Luggage! Luggage! Luggage!!

Hello, I am in the market for new lugagge & have become overwhelmed!

I have my heart set on Samsonite, probably a soft case due to cost. I'm thinking the lighter they are, the better. I also think those with 4 x wheels would be easiest to lug around. Can anyone recommend a Samsonite 'line' ?

With sizes, I want to make sure that I get the 'best' sizes. In terms of a cabin bag, I'm unsure what size to go for. They vary between 50cm - 55cm. I know airlines have varying policies on sizes, so I want to make sure that whatever I choose will be accepted for the next 10 years!

Which cabin size would you recommend?

Then the 'big' case, I want to make sure there is enough room for clothing to travel for 3 - 4 weeks but don't want it to be too big that if I were to fill it up, the weight will be double of what i can take....

Comments, suggestions, advice?

Thank you in advance!

Hello, I am in the market for new lugagge & have become overwhelmed!

 

I have my heart set on Samsonite, probably a soft case due to cost. I'm thinking the lighter they are, the better. I also think those with 4 x wheels would be easiest to lug around. Can anyone recommend a Samsonite 'line' ?

 

With sizes, I want to make sure that I get the 'best' sizes. In terms of a cabin bag, I'm unsure what size to go for. They vary between 50cm - 55cm. I know airlines have varying policies on sizes, so I want to make sure that whatever I choose will be accepted for the next 10 years!

 

Which cabin size would you recommend?

 

Then the 'big' case, I want to make sure there is enough room for clothing to travel for 3 - 4 weeks but don't want it to be too big that if I were to fill it up, the weight will be double of what i can take....

 

Comments, suggestions, advice?

Thank you in advance!

We found the Heys roller bags the lightest and easiest to travel with.

Our Heys 22" weights 5 lbs empty . The lightest Samsonite we found weighted in at almost 10LBS. It was soft-sided bags that could easily be cut with a knife.

The lightest Samsonite I could find was in the $600 range. I kept looking. Eventually purchased International Travller (IT) luggage. All of the soft sided bags weigh between 4 and 6 pounds. Their hard sided is a little heavier but still lighter than most. The "spinners" with 4 wheels are really easy to use.

What cabin size would you think is best? 50 / 55cm ?

What cabin size would you think is best? 50 / 55cm ?

I should choose 55 cm but that's since I only fly with British Airways and they allow 55 cm and also 23 kg which is very much for a carry on!

To be safe, both with size and weight, choose 50 cm!

Remember that you can do laundry during a trip. So that'll save on some space. I personally travel with the ebags motherlode tls weekender.

http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/mother-lode-tls-weekender-convertible/143101?productid=10235503

I can fit plenty of clothes in there, and I'm a big guy.

We found the Heys roller bags the lightest and easiest to travel with.

Our Heys 22" weights 5 lbs empty . The lightest Samsonite we found weighted in at almost 10LBS. It was soft-sided bags that could easily be cut with a knife.

I absolutely agree!! I love my Heys luggage!

Whatever you do, look for the luggage at a store. You can then order it on line but take a good look at it.

Keith

I absolutely agree!! I love my Heys luggage!

Me too! I have the hard-sided spinners and love them. Plus they have a strap that hooks them together making them very easy to maneuver. One tip as far as hard-sided goes, a friend bought the same set but with a shiny vinyl cover that really showed the scuff marks from airport handlers. Mine has a textured finish and looks as good as the day I bought it.

Our old set had an 29" that was great for packing and held a lot. The problem was, once it was fully packed, I couldn't lift the darned thing. Lesson learned - now the biggest I'll go is 26".

You can get great deals at places like Marshalls but take a travel bag weighing device to check the weight. Also measure carry-on bags including the wheels so they meet your airline requirements.

Don't buy a bag to guess at what the rules will be in 10 years! For one thing most modern luggage doesn't last that long and we have no idea what the rules will be.

As you live in Australia, I would go for the requirements of the first airline you will fly when you leave the country and are most likely to fly. I wouldn't buy the most expensive luggage or the cheapest. Checked luggage gets torn up.

But you have to consider also the rules of your destination airlines especially in Europe where the cheaper airlines have all sorts of add-on baggage fees.

You can get great deals at places like Marshalls but take a travel bag weighing device to check the weight. Also measure carry-on bags including the wheels so they meet your airline requirements.

Absolutely measure!! Go from floor to whatever sticks up at the top. Sometime, bags that say they are 21.5" long are actually 22.5 because of they the manufacturer measured. I would actually go with a 20" rather than a 22" bag, sometimes called an "International carryon". I think it's very important to get the lightest carryon possible due to the variation in what weight limit different airlines put on carryons. Yes, some do actually weigh (usually in Europe).

45 linear inches is the magic number. Add up all sides when you measure.

May be a little smaller for international or smaller airlines/planes.

What cabin size would you think is best? 50 / 55cm ?

This is the link for Quantas carry-on baggage http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/carry-on-baggage/global/en

Me too! I have the hard-sided spinners and love them. Plus they have a strap that hooks them together making them very easy to maneuver. One tip as far as hard-sided goes, a friend bought the same set but with a shiny vinyl cover that really showed the scuff marks from airport handlers. Mine has a textured finish and looks as good as the day I bought it.

 

Our old set had an 29" that was great for packing and held a lot. The problem was, once it was fully packed, I couldn't lift the darned thing. Lesson learned - now the biggest I'll go is 26".

We have the 26" and 22" Heys. The 22" is the right size as a carry on for the airlines. Cruise where we drive to we use the 26'.

After researching the carry-on requirements for the three airlines we are using on our next trip my conclusion is that until there is some standardization amongst the airlines as to size and weight you cannot make assumptions. Many manufacturers use the size of the "case" portion and exclude the wheel, bumpers, and handle measurements. Huge differences in maximum weight allowed!

http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/carry-on-baggage/global/en#jump0

http://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInformation/baggage/carryOnAllowance.jsp

http://www.flysas.com/en/us/Travel-info/Baggage/Cabin-baggage/

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/bagcabin/public/en_us

For carry on check the regulations of the carriers you normally fly with. Go with a size that meets the most restrictive rules of the lot and you are good to go on all.. for size, not necessarily weight so pay attention to that when you pack. Same goes for checked but the airlines are more uniform on the size and weight of those bags. I recommend the lightest and most expensive hard sided you can afford. The cheap hard sided still offers more protection than just about any of the soft stuff but they are prone to early fatigue especially cracking. I fly a lot for business and pleasure and have seen some horrific damage to cheap bags. I don't expect a cheap Chinese knock of hunting knife for 5 bucks to hold an edge like my $60 Buck 110 which is pushing 20 years old now. I don't see any other product that way either including luggage.

I have the IT Luggage. I absolutely love them. My large one had a wheel problem and I contacted them and their customer service was great. They sent me a new piece of luggage and never asked for the old one back.

After researching the carry-on requirements for the three airlines we are using on our next trip my conclusion is that until there is some standardization amongst the airlines as to size and weight you cannot make assumptions. Many manufacturers use the size of the "case" portion and exclude the wheel, bumpers, and handle measurements. Huge differences in maximum weight allowed!

 

http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/carry-on-baggage/global/en#jump0

http://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInformation/baggage/carryOnAllowance.jsp

http://www.flysas.com/en/us/Travel-info/Baggage/Cabin-baggage/

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/bagcabin/public/en_us

You nailed the 2 x airlines I will be using on my next trip - Qantas & AA!

I guess it is silly trying to plan for the next 10 years!

Looks like a max of 56cm is accepted for cabin luggage. Now this may be a silly question, but when lugagge has an 'advertised' size, how do I know whether the measurements include the wheels, bumpers & handles. I am liking the look of these ones...

http://www.samsoniteaustralia.com/bag-finder/travel-softside/b-lite-fresh/55cm-spinner.html#.UZVxkrWLC_Q

or

http://www.luggagedirect.com.au/brands/samsonite/samsonite-72-hours-55cm-cabin-carry-on-spinner-plum.html

Ok, so you have all intrigued me to look at other brands (i didn't think they would be accessible in Aus). This is an australian website with 'most' brands mentioned & really good prices. I have found an IT HARD case cabin bag weighing only 2.1kg for less than the samsonite soft. So, now I'm really confused.

http://www.luggagedirect.com.au/brands/it-luggage/it-lugagge-47cm-light-weight-cabin-carry-on-suitcase-andorra-black.html

One tip as far as hard-sided goes, a friend bought the same set but with a shiny vinyl cover that really showed the scuff marks from airport handlers. Mine has a textured finish and looks as good as the day I bought it.

 

Our old set had an 29" that was great for packing and held a lot. The problem was, once it was fully packed, I couldn't lift the darned thing. Lesson learned - now the biggest I'll go is 26".

And thank you for the sizing tip - i will keep that in mind!

With the shiny cover, the lightest hard cover from IT are these... is this something like your friend had purchased which shows the scuff marks??

You nailed the 2 x airlines I will be using on my next trip - Qantas & AA!

I guess it is silly trying to plan for the next 10 years!

 

Looks like a max of 56cm is accepted for cabin luggage. Now this may be a silly question, but when lugagge has an 'advertised' size, how do I know whether the measurements include the wheels, bumpers & handles. I am liking the look of these ones...

 

http://www.samsoniteaustralia.com/bag-finder/travel-softside/b-lite-fresh/55cm-spinner.html#.UZVxkrWLC_Q

 

or

 

http://www.luggagedirect.com.au/brands/samsonite/samsonite-72-hours-55cm-cabin-carry-on-spinner-plum.html

Be sure to look at the dimensions on AA (not just the total) and the weight on Quantas. We decided to go with the "international size" carry-on bags to be certain --think they are about 17 x 13 x 7 but am not certain. I do not like the spinner wheels on a carry-on as I find they do not pull as well with the handle. I do like the spinners on the larger checked-in bags.

As someone suggested go to a store if you can to have a look and feel.

Maybe look at this size --domestic carry-on http://www.luggagedirect.com.au/suitcases/domestic-cabin-carry-on-1.html

Me too! I have the hard-sided spinners and love them. Plus they have a strap that hooks them together making them very easy to maneuver. One tip as far as hard-sided goes, a friend bought the same set but with a shiny vinyl cover that really showed the scuff marks from airport handlers. Mine has a textured finish and looks as good as the day I bought it.

 

Our old set had an 29" that was great for packing and held a lot. The problem was, once it was fully packed, I couldn't lift the darned thing. Lesson learned - now the biggest I'll go is 26".

You are so right wouldn't go any bigger than 26". I have a shiny finish but it is patterned and doesn't seem to show the scuffs too much and it is so easy to spot (not standing at the luggage carousel looking for one of 100's of black bags) And as I see it the more scuffs on by suitcase means the more I am travelling!!

And thank you for the sizing tip - i will keep that in mind!

 

With the shiny cover, the lightest hard cover from IT are these... is this something like your friend had purchased which shows the scuff marks??

This is a similar to the shiny finish that scuffed.

This is similar but not quite the same as mine.