Luggage

[djfuzz]

If looking for a Crumpler cabin bag, definitely consider the Dry Reds #3, #9 or #10 - slightly better suited for that purpose than the Spring Peeper, with many pockets, shoe bags and eye shades. There's also the Volume Rebate shirt / sock carriers which go well with these (or anything else, to be fair).

Carry On Luggage Bags

They're available in some Myers and DJs too, though no longer included in the heavy discounting EOFY sales.

 

[jetlagger]

Crumpler store - Adelaide St opposite Queens Plaza- great store with helpful advice. I've been in there a few times admiring the products!

Interesting history about the origins of this brand..

Sam- if you wish I can loan you a lovely hand carry floral number - it is a very distinct colour

 

[samh004]

If looking for a Crumpler cabin bag, definitely consider the Dry Reds #3, #9 or #10 - slightly better suited for that purpose than the Spring Peeper, with many pockets, shoe bags and eye shades. There's also the Volume Rebate shirt / sock carriers which go well with these (or anything else, to be fair).

Carry On Luggage Bags

They're available in some Myers and DJs too, though no longer included in the heavy discounting EOFY sales.

I did see them, but they were only available in Black and Red… I’ll have to pay the store a visit and see what the differences are.

Crumpler store - Adelaide St opposite Queens Plaza- great store with helpful advice. I've been in there a few times admiring the products!

Interesting history about the origins of this brand..

Sam- if you wish I can loan you a lovely hand carry floral number - it is a very distinct colour

I think I’ll check the store out first

 

[drron]

Seems they dont mind what you do going to Tassie on the Dash8-fellow in front of me in Row 2 tonight had a full size backpack that he took in to the cabin.

 

[samh004]

I ended up buying the Blue Spring Peeper and it’s worked really well for me this past weekend, thanks for suggestions all. It was seeing the bags in person that allowed me to make a better decision.

 

[jetlagger]

I ended up buying the Blue Spring Peeper and it’s worked really well for me this past weekend, thanks for suggestions all. It was seeing the bags in person that allowed me to make a better decision.

Nice work Sam.. Hope your satisfied! I guess you managed to check out the store in BNE ?

 

[samh004]

Nice work Sam.. Hope your satisfied! I guess you managed to check out the store in BNE ?

Yup, was good thing I did

 

[avlawyer82]

Hi all. I'm in the market for some new travel luggage as I have a few international round trips coming up this year. I've just noticed the Qantas Spectre Roller case - Hard shell. Has anyone else purchased this brand? Any feedback on them?

 

[Mal]

Hi all. I'm in the market for some new travel luggage as I have a few international round trips coming up this year. I've just noticed the Qantas Spectre Roller case - Hard shell. Has anyone else purchased this brand? Any feedback on them?

Any reason you are set on a hard shell? I avoid them. Just not as travel friendly IMHO as soft shells.

 

[avlawyer82]

Any reason you are set on a hard shell? I avoid them. Just not as travel friendly IMHO as soft shells.

Hi Mal. Not necessarily set on hard shell but I thought they would not be torn or damaged as easily.

 

[Sprucegoose]

The quality of Antler is not what it used to be.

Agree. Previously a reasonable name today quite mediocre

 

[cgichard]

Is there such a thing as a trolley bag or backpack that will fit under the seat in Y (long-haul international only, mainly SQ but also BA)? I strongly prefer a window seat and am too short to reach the overhead lockers without climbing on the aisle seat, so I want a bag that fits under the seat in front so that the contents are readily accessible during the flight, and I can also use it as an extended foot-rest when sleeping. It needs to be big enough to hold all I need for overnight in a transit hotel as well as all in-flight stuff.

I've been using for many years a Mandarina Duck bag with top handle and shoulder strap, with two zippered top-access compartments and two front pockets for books etc.). But it is in itself rather heavy compared with current hand baggage, and I'd rather like wheels for those long treks along airport corridors. My check-in baggage is a 2-wheel Antler 'super light' suitcase, so it would be good to have the cabin bag on my back, especially as my onward travel is by bus, train, and another bus.

I thought this one might suit Urbanite Trolley Backpack - Urbanite - The Collections but it doesn't seem to be available in Australia. What might be my chances of finding it at a luggage shop within Heathrow T5?

 

[cgichard]

I failed to find the Antler Urbanite Trolley backpack in any Heathrow T5 shop but ordered it online when I was in the UK and had it delivered to me there. Found it excellent: used it in backpack mode on and off buses and trains while pulling my suitcase and then in trolley mode within airports along all those long corridors. My big concern was whether it would fit under the seat on the plane, but there was plenty of room for it lengthwise, at least in a Y window seat on the A380, and was equally useful as a foot-rest as my previous Mandarina Duck one was.

 

[bluebean]

Happened to receive a tweet about this range of fold flat luggage - does anyone know anything about them or seen them in Australia?

http://www.go-travelproducts.com/features/pack_flat_luggage

 

[significance]

What luggage do you recommend for me? My top priority is heavy-duty wheels, though it's also important that the luggage itself not be too heavy.

My large, 15-year old Hummer luggage has finally developed a crack in its wheels. This bag has been great: a soft bag with a firm base big (20cm diameter), strong wheels. Most luggage seems to come with wheels designed to get from a taxi to the check-in counter and not much more, but I want luggage that I can confidently drag on a cross-country walk from a train station across miles of cobble-stones to a cheap hotel, because that is how I will use it. It would help if it also has a shoulder strap to make it easier to get up and down staircases while loaded with 20 or 30kg of miscellaneous stuff, but that's not absolutely essential. I'm not a particular believer in travelling light I'd happily replace the Hummer with another the same, but I haven't been able to find it.

For short trips, I have a perfectly adequate overnight bag, but I'm looking for something suitable for longer trips.

 

[Ric]

Ok, bought 2 Titan Xenon bags from Peters of Kensington in 2011 after reading about them in this thread and of course their "No Matter What Life time warranty".

Had one of them cracked at the bottom and only noticed them after arriving home from the Istanbul trip. Wrote to titan-bags.com re warranty. Wrote a second time after receiving no reply. Finally got a reply this morning....

"we are sorry for your bad experience and thank you very much foryour message.

We need to give you a little bit of a background on the current situation:“Thomas Wagner GmbH (later named TITAN Kofferwerk GmbH)”, the original founder,manufacturer and warrantor of TITAN branded luggage went bankrupt in2011. Then a German investor bought the brand out of receivership andcontinued to sell and produce TITAN luggage in Australia. In 2012 thisinvestor closed the factory in Germany and stopped the production.

Our company TITAN HAMBURG, acquiredthe trade mark rights in september 2012 and are currentlyrestructuring the entire distribution network all over the world. Weunfortunatly don't have any partner in Australia yet. None ofthe merchandise produced or sold in Australia has been manufactured, importedor distributed by us or by any distributor in our name. The lifetimeguarantee was a service decided by TITANLUGGAGE Australia. This company isnow refusing to fulfil their obligations to service.
Concerning yourreclamation....
we are really sorry that we cannot help you any further, if the luggage is broken, this is not repairable"

Before going to Peters, I am seeking any further advice from fellow AFFs for next step. Surely there are legal consumer protection for this issue?

cheers,
Ric

 

[jetlagger]

Ok, bought 2 Titan Xenon bags from Peters of Kensington in 2011 after reading about them in this thread and of course their "No Matter What Life time warranty".

Had one of them cracked at the bottom and only noticed them after arriving home from the Istanbul trip. Wrote to titan-bags.com re warranty. Wrote a second time after receiving no reply. Finally got a reply this morning....

"we are sorry for your bad experience and thank you very much foryour message.

We need to give you a little bit of a background on the current situation:“Thomas Wagner GmbH (later named TITAN Kofferwerk GmbH)”, the original founder,manufacturer and warrantor of TITAN branded luggage went bankrupt in2011. Then a German investor bought the brand out of receivership andcontinued to sell and produce TITAN luggage in Australia. In 2012 thisinvestor closed the factory in Germany and stopped the production.

Our company TITAN HAMBURG, acquiredthe trade mark rights in september 2012 and are currentlyrestructuring the entire distribution network all over the world. Weunfortunatly don't have any partner in Australia yet. None ofthe merchandise produced or sold in Australia has been manufactured, importedor distributed by us or by any distributor in our name. The lifetimeguarantee was a service decided by TITANLUGGAGE Australia. This company isnow refusing to fulfil their obligations to service.
Concerning yourreclamation....
we are really sorry that we cannot help you any further, if the luggage is broken, this is not repairable"

Before going to Peters, I am seeking any further advice from fellow AFFs for next step. Surely there are legal consumer protection for this issue?

cheers,
Ric

Oh dear.. Sounds similar to the ' extended warranty " campaign on purchase we are familiar with at our local appliance outlets & then.. :shock:
In relative values to AFF.. I also distinctly recall an airline once named Air Paradise. With a similar 'type" of 'warranty".. :evil:

 

[RB]

What luggage do you recommend for me? My top priority is heavy-duty wheels, though it's also important that the luggage itself not be too heavy.

My large, 15-year old Hummer luggage has finally developed a crack in its wheels. This bag has been great: a soft bag with a firm base big (20cm diameter), strong wheels. Most luggage seems to come with wheels designed to get from a taxi to the check-in counter and not much more, but I want luggage that I can confidently drag on a cross-country walk from a train station across miles of cobble-stones to a cheap hotel, because that is how I will use it. It would help if it also has a shoulder strap to make it easier to get up and down staircases while loaded with 20 or 30kg of miscellaneous stuff, but that's not absolutely essential. I'm not a particular believer in travelling light I'd happily replace the Hummer with another the same, but I haven't been able to find it.

For short trips, I have a perfectly adequate overnight bag, but I'm looking for something suitable for longer trips.

Perhaps have a look at Eagle Creek. Mrs RB has been really happy with her bag-wheels are solid & it has a backpack style harness. We never carry 20-30kgs however!

 

[jedinite]

My regular line up includes:
Cube Alfa 73cm by American Tourister. Love it. Nice and light, 4 wheeled spinner. Has had a solid 2 years use, and no issues at all. Great value for money. Picked it up from bagworld for around $200. It is of course covered in marks from head to toe, but still functions perfectly.
Never have any problem seeing it, as its sky blue. I love gawdy colours.

Samsonite Firelite 75cm. Bought this as a treat to myself as the Cube Alfa was starting to look disgusting. $400 later, and quite frankly, I prefer the old Cube Alfa. Its fine, does the job, but nothing special. My only gripe about it is the side with the zipped fabric divider only has one zip on it - so always has to be zipped and unzipped from the one corner. I love the two zip option which gives me the option of where I want to open the compartment from (eg useful for just shoving those last minute purchases in while at the airport or when limited access in the boot of car full of other luggage)

Samsonite Blite fresh 55cm spinner. I do prefer hard sided suitcases for the protection factor, but until someone can invent a hardsided cabin case that allows me to easily access it while its standing up vertically, and pull things out without my knickers dropping out! I will stick with a soft case for carry on. Very happy with this one, is holding up well to a solid years use. Only issue is I tend to put my laptop either on top of the inner section, or in the zip section on the outside , to allow easy removal at the security line, however this tends to make it front heavy, and it is very prone to tip overs when I do this. And yes, once again the girly side of me loves the colour range this case comes in, electric blue for me.

Kenneth Cole Manhattan laptop bag - great for day trips, or for use in addition to the blite above. Lots of compartments for chargers, paperwork, business cards etc. Nice long shoulder straps means it can be comfortably worn over my shoulder when I need my hands free. Nice, slimline design, rather than the bulky, manly, doctor case type satchels. Only comes in black - yes I would buy it in bright blue/green etc if it existed.
(Im the same with my cars, why go black/white/silver, when you can go lime green/electric blue )

 

[Cat207]

I recently went shopping for new luggage in San Francisco and found what suited me best in the Crumpler store (not realising it was an Aussie brand). I bought the Dry Red No. 11 for check-in and the Dry Red No. 10 for carry-on (in red, of course - just my colour!). They are so light and much easier to maneuver than my 2-wheelers. I'm so happy with them that I've bought the Dry Red No. 4 since, to complete my set - and they fit one inside the other for easy storage.

Cat