What luggage brand do you have?

[greatam]

Originally Posted by wwcruisers

Or maybe E-bay or Craigslist? That's where I'll probably have to go, when I finally have to replace the vintage Samsonite train case that I've had for four decades.

There are a couple of sellers on Ebay that sell NEW Hartmann tweed mobile travelers for about 1/2 price of retail. I bought the 2nd mobile traveler from an Ebay seller. It came in the original Hartmann box just like would be delivered to a retail store. Complete with warranty and luggage tag which can be monogrammed by Hartmann.

Hartmann is right now having a sale on their Intensity line. 20% off which makes the prices much more reasonable. http://www.hartmann.com/shop/product...Garment%5EBags

$562 for the 50" mobile traveler Intensity is still expensive but with the lifetime, unlimited warranty (other than cosmetic damage and lost/stolen bags), it makes Hartmann bags truly a lifetime purchase. http://www.hartmann.com/shop/images%..._Guarantee.pdf

Those rolling garment bags are truly a one bag trip. I use regular wire hangers with dry cleaner bags to hang up just about everything except lingerie and t shirts. I can put about 8 hangers on each end of the bag with khakis, tops and a couple of fancy dresses. Still have room for a couple of pairs of shoes, underwear and misc. Bag very rarely is over 50 pounds and I never weigh until I get to the airport.

As for finding them at yard sales-small towns, yes. Large cities-probably not. Ebay and Craigslist sellers hunt them down because they can be sold used for relatively high prices on Ebay. I found a foldover Hartmann tweed garment bag at a swap meet about 7 years ago. I didn't like it because it had to be carried over your shoulder. I sold it on Ebay for $75.00. I paid $10 at the swap meet. But keep looking, particularly in higher dollar retirement areas. There is a LOT of Hartmann in Sun City, AZ and other upscale retirement communities, certain areas of Florida and Texas. Good luck!!!

[thtalks]

We use the High Sierra brand! And we LOVE them! Rollers, extending handles, and has straps to use a backpacks. Very durable.

[bus man]

I've been satisfied with the set of Ricardo of Beverly Hills that I bought at Kohl's. They've been on several airline flights and still look to be in good shape. I also like that they come in different colors (ours are either green or purple) so they are more easily spotted at the baggage carousel.

[pdmlynek]

Originally Posted by Happy ks

Probably because people pack so differently and depending on where they are going (Alaska vs Caribbean) size in volume of what will be packed can vary drastically. The volume is easily used up by heavier weight clothing or lots of shoes. Or over the door shoe holders and collapsible laundry hampers people on here sometimes like to pack. So...a 27 inch case would be too much for a light packer, not enough space for people who have the need to pack every little thing.

I am sorry, but I think that you misunderstood my question. My question was: why do luggage manufacturers not clearly mark the volume of the luggage?

What I meant by that is why do the manufacturers not put on their luggage "40 Liters", or "80 Liters", or "3500 cu in" or "5000 cu in", or like. Labeling a luggage as "26 inches" simply gives me the height of the luggage, but does not tell me its volume, or in other words, how much stuff it can hold.

The reason is that questions like "Can I put more into two bigger luggages than into three smaller ones?" are not possible to answer if you are talking about comparing 26" luggages to 24" luggages but are easy to answer if you are talking about 60 Liter luggages to 40 Liter luggages.

[pdmlynek]

Originally Posted by Happy ks

We do have a tape measure and will happily measure the inside space of a piece for customers and figure out the volume ourselves.
...

I know that using a tape measure is the best one can hope for in a store, but unfortunately, a tape measure does not work, but is misleading. The reason is that inside of the luggage is curved, there are crannies due to wheels, etc. As a matter of fact, the way that some manufacturers measure volume (H × W × D) is very misleading: it can be up to 40% different!

The way that I (or actually our kids do this) measure volume of a bag is to stuff it fully with packing peanuts, and then empty all of the peanuts into a large container which is marked on the sides with liter marks. It is a pain to do this, and I would rather that the manufacturers do it for all of us.

[ElvisAndretti]

I've always been very happy with Samsonite and Victorinox. The "Swiss Army" stuff does NOT last as long as the Samsonite bags I've owned however.

My wife is a big fan of Gucci and I gotta say, that stuff is pretty indestructible. If you want soft sided stuff, it's gonna cost you. But it wears like iron. She has some bags that are 25 years old and look close to new. (And they're back in style now too.) We were in Vegas a while back and I picked up one of their wallets and it's the first one I've had that didn't fall apart after a year or two of me sitting on it.

[fleckle]

Originally Posted by Kilnwood

........As an aside, whenever I'm at an airport baggage claim and pull a piece of the Hartmann off the carousel, it seems that a porter instantly materializes. A stranger standing beside me at the carousel told me, "if you can afford Hartmann luggage, porters assume you have enough money to tip them decently."

Originally Posted by pdmlynek

And that is why I try to always use the most plain-looking luggage that I can. It does not attract attention of the wrong people, be they thieves or porters. I know that both thieves and porters need to make money to feed their families, but I'd rather prefer that it not be on my dime.

It can also attract attention when going through customs. A man we knew who worked as a customs inspector remarked that people with expensive luggage or expensive jewelry are like flashing lights or ringing bells to them.

A couple of times when arriving at JFK from overseas we noticed that they were opening the expensive luggage of some people ahead of us while they just waved the rest of us on through.

[Happy ks]

Originally Posted by pdmlynek

I am sorry, but I think that you misunderstood my question. My question was: why do luggage manufacturers not clearly mark the volume of the luggage?

What I meant by that is why do the manufacturers not put on their luggage "40 Liters", or "80 Liters", or "3500 cu in" or "5000 cu in", or like. Labeling a luggage as "26 inches" simply gives me the height of the luggage, but does not tell me its volume, or in other words, how much stuff it can hold.

The reason is that questions like "Can I put more into two bigger luggages than into three smaller ones?" are not possible to answer if you are talking about comparing 26" luggages to 24" luggages but are easy to answer if you are talking about 60 Liter luggages to 40 Liter luggages.

I did understand your question, i think labeling a piece of luggage with the content like you want may be misleading to some.
One of these days I'll have to ask one of our manufacturers reps, but I suspect their answer will be the same as mine. People pack differently from one another, what I can get in a 25 inch case may be a lot less than the next person. I don't like to squish everything in, others may sit on their luggage to close it. So the real answer can vary dramatically.

It's a question we're asked rarely, in almost 5 years I think I've heard it about 3/4 times. We do see it marked on some duffel pieces.

[calliopecruiser]

Originally Posted by Happy ks

IWe do see it marked on some duffel pieces.

Yes, when I bought my rolling duffel I was able to shop by volume (it comes in 3 sizes, volume marked) http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Packs/...ing-duffle.jsp

I also don't understand why packing differences between people makes any difference......volume is a set value that doesn't change with the seasons or with whether you're a squishy packer or a light packer. Those affect how much you can or will fit in a space of a given volume, but the volume is the same.

[lcmslady]

I've been a Travelpro fan for awhile now. Has held up much better than my earlier Samsonite pieces. I usually get it thru on-line retailers which can be much cheaper than retail stores.

I think I'm going to have to start looking at some of these other brands.

[cGypsy]

my Boyt pieces have endured very well. not cheap but you can find sales. they come with a lifetime warranty too.

[Kilnwood]

Originally Posted by cGypsy

my Boyt pieces have endured very well. not cheap but you can find sales. they come with a lifetime warranty too.

BBM

My late first DH was a fan of Boyt, and he used the pieces whenever he went flyfishing (some very exotic locations that required multiple forms of transportation). When he died, I gave the pieces to my niece and her husband who are real "adventure travellers." They still have them, use them everywhere they go, and love them!

HAPPY CRUISING!

[sjcruiser]

Have Tumi, High Sierra, and my favorite, the $29.00 30" rolling duffel from WalMart!!!! Has a large main compartment, lower compartment for shoes, etc, and two side pockets. Can fit at least a weeks worth of clothes, shoes, hygiene and accessory items.

[wocheez]

We have been using the Eddie Bauer rolling duffles for the past 3 years now. They have a ton of room and have held up very well.

[Happy ks]

Originally Posted by calliopecruiser

Yes, when I bought my rolling duffel I was able to shop by volume (it comes in 3 sizes, volume marked) http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Packs/...ing-duffle.jsp

I also don't understand why packing differences between people makes any difference......volume is a set value that doesn't change with the seasons or with whether you're a squishy packer or a light packer. Those affect how much you can or will fit in a space of a given volume, but the volume is the same.

Of course the volume of the case doesn't change and I completely understand what you're asking. The volume of what is being packed absolutely changes with the weight/density of the clothing and most people don't know what the volume of their clothing is when purchasing luggage. Not many people pack that way. I think a whole lot of people just pack until they can't fit anything else into the case. Some people even use compression bags to get the air out and have much more in the case than a person who doesn't even know how to fold properly.

Put the same case next to each other and two packing styles, one person can fit a whole lot more if they pack with care vs. the one who just wads up clothing and stuffs it in.

I even asked a couple people this question in the store the last 2 nights and they gave me a blank look. They had absolutely no clue and didn't really care.

[Sinppu]

We have a soft Samsonite that was bought in Oct 2006. The brand tag has disappeared but otherwise it's in good condition. We paid 80 € for it but we did buy it from Andorra (duty-free country).

Our other one is a hard Delsey which I got as a Christmas present in 2006. It's dirty but otherwise intact. As it was a present, I can't tell you the exact price but I guess around 100 €.

Both have four wheels that have never been broken and the handles are in OK condition.

[barante]

You can get a Samsonite, nowadays made in India, really cheap online. We have both purple and yellow. Makes it easy to recognize them on an airport belt.

Or in a customs hall after the cruise.

[skandls]

I like Eagle Creek because it is light and has a great guarantee. DH broke an inside zipper by yanking it - a piece of plastic had gotten caught. Sent it back and it was repaired for no charge. Two downsides - I use packing cubes (EBags) and I am careful with breakables. Second is my version has a flex top so it is hard to balance the 'personal item' when wheeling the suitcase.

We just bought Samsonite spinners from Costco. We now take one of each. The Sam is soft sided but much studier than the Eagle Creek.

[The Flying Pinto]

As a 20 year flight attendant I love my Travel Pro! It is light weight and stands the test of time! www.travelproluggageoutlet.com You can get 15% off your total order with this discount code: THEFLYINGPINTO15 Cheers!

[Woobstr112G]

I bought a 29" Rimowa for my T/A last October on the Ruby. Paid $$$$ but absolutely loved the case. Only problem was when I picked it up from the turnstile at LAX, I found one of the spinners was broken off. I heard a rumor awhile back that spinners are very susceptible to damage from the rough treatment they receive from ramp workers. I also heard another rumor (I''m just saying it's a rumor) that expensive luggage is sometimes targeted for damage.....?

Bob