Best looking and practical carry-on luggage

[wannabeinvestmentbanker]

I am in the market for a new carry-on bag as I try to do HLO as much as possible as there have been some decent sales on recently.

I understand there have been some similar threads in the past so feel free to merge but I cannot locate them and there may be more up-to-date recommendations now

A collage of mine swears by the 'Away' cases only sold in the US

As such, what is your recommendation for a probably 4 wheel, carry-on suitable, suitcase that looks good but is also practical?

 

[Matt_01]

Couple of questions are you after hard or soft side, clam shell/front opening and finally are you after the largest size carry on for domestic/international or just a mid size carry on. Budget?

 

[wannabeinvestmentbanker]

I'm open to any suggestions really with a budget up to around $250/300

- Open to hard but soft are more practical as reaching in to grab something out of a hard case involves an entire opening of the case
- large size as my current is really more of an overnighter

 

[Matt_01]

Sill quite loose however I will give my opinion. Your budget will get you a good bag but may not meet looks good and practical requirement, this is also something only you can decide based on your travel needs. Personally we have had the likes of Tumi, Briggs, Rimowa, Delsey and Brics. I have owned and still own the Tumi and Briggs (although 2 are on ebay). MrsM and MissM have had the other brands as well as other commercial brands.

Just my thoughts:

If you are after brand Tumi, Rimowa, Delsey and Brics are up there with the best. IMO Rimowa (ally) is one of the best looking, however dents scratches and can make it look shabby well before it worn out. Tumi good looking and solid but expensive. Delsey and Brics look nice but we have had issues with wheels.

Briggs - pretty much bullet proof and have an unconditional LT warranty. The external handle system when combined with the internal push down system means you can shove a lot of stuff in a small bag but can easily blow HL limits. The briggs bag I have also has an internal suiter. The criticism I have of Briggs is the raw weight the other thing I do not like is that the front wheels are smaller than the rear and as the suiter is attached the lid and the lid (outside) there is a good sized opening for laptops, ipads, phones it can get front heavy easily and over balance. In bashing Briggs, I am in need of a new smaller size carry on and have decided to go with the Briggs Rolling Cabin bag, a 2 wheeler but solid.

At a $250/$300 price point the main thing I would be looking for is how easily can the wheels be replaced. I have a couple of cheaper bags that have lasted the 6-8 years however within the first six moths of owning them I had replaced the original wheels with asphalt grade inline skate wheels and upgraded bearings.

"Away" luggage just looks like another polycarbonate (Samsonite) from a Chinese factory. Just my opinion.

 

[cj4119]

Best looking and quality bags IMO are Rimowa but their carry on would be close to 2 to 3 times your budget and if you choose the aluminium case you wouldn't want your bag to be weighed at check in or at the gate because they can be close to 5kg and eg Qantas has a 7kg carry on limit for the bag.

Delsey make a good quality bag in your range that hold up quite well.
As for the wheels, i've never had an issue as long as you look after them. Since you're main goal is to use it as a carry on the condition of the wheels are in your hands. If they're small, perhaps don't drag the bag across long carpet because the can easily be jammed up or when there is dirt, grease or puddles on the road or at the airport just lift it over. So many people just drag it through the muck and then wonder why their wheels seized up or don't roll efficiently.

Hard and soft have pros and cons for each (durability, weight, secureness, volume etc) but I prefer a soft case for carry on as i feel i can fit more in, have better access when needed and are typically much lighter. Hard cases are my choice for checked luggage as they're more durable, have less chance of being crushed when stacked in AKE's and they're more waterproof, but they do have a greater chance of falling off the barrows during transport from the bag room to the aircraft and they can fall off the belt loaders quite easily, especially when its wet which can leave you with dinted corners or busted wheels.

I was going to buy the Bluesmart carry on a couple months ago but a lot of airlines now wont allow you to bring onboard a smart bag that doesn't have a removable battery. Just keep that in mind.

 

[wannabeinvestmentbanker]

I ended up going to for a Delsey. Not exactly sure of what the model is but it is amazing and weights only 2kg. I picked it up for $139 from this small little luggage store downstairs in Hunter Connection in Sydney. I tested it on a 3 night trip to Melbourne this week and could fit in my gym gear, work and a change of casual wear. More than happy with this and feel that expensive luggage appears to be severely overrated but only time will tel in terms of durability.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

- Open to hard but soft are more practical as reaching in to grab something out of a hard case involves an entire opening of the case
- large size as my current is really more of an overnighter

Agree soft sides, with a pouch or two on the front, are much more practical than hard-sided. Small zip pouch on the front for tickets, passports, printed itineraries, and phone while going through security. Larger pouch for Ipad or laptop. Having borrowed a hardised suitcase from a friend to bring home some extra luggage one time I couldn't imagine having to completely unzip a hard sided case and flip it open in the middle each time.

For max internal space I have a two-wheeled carry on. Four wheels can mean reduced internal capacity. But trying to find two-wheeled anything these days is getting harder. I like both Antler or Samsonite cases.

 

[Pleb Status]

But trying to find two-wheeled anything these days is getting harder.

This is the problem I am having.

I am in the market for a new carry on bag but it has got to be a two wheeled bag. This rules out about 95% of the quality bags on the market.

 

[Matt_01]

This is the problem I am having.

I am in the market for a new carry on bag but it has got to be a two wheeled bag. This rules out about 95% of the quality bags on the market.

I also wanted a 2 wheeler for domestic and my old workhorse died last week. This is the question I asked, I found a 2 wheeler in Myer ADL on Friday that was all ready reduced and then there was another 30% off so the final price was around $155-$160 can not remember the exact ammount, an impulse purchase. From the research I did (post purchase) and ringing Crumpler it would appear that this is an older model however the warranty is lifetime for the original owner.

Crumpler is not a brand I would have thought of but after comparing with my old workhorse I have decided to keep it. Apart from domestic, I will use this Crumpler for a week long international and would most likely use my Tumi (a spinner) for 2-4 week international trips.

 

[wannabeinvestmentbanker]

I am in the market for a new carry on bag but it has got to be a two wheeled bag. This rules out about 95% of the quality bags on the market.

Why must it be a 2 wheeler?

I was a 2 wheeler only person until this bag which proved to me you can have plenty of deep internal storage and stability with a 4 wheeler. So easy to navigate around and very stable even with a laptop in the front.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I was a 2 wheeler only person until this bag which proved to me you can have plenty of deep internal storage and stability with a 4 wheeler. So easy to navigate around and very stable even with a laptop in the front.

Does the 4-wheeler hold as much as an equivalent 2-wheeler of the same overall dimensions (which is important for overhead bins).

 

[Pleb Status]

Why must it be a 2 wheeler?

I was a 2 wheeler only person until this bag which proved to me you can have plenty of deep internal storage and stability with a 4 wheeler. So easy to navigate around and very stable even with a laptop in the front.

My current two wheeled carry on bag has traversed more than 200km of the rough streets of the various cities of the world. You need big diameter wheels to do this effectively to get over kerbs etc and most four wheeled bags just do not cut it. They get stuck on small pebbles and generally are just not robust enough for actual travel.

Four wheeled bags are fine if you only travel from the gate to a taxi on smooth airport floors...

Two wheeled bags are more space efficient as well.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

cheap bags at Argos is anyone's going to the UK. Antler for just £44 Results for cabin baggage in Sports and leisure, Bags, luggage and travel, Briefcases and business luggage, Cabin luggage

 

[HockeyMonkey]

I love the Samsonite Lite Biz 55cm as a hard case that is light weight and has an accessible front pocket.

Costs a little more than the stated budget though.

 

[Denali]

cheap bags at Argos is anyone's going to the UK. Antler for just £44 Results for cabin baggage in Sports and leisure, Bags, luggage and travel, Briefcases and business luggage, Cabin luggage

I really like Argos, our hotel was next door to one so picked up a few items before we started 3 weeks of travel.