What brand and style of luggage do you use when you travel?
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What brand and style of luggage do you use when you travel?
Depends on the length of stay what size I take, but Samsonite is my brand of choice. Lasts and lasts and lasts.
Samsonite... but we do have a pull behind we got for a good price that is a Dockers brand and it's taken a good beating and held up extremely well in our trips to NY City. =)
While I usually bring a Samsonite suitcase there is something to be said for the large, duffel style bag which can be crammed into the overhead compartment. No need to check your bag and no need to wait for it at the luggage carousel. Also, no chance that they will fly your bag to Kalamazoo on you.
Luggage maker, model, price... nothing makes a difference. The airlines can damage your bags and it takes forever to get warranty repair done on a minor rip. I've had Samsonite luggage get just as damaged as my Wal-Mart luggage. At the end of day you just feel stupid for spending 3x more for a nice bag than a generic bag when they are both broken. The only feature I look for is if the thing will not flip over easy when being wheeled. While at the store... throw some wieght into the bag. Bring a 20lb weight from home with you. Then roll the luggage around the store... quickly. Run. Turn corners. Go up and down a curb. See if it flips. There's nothing worse than have a backpack, carrying your tickets, and rolling a cart that is unstable as all get out and running 1.35 miles through the Narita Airport trying to catch a flight.
My advice:
Buy any bag, just make it an odd color. If you can only find red/black/or blue... spray paint it. Put a big white X on the sides. No one that you give a fart about will judge you by your luggage. What you want to do is to be able to spot your luggage from the other side of the converyor belt the minute it comes out of the door. You need to make your luggage as unique as possible. a) Freaky luggage is less likely to be stolen b)no one will confuse their luggage for your luggage c)if someone does pick up your luggage, you'll know... because it stands out
Keep a business card taped to the inside lid of your luggage.
Use Zip-ties to close all the zippers. Always keep a pen on you so that you can twist off the zip-ties. Keep extra zip ties in all your bags and in your carry on.
In your carry-on keep: hairbrush,toothbrush,toothpaste,deodorant, underwear,aspirin,tums, calling card, state ID, blank check, $40, and ten quarters. Place all the items in a one gallon ziplock bag. I keep this ready at all times so that when I travel, I never have to recheck it... I just throw it in my carry on. It's my 'Worst Case Survival Bag". I figure that if I loose my wallet and my luggage, I'll at least have the basics with me. And if my carry-on is stolen, I haven't lost anything that will hurt me.
Get a State ID card. Anyone can get one, and if you have a Driver's License, they're easy to get. Keep you DL in your wallet and your State ID in your carry on. It's valid ID that you generally don't have to use, but can be used in a pinch.
When you fly, don't use your DL. Most of the time, you have in stored behind the plastic window in your wallet... it's a pain to get in and out and your more likely to drop it in your pocket after going through security. Afterwhich, it'll probably fall out and you lose it. It's got too much personal information on it. Instead, get a passport. No address on it, so it's harder to steal your identity.
Wear slip-on shoes when flying (especially if you're hitting multiple airports)... it's easier to get them on/off. Even if not requested, remove your belt, watch and shoes every single time. It prevents the, 'try again please sir' hassle.
I probably go through more luggage than anyone here. Working on the railroad I am in hotels more than I am at home.
I have gone through probably 4 or 5 different styles of luggage though out the past year. We wear and tear them pretty well.
Well I got extremely pissed off having to buy new luggage every other month. I tried cheap ones, expensive ones, and all different types.
The one I swear by now is a 30 inch rolling duffel bag sold by Costco. It Is a huge duffle bag with wheels and also has straps for use as a backpack. (unable to find it on Costco.com) Granted its not carry on size for planes but does make hauling very easy.
It const 40 bucks I think and being that it is from Costco, you can return it any time, no questions asked.
I wont have to buy a new one for some time now. Ill return a few but wont cost me anything :)