Luggage

[d000hg]

A lot of seasoned travellers here... what are your suggestions on buying luggage?

We've tried really cheap, and medium priced, and everything seems to break just as easily. A brand new, decent suitcase one of the wheels got snapped off the very first time, another one one of the wheels somehow melted/seized.

I don't give a crap about fashion - in fact I don't want my suitcase to look nice - just practicality and cost-effectiveness. Is it better to keep buying cheap cases and chucking them away every couple of trips, or invest in a top-end product that needs to last a decade to recoup its value?
Are the decent brands a lot more rugged, to the point of being reliably indestructible? Or are you just paying for style and the name?

If you were buying a new case for your hold luggage today, that fits within standard hold luggage size limits, what would you buy?

[FatLazyContractor]

If you were buying a new case for your hold luggage today, that fits within standard hold luggage size limits, what would you buy?

Let me check what my butler does and i'll get back to you shortly .

[WTFH]

I don't buy hard cases. I tend to go for holdalls - DaKine do good ones as do several of the ski brands. They take up less space when you are storing them (at home or in a hotel) and are flexible with how you pack them.


When I'm packing light I've got a North Face bag that's been on its travels.

[LucidDementia]

I have a set of Carlton hard-cases (similar to Samsonite I suppose) which I bought 18 years ago. They look a little beat up as they've been round the world a few times but still solid as a rock.
They cost a good few quid - IIRC the big ones were £170ish each and the slightly smaller about £125ish.
I'd buy them again in a heartbeat.

No idea if they still exist for sale though!

Suppose it's horses for courses; how much use will they get?

[Gumbo Robot]

Watch out for the quality of the zip when going for a hard case.

[I just need to test it]

I bought a couple of lightweight Antler suitcases. They are cavernous, superbly light, (they are made of soft fabric) so very easy to pull/push. No damage so far. The soft fabric might not be to everyone's taste as it increases the risk of contents getting damaged though we've not had any problems on that score.

They were only available in distinct colours (lime green, purple, as I recall).

This link is the closest representation I can find though I bought mine from an outlet mall a few years back, which is exactly what I'd do next time too. Mine were half the price shown on this link.

Buy Antler Aire 4-Wheel 80cm Large Suitcase | John Lewis

[norrahe]

Briggs and Riley

[oracleslave]

+1 for Antler.

We have a set of something similar to these Urbanite Mega Double Decker Stone | Trolley Bag | Antler UK

in various sizes.

[PurpleGorilla]

If you are only going on a short trip, these are well built and hold a decent amount of kit:

[meridian]

Samsonite here. 12 years old, been around the world 6 or 7 times. The rubber is starting to disintegrate on the wheels now so I'll need to replace the cases shortly, and will probably go for the same brand again.

Think I bought them in Selfridges in a two-for-1 special so they've been a bargain despite the initial cost.