How's your luggage?

[clinthi]

I don't even bother buying "good" luggage anymore. I have found that my luggage will survive about 7 flights or TWO cruises. That's it.

 

On the last 4 cruises, at least one of us came home with a destroyed bag. This past cruise it was my mother's luggage. (Luckily it was under warranty)

 

Do y'all ever see that poor sap grueling through the luggage warehouse with a broken wheel and trying to drag a suitcase that looks like it was air dropped from 10,000 feet? That's me.

 

Are we unlucky with luggage handling or do you have the same experience?

[celticd1]

Not just you. :) We too have decided that buying cheap is the way to go. They just don't last.

[flounder315]

Buy cheap and LOUD colors that way it stands out in the sea of 10,000 suitcases when they kick me off the ship...

[mykiddiewinks]

We have just bought new luggage for our next trip back to England, our previous luggage is still in okay condition, it has done 7 cruises, one trip to England and lots of mini weekend trips and hockey tournaments, guess we have been lucky.

[h_blond2]

I have a cheap rolling duffel bag that I bought at Walmart. It's lasted for 5 cruises and a few other trips. It's a little scuffed up, but still in good shape! I know that if I bought expensive luggage, it would be ruined after one cruise...that's just my luck!

[AQW]

I've used my luggage on seven cruises and countless other trips including air travel over the past three years... it's in near-perfect condition. I adore it.

[T. Advisor King]

I'm not sure what distinguishes "good" luggage from other luggage. If it is a question of "expensive" vs. less expensive, I'm not sure why anyone would every buy expensive luggage, unless the expense related to the durability.

 

A suitcase is a method of tranporting personal items while traveling. Why would I want it to be expensive?

 

My current set is from Costco. One of the main plastic sides of one of the larger bags has a 6-8 inch crack in it, which I've repaired with duct tape. It still carries the same stuff, cracked or not, taped or not. The tape will stop the crack from getting any bigger.

 

The only reason I replaced our previous set was that the handle had come off a few too many times and despite a number of home-made repairs involving a drill, nuts and bolts and some aluminum plating, eventually it was beyond repair.

 

By far my biggest issue is with the zipper pulls, that routinely break off.

[BenjiRodney]

Cruise treats my luggage fine, it's the airlines that don't care and beat the crap out of the bags.

[WetToes]

We had used the same luggage for 9 cruises, it was bought for us as a gift.

Cruise before last one of the large cases came to us with a missing wheel.

I picked up a replacement at Goodwill. $15 bucks.

I also think less expensive and 'loud' luggage is the way to go.

[bflohr]

My Samsonite stuff steams to last pretty well.

 

I like to mark my luggage with colored duct tape so others don't confuse it with there own. I personally don't care care if it looks strange or dorky, as long it doesn't get lost.

[WetToes]

My Samsonite stuff steams to last pretty well.

 

I like to mark my luggage with colored duct tape so others don't confuse it with there own. I personally don't care care if it looks strange or dorky, as long it doesn't get lost.

 

 

I used fabric paint and a stamp on mine. The luggage we were given was black, ... just like everyone else's. :rolleyes:

[Pr0spect0r]

The one thing going for 'good luggage' is its lighter weight, which may mean the difference between extra fees or not.

 

On the downside, lighter isn't always as strong, so it may not endure.

[Jldevlin]

We had the chance to buy new luggage last year ,... we picked the ugliest orange ones ... can find it easy in a sea of black suitcases !!!!

[WetToes]

We had the chance to buy new luggage last year ,... we picked the ugliest orange ones ... can find it easy in a sea of black suitcases !!!!

 

Smart move! ;)

I'd have done the same thing if I had been buying my luggage.

[rkacruiser]

I am of the opinion that better luggage withstands the rigors of travel better than inexpensive, cheap luggage.

 

My traveling companion and I both had soft-sided luggage for our European cruise this past Summer. Her bags were a more inexpensive set; mine was not. In Atanta, while waiting to be put on the plane, it rained and our luggage was exposed to that environment. Upon arrival in Amsterdam, while all of our luggage was wet/damp, the contents of mine were dry in one piece and only the sleeve of a jacket was damp that was in the second piece. The contents of both of her bags were wet.

 

Another example: I have a set of American Tourister hardside luggage that I purchased in 1983 that was not inexpensive at the time. While they certainly show that they have had many travel experiences, they are still able to be used.

[Shadextrem]

Sometimes it's just bad luck. I had a nice new set of luggage that I took on their first trip last year.Not insane expensive but not bargain bin either. About $160 set. My large checked bag popped out onto the luggage carousel at the airport with almost the entire front pocket ripped off. I was very thankful that I don't put anything in those pockets just because of that fear. I was doubly thankful that I brought my duct tape with me so the suitcase would be able to get me home. I still use it for road trips but it's retired from flying/cruising. Although if I were brave enough to use it, it'd stand out for sure. Red suitcase with nice shiny silver duct tape.

[brookeq]

We got luggage from a guy at the flea market almost 12 years ago. He had tons. Not sure where he got them from.

 

3 rolling suitcases for 50 dollars. All still working. The largest is starting to tear a bit.

 

Best purchase we have made.

[1kaper]

I have my first nice set of luggage I got for Christmas in 2011. So far it has survived at least 5 return trips (so 10 flights all with transfers) and one cruise. Second cruise in 3 weeks so I guess I'll see.

[LittleJeanne]

We had cheap black luggage from WalMart. We'd bought various pieces over the years and it was falling apart wheels falling off, the stands knocked off so it wouldn't sit level and zipper pulls missing. So 2 years ago my husband bought purchased an all new set for me as a Christmas gift in my favorite color "red". He purchased 2 large suitcases, a cosmetic travel bag, and a 21 inch carry-on size bag. He spent about $600 for those we later added on another large suitcase and another carry-on to the set. I was shocked when on only our second trip with this luggage ... and we drove and handled it cautiously ourselves it was delivered to our room mangled with holes ripped in the sides of the soft sided and the thin metal frame bent and torqued. I took pictures and took them to guest services but they really didn't seem to care either and did little more than offer an apology.

[winddawn]

I don't even bother buying "good" luggage anymore. I have found that my luggage will survive about 7 flights or TWO cruises. That's it.

 

On the last 4 cruises, at least one of us came home with a destroyed bag. This past cruise it was my mother's luggage. (Luckily it was under warranty)

 

Do y'all ever see that poor sap grueling through the luggage warehouse with a broken wheel and trying to drag a suitcase that looks like it was air dropped from 10,000 feet? That's me.

 

Are we unlucky with luggage handling or do you have the same experience?

My strategy is to buy good enough quality that the suitcase won't fall apart within a few flights and cruises, but not so expensive that someone behind the scenes would want to steal it.

 

But yes, airlines and cruise lines are hard on luggage. It's part of the traveling experience. I'm completely happy if I can't see my underwear on the conveyor belt pulling suitcases up to the plane, and my bag shows up at baggage claim or at my cabin door. ;-)

[HappyAboard]

Bought Biaggi (contempo) collapsable luggage. It is great for the small staterooms because we are family of 5 and it is sometimes difficult to find a good place to stash all the empty suitcases once we unpack in a stateroom. These ones fold down and I have been extremely impressed with the quality and durability as they still look like brand new. They come in bright colors so they are easy to find. They are expensive, but ebags on-line had a big blow-out and I got them for a fraction of their usual price. They are also great to store at home. These days I expect everything I buy to fall apart, so I was prepared for the worst, but I just can't say enough how impressed I am with this luggage. I just bought more.

[DGP1111]

I don't even bother buying "good" luggage anymore. I have found that my luggage will survive about 7 flights or TWO cruises. That's it.

 

 

 

. . . Are we unlucky with luggage handling or do you have the same experience?

 

 

 

Luckily, mine has continued to survive WELL beyond those numbers, and luckily I don't have to worry when that streak ends. I purchased a nice set that is guaranteed for life, so the initial expense was worth it (at least to me). The only drawback is that each piece is a bit heavy, even empty, so creates a challenge on one particular airline.

 

.

 

 

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[navybankerteacher]

I'd estimate that seven is an average number of survived flights - and more expensive luggage might be more waterproof, but are just as likely to get smashed by aggressive luggage handlers. We get basic black but use white fabric tape to Mark each side of each bag with an unmistakeable symbol to minimize the chance of some careless fellow traveller grabbing it by mistake (which happened to me once). Just having some yahoo roughly grab it by mistake off the carousel and then throw it back I even more roughly (which I have seen done by eager travelers impatient to get their own bags) can shorten luggage life even more.

[Happy ks]

I've got expensive luggage, but I've worked part time in a luggage store for 7 years now, so I do get a better deal with an employee discount. My first purchase was a Tumi rolling garment bag. It has been on a number of flights and cruises over those years, yet it still looks brand new. I've gotten other Tumi pieces that have been used and loaned to family members, same story.

 

I've purchased Briggs and Riley for myself (the above luggage is my husbands), my checked bag has 4 wheels and I love it. I also sized down my carry on (around 18 inches vs. the old 22 inch) and although it's 2 wheeled, it's so easy to maneuver around the airport. I see people all the time with bags that tip over, wobble back and forth and just don't look all that easy to roll.

 

I also have Victorinox in the garage rafters, it's much older, doesn't show much wear except scuff marks (it's red, all the other stuff is black). It's heavy by today's standards, so only used if we are driving to port.

 

The newer stuff manufactured today is done so with weight only in mind. Fabrics, wheels, zippers…construction has degraded so much over the past 5 years. It's no big surprise to me that luggage doesn't survive more than a few trips. You will read many posts on CC with people stating they have a piece of Travel Pro, Victorinox, Tumi, or especially Hartmann that they have had for 10-15 years and is still going strong…it's just too heavy. We see pieces of Hartmann luggage coming in for minor repair that are over 20 years old. People state the luggage has been around the world several times.

 

Expensive doesn't always mean quality, nor does a designer name on a product mean much. I've seen "designer" luggage in stores such as JC Penney, Macy's, TJ Maxx etc… that I don't think is worth the price, even though the price may be affordable. I think one of the worst cases I've seen was a Kate Spade check in bag @ $700 that wasn't made any better than an American Tourister that you could pick up for less than $100.

 

You really have to look and compare the features. See where the wheels are placed, check for cheaply made zippers and fabrics. Find out what type of construction is used underneath the fabric. There can be major differences.

[14Terry]

We use High Sierra luggage. Have used it on several cruises along with other travels. Continues to hold up very well.

 

 

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