black because "all" suitcases are black.  I also avoid a light color because they will get scuffed up by the airlines...  So look for something just different enough that you will be able to spot it on the conveyor belt.

Oh yeah, I forgot this one!  The one we bought last year is super light.  I love it.  

CMGragain

Brand names mean nothing.  Luggage is usually manufactured in China.  With today's airline restrictions, you want lightweight luggage that is easy to carry.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2014/07/luggage-buying-guide-what-to-look-for-before-you-shop/index.htm

southernbelle0915

I've had really good luck with Samsonite and Tommy Bahama (randomly). 

At this point, my main thing is buying luggage that I can easily identify. I'm really sick of scanning the belt with a shit load of wheeled, black bags and trying to jog next to each one while I read the tag. 

Much to my dismay, DH spray painted a giant orange stripe on his brand new, super expensive bag. Like, really? REALLY? You can't add a colorful luggage tag, belt or ribbon? Anyway....

LittlePeachBlossom

I'm not brand loyal. I usually shop sales online. You can find good quality luggage at incredible steals. I love 360 spinner wheels and funky prints.

lurkergirl

southernbelle0915 said:

I've had really good luck with Samsonite and Tommy Bahama (randomly). 

At this point, my main thing is buying luggage that I can easily identify. I'm really sick of scanning the belt with a shit load of wheeled, black bags and trying to jog next to each one while I read the tag. 

Much to my dismay, DH spray painted a giant orange stripe on his brand new, super expensive bag. Like, really? REALLY? You can't add a colorful luggage tag, belt or ribbon? Anyway....

Are you married to my dad, haha?  He did this to my brother and me when we went to Europe.  Soooo embarrassing.  And that shit rubbed off on EVERYthing!

sunset30

Over the last 6 or 7 years, I have travelled 3-4 times a month for work. Similar to what als1982 mentioned above, I almost never check a bag - maybe once every other year for long trips. I've found the best brands for luggage are Tumi (which is super expensive, but a gold standard amongst people I've worked with that travel similarly or more than I), and Victorinox Swiss Army (which is still pricey but pretty good quality). Both my work bag and my travel carryon are Victorinox, have gone through hundreds of trips over several years and have held up very well and still look pretty good. 

I'm more of a person who is willing to pay for higher quality and to me it's been worthwhile to spend a bit more to have one bag that looks good, is functional and dependable, and lasts for many years. 

caitlinmca

Thanks all.

Last question, do you all prefer the hard cased luggage, or the old traditional cloth material luggage or do you find that still does not matter?

I tend to check my bags as I fill them to the brim, and they are too big to be considered a carry on. I applaud all the ladies that are able to get away with traveling with just carry-on luggage as there is no way I would be able to do that. Just going to my sisters in Colorado for a ski trip, or in the summer time I pack 1 checked bag, 1 carry on and my purse and that is just me flying solo. Thankfully southwest now is starting to fly internationally and still has their free 2 checked bag policy unlike everyone else so they are getting my business for our HM. 

JoanE2012

I like the soft sided suitcase.  I like the expandability of it.  I did look at hard cases but I found most of them had the zipper right down the middle of the suitcase (as opposed to just below the top for soft sided suitcases) and it seemed like packing would be more annoying.

AprilH81

I had one set of inexpensive hard sided luggage and I didn't like them and was almost happy when they broke after a few trips.

I didn't like that you had to pack in both halves of the suitcase and then try to close it without clothes/stuff flying everywhere.

I missed having the outside pocked available to put a luggage scale, empty duffel bag, or other last minute item in. 

Jells2dot0

I carry Rimowa hard case luggage. It's pricey, so probably not something I'd put on a registry. However, depending on your travel patterns, it's good to have both hard and soft case. We travel a lot to remote destinations that require interisland flights or helicopter transfers. It's easier for these transfers to have soft sided luggage because of space restrictions. Some even require it. I prefer to use my hard sided luggage just because it has held up better.

Kerigirl9

Ebag, Ricardo and Swiss army have been my favs lately. I travel for work extensively. I've fallen in love with the hard sided ebag because since it has recesses on both sides my shoes don't get squished (closes like a clam). I have a Hartmann laptop bag that I've carried for years but they're crazy expensive.

southernbelle0915

I vote soft sided. The only time I'd ever want to use hard sided luggage is if I was traveling with something super breakable that I could not ship. Since that never happens, I'm soft-sided..all the way.

Knottie75066164

It depends on your budget, but you really can't go wrong with Samsonite, they're always my old standby. If you have a little bit more money to spend I'd go with something by Tumi. Tumi is very high quality and you can get some great hard or soft case luggage. Hard is more durable but you have to be OK with getting scratches on it from baggage handlers. They probably won't stay 100% nice and un-scathed, but your luggage will be protected!

natswild

I prefer soft sided suitcases.  Last year before then BF went to Africa for a safari, we bought a really nice piece of luggage from a sports store, and had his name and Canadian flag embroidered on one of the pockets.  Easily visible, and impossible to mistake for anyone else's!

Knottie75066164

I have absolutely loved my Tumi bags - if you don't care about spending a little more, I'd go with them. If money is an issue - Samsonite does make a pretty good line of luggage. Hard luggage is great for protection but can get scuffs on it when it's handled by people who don't care about it as much as you do!

brunettebride26

When I first started working a couple of years ago, I bought a couple different sized Samsonite pieces (made of like a Kevlar material I think? Soft, not hard). I LOVE them. Even though I was lucky to get a great deal on them (Sears was having a big sale), I find it more worthwhile to spend a bit extra on good quality that will last longer rather than buy something cheap year after year. Also, there was a time for work when I had to fly twice a week for 3 months. The luggage I used has survived all the insanity that comes with checking a bag. When you look closely, you can see that it's well-used, but it is still just as sturdy as when I bought it Day 1.

julieanne912

Just to add, a large suitcase has been pretty much useless.  Both because I rarely need that much stuff, but also because often, if a large suitcase is packed full, it becomes overweight and then you end up having to pay more.  Better to have two smaller ones.

Also ditto the part about going to TJ Maxx.  FI travels extensively for work, and every year or so he needs a new suitcase, so I just go there and get him one... no matter what brand I've gotten, they start to wear out after a year of being checked twice a week.  If you're doing carry on, the brand matters even less since it doesn't get the wear and tear a checked piece does.

knottie9c5ed33df4bbd226

My parents still use the luggage they got for their wedding so I wanted to go a similar route. I registered for all London Fog (various patterns, some hard case, some material). My problem is that Macy's then discontinued them and marked everything way down so I ended up buying it all myself.

marybpoppins

I love Delsey luggage!

bizzy592

I'm a fan of Briggs & Riley. Unlimited lifetime warranty (even against airline damage), and they're made impeccably well. More than you're going to pay at TJ Max, but it'll last you forever.

Also, hard-sided suitcases can crack fairly easily, and once that happens, they can't be fixed. A fabric suitcase can be repaired easily (most luggage stores, and many shoe repair places can do this quickly).