Help Me Try Something New, What Luggage Should I Buy?

by Gary Leff

For the longest time I was a ‘whatever bag I can buy for $35’ guy. But I travel enough that a quality bag isn’t really that expensive — it’s one thing to spend a few hundred dollars on a bag that you’ll use once or twice a year, but on a per-trip basis the extra cost for a quality bag isn’t all that much when you’re using it every week.

I’ve been using my 19-inch Briggs & Riley Baseline for several years. It’s the old two wheel kind, and I’ve finally been converted to preferring four wheels.

I picked up a 17″ spinner bag a year ago on sale for ~ $50, and I just love it although it’s not really great quality. I can even manage to stick it under the seat in front of me in domestic first if I board late an the overhead bin space is gone.

I find that I like to have three bag sizes:

  • 16″ – 17″ for 3-4 day trips. (1-2 day trips I like to just carry my laptop bag, it gets heavy but I’ve got a Tom Bihn Absolute Shoulder Strap and with that thing I can carry almost anything.)

  • Cabin bag less than 21 inches wheels inclusive for 5-7 day trips. I don’t need a full 21 or 22 inches for a 5 day trip. And I like to be safely within bag sizer guidelines.
  • ~ 26″ bag to check for 10-14 day trips.

And I want to have all three with four wheels.

  • I don’t want a separate laptop pocket, I’d rather not give up flexible packing space and I always carry my laptop bag.

  • I want a bag that’s going to last. I don’t want the zippers breaking off, and I don’t the handle breaking either. Quality construction is far more important to me than warranty, since I don’t want to spend time dealing with getting the bag fixed (and that’s time without the bag as well). In other words, I want a bag that doesn’t need to get fixed — not one that will be free to fix.

  • It shouldn’t push the envelope on domestic carry on sizes by even half an inch.

I think TSA locks are silly, they don’t protect anything from anyone.

I don’t mind buying a nice bag, but I don’t really want to spend big money on a bag either. I don’t want to spend $500 for a Rimowa carryon, let alone more for a checked bag, for instance.

What should I buy?

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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  3. There are things to be budget on and things to pay up for of you can. Given how much you travel, this is something to pay up on. Get the Rimowa carry-on I have and I’ll buy it off ya if you don’t end up thinking it was worth it. While Josh would love another of that bag in the family, I’m confident you won’t turn yours loose once you fit it on the regional jet and stuff it to the brim with enough stuff to go around the world. http://mommypoints.boardingarea.com/2014/05/11/review-of-the-rimowa-carry-on-bag-that-took-me-around-the-world/

  4. Seconding the Kirkland comment. Costco has great sales on high-quality luggage. My wife and I got two carryon spinners and two larger, checked-size spinners for $160 total.

  5. Kirkland all the way. I have an expanding Briggs & Riley like yours and it is falling to bits. It’s got a lifetime warranty, but I’d have to send it to them. My $99 Kirkland bag of the same size simply will not die, and it still looks new after 7+ years of 10-20 trips a year. It will never impress anyone, but it will never let me down.

  6. I vote for the Tumi arrive or alpha bags. Unfortunately Tumi is expensive. That had a 40 % sale on the arrive version as they were preparing for the new version. They still have the sale on the larger bags. I wanted to replace all of my bags with spinners. I have been disappointed with the quality of the new baseline B&R. I have sent both of them in for repair and sold the third one on eBay. Pushing or pulling the carry on B&R is like moving a bad shopping cart although many of the spinners can be difficult depending on the surface., I just thought B&R was worse. The life time warranty is nice but it just cost me 25.00 to send them back for repair although they will send free replacement parts to do it yourself. Regarding rimowa I like expandable bags , I picked up a larger rumors spinner in Europe recently they are cheaper there and have sales I can tell you it is an incredible bag I just like the expansion. One more comment about B&R. Love the face the handle is on the outside just not sure it is worth the quality trade off especially for the cost.

  7. Also agree with the Tumi comments. Costs more up front but the quality is killer. I must have put about 750,000 miles on mine for the past 10 years and finally decided to upgrade – to another Tumi of course.

  8. The Costco return policy is the most generous out there. You can try it out. But I have a feeling that you will be going for the Rimowa.

  9. I have the same 2-wheel Briggs & Riley carry-on as you. It is the older model without the compression feature. I love it, but due to changes in carry-on rules (abandoning the old linear inches model) I have sometimes been made to check it because the widebody part exceeds the standard sizer. I had my eye on a spinner bag for a while, thinking it would be easier for my kids to push when we travel as a family. Earlier this year I caught the 20″ TravelPro Platinum Magna spinner on sale for about $150. It fits the sizer and my elementary school-aged daughters can easily push/manage it. I can use it for a 3-5 day business trip depending on how efficiently I pack. The Platinum Magna series has an upgraded warranty that is similar to the Briggs. Apparently it was on sale because TravelPro came out with the Platinum Magna 2 which has some improvements like a better balanced design to prevent tipping and upgraded materials. I seriously considered a Rimowa Salsa Air International spinner when I was on a trip to Europe, but even with the VAT rebate it was expensive and the Rimowa warranty does not seem to be as strong/reliable as Briggs or the TravelPro (I’ve never had an issue with the Briggs in 6 years of ownership. TravelPro has been good to me, before the Briggs I had an older Crew 5 that had 2 separate failures to the zipper and handle that were replaced at no cost to me other than shipping the bag to their repair center). The Platinum Magna 2 is a top pick over at TheSweetHome blog – that’s where I first heard about it before my purchase.

  10. I’ve just replaced my 13 year old mandarina duck file. Trolley with a Briggs and Riley suiter. Replace is a strong word as the MD still gets a run out every now and again. The only reason I didn’t get another MD bag is they no longer make one with a suiter and I need more suit capacity, not less.

    My wife has a similarly indestructible MD work young trolley.

    Both bags have seen 100s of thousands of miles of travel, even flown checked in a bit. Worth a look IMO.

  12. Hartmann luggage will also cost more, but comes with a lifetime replacement warranty. So will Tumi, which has a less generous replacement policy. That said, I’ve sent in a Tumi wheeled duffle in for factory repairs over many years, and my only cost has been the cost of shipping the bag to the Tumi factory.

  13. Gary,
    I just bought the samsonite. its at a factory store a black four wheel spinner. It is one sided,has a good sturdy construction and light weight as well.. It’s model cdh 01-01. I will send you some pictures if you like

  15. I’m with Summer, buy the Rimowa. My salsa deluxe IATA is 400k+ miles in and still rolls like new.

  17. I was happy with my Tumi until I tried to get them to fix a broken wheel and zipper. They claimed both were “ordinary wear and tear.” Kirkland (Costco) on the other hand, will replace the entire bag at any time if something goes wrong. I once lost a luggage strap (I used to attach my laptop bag to it), went into Costco to ask if I could buy just the strap, and they gave me a new bag.

  19. I have a Tumi Alpha (1) international carry on that served me well in 3 years of domestic travel. I got a good deal on it during their 40% off sale + Amazon 20% fashion deal. Alpha 2 has thinner zippers and I don’t know how innovative their 4 wheel stuff is.

    For 26″ checked bag I have a Travelpro platinum that I am quite happy with. The finishes are not as good as the Tumi but the warranty is better and it has held up to being a checked bag better than the 5-10 times I have checked the Tumi bag

    For a checked bag I can’t see going with anyone who doesn’t have a lifetime (including airline damage) warranty which really narrows it down to B&R, TravelPro Platinum, Victronox (not Tumi).

  20. Tumi doesn’t have the organization I want in a carry-on. I’d like more external pockets. If Tumi had that, I’d vote that way.

    If you don’t care about external pockets, I’d go Kirkland. It doesn’t look like it’s solid construction, but it’s held up very well for over a year, heavy use. Can’t beat the price or the warranty. I’m bummed that my 26″ was lost by American, I replaced it with a Briggs and Riley (which I love) but was 4x the cost.

  21. My Briggs & Riley is 16 years old and beat up. repaired 4 things 9 years ago. today’s condition needs for me to send it to B&R. I’ll send it in after March Trip. Still it works great and my backpack sits on top for moving through airports.

    But enjoying all the recommendations and checking prices. I would like a spinner 🙂

  22. Tumi is mass market, after a while most people who use them seem to upgrade to a Rimowa (I have a few examples). I use exclusively Rimowa and it’s well worth the premium. I like how it looks.

  23. Samsonite Firelite 20″

    Ebags has a 25% off coupon code bringing it to a very reasonable $348. Free shipping. It’s a 4 lb bag – extremely lightweight and easy to get around

  25. I’m with Mommy Points. Go with Rimowa. One advantage is that while you don’t want to have to repair it, sometimes this isn’t up to us. Rimowa will have the worldwide reach for fixes. I had the TSA rip off a lock once, a Rimowa shop gave me two locks for free. One to replace the one that was ripped off and one for the next time. Did you know that larger Rimowa bags have allen wrenches hidden in the lining for lock and wheel repairs when you unzip the lining?

    More expensive? Yes. But completely worth it. I have the same one described by Mommy Points and a larger one. No regrets!

    Take her up on her offer to buy it off you if you don’t like it. If you happen to be in SE Asia when you decide you don’t like it, I’ll buy it from you. My gf is struggling with her BP World spinner which veers off like a shopping cart with a bent wheel.

  27. Give TUMI to me, baby!

    After I got the Alpha-2 backpack with a TSA-approved laptop compartment and a matching carry-on, the design, craftsmanship and comfort clearly spelled out the fact that this stuff was made with the frequent traveler in mind. Although a bit [a lot, actually] on the costly side, I decided to “invest” in complete set, which included a medium-sized and a very large (extended travel) bags. The material seems they’re made of seems indestructible…

  28. I’ve had three Kirkland bags over the last decade. Each time one died, Costco took one look at it and gave me credit for what I paid for it towards the newest one. It’s a heavy bag (and I have the older 2-wheel kind), which is a drawback.

    But my main criteria for a bag is that it must handle an 18″ Eagle Creek shirt-packing folder.

  29. I know you said you don’t want to spend $500 on a Rimowa — so go to Germany and pick up a Rimowa for significantly less with the USD to EUR exchange rate being so good, and the VAT refund. Like Mommy Points I have a Rimowa Salsa Deluxe Cabin Multiwheel IATA bag — it’s been the best luggage purchase I’ve ever made!

  30. Well, working for Victorinox I strongly recommend one of our pieces of luggage! I am using them myself more and more (replacing old stuff when I have to, not just buying new stuff) and am quite happy with it… If you should ever make it to Zurich we might meet and you could profit from my 30% employee rebate 🙂

  31. I love my “Kirkland Signature™ Hybrid Spinner 21″ Black Carry-On
    Features: Expandable, Durable, Lightweight Hybrid Construction, Cordura Ballistic Fabric.” It replaced my 22 inch TravelPro which I had for 10 years. The TravelPro zippers kept breaking and the zipper tabs kept getting torn off. I travel A LOT – 250,000 DL MQM’s this year. I have had this bag about 1 and 1/2 years, and have not had a single problem with it. I even check this bag more than half the time (I get Priority bag handling — which on DL has become very good and prompt). This bag expands too, so I really do not need a bigger bag. I love my bag.

  32. I’d love to see a pros and cons discussion of 4 wheel vs 2 wheel bags. US Airline crews almost all carry TravelPro Crew two-wheel bags. Four-wheel spinner bags are clearly now more popular with travelers but all bags invariably get checked at some point and I just don’t see those spindly little babies surviving the baggage handler toss. My TravelPros last for 20 years, no exaggeration. Airlines occasionally break off the zipper pull tabs but the wheels and handle are nearly indestructible. When the wheels and handle wear out after 10-ish years, they cost $15 directly from TravelPro and you can replace them yourself. I just don’t see any reason to buy anything else. But I am open to be convinced and am therefore reading this thread with interest.

  34. Lots of great options above — don’t think you can go wrong with any. I picked up a Vis-A-Vis Cabin Luggage a few months ago, and it’s been used on a few international trips. It fits any overhead (except CRJs), is SUPER light, durable, and innovative Velcro strap that holds everything down for both sides. I was leery trying a relative unknown, but it has been everything we wanted for short/med/long trips.

  35. The comments are really helpful but….when checking the weights of most of the bags mentioned, they are too heavy to pack for the 8 kg allowed as a carry on when flying most foreign carriers. If my suitcase weighs 8-11 pounds, I don’t have much weight left. Those same carriers have (usually) 55cm height allowable and as little as 23 cm depth. Those dimensions are difficult to meet. Rarely has my carry on been weighed or measured but when it has been, I have been forced to check it. I found a great Delsey that meets those criteria and I love it. We have also had 3 hard side bags crushed in the last couple years so I am staying clear of them if the bag will be checked.

  36. Gary, if you are willing to think outside the box, then I suggest the Tumi trifold. It is easy to carry, great for a 3-4 day trip (I have used mine on two week trips but I do not recommend that length), and keeps your suits in fairly reasonable shape (better than folding them into the rollerboard). Because of its form, it will fit into the last little bit of space in the overhead when a rollerboard will not. But the most important thing that i can say about the Tumi trifold is that I have had mine for over 15 years and traveled roughly 2 million air miles in that time; and it is still in great condition! I have had hardware break twice (where the strap connects to the bag – I always use the strap) – both times, service has been rapid and complimentary. I understand that you prefer a bag that holds up to one with good warranty service, but I am not sure any strap hardware will hold up to two million miles.

  37. Rimowa all the way. Not sure what you’re travel plans are, but they price the suitcases by region. You can find some really good deals in the AMS, TGL parts of the world. If you’re not going that far I got a really good deal in Toronto this year with the exchange rate at this store called Taschen.

    http://taschen.ca

  38. Why not make a fashion statement? Bed bath & Beyond has Hello Kitty luggage for $89.99 — BARGAIN! And really, who doesn’t want Hello Kitty luggage? What it lacks in functionality more than makes up for it in fashion statement.

    That is your Monday morning laugh for you…
    http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/hello-kitty-2-piece-luggage-and-beauty-case-set/1045483677?skuId=45483677?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=BingAds%20label%3DLuggage&mcid=PS_bing_nonbrand_luggage_&creative=9331108242&device=c

  39. ZippyPam, if you are worried about weight more than wheels, you should look at Tom Bihn and Red Oxx. I’ve beaten the heck out of my Tom Bihn Brain Bag, and their Aeronaut 45 is 22x14x9 and only weighs 3.1 pounds.. Similarly, I love my RedOxx bags, and the Air Boss (which I don’t have) is 21x13x8 and weighs 3.4 pounds.

  40. I’ve had my Rimowa Salsa Air Deluxe Cabin IATA for a couple of years and love it! Yes, it’s pricey, but it has served me well on all my travels. The only carry-on I ever need…

  41. Surprised nobody has mentioned Briggs & Riley’s Torq yet. Cheaper than Rimowa, looks good (although it will obviously get scratches if checked), well-designed 80/20 split design that makes packing easier than Rimowa/Tumi’s 50/50, nice big wheels that roll easily, and of course their usual lifetime warranty. There are two sizes of carry-on available – a smaller one with an exterior pocket for tablet/laptop, and a slightly larger one (still within carry-on size limits I think, though maybe not for regional jets with smaller bins) without the pocket. There are also two larger sizes for checked baggage in the Torq series.

  42. Real men and women strap it on and carry it on…..what you guys have matching totes too with your wheeled luggage….

  43. m-girl: Wrong blog. That would be better for Ben @ OMAAT 😉

    Gary: I’m a huge Briggs & Riley fan. Yes, I’ve sent mine back two times for replacement parts, but every time it comes back with the latest hardware. First time was the expansion mechanism. Screws were too short (known flaw) and it broke so it was always in “expanded” mode. Sent it in and it came back with new expansion parts, but also with a new handle (I didn’t ask for it). Second time was because I checked it and it got stuck in the baggage system (looking at you, United) and was literally shredded – not to the point where I lost the contents…but enough to make it useless. Got an entirely new bag for that one (with the latest updates – zippers, handle & liner).

    When I need to buy another bag (I’m thinking I need a new carry-on that fits within these new UA sizers), I’m going right back to B&R. Tumi is nice, but the warranty is super limited. I’ve had a backpack from them for years, and things tend to fall off. I’m missing 2 zippers and a soft molded plastic piece where you could run headphones through the side pocket. They won’t do anything about it because it isn’t a “defect”.

    B&R aren’t pretty – in fact they are so boring looking no one would ever take a second glance…but when a company stands behind their product to the point that anything (literally) seems to be covered…they’ve won my business. US-based call center, many repair facilities (I’ve always shipped mine in for repair), and the no-questions-asked policy for repairs.

    -Chris

    P.S. The newer bags are definitely not fashionable, but do look a bit more modern compared to the older ones.

  44. Victorinox. One is with me for 10+ years. Changed to original wheels for 20$.

    Another Victorinox carry-on after 6 years got the handle broken; and got replaced no issues.

    In unlikely event it gets lost; they will track your luggage; it wotkrd for me once.

  45. Costco has 2 options
    If you do not mind the 8 lb weight, the Kirkland 21 will do for 99
    .http://www.costco.com/Kirkland-Signature%E2%84%A2-Upright-21.5%22-Black-Carry-on-.product.11760915.html
    .
    If you want lower weight for carryon, they sell Samsonite 21 and 27 in spinners – lightweight ? movelite for 149$ total
    .http://www.costco.com/Samsonite-Movelite-Extreme-2-piece-Softside-Set.product.100227719.html
    .
    btw, kirkland luggage I think is made for Costco by Samsonite

  46. I’ve had a similar philosophy in buying cheaper bags and replacing them every 2 years. I currently have a Samsonite spinner and am not happy with the wheels. I’ve had to oil them to keep them rolling smoothly. I can also comment on 4 wheels vs 2. With a 4 wheel spinner you push the bag in front of you. With a 2 wheeler you pull it. Pulling the bag with your arm behind you puts stress on your spine. I have several herniated discs and find pushing preferable to pulling. I’ve not bought the Kirkland because it was a 2 wheeler. Now that it has 4, it will probably be my next bag.

  48. My first bag was an American Tourister Pullman 32″ (or bigger) YELLOW hard suitcase. I hated it because it did not have any wheels but loved it because I could put bottle of booze in it to bring home and they did not break. I brought home glass items and other breakables that would NEVER survive a soft piece of luggage .

    I would sit on the plane and could spot my luggage not only on the luggage cart but being put onto the plane. When it was on the belt after getting off it was the ONLY yellow piece on the belt—While you were looking for your name tag or your pink bow I grabbed my bags and was out of there.

    the only time I had a problem was at LAX when I was asked if that was my luggage as I was leaving. my response was “When was the last time you saw a yellow bag?”

    I would never buy a black or dark blue bag today — stand out and be PROUD!

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