New Luggage

[SueMartin]

Unfortunately my suitcase died on the flight back from Bali this week.. helped along by 2 undertakers from DPS ground crew.

any suggestions as to whats best? soft sided or hard? I am leaning towards Paklite but it is fairly pricey. as I am a member of shopaholics anonymous I need something that , in itself, won't eat into my luggage allowance by too much.

any help would be really appreciated.

 

[samh004]

Welcome to AFF SueMartin!

It would help to know roughly how big a bag you need, how many wheels is good, etc…

If you search for luggage you can find a few threads.

 

[nlagalle]

Personally i am a fan of Antler luggage. Great quality and light too.

also Black Wolf do some good bags too, more along the lines of duffle bags, but are very good too.

 

[SueMartin]

thank you for the welcome. I am only 5'2" tall so need something that is not enormous in size but is quite easy to pull. I noticed that some luggage has 4 wheels some 2, ; I have only ever had cases with 2 wheels before, does it really make a difference? we travel mainly in Asia and have a month trip round Cambodia/Vietnam planned for 2011 and Alaska pencilled in for 2012. So whatever I get needs to be TSA compliant.

I will do some more research tho I have found ANTLER in one of my forays.

 

[munitalP]

I have a collection of:

Antler
Samsonite
Titan &
Eminent

pros

Antler - looks
Samsonite - strength, sumo proof!
Titan - 4 wheels - easy and weightless to move around, light
Eminent - strength

cons

Antler - heavy / over priced
Samsonite - slightly heavy
Titan - none yet from me!
Eminent - -handle design leaves a lot to be desired

I have fallen in love with my Titan bag for normal travel, in fact now own a cabin sized bag as well in the same range.

The samsonite is the "I mean business" bag, frequents me to anywhere I need to carry sensitive goods and or work gear - hard sided by the way similar to air crew design. the downside is it is slightly heavy.

Antler, I have a couple of bags including a suit bag - very over priced for an ordinary product in my experience, my couple of cases I have had have been damaged quite easily (wheels).

My 10c worth - just don't ask about luggage tags!

Mr!

 

[freofan]

Take a look at Mandarina Duck, they're pricey, but have a lifetime warranty and are very durable and light...

Stylish to boot

 

[RB]

I am not convinced that wheeled luggage is the way to go in Asia, Alaska or indeed European cobblestones. Perhaps a flexible wheelie/backpack style may suit?
My understanding is that 4 wheelers provide benefits but also have shortcomings such as rolling away downhill if not careful

 

[BlueAU]

I love Antler but it's expensive and heavy, although I have a hard shell one. MYER have good sales upto 50% off at times, that's when I like to get my suitcase. Next one will be a soft one so I can buy lots shopping and keep stuffing it and use up my allowance in J !

 

[codash1099]

I love Antler but it's expensive and heavy, although I have a hard shell one. MYER have good sales upto 50% off at times, that's when I like to get my suitcase. Next one will be a soft one so I can buy lots shopping and keep stuffing it and use up my allowance in J !

I've found that Bagworld - Bagworld | Antler, Backpacks, Bags, Caribee, Luggage, Samsonite, Suitcases - nearly always beats Myer discounted prices, with free delivery and in some cases ! a free scale.

 

[SueMartin]

I've found that Bagworld -- nearly always beats Myer discounted prices, with free delivery and in some cases ! a free scale.

I found Bagworld.. thanks.. and living in Perth makes it easier still. If I cant find what I want I am going to BBK in May so will take hand luggage only and buy something over there. But its Perth for me This weekend.

 

[drewbles]

+1 for Antler. I've got an Antler case (soft) that's been around the world probably 4-5 times now, and looks pretty much new still (apart from the lovely folks at the TSA deciding they'd "lost" the key to my TSA-approved locks and slicing the bloody zip clasp open with bolt cutters rather than the lock itself).

I don't find it too heavy, and they also have a new range of ultra-light stuff. If that's as good as their normal range, i'd go for that any day.

Oh, and get something different. It's easier to spot at the baggage carousels

 

[SueMartin]

I already use a multi coloured strap to identify my luggage, plus some stickers.. but does any one have ideas on which type is better.. hard or soft.. I am leaning towards hard this time. I know its a personal choice question, but as I don't travel that often I am still open to suggestions.. I don't think I know it all

 

[Bang4Buck]

I already use a multi coloured strap to identify my luggage, plus some stickers.. but does any one have ideas on which type is better.. hard or soft.. I am leaning towards hard this time. I know its a personal choice question, but as I don't travel that often I am still open to suggestions.. I don't think I know it all

It's personal preference. I'd recommend you go to a luggage shop and try different varieties. For example, I prefer "soft" type (durable) luggage while my wife prefers the hard shell (even though we have several of both). The reason I prefer good quality fabric types is that it's light and I travel frequently (while she does so only 3-4 times a year). Buy whatever feels "right" for you.

 

[drewbles]

I'm always a fan of soft cases. The hard ones provide no flexibility if you get your case to bulging point (as I've done in the past on some holidays).

Also, a lot of the soft cases are going to provide you expandability via a zip. I don't know of any hard cases that do that.

One of my friends bought a very expensive hard case, and it was ruined on the first trip. Some inept baggage handler dropped it (i'm guessing from a height) onto the corner and shattered it rendering the suitcase useless. With a lot of gaffer tape it did make it back to Australia in one piece, but it was touch and go for a bit.

Of course as stated, it's largely personal preference though

 

[AV8]

I have a combination of Antler (hard shell ultralight) and Delsey soft luggage (purchased on sale in USA) - all 2 wheel. I have bought luggage from Peters of Kensington at a greatly discounted price compared to Myer etc. Next time around I'm considering the 4 wheel variety - just for something different if nothing else.