luggage suggestions for a newbie

[rhjames]

I've just read back over some of these posts, and am amazed that some people are spending over $1,000 on a suitcase. My last one (about 6 years ago and still going strong) cost $100 in Sydney. It's just returned from a motorhome trip in Lapland, and has many more years left in it. Even Samsonite hard case are around $300. I always use soft case. There's generally nothing inside to get damaged - some clothes and shoes. Camera and laptop go in hand luggage.

I just checked on the internet, and after searching many sites, finally found a Samsonite Cosmolite for $799 (at that price, I'd want it to last 100 years). I can't find anything any more expensive.

It seems to me that if I can buy a case for $100 - $150 that lasts 10 years of regular use, why would I pay more?

 

[ansett1]

just check out what the flight crews use, Delsey, it offers strength with low weight & lower price than other well known brands. Samsonite for example is found in Sydney manufactured in India, but still expensive.

 

[ozmille]

just checked on the internet, and after searching many sites, finally found a Samsonite Cosmolite for $799 (at that price, I'd want it to last 100 years). I can't find anything any more expensive.

It seems to me that if I can buy a case for $100 - $150 that lasts 10 years of regular use, why would I pay more?

It is all in what you want. For me it is not about appearing well off, I bet you would not say that these Tumi's look very expensive. But they are so functional and last forever. If you want to go extravagant have a look at Henk

 

[rani1]

Hi there,

I did a RTW 2 years ago for 3 months travelling on Planes, Trains and Ship and from that trip I learned to pack as light as possible, the distance from the platform to the train can be up to approx 1 meter (especially in Italy) that is a long way to lift a heavy suitcase. I also witnessed suitcases being stolen from a train going to Venice they were all black so always buy a bright coloured case (most cases are black). 4 wheels or 2, definitely 4 it is so much easier on your back and when on cobbles you can tip the case to use just 2 wheels where necessary but I found that I could still push the case on most surfaces. Hard shell or soft?, I think you can pack more into a soft case and there is usually a zip to give you extra packing space but personally I do prefer the hard and they are still quite flexible. I recently did another RTW with a red hard shell case and it worked very well for me. I am female and travel alone so most of these things I have learned from my personal experiences. I did not buy a very expensive suitcase but one with a mid price range and a reasonable brand name.

Good luck and enjoy your experience.

 

[megmcw]

If choosing hard cases, just be aware if two people are travelling and each has a hard case - the chances are it will be impossible to leave them open in hotels rooms - some European hotels do not have enough floor space. They do not fit on the luggage stands in the hotels. A good quality soft case is easier to travel with. Also check that there is a handle of sorts on the bottom ot the case to enable easy lifting by one person - I made the mistake with Antler 3.3kg.case - found it had nothing to lift it with on the bottom of the case. Also remember that what you find is light and easy in the shop does not feel the same after you have flown for 24 hours - I am sure my case feels twice its weight after a long flight. I cover my cases with stick ons and noone in their right mind would pinch my bags, they would be too embarrased.
When having to change a flight in NZ the luggage fellow asked me to describe my case - easy - black with Smileys all over it. Never leave home with a suitcase that is difficult to close as however hard you try and even without buying things on the way I swear everything seems to grow inside your case, so that trying to close a case that was hard to close in the first place is near impossible after a couple of stopovers.

 

[rhjames]

It is all in what you want. For me it is not about appearing well off, I bet you would not say that these Tumi's look very expensive. But they are so functional and last forever. If you want to go extravagant have a look at Henk

I checked out the Henk - mond blowing. abony, horse hair, magnesium, aliminium, titanium, carbon fibre, parachute fabric and leather. Just imagine spending $20,000 on a suitcase, and watch it thrown about, squashed, kicked etc with all the others. Imagine the drama if it's lost!! Fonny, but I can't find anything significant that it does that my $100 case can do. I guess it's a bit lighter, and has retractable wheels - nothing I can get excited about.

I guess I'd buy one if I was sure it would last 2,000 years, and I would live that long. Tumi looks like much better value if it lasts a lifetime.

 

[csomole]

some points to consider

There are different types of luggage these days, but I have limited experience with them. My 26 yo Delsey is still going strong, having gone around the globe a dozen times plus here and there on shorter trips. Scratched, dinged, cough brown, not easy to confuse with others' cases and hopefully not as inviting to thieves as a fancy new [your favourite fancy brand here].

There have been a few suggestions that need some clarification. Soft-sided for checked luggage can be lighter (although my wife's new American Traveller hard shell is pretty good), but there are disadvantages. Your gear must be squashable, as statistically your bag will eventually end up at the bottom of the luggage container, with another 30 or so on top. Also, I have seen too many soft cases come off carousels in shreds to want to try.

There seems to be a preference for 4 wheels over 2, but this should be considered in light of one's physique and preferences. Sure, 4-wheelers need no lifting while rolling, but they only allow a leisurely push. Most are unstable and not very manoeuvreable on their little wobbly wheels that flip around freely. I prefer moving at speed, and can carry the fraction weight of the 2-wheeler. These easily roll behind you like a trailer, their bigger wheels better on uneven surfaces. The old-style thinner cases with the wheels on the thin side (like my Delsey) are less stable at speed in a hair-pin turn, but fit through narrow gaps and can be reversed easily into tight lifts for a quick get-away. The newer ones have the wheels on the middle-length edge, giving them much more stability, but being wider than an average person one can run down toddlers with them if not careful. The pull-out handle allows the easy attachment of the carry-on. I don't think the major brands sell the thin-style cases anymore anyway.

 

[Champo]

Have travelled extensively domestically and internationally for many years. I offer the following suggestions re luggage. Have different sized trolley cases, e.g for short domestic, small trolley case especially for carry on to save the $15 or so checked luggage fee. For longer and international check in luggage, again trolley cases and almost always a 'backpack' style for on board requirements, magazines, scrabble or other games, duty free purchases etc. Have never spent much on cost of trolley cases as when they have their time they are so cheap to replace, particularly overseas in places like Bangkok. Have on occasions had to purchase an additonal case overseas to accommodate the results of shopping. For ease of identification I plaster our cases with colorful football club stickers and the like which as well as being easy to identify on the carousel it is a strong deterrent for a would be thief and avoids honest mistakes

 

[werdnanostaw]

Prepare to be shocked, very, very shocked!

We use A3 photocopy paper boxes for luggage.

We travel for 9 months each year. Always by car in Australia, Europe, N America, NZ, Japan and S America next year.

We have just got back from a 4 month trip driving from Paris to Bulgaria via France, Italy, Dalmatian coast (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Montenegro) and Serbia and back via Romania, Serbia, Hungary, Austria and Germany.

We take two boxes each in $70 BigW Caribee softsided cases on wheels. These have survived well for 3 years. One bottom corner seam split over about 100mm on the trip back from SYD to PER earlier this year. I bought a sailmakers' needle and waxed whipping twine and sewed up all the seams. They are now stronger than new.

Before we put the boxes in the suitcases I tape them closed with gaffer tape in case the suitcase seams or zips split.

We travel light - 12kg each for 4 months. Then I spoil it all by carrying a daypack full of electronic equipment - netbook, power supply, 12V to 19V DC converter, 12V DC to 230V AC inverter, 2.5" external 250GB hard drive for photo backup, GPS, camera and battery charger, mobile phone and charger, shaver and a 4 socket powerboard with a GB/Euro/US socket adapter so all the toys can be plugged in at the same time if needed.

We also take Woolworth's $2.50 zip top freezer bags to carry our cold weather gear - down jackets, scarves and gloves. If we're ever challenged on having two carry on bags - we never have been - we would just wear the jackets - fun on a February day in Perth - and fold up the freezer bags.

When we arrive in Paris we pick up our leased Renault and drive to our friends' place in the suburbs. We leave the cases with them. Ditto Sydney and NZ. In other countries we squash the cases flat and put them at the back of the boot.

The boxes fit neatly into the boot.

After 4 months the boxes get a bit battered so I carry gaffer tape to hold them together.

The rationale behind the boxes is that they protect the contents in transit and they fit in the boot much better than suitcases.

An even stronger reason is that if the car is ever broken into the thieves will be able to see that the boxes, because the lids are on the bottom of the boxes, contain nothing of value - clothes, toiletries and picnic utensils - and hopefully, decide that there's nothing they want.

(We always carry the electronic toys, shared between both of us, when we leave the car.)

Even if they decide to pinch something, it's very difficult to carry away 4 open-topped cardboard boxes.

If they see closed suitcases they will just grab them and run.

I am a little paranoid on this subject as I have had cars broken into in Rome, Toledo and Liverpool in the 80s and Budapest in the 90s.

Of course, when you arrive at a hotel and walk in carrying two A3 photocopy paper boxes each you get some strange looks. Particularly so, at the E34 including a huge breakfast on the balcony looking out over the Black Sea, 4 star Palace Hotel in Constanta in Romania where they insisted on sending the porter out to the car to carry the luggage to our room. He carried in my partner's 2 boxes while I carried the other two.

palace hotel constanta - Google Search


Andrew Watson
Perth

 

[Samskin]

hi frequent flyer friends,

Just joined here to pick some brains about luggage, I am travelling to europe next year and really don't know what luggage to take! there are soooo many options out there to choose from....I'm not really a backpacker kind of person and I'm mainly doing train and boat travel and staying at some nice places so I want classy looking stuff! (but at a good price) any suggestions/ideas would be great! thanks...

Just bought ultralight antler luggage (2.5kgs per bag) on sale at Myer. Will "individualise" with personalised tags etc. Soft but with a hard rim. Fingers crossed. If they survive a 5 week family trip to the US then that's a good enough recommendation for me!!

 

[rhjames]

Just bought ultralight antler luggage (2.5kgs per bag) on sale at Myer. Will "individualise" with personalised tags etc. Soft but with a hard rim. Fingers crossed. If they survive a 5 week family trip to the US then that's a good enough recommendation for me!!

Get some bright red stripes over them, unless they are already red. Hopefully they'll see out many more trips.

 

[beardoc]

Victorinox all the way, surprised it hasn't been mentioned in this thread yet.

It's in a few of the older threads, and you should be able to get it at 40% of "RRP".

I bought my last one in Singapore, but my other was purchased from the luggae professionals, very good service and decent price for AU

Lifetime warranty, and they apparently deliver on it too, rather than just saying it.

My two are still in perfect condition, both in the WERKS range.

I have two of the Victorinox Mobiliser NXT series, and they're sturdy. The reason I got them was the "Carry-With-Confidence" guarantee, which is a lifetime warranty which includes even carrier damage. I'm figuring it will be the last set that I ever have to buy.

 

[Wainza 1]

hi frequent flyer friends,

Just joined here to pick some brains about luggage, I am travelling to europe next year and really don't know what luggage to take! there are soooo many options out there to choose from....I'm not really a backpacker kind of person and I'm mainly doing train and boat travel and staying at some nice places so I want classy looking stuff! (but at a good price) any suggestions/ideas would be great! thanks...

I just bought a new suitcase after using a Delsey for approx. 20 years. I bought the new Samsonite case. It only weighs 2 KG and is very strong. I got the red colour and it was always easy to pick on the carousels. But the most important thing to remember is ; if you spend a little bit more money at the start on quality bags you WILL save in the long run. Especially if your`e going to do a lot of travel

 

[Wainza 1]

I think Delsey is like American Tourister a cheaper offshoot from Samsonite. I always use The Luggage Professionals and a while back they also posted a discount code for AFF members when buying online. Think it was AFF
I am a hard case fan myself and my next purchase will be the Titan X2


Sent from my iPad using Aust Freq Fly app

Delsey is actually a French brand. And I can honestly say that they are good, but a little heavy. But I had mine for 20 YRS and it did a lot of air miles and road trips