Luggage
 

Hello ,
My youngest daughter has several trips planned this fall and always borrows our luggage which I'm ok with. I would like to purchase a couple pieces of nice luggage for her as a gift for all the kind things she has done for us over the years. I have several questions especially for the savvy travelers here. Where is a good retail outlet to buy from? Should I buy from a retail outlet or online? Here's the tough part: what brand would I want to buy? I don't want junk or a cheaply made product. I would like to buy a brand that she could build on as I would first want to buy an overnite/two nite and a up to a 5-7 nite size. I should mention she's not a overpacker. She brings only what's needed. Thanks in advance.

Mike

We buy luggage with the understanding that it might only last one trip. That being said, this set we bought on Amazon has made 3 international and several domestic trips without any damage. Amazon.com

Samantha Brown brand luggage on HSN. Samantha is a world traveler (has travel shows on PBS) and created this brand with her knowledge of what an experienced traveler needs.

We recommend and had a great shopping experience with online store, Luggage Pro. Chose highly rated Travel Pro Magna Spinner series. We really like Travel Pro and maybe Amazon undercuts Luggage Pro prices now. I think there is a Platinum Spinner series now.

luggage
 

IFLY luggage can be bought online

Traveled for a living for years. I used a lightweight in the 6 pound range, hard side for checking, and a lightweight carryon if I didn’t need to check. Also look for the new under the seat luggage that you can pack couple days worth of items. I use America tour, online or amazon

Buy something with recessed wheels. We find they often get caught up in others luggage and break apart.

I used to travel a lot for work. 200,000 air miles a year. The bag that lasted forever for me was from ebags.com. Today I would get one with 4 wheels on the bottom vs 2. Mine only had 2 as that was before the 4 wheel option was invented. I still have it and use it when traveling. It has been manhandled by the best and everything still works perfect.

If you buy a carry-on bag, make sure you go to the airline websites and calculate the maximum size allowed. You can also get a small bag that is designed to fit under the airline seat.

When I travelled a lot, I always bought Samsonite soft sided luggage. To me, it doesn't make sense to buy expensive luggage unless you want to impress people.

Give her the luggage she has been borrowing and buy yourself something you like.

What a great idea! We have had great experience with Samsonite though every bag eventually needs to be replaced(The airlines eventually win!). In any case quality counts! A couple of suggestions -
1) Don't get black bags. Over half of the bags going down a carousel are black so having a colored bag makes it easier.
2) I would suggest both a carry on (follow the advice in post #9) and a larger bag. Some companies have 4 sizes with the largest size being very big. Given the cost of being overweight, the largest bag is often not practical.
3) I found in my business travel that the carry on bag was my trusted companion. If you ever have to show up in a meeting in Japan wearing the clothes you wore on the plane, you will never check a bag on a business trip. I learned to pack very compactly counting the number of times I had one night hotel stays in a row. After that day, you send clothes to the laundry.
4) Finally, newer generation bags have lithium batteries for recharging electronic devices. Think carefully about regulations concerning lithium batteries on airplanes before moving forward.

Hope this helps!

We buy as much from Costco as possible as you can return things for any reason within a year. So if the luggage breaks within a year, return it for a full refund. Currently, Costco has Ricardo 3-piece luggage on sale ($50 off) for $140. We each bought a set. Access Denied

Ricardo Half Dome 3-piece Hardside Spinner Set
Item 1400563
★★★★★
★★★★★ 4.7 out of 5 stars. Read reviews for Ricardo Half Dome 3-piece Hardside Spinner Set
4.7
(77)

Well those posts have narrowed it down a lot :)

According to the Costco website, there is not a one year time limit on returns. There is a 90 day limit on electronics and appliances, but for things like lugguge and other items, there us no time limit.

I like that suggestion.

We've had good luck with Samsonite and American Tourister Luggage over the years...they all get pretty banged up though

We try to purchase something other than black...as that makes it just a little easier to identify our luggage when traveling

Usually we've purchased matched set at retail stores like Macy when they've had a sale going on

I have used Costco (Kirkland), Samsonite and Travelpro, the latter being what I see almost all AA flight crews using - maybe they are given a special deal on them, I don't know. I had a Costco carryon bag that flew at least a million miles with me over fifteen years. Finally the telescoping handle gave out and would not fully extend. Truthfully, I was embarrassed to take it back to Costco for a refund as it had served me long and well. The refund guy at Costco looked up when I had bought it. He handed me cash for the amount I had paid. I still feel funny about taking the money but I bought another Kirkland bag from Costco within an hour. A Southwest flight attendant I had dated years before had told me Southwest flight attendants bought Costco bags and returned them otherwise I never would have tried.

I bought the Travelpro at a luggage shop where I compared several "full size" carryons to obtain the smallest as I fly on AA Bombardier 900s and the bag just fits in their overhead compartments if I do not overfill it. The male flight attendants know this and let me bring it on board without question. The women flight attendants want me to gate check it usually - but not always - let me take it on when they see my 2 Million miler tag on it and I tell them it has fit in AA Bombardier 900 and even some Bombardier 700 overheads a few hundred times.

As a previous poster mentioned go with a four wheeler which is what most now are. I still use an old large two wheel Kirkland bag to check as my up to 50 pounder that has not yet given up the ghost but find it a pain to control compared to a four wheeler.

I second Travel Pro Magna Spinner. After many years and tons of airline travel, this is the brand we settled on that actually lasts. Worth the money--not cheap but won't break the bank either.


Be careful of sizes. Airlines are restricting sizes of even checked baggage. We each have a 22" carry-on spinner and a 26" spinner that we check. It's really all we've ever needed outside of our personal item.

If you are really serious about quality, the kind that never leaves you stranded. Club Glove....made in America...you won’t like the price...she will love to travel w this stuff...a lifetime product. There is a large duffel on amazon for $350....

luggage
 

Well, after reading everyone input I decided to go with Costco. They had $50 off for a set of three. It was a matter of playing it safe. If my daughter doesn't like the luggage she can return it for full refund and get what she wants. Thanks all.

Mike

garage sales usually have luggage for sale

I would ask her what she would like in a piece of luggage. I know the kind of features I want in a bag and it isn't always what someone else would pick for me. Get here a gift certificate so she can choose for herself.

Which ever brand you decide to buy on Black Friday there will be good deals on luggage.

Go to TJ Maxx. They have name brands for less.

Our kids got us some Amazon Basics soft side luggage. It's been durable, wheels well, and quite light.

I have done quite a bit of research on luggage. My favorite luggage by far are “Ebags”. They are very efficient, the company is wonderful, they are reasonably priced, and there are lots of choices for what type of luggage fits you individually. There are containers you can also order (think of them as drawers) to keep your items organized. Check them out at ebags.com and happy travels!

Just be sure to get 4 wheels: European trains have narrow aisles and you need to slide thru sideways. Get what color you want but put bright orange tape all the way around. You'll find them quickly tha way.

Be sure all luggage comes with a lock or has the ability to be locked with a TSA-approved luggage lock. I lock any carryon that has to go in an overhead bin on an airplane.

I lived in Japan for 11 years and have traveled over 600,000 miles. The choice of luggage depends on the person and how much they travel and how far they travel. I bought my son a set of Amazon basic recently, it’s hard side but has the zipper which is better in my opinion. There were several pieces including a shaving kit and the price was reasonable. When I buy for myself the first thing I look for is weight Because you don’t want 8 pounds of your allowed luggage to be an empty suitcase. The second thing I look for is ease of rolling and spinning, the wheels need to be sturdy but not big. I also like a hard side because of their weight and because of their protection of what you are carrying and a zipper closure as well as a TSA approved built in lock. I use Travel Pro for roll aboard and carryon for under the seat. Samsonite has checked all my boxes for a middle price set and their guarantee is great! I buy in person so I can feel the weight and test the roll snd I buy from their outlet store. But the Amazon Basic would be my go to for a gift for my adult kids!

Hartman online. I have used it a lot (million miler) and it still looks great.

Watch when Kohls out their hard size Samsonite on sale. It is usually 50% off. I have it and bought a set for my husband. It is great and we travel a lot.

Tuesday Morning

Tuesday Morning has a nice selection. I picked up TravelPro bags there and use them constantly. Hope that helps.

Tuesday Morning store

The bag which is most indestructible is luggageworks, most commercial pilots use it every work day. I have one. They are heavy but you will pass it down to your kids. My other top choice is the travel pro crew 5, most flight crews use them. I have 3, ballistic nylon, solid rubber replaceable wheels, self repairing zippers, well located compartments. Make sure it is the crew 5 model.

I buy all our luggage at TJMaxx or Marshalls. They usually have a lot to choose from. I have had good luck. We travel a lot. No matter what you pay, it still gets terribly banged around.

I was in the wholesale side of the business can tell you most of it is made in China these days. The most important things or how your daughter travels and where. She may decide just to carry a large backpack but I can tell you four wheels is the way to go if you have larger luggage. But keep in mind a 26 or 28 inch size is very heavy when packed. Also some Airlines a very small dimensions for carry-ons score for the free of charge Biggs you may bring one some are as small as 8 bye 12 by 14. The other thing you will see below is that a bright color Verizon green orange or red for a great floral pattern is much better than black Navy or burgundy. Don't spend too much because no matter what she does the luggage gets dirty after a while or something gets broken and she will want something else in 3 to 5 years

Google TUMI luggage or maybe my link will work.

https://www.tumi.com/s/luggage/

We love the Samantha Brown luggage system. I do carry on only on all trips (even to Europe). The bag (fits under seat) is designed to fit snugly to the bar of the roll around (fits in overhead). The roll around swivels 360 so I can move quickly and easily through the airport. It looks a lot more expensive than it is. And the features were designed by Samantha who spends all of her time in airports. Passport/ticket pocket, cube packs, no wasted space.