The guy’s advice is mostly sound however he’s wrong (or maybe just outdated or unusually dogmatic) about wheels and expandable bags. If you’re a backpacker or a power traveler perhaps that extra 20 liters* of packing space will be the deal breaker. For the vast majority of travelers, which he admits in so many words by confessing market pressures caused the change in popularity, having wheels is a very important addition. The size of airport terminals alone accounts for most of the walking a typical traveler does and wheels are indispensable there, not to mention the added waits one has with new security queues and cab stands makes the ability to drag a bag practically mandatory for all but the most dedicated and fit backpackers. Much of the same can be said for hotel hallways and check-in counters.
Expandable bags are less universally appealing but they have a very real use and I disagree about the critiques. They do not add dramatically to weight or decrease standard capacities and the flexibility they provide offsets the increased cost. There is a trade-off there, but most consumers do prefer them and find the trade-offs to be well worth it.
A questionable stat IMHO, I accuse him of cherry picking his stats or evaluating outdated designs there.
Thanks for all the feedback. I was afraid that this topic would be so dull that no one would reply.
I’m steeling myself to go back into a shop this afternoon and look, poke, and roll to see what I can detect in differences.
Though the travel backpack is an interesting idea and one I would not have thought of, I am bringing a 2 yo who is checking her own kid carrier backpack and/or mei tai. Sadly, I only have one back.
If you insist on a lifetime guarantee, confirmation that it meets carry-on requirements, and a built in suiter, your pool becomes much smaller. Trust me, I travel half my life, and shopped for the largest namebrand roll-aboard that meets these requirements. I found two. A Briggs and Riley that wouldn’t be a bad choice for about $75 more, and the Delsey LTD. 300 that I bought.
I think it just depends on who you are. The space wheels take up don’t bug me (my bag is rarely full), but the weight and added fragility/rigidness does, to the degree that it’s a dealbreaker. It seems like if something is going to go on a bag that can’t be fixed, it’s going to be the wheels.
I find there is a limit to how fast I can walk with wheels before they wonk out, and I find that I’m personally able to go a lot faster (and do stuff like climb the stairs instead of taking a packed esculator or manuever quickly around groups of slow people) with the pack on my back. I also find that wheels start to hurt my hand/wrist/back rather quickly and I spend a lot of time switching hands and futzing with things. I feel a lot…faster and more free without wheels. YMMV.
As for travel that involves lots of airports and long hotel halls- count me out! Maybe if people didn’t feel so weighed down by their luggage, they’d feel a little more comfortable really getting down to the street level of the place they are visiting. I’d have missed half my best adventures if I’d taken cabs everywhere. I guess it’s a travel philosophy that not everyone shares, but that is where this guy is coming from.
Regarding expandable bags- I just can’t think of a time I’d use that feature. On the way back, I usually carry a locally bought bag with me with any souveneirs and assorted crap I’ve picked up along the way. Any drawback is one too many for a feature you never use.
Then again, I disagree with him about the zip-off daypack, which is an absolute essential to me- it allows me to easily keep my most precious items near, while not making it hard at times when it’s advisable to only carry one bag. He misses the fact that you can zip off the daypack at check-in and have it be your “personal article.” - just carry it by one strap and pretend it’s a purse.
Until a few months ago, I’ve always had cheap luggage (the $30 kind) and been happy with it. Then, all the zipper handles broke off my latest set, and I ended up buying a big, quad-wheel Atlantic suitcase:
It wasn’t cheap, but it’s awesome. With a push of a button, two extra wheels pop out, so it has four wheels supporting its full weight and practically rolls itself along. No more wrist pain, and I can even perch another large bag on top.
So now I’m up to two criteria for future luggage shopping trips:
Strong zipper handles
Convertible to four wheels
(Also, for what it’s worth, I do like the expanding option and have used it to quickly close a stuffed suitcase. Once you’ve gotten the main zipper closed, you can easily rezip the expanding zipper and get it down to normal size.)
I bought some generic cheaparsed luggage that is not carry on, but a full sized piece of fairly ridgid luggage. 2 wheels, but it is sturdy enough [and tall enough ] to be a wonderful seat while I am in queue. I have a bum back and crappy knees, so sitting for hours is way better than standing for hours. It saved me in teh 2 hour line while I was trying to check in at the counter and check ‘the Luggage’ [named after the sapient pearwood luggage in teh Pratchet books] through to frankfurt from Boston.
Honestly, if I could get away with taking my little 3 legged folding camp stool as carry on, I would be thrilled. I HATE places that have inadequate seating allotments now that idiot Homeland Insecurity has mandated that we have to get to the airport 3 or 4 [or more] hours in advance of the flight so we have more people vying for the same number of seats in teh waiting lounges
One word: Atlantic. Made of ballistic nylon, tough as steel, and reasonably priced. And you can find it at many department stores, such as Penney’s. I finally threw out the Atlantic suitcase I bought 20 years ago because the zipper finally crapped out. But keep in mind that the bag had been around the world several times. Bought new Atlantic bags and they are holding up beautifully.
You raise a very important point. I pack totally differently when going on a weekend city break (rucksack) than a 1 or 2 night business trip (cabin-compliant roller case), for exactly the reason you mentioned. If the trip is going to be home->cab->train->airport->cab->hotel and then back, rollers are the way to go. If you are going to be running around all over the place and taking the luggage with you, backpacks are the way to go (providing you don’t have too much weight).
If you are going to be spending lots and lots of time with your luggage, pay to shave the last possible gramme off. If you are very time-sensitive, pay even more to have it small enough for the cabin. Otherwise - bollocks to it, just check the thing (but make sure you have undies/toothbrush in your cabin bag and your insurance covers replacements if the airline lose it).
Count me among the wheelless fans. By the time every one of those tossers spends 10 seconds getting thier wheeled carryons ready to move, the guy in the back row has spent an extra 5 minutes waiting to get off the freaking airplane. Then they cause a backup at every escalator as they time thier boarding, and block the passing lane with thier precious luggage.
I really hate traveling with more than I can run with.
I do that part once I’ve found somewhere to leave my luggage (usually at the hotel). I do take my wheeled luggage on public transit, which generally works fine. I have T-Rex arms (short, weak arms), so anything that I have to carry is out.
I’m always looking for the latest and greatest luggage to make travelling easier for me because I travel a lot so I needed something sturdy and easy. I highly recommend a Samsonite spinner. They have four wheels so you’re not pulling the weight of the luggage and its contents and they don’t tip over. The warranty for Briggs & Reilly is excellent as well and is a selling point for their line.
Nothing much to add, but thought I’d toss in my own little anti-wheelie rant.
It seems to me that folks tugging along wheeled cases are pretty consistently unaware aware of the space their case takes up. I don’t travel much, other than the train to work, but a good number of commuters use small wheeled cases instead of traditional briefcases (with or withour shoulder strap), backpacks, messenger bags, etc. It is not at all uncommon to have someone brush past you in a crowd, and then get clipped in the back of the legs by their cart. or have one roll across your toes. The other day I saw one guy with a wheelie make a quick turn in a crowd, and he totally took the legs out from under another guy, taking him to the ground.
I always used to use a garment bag for my overnight trips. Easy to maneuver, and over my shoulder it did not significantly change the amount of space I occupied. I was recently given a small wheelie. I was somewhat surprised to notice that I took up nearly twice as much width as before. A fact apparently only a small fraction of wheelie users is aware of. Now I’m back to my old garment bag.
