OT-new luggage

ColbyLang

Impending Disney trip looming…..luggage set we got as wedding present 13.5 years ago has played out. Luggage got expensive!!! Thinking of buying a few North Face Rolling Thunder wheeled duffel bags (various sizes) instead of spending the same coin on an actual luggage set. Any opinions? Anything else I should look at instead? Budget sub $750

1voyager

Briggs and Riley. It's the last luggage you'll ever need to buy.

They are on the expensive side, but occasionally there are promos for up to 50% off sales to those who register on their website.

JohnInCarolina

My approach is to go cheap but serviceable and then to just expect to need to replace it eventually.  It’s friggin luggage.

Legume

JohnInCarolina said:

My approach is to go cheap but serviceable and then to just expect to need to replace it eventually.  It’s friggin luggage.

Highly durable (lifetime) luggage that costs more is worth it if you travel every week. Family luggage, not so much.  

Personal preference, I hate hardsided clamshell luggage.

lkapigian

I have a 4 piece Nautica I think I paid $75.00 for used and abused and still do what they need today , stay closed 

ColbyLang

Thinking of opting for commercial trash bags. Little duct tape and here we go. 

lousubcap

Hard sided is my preferred style when transporting glass containers containing brown water packed in styrofoam.  Can't carry it on due to volume... Never have experienced a breach.  

Acn

We got a 3-piece set at Costco for like $80/$90 maybe a decade ago that are still in good shape.  More recently we’ve all added these duffels for quicker trips or times we don’t want to check luggage.

https://badbags.com/collections/the-originals/products/duffel-n-3-sp

They are so well made, it should stand up to anything that gets thrown at them.

kl8ton

I'm one step above garbage bag with duct tape. 

JohnInCarolina

Legume said:

JohnInCarolina said:

My approach is to go cheap but serviceable and then to just expect to need to replace it eventually.  It’s friggin luggage.

Highly durable (lifetime) luggage that costs more is worth it if you travel every week. Family luggage, not so much.  

Personal preference, I hate hardsided clamshell luggage.

I don't know man I travel a fair amount (pre-covid) and I think I have had my most recent travel bag for about eight years.  It's banged up but it still does what it's supposed to, and I paid under $100 for it at like JC Penney or something.  

dmchicago

We bought AWAY luggage a few years ago. Very good quality for the most part.

Lifetime warranty so anything that has been a problem was replaced right away at the store. 

My wife travels quite a bit for work and we take 3-4 vacation trips a year. 

Love the luggage.

caliking

Whatever you get, make sure you get the spinny kind i.e. all 4 wheels swivel. Super easy to move. The kids will will have fun racing them.  Go to Costco and get what ya need. 

Duffels work better for when we rent campers, but otherwise hard-sided luggage suffers the abuse of air travel much better. Especially international. 

ColbyLang

Will peruse Costco as an option. Hadn’t even considered it. Might use it and return it……

TechsasJim

I have had a lot
of success buying Samsonite on Amazon.   Not sure if I just found really good deals and got lucky but I have a pile of them now and they didn’t seem like they broke the bank.   

Being a gear head is buy North Face but to me that seems more expensive.   

dmchicago

ColbyLang said:

Will peruse Costco as an option. Hadn’t even considered it. Might use it and return it……

I will say that we bought a Costco suitcase years ago and it held up for many trips. It was probably $99. 

Legume

JohnInCarolina said:

Legume said:

JohnInCarolina said:

My approach is to go cheap but serviceable and then to just expect to need to replace it eventually.  It’s friggin luggage.

Highly durable (lifetime) luggage that costs more is worth it if you travel every week. Family luggage, not so much.  

Personal preference, I hate hardsided clamshell luggage.

I don't know man I travel a fair amount (pre-covid) and I think I have had my most recent travel bag for about eight years.  It's banged up but it still does what it's supposed to, and I paid under $100 for it at like JC Penney or something.  

I ground through a bunch when I was a weekly traveler, never had the cash for the high end stuff back then. Precovid more like 1x/month and I get by with better quality of the cheaper stuff.  Not the $400 bags.  I think checking vs carrying on makes a difference, checking is harder on a bag and probably where hardsided makes sense.

@lousubcap I’ve never tried the styrofoam, I usually wrap in bubble wrap and then vacuum seal twice, wrap in pants or t-shirts.  No breakage yet.  

HeavyG

ColbyLang said:

Will peruse Costco as an option. Hadn’t even considered it. Might use it and return it……

Remember, you have to use it for 7 years before it can be returned.

ColbyLang

HeavyG said:

ColbyLang said:

Will peruse Costco as an option. Hadn’t even considered it. Might use it and return it……

Remember, you have to use it for 7 years before it can be returned.

Lol

saluki2007

I bought an Osprey backpack several years ago. It’s great because I can use it for my stuff and works as a carry on. Then the wife and use the suitcase for herself and the girls. 

Bonus, I sometimes use the backpack as it’s original purpose as a backpack for hiking.  

EzraBrooks

TravelPro is my go to but I do biz travel 2x a month. Holds up well and great warranty but maybe not worth if if you don't travel a lot.

GregW

This is what my family travels with, it's good for a week or so trip. Each family member carries their own backpack as a carry-on.
https://www.tortugabackpacks.com/collections/travel-backpacks/products/outbreaker-travel-backpack?variant=26900597193

OhioEgger

1voyager said:

Briggs and Riley. It's the last luggage you'll ever need to buy.

They are on the expensive side, but occasionally there are promos for up to 50% off sales to those who register on their website.

I completely agree. I've been super happy with mine for years now. Lifetime guarantee doesn't hurt either.

kl8ton

OhioEgger said:

1voyager said:

Briggs and Riley. It's the last luggage you'll ever need to buy.

They are on the expensive side, but occasionally there are promos for up to 50% off sales to those who register on their website.

I completely agree. I've been super happy with mine for years now. Lifetime guarantee doesn't hurt either.

Does your luggage dealer order a new piece with their next quarterly shipment if a defect  is found? 

ColbyLang

kl8ton said:

OhioEgger said:

1voyager said:

Briggs and Riley. It's the last luggage you'll ever need to buy.

They are on the expensive side, but occasionally there are promos for up to 50% off sales to those who register on their website.

I completely agree. I've been super happy with mine for years now. Lifetime guarantee doesn't hurt either.

Does your luggage dealer order a new piece with their next quarterly shipment if a defect  is found? 

I see what ya did there

MJG

+1 for TravelPro. As a former road warrior I can attest that their carry on bags are well designed and durable. $ not too bad. I believe I bought a few at a BJ’s Wholesale club. 

kdink

Got my son the Amazon brand for college.  Inexpensive works as planned.

Acn

If you're looking at rolling duffles, I would go with this:

Global Travel Bag Roller | Topo Designs

We have several Topo pieces (backpack, 2 laptop bags, dopp kits, camera cube) and the quality beats any item I've ever owned from North Face.  I'm also a big proponent of packing cubes, but that is probably it's own discussion.

alaskanassasin

I can tell you that if you let me borrow it I will pack it full of frozen halibut and tie green flagging tape to all the handles.

TEXASBGE2018

Not a roller bag but I just bought a couple of these in different sizes 1) carry on size and one huge one. They are full grain leather and have decent zippers and straps so they should last a while. Not premium Saddleback Leather quality by any stretch but I don't travel a ton.

TechsasJim

@TEXASBGE2018
I love Saddleback gear.    Don't own much due to cost but their leather is top notch.   Wallet and portfolio are all I own.

caliking

ColbyLang said:

Impending Disney trip looming…..luggage set we got as wedding present 13.5 years ago has played out. Luggage got expensive!!! Thinking of buying a few North Face Rolling Thunder wheeled duffel bags (various sizes) instead of spending the same coin on an actual luggage set. Any opinions? Anything else I should look at instead? Budget sub $750

 Another thought - consider buying a smaller suitcase than you originally may have, as you will easily hit the 50lbs weight limit (economy) when travelling with family. Its hard to pack a 28-29" suitcase tight enough to keep things from moving around.