New Luggage Recommendations

Andy Travels

Junior Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2022
Posts
10
Hi all :)

Newbie here but a frequent flyer who will be rejoining the skys again very soon.

I'm looking at refreshing my carry on luggage to a hard case. Currently looking at the Qantas branded hard cases but just wondering if anyone has any feedback / suggestions? Probably looking at around $120 mark (obviously in this field a $120 price tag is usually a RRP reduced from $250 haha)

Thanks!
Andy
 
Hi all :)

Newbie here but a frequent flyer who will be rejoining the skys again very soon.

I'm looking at refreshing my carry on luggage to a hard case. Currently looking at the Qantas branded hard cases but just wondering if anyone has any feedback / suggestions? Probably looking at around $120 mark (obviously in this field a $120 price tag is usually a RRP reduced from $250 haha)

Thanks!
Andy
Make sure you check out how things are laid-out inside the bag before you buy. You may decide it doesn't suit your needs for carry-on!
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Make sure you check out how things are laid-out inside the bag before you buy. You may decide it doesn't suit your needs for carry-on!
 
I'm still in search of a reasonably priced 2 wheel carry-on....... it tends to travel 100k+ miles per year and my last one that I bought for £20 (admittedly, never going to get as good a deal as that again!) lasted 8 years.

I have a “Blackwolf Kinetic” for carry on size.
A really cool little two wheeler. I am not sure if they still make them, however it was a bit under $100 from memory a few years ago. Has had a medium amount of use.

Check out Osprey if you want a really durable case. I have the 90 L for work. Has been well used and still in good nik, if a little shabby looking.
They make a carry on size too I think. Nice big wheels.

I only use two wheel luggage.
 
I'm still in search of a reasonably priced 2 wheel carry-on....... it tends to travel 100k+ miles per year and my last one that I bought for £20 (admittedly, never going to get as good a deal as that again!) lasted 8 years.
I got a High Sierra 56cm 2 wheel duffel a while back ($150 ?), which I find very good.
It fits my ski boots plus extras which I don't want to risk in checked bags, and has backpack straps which I use through check-in etc, and where it is easier to keep hands free for rolling other bags.
 
Urgh, I dread having to replace my well travelled large 2 wheeler Victorinox. Lifetime warranty including carrier damage was amazing, but it’s coming to an end of its reasonable life and is more repair than not at this point. 15 good years for a soft case, and I want a 2 wheeler again. I suspect I’ll be looking a while
 
I have a “Blackwolf Kinetic” for carry on size.
A really cool little two wheeler. I am not sure if they still make them, however it was a bit under $100 from memory a few years ago. Has had a medium amount of use.

Check out Osprey if you want a really durable case. I have the 90 L for work. Has been well used and still in good nik, if a little shabby looking.
They make a carry on size too I think. Nice big wheels.

I only use two wheel luggage.
They don't seem to make the Kinetic anymore and the few they have now are either overpriced or too large dimension wise.

Osprey make decent stuff, but also $$$ and likewise for Eastpak. I'm really struggling though with trying to stomach paying more for a carry-on that a check-in size bag!
High Sierra 56cm 2 wheel duffel
Which of these is it closer to?

The first one is nice, but at nearly £200 .. probably not. The second one which is basically just a backpack with wheels is no good, as I can't maximise the carry-on size (55cm x 40cm x 20cm) and it's also slightly over by 10cm on one dimension.

But then again, it's all about tailoring your search terms. Searching for 'rolling wheel carry on luggage' gave me this:

Doesn't look super robust on the wheels, but then again should at least get a few years out of it?
 
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This seems to be about as 'cheap' as you can find, that has an integrated TSA lock. Now...... twice, maybe three times in the past year I've had a TSA approved lock cut or bent open by airport security in either Madagascar or Ethiopia.

It makes me wonder, with bags like this that have the TSA lock integrated, would they still bust open the bag? If they do, then it'd surely be for the airline to fix/replace? Where you have your own lock attached, the airline has always said they can't do anything as it's not 'part of the bag', but a lock like this is, so ......

$150 AUD / £78

$115 / £59

$87 / £45

I would never buy something this gimpy looking, though!
$44 / £22.50
 
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They don't seem to make the Kinetic anymore and the few they have now are either overpriced or too large dimension wise.

Osprey make decent stuff, but also $$$ and likewise for Eastpak. I'm really struggling though with trying to stomach paying more for a carry-on that a check-in size bag!

Which of these is it closer to?

The first one is nice, but at nearly £200 .. probably not. The second one which is basically just a backpack with wheels is no good, as I can't maximise the carry-on size (55cm x 40cm x 20cm) and it's also slightly over by 10cm on one dimension.

But then again, it's all about tailoring your search terms. Searching for 'rolling wheel carry on luggage' gave me this:

Doesn't look super robust on the wheels, but then again should at least get a few years out of it?

I would say the "utility is the replacement for "kinetic", seems to the max carry on size.
Agreed, however that $300 is a bit exy. I do not mind though, paying for quality if I get the usage out of it.

I can say that with both the Kinetic and particularly the Osprey that I am happy with the value I received verses the outlay.

Do you need a lock on your carry on? I have never locked my luggage. But then any dodgy place I have gone I have not had checked in luggage.
 
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I would say the "utility is the replacement for "kinetic", seems to the max carry on size.
Agreed, however that $300 is a bit exy. I do not mind though, paying for quality if I get the usage out of it.

I can say that with both the Kinetic and particularly the Osprey that I am happy with the value I received verses the outlay.

Do you need a lock on your carry on? I have never locked my luggage. But then any dodgy place I have gone I have not had checked in luggage.
I do, as sometimes on the return I need to check my bag in due to liquids etc.
 
Almost the only two-wheeler in suitcase format (rather than duffel) that I've found left in Australia is under the brand Tosca. It was out of stock everywhere for months and prompted my initial question in this thread months ago. Well, it's finally in stock and I went to look at one today... Considering that my quest is to find a replacement for my really very satisfactory for the price paid Paklite Hydrogen from 2015, with a notional RRP at the time of about $249, and the Tosca has a current notional RRP of $239, I wasn't sure how poor it would be be. Wellll, I mean, it's not quite as flimsy as what BigW sells, but wow. Yes, something can be lightweight if you remove anything that might protect the back of the suitcase from impacts! And I think the front feet would rip off rather easily. And sure, you can call it "expanding", but this one really just expands a few centimetres at the bottom (it doesn't expand all the way round). Actually, I think the BigW might be a "better" buy, given its feet are more robustly attached to the body. But yeah. Slim slim slim pickings.☹️
 
Almost the only two-wheeler in suitcase format (rather than duffel) that I've found left in Australia is under the brand Tosca. It was out of stock everywhere for months and prompted my initial question in this thread months ago. Well, it's finally in stock and I went to look at one today... Considering that my quest is to find a replacement for my really very satisfactory for the price paid Paklite Hydrogen from 2015, with a notional RRP at the time of about $249, and the Tosca has a current notional RRP of $239, I wasn't sure how poor it would be be. Wellll, I mean, it's not quite as flimsy as what BigW sells, but wow. Yes, something can be lightweight if you remove anything that might protect the back of the suitcase from impacts! And I think the front feet would rip off rather easily. And sure, you can call it "expanding", but this one really just expands a few centimetres at the bottom (it doesn't expand all the way round). Actually, I think the BigW might be a "better" buy, given its feet are more robustly attached to the body. But yeah. Slim slim slim pickings.☹️
Tosca used to be cheap Kmart rubbish. I’m surprised at the cost but not the quality.
 
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This one

I thought it conformed to carry on size requirements, and have not had an issue using it.
Thanks, I'm a strong hater of the rolling backpack - I think people who use them look like knobs! 😅

I've ordered the Aerolite one, will see what it looks like when it arrives as should nicely slot in my laptop on the front too when required.
 
Given how hard it is to find 2-wheel cases now, how bad is the situation with 4-wheelers getting broken? I've noticed lots of crippled 4-wheelers at airports!

Does paying more equal a much greater wheel survival rate? Are there brands which are less likely to break or just easier to fix yourself? (Worth mentioning that I find it hard to stomach the prices at the Samsonite, etc, end of the market.)
As a data point, have been using 4 wheel Delsey for quite a while now (so long that I have replaced some due to natural wear and tear).

Wait until 50% or more off, and buy largely in the sets from places like luggage direct, and really end up reasonable priced. Quite light weight, decent zip (resistant to the ball point trick), built in TSA lock.

They have changed the wheels over time, and I think are now more robust. That said, when I had a wheel damaged, just rung them up (10 year warranty) and explained the problem. They just posted out 2 new wheels (they had left and right side attachments, so sent one of each). Simply unscrewed from inside, slid out of the bracket, slid the new one in and re-screwed. Dead easy replacement. Actually quite well designed to easily replace wheels.
 

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