I love the Solgaard line of cases. (Not a paid tout for them, just a customer.) They have an inner compassable packing system that you can take out and hang in a closet. Solves the "who gets the luggage rack?" argument (my wife wins that every time anyway).
I have their check-in closet, which was more than enough for two-plus weeks in Europe and also held all the swag I picked up. It's perhaps too large, but if you're flying in and out and driving it's perfect.
I used their carry-on case for 5 days in California, and it fit perfectly on my United flight. Again, more than enough room for all my clothes and extras.
I'm using their Venture backpack, which also has a compressible closet system, when I take a 4-day trip to London in the spring on Icelandair, which has the smallest carry-on spaces of any airline. I just used it for an overnight in Richmond, Va., from Washington as a test and again, very spacious and roomy.
One thing I always do, though, on any case, is spray some WD-40 lubricant in the innards of the wheels and into the wells of the handle. Cleans them and makes sure they operate well.
I own a less expensive Travel Pro bag than the one you describe. Bought it after asking several flight attendants what their recommendation was. It is two years old and hardly a mark on it. To Chris' point, the wheels are the best feature. The bag spins easily, so it's a piece of cake getting through crowded terminals, on/off shuttles. The wheels are definitely a key point.
Our orginal hard side bag had 2 wheels on the bottom end! Wish I had $1 for every time it fell over while dragging it. Glad they invented 4 wheels!
Love my new small Taygeer backpack. It zips open flat like a suitcase so it can be packed like that. No more dropping things into a top loader.
P.S. What about a great suitcase for a reasonable price! Please downsize the price and give us options. Don't want to spend all my travel money on suitcases!
We must be the Warren Buffet of suitcase fans. TravelProMaxlite 5 soft side for all suitcases. Three years of 3-4 long international trips per year. Only wheel issue was plastic strip wrapped around one wheel. Carefully removed about 18 inches of tight plastic. Off to Oz next.
We recommend Away luggage. We've used the next-to-largest size for years, and it stands up to all the abuse either we or the airline luggage handlers can dish out. It's easy to pack, whether you have a full suitcase or only a partial load (the included packing cubes help a lot). It comes with a 100-day full return offer and a lifetime guarantee. Best of all, it doesn't cost an arm and a leg!
Since two checked bag disasters 10 years ago, we have flown with carryon bags only. Mine is an Eagle Creek. My husband’s is a TravelPro. Last year, his wheel fell off, due to the bolt stripping and falling off. We fixed it on the road with great difficulty (needed two Allen wrenches) and then contacted TravelPro for some help. Oh, they don’t have any parts beyond two or three years (a bolt!?), so sorry. Then last month, the rubber on the wheel of my Eagle Creek peeled off, resulting in a lot of annoying noise, but the bag still wheeled fine. When I got home, I contacted Eagle Creek. I could send it away for free repair, but opted to spend $10 on a set of replacement wheels and fix it myself. So much for the TravelPro brand being so fabulous. Their customer service sure isn’t!
We use rolling carry-on backpacks we bought from REI many years ago. They have wheels which are about 3.5" (87.5 mm) in diameter. They came with clip on day packs.
Larger wheels make rolling over rough ground easier. They aren't comfortable for long periods, but the straps make carrying them up the narrow, steep stairs of a third floor walk-up hotel room easier than trying than hand carrying them. They have survived numerous aggressive baggage handlers and still look like new. The wheels are showing some wear on the tread, but they don't wobble and they are replaceable. They don't hold as much as a suitcase, but we can carry enough to travel indefinitely. One plus is that they are easy to spot on a baggage belt. They haven't been available for years, so I don't know what I'd replace them with.
We have used amazon’s basic under seat carry on for years now. They were $70 each. The really nice thing is the handles extend high enough that we are not bending over to pull or push them.
So far the wheels, fabric and handles have withstood all our trips.
They hold all our toiletries, electronics, snacks, my hoodie and slippers, 2 changes of clothes. We have so many meds that we use a tiny backpack for those as my spouse’s personal item.
Sometimes good doesn’t cost the price of a domestic plane ticket.
Looking at some of these ads, (Travelpro) calls a bag larger than the standard size (9 x 22 x 14 - with wheels included) a "rollerboard". Anything larger than those measurements are NOT rollerboards. Maybe one could "sneak" it on but really that is cheating. As well, people are constantly expanding their outside zippered compartments thus making their legitimate rollerboards much larger than permitted size. Trust me, 35 years of debate at ticket counters and gates is the reason for so much passenger angst (getting worse). Solve most of it by NOT charging for 1st checked bag. Many people would comply.
I love the Solgaard line of cases. (Not a paid tout for them, just a customer.) They have an inner compassable packing system that you can take out and hang in a closet. Solves the "who gets the luggage rack?" argument (my wife wins that every time anyway).
I have their check-in closet, which was more than enough for two-plus weeks in Europe and also held all the swag I picked up. It's perhaps too large, but if you're flying in and out and driving it's perfect.
I used their carry-on case for 5 days in California, and it fit perfectly on my United flight. Again, more than enough room for all my clothes and extras.
I'm using their Venture backpack, which also has a compressible closet system, when I take a 4-day trip to London in the spring on Icelandair, which has the smallest carry-on spaces of any airline. I just used it for an overnight in Richmond, Va., from Washington as a test and again, very spacious and roomy.
One thing I always do, though, on any case, is spray some WD-40 lubricant in the innards of the wheels and into the wells of the handle. Cleans them and makes sure they operate well.
I use pelican cases. I get strange looks but they are nearly indestructible.
After decades of ripped soft sides and smashed hard sides these are my absolute goto.
I own a less expensive Travel Pro bag than the one you describe. Bought it after asking several flight attendants what their recommendation was. It is two years old and hardly a mark on it. To Chris' point, the wheels are the best feature. The bag spins easily, so it's a piece of cake getting through crowded terminals, on/off shuttles. The wheels are definitely a key point.
Our orginal hard side bag had 2 wheels on the bottom end! Wish I had $1 for every time it fell over while dragging it. Glad they invented 4 wheels!
Love my new small Taygeer backpack. It zips open flat like a suitcase so it can be packed like that. No more dropping things into a top loader.
P.S. What about a great suitcase for a reasonable price! Please downsize the price and give us options. Don't want to spend all my travel money on suitcases!
We must be the Warren Buffet of suitcase fans. TravelProMaxlite 5 soft side for all suitcases. Three years of 3-4 long international trips per year. Only wheel issue was plastic strip wrapped around one wheel. Carefully removed about 18 inches of tight plastic. Off to Oz next.
We recommend Away luggage. We've used the next-to-largest size for years, and it stands up to all the abuse either we or the airline luggage handlers can dish out. It's easy to pack, whether you have a full suitcase or only a partial load (the included packing cubes help a lot). It comes with a 100-day full return offer and a lifetime guarantee. Best of all, it doesn't cost an arm and a leg!
Since two checked bag disasters 10 years ago, we have flown with carryon bags only. Mine is an Eagle Creek. My husband’s is a TravelPro. Last year, his wheel fell off, due to the bolt stripping and falling off. We fixed it on the road with great difficulty (needed two Allen wrenches) and then contacted TravelPro for some help. Oh, they don’t have any parts beyond two or three years (a bolt!?), so sorry. Then last month, the rubber on the wheel of my Eagle Creek peeled off, resulting in a lot of annoying noise, but the bag still wheeled fine. When I got home, I contacted Eagle Creek. I could send it away for free repair, but opted to spend $10 on a set of replacement wheels and fix it myself. So much for the TravelPro brand being so fabulous. Their customer service sure isn’t!
I was a subscriber for a couple years but can't afford the $80/yr fee. Will you have another sale of special pricing for the holiday?
Yes. Starts tomorrow.
We use rolling carry-on backpacks we bought from REI many years ago. They have wheels which are about 3.5" (87.5 mm) in diameter. They came with clip on day packs.
Larger wheels make rolling over rough ground easier. They aren't comfortable for long periods, but the straps make carrying them up the narrow, steep stairs of a third floor walk-up hotel room easier than trying than hand carrying them. They have survived numerous aggressive baggage handlers and still look like new. The wheels are showing some wear on the tread, but they don't wobble and they are replaceable. They don't hold as much as a suitcase, but we can carry enough to travel indefinitely. One plus is that they are easy to spot on a baggage belt. They haven't been available for years, so I don't know what I'd replace them with.
We have used amazon’s basic under seat carry on for years now. They were $70 each. The really nice thing is the handles extend high enough that we are not bending over to pull or push them.
So far the wheels, fabric and handles have withstood all our trips.
They hold all our toiletries, electronics, snacks, my hoodie and slippers, 2 changes of clothes. We have so many meds that we use a tiny backpack for those as my spouse’s personal item.
Sometimes good doesn’t cost the price of a domestic plane ticket.
Looking at some of these ads, (Travelpro) calls a bag larger than the standard size (9 x 22 x 14 - with wheels included) a "rollerboard". Anything larger than those measurements are NOT rollerboards. Maybe one could "sneak" it on but really that is cheating. As well, people are constantly expanding their outside zippered compartments thus making their legitimate rollerboards much larger than permitted size. Trust me, 35 years of debate at ticket counters and gates is the reason for so much passenger angst (getting worse). Solve most of it by NOT charging for 1st checked bag. Many people would comply.