Need new luggage

[marthachick]

Our old set of luggage died as we were getting ready to leave for WDW last month. The handle broke off. I went ahead and threw it away and the other suitcase that was purchased at the same time as I figured it would fall apart also if it was thrown around at the airport. I have a pink soft side carry on and DH has a gray soft side carry on.

I need a large bag or 2 and am contemplating soft side or hard side. What do you have and would you buy it again?

 

[kdonnel]

I like wheeled duffels.

They are generally cheap, durable, and lightweight.

I can't bring myself to spend more than $50-$80 on a bag knowing how they will be treated by the airlines.

 

[kymom99]

Soft side travelpro. Love it

 

[5kidsmommy]

Soft side travelpro. Love it

This is what I also suggest. I have the four wheel type and my husband has the two wheel type. I like that you can choose either option. They are good suitcases and have held up great. We each have three different sizes to use depending on where and how longer we are traveling.

 

[sam_gordon]

I personally like hard sided now. My issue with the soft sided is IF it gets loaded/unloaded in a rain storm. Or IF someone else has leak of something in their soft sided bag, your luggage (and it's contents) can get damaged.

The only negative I've really heard about hard sided is you have to fully open the bag to unpack. There might be hard sided luggage where just one part can open. I also feel hard sided gives more protection for fragile items inside (say a snow globe?).

 

[loves to dive]

I agree on Travelpro or Samsonite. Both get good reviews and I've owned both. I actually just donated a set of Samsonite soft side that had to be at least 20 years old. Other than some slight fraying along the outer trim and some fading, they were in perfect shape. We had a complete set (actually 2 sets) of the largest, middle and small sizes. We kept one of the small and one of the medium. We used those things on many dive trips, packed to the 50 lb limit with dive gear and had no problems. I now own a carry on hard side from Beis. I got it because it is expandable, I like hard side if I'm travelling by car and don't need more than a carry on size and a larger backpack if I'm travelling by myself for an entire week. We do own another complete set of hard side (again had two, donated one) that was just an off brand we found at Steinmart. Got them because they weighed the less of any of hard sides we tried, again for dive gear. We like them for longer dive trips that we are staying in a hotel and not on a live aboard (diving's answer to a cruise sort of). I find I can fit more in a soft side since most have outside pockets but I feel my contents are more secure in a hard side if I'm flying.

 

[_19disnA]

Have had a set of soft-sided Samsonite for several years and really like it. The soft-sided material seems more forgiving when getting tossed around by luggage handlers at airports. Used to have an older hard-sided set in the past and it always get dented/banged up from being tossed around. It also has a few zippered compartments on the outside where it is convenient to put your jacket/sweater or rental car receipt. Whatever you get, make sure it has wheels to make it easier when going from one place to the next.

Also stay away from black/dark grey since your luggage will look like everyone else's when it goes around the baggage claim conveyor. Have seen on more then one occasion when someone grabs the wrong bag just because it was a color similar to what they had. Another option is to put some brightly colored yarn/ribbon the handle to make it easier to identify.

 

[5kidsmommy]

Have had a set of soft-sided Samsonite for several years and really like it. The soft-sided material seems more forgiving when getting tossed around by luggage handlers at airports. Used to have an older hard-sided set in the past and it always get dented/banged up from being tossed around. It also has a few zippered compartments on the outside where it is convenient to put your jacket/sweater or rental car receipt. Whatever you get, make sure it has wheels to make it easier when going from one place to the next.

Also stay away from black/dark grey since your luggage will look like everyone else's when it goes around the baggage claim conveyor. Have seen on more then one occasion when someone grabs the wrong bag just because it was a color similar to what they had. Another option is to put some brightly colored yarn/ribbon the handle to make it easier to identify.

My husband has black luggage, I have purple. We have these luggage straps that go around them that are brightly colored. We've never had an issue using them and they make finding our luggage very easy.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Also stay away from black/dark grey since your luggage will look like everyone else's when it goes around the baggage claim conveyor. Have seen on more then one occasion when someone grabs the wrong bag just because it was a color similar to what they had. Another option is to put some brightly colored yarn/ribbon the handle to make it easier to identify.

I decided to stay with my black bags when I no longer traveled for business since the existing luggage is probably good for the rest of my life. I did add a brightly patterned set of luggage tags to differentiate from others. Just gave a friend a garish giant pompom for her first cruise. I know she thinks im crazy now but she’ll thank me when it’s time to claim her luggage

 

[snappy]

I like wheeled duffels.

They are generally cheap, durable, and lightweight.

I can't bring myself to spend more than $50-$80 on a bag knowing how they will be treated by the airlines.

I found a great Kiplinger rolling duffle a few years ago at TJ Max or similar store. Still in service after lots of miles. It is a nice subtle grey blue. Easy to pick out in a crowd, lol

 

[snappy]

I like wheeled duffels.

They are generally cheap, durable, and lightweight.

I can't bring myself to spend more than $50-$80 on a bag knowing how they will be treated by the airlines.

I found a great Kiplinger rolling duffle a few years ago at TJ Max or similar store. Still in service after lots of miles.

 

[fly girl]

If you are an occasional traveler: softside TravelPro with 2 wheels.

Heavy Duty: for If you want to go all out with what crews use, LuggageWorks.

 

[Wood Nymph]

I hate clamshell-type luggage. My husband bought a three-piece set of Samsonite and he is the only one who will use it. The clamshell luggage opens in the middle and you need a lot of room to lay the suitcase out. It just isn't practical for traveling if you want to get into when you are at the airport or leave it out in the resort room. I have a black American Tourister suitcase that has the normal lid-top. You can leave it open on a luggage rack in the resort room and rummage through it all you want.

 

[White Cat]

We have some of each. Tumi is a good brand.

 

[NYCgrrl]

We have some of each. Tumi is a good brand.

Agreed on Tumi which I’ve owned since the 90s. I can see it lasting for another 20 odd years easily. The man’s luggage is from Swiss Gear and a great bargain for the price.

 

[BrianL]

I've always preferred soft-sided but it seems on my last few trips that EVERYBODY is using hard-sided now. I guess I'm just not cool. Oh way - it was always easy to spot my bag.

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

I was one of the people who always had soft-sided, but I switched to a hard-sided set a couple of years ago, and I'd never go back. For me the disadvantages are: 1. It takes up more real estate on the bed when packing and unpacking a hard-sided suitcase, and 2. There are no outer pockets to store a newspaper or something at the last minute.

But those disadvantages are outweighed by 1. How much easier it is to pack and unpack a clam shell hard-side. Nothing gets lost at the bottom of a deep bag. It just seems easier and more organized to pack two separate sides, then neatly cover each side with a zippered liner. 2. The last time we flew together, my husband's clothes were soaked when we got home from his soft-side sitting on the tarmac in the rain. A couple of my things were a little damp, but everything had been much better protected. Not perfect, but way, way better.

I'm not a big believer in buying expensive luggage, though. We fly a lot, and I don't want to become emotionally invested in inevitable damage. The set I bought was one I liked at Costco, and it's perfectly good as far as I'm concerned.

Hope you find something you like!

 

[Pooh2]

We each have an LLbean softsided carry-on with wheels. Paid about $80 each.
We had LLbean rolling duffels for about 15 years before our current bags (broke a wheel at year 15).

We do carry-on only so a few times, the old duffels got a second look from the gate person because the duffels have too much give in the material.
They squished down easily for the size check gadget so they were allowed to pass but it's just easier to have a more traditional type rollaboard.

 

[CallieMar]

I needed new luggage last year, and bought a hard sided Delsey case at Marshall’s for like $60. I like how easy it is to pack and unpack, and since I place all my stuff in the drawers and the closet, I don’t need to worry about having the space to keep the luggage open.

Despite all the luggage fiascos on the news, I always check my luggage (with an AirTag inside) and carry on a small backpack with an emergency change of clothes. I’ve got a herniated disc and try to avoid lifting anything too heavy into the overhead compartment.

 

[White Cat]

I needed new luggage last year, and bought a hard sided Delsey case at Marshall’s for like $60. I like how easy it is to pack and unpack, and since I place all my stuff in the drawers and the closet, I don’t need to worry about having the space to keep the luggage open.

Despite all the luggage fiascos on the news, I always check my luggage (with an AirTag inside) and carry on a small backpack with an emergency change of clothes. I’ve got a herniated disc and try to avoid lifting anything too heavy into the overhead compartment.

There are always fellow passengers willing to help you just to keep things moving. I have many times.