Luggage styles, what's your choice?

[ExtraSlow]

It's been a long time since I've got new luggage. I think last time I looked they hadn't even invented hard sided suitcases. My current main bag I've had 20 years and it's been great. Fabric American tourister. Now I see lots of folks have pretty serious rolling duffle bags too.

Seems like for "full size" there are three main choices.
What's your favorite?

[know1edge]

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[Sugarphreak]

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[botox]

Have been using this Carlton for about 8 years with probably over 100 trips with it all over Canada and US and one to China and still in solid shape. It's a smaller full size, but definitely too big for carry on. The material is a hard rubber like that won't crack or chip and I was sold on it when watching the infomercial of a truck running it over and it popped back in it's original shape by itself.

[Thaco]

i have a set of these (hays brand) with another large one, they have tethers so i can make a frickin train out of them, they're rad, survived 4 trips so far plus a bunch of road trips, easy to spot on the carousel..... i think i originally bought them with HBC points.

[Mostwanted]

Anybody encounter problems with a damaged Hardshell as a Check in luggage? I always have ocnsidered buying one but dont want to spend $$$ if it is easily damaged.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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Anybody encounter problems with a damaged Hardshell as a Check in luggage? I always have ocnsidered buying one but dont want to spend $$$ if it is easily damaged.

That is the danger with hard-shell - they can crack or get punctured by wheels and things from other people's luggage when they are hurled onto a pile by baggage handlers. If you go hard-shell, make sure you buy quality ones made of polycarbonate, as most of them are made of cheap PVC which cracks very easily. The polycarbonate ones hold up a lot better.

The disadvantage of the hard luggage is it's harder to stuff them with that unplanned souvineer, and if they break it's usually much worse and you can't repair them. With soft luggage, you can stuff them full easier, and if they get a small rip or tear the whole thing doesn't explode and you can just repair it.

IMHO buying cheap soft luggage (can often get a full set or really nice single piece for $50) and replacing every few years as needed is the way to go. Your luggage gets abused like crazy, there is no reason to buy $400 suitcases.

Lately though I have been traveling carry-on only. Unless you're going for a month+ without a washer/dryer, it is ridiculously easy to pack everything you need in a carry on and not have to wait around for baggage all the time.

If you do buy nice suitcases, they are like mattresses and American trucks- don't buy one unless on deep discount. Suitcases are always 40-60% off it seems.

[msommers]

I have a soft bag that has a ripped handle and generally has been beat to shit. I really need a new one.

I've seen some cheaper stuff at Winner's. Anywhere else you guys would recommend? Or is there a time of year when this stuff is cleared out for new models?

[EmJay]

I would recommend the Burton Wheelie Flight Deck Travel Bag (40L) or Burton Wheelie Sub Travel Bag (114L) if you want something bigger. I bought the smaller one last year and it has around 20 trips to the states and 1 euro trip so far and its been holding up really well. It has individual compartments on the inside which is nice as it keeps clothing separated and makes things easier to find. I also never check it and it fits perfectly in the overhead compartments; only had issues once where a stuck up lady at checkin forced me to check it as she said it was too big and wouldn't fit in the overhead compartment even though it does.

Burton Wheelie Flight Deck Travel Bag (40L) - https://www.burton.com/ca/en/p/wheel...19-149451.html
Burton Wheelie Sub Travel Bag (114L) - https://www.burton.com/ca/en/p/wheel...19-116091.html

[realazy]

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Anybody encounter problems with a damaged Hardshell as a Check in luggage? I always have ocnsidered buying one but dont want to spend $$$ if it is easily damaged.

Most people don't know this, but if you retrieve your luggage and it is damaged by the airline, you can submit a claim to the airline.

[The_Rural_Juror]

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Most people don't know this, but if you retrieve your luggage and it is damaged by the airline, you can submit a claim to the airline.

I have gone through that process. Other than the 15 min search for the correct airport rep, it is painless. They sent me to Handy Luggage for repairs. The folks there do a great job.

[taemo]

Ended up picking up an Eastpak Trans4 Double Denim for days I don't feel like lugging my 40L hiking bag


More comfortable for hotel & airport travel since it stands up no problem and easier to roll around.

[bjstare]

I voted hard side, but it depends on the trip. I fly once a week on average for work, and 90% of the time I just do a small duffel and messenger bag or backpack. If I have a longer trip I'll do my hardsided carry on instead of duffel. Either way, only carry-on baggage is the way to go.

For longer trips, when only carry on isn't really an option, we have a set of hard sided Samsonite bags. They aren't super nice, not bad though either. Decent quality. I'm a big fan of the hard sided bags, since you can pack stuff in them and worry a bit less about it being crushed.

[ExtraSlow]

Good call that it totally depends on the length of trip. I was thinking of longer trips where you'd need more than just carry-on. I have a good supply of carry-on stuff already.

[botox]

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I have gone through that process. Other than the 15 min search for the correct airport rep, it is painless. They sent me to Handy Luggage for repairs. The folks there do a great job.

Same here. Had a cracked hard case, took it to customer service right away and only took a few minutes but instead of repair we replaced/upgraded with the one in my post above.

[taemo]

Depends on your style of travel too.
We went to Asia for 3 weeks in December/January and carry-on sized luggage and back-pack was enough for both my wife and I.
Will be interesting to see how we are going to travel next with a baby though

[Mitsu3000gt]

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Good call that it totally depends on the length of trip. I was thinking of longer trips where you'd need more than just carry-on. I have a good supply of carry-on stuff already.

If you have a washer/dryer as most rental properties and AirBnB's do, you probably don't need any more than a carry-on regardless of trip duration. If you are in a hotel or resort with paid laundry services, then maybe it is more convenient to just bring everything.

[shakalaka]

4 wheels for easy rolling is a must. I don't care if it's hard or soft though. That being said I think we have some hard Samsonite cases that have been doing well in the past.

PS: It really surprises me to hear/read that people don't care about doing laundry on holidays. Hell, regardless of where I am staying and whether a laundry is available or not, there is no way in hell I want to be bothering with doing laundry. lol

[Tik-Tok]

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It's been a long time since I've got new luggage. I think last time I looked they hadn't even invented hard sided suitcases.

You're parents never had those sweet 70's Samsonite luggage sets?

[npham]

I've looked into this a bit recently, and for our trip to Europe(3 weeks), we are going get these:


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