apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Always buy Tumi.

I'm a road warrior for business, and am always on the lookout for nice rollerbags for travel. When these Marc Newsom bags first came out, I headed over to the Flight 001 store in LA to check them out. Although I liked the looks of the bag and the light weight of it, I didn't particularly care for the workmanship. Plus there wasn't a practical suit compartment built into the unit. And the amount of storage didn't seem to be adequate enough for my needs (generally 3-5 days worth of clothes, toiletries, small electronics, gym stuff). So color me unimpressed, too. I'd probably break this bag within 6 months of my heavy use. I'll stick with my 6-year-old 22" Victorinox Swiss Army roller bag (in the discontinued Wasabi green color) until it falls apart; and will most likely replace it with the same model. Loads of storage, built-in suit capartment, ergonomic handle, just barely fits in almost all overhead compartments (for when we can one day take liquids, gels and pastes on-board again). At a comparable price to the Marc Newsom/Samsonite, the Swiss Army option is a much better deal and built for the long haul. (PS There's no way around brightly-colored bags getting marked up...)

Was there ever a luggage ratings post? I just got back from Europe and had a rolling suitcase that was the pits as well. A product review would be very helpful.

Next time, test-drive the luggage around the store, including up and down steps. The clerks at (cough cough) J.C. Penney thought this was hilarious, but my originally-$250 Pierre Cardin 21" roller bag has the right balance for me even with a laptop packed in it.

Being me, I paid $12.97 on final close-out. I probably look like an aging Valley Girl (like, gag me with a spoon), but in a happy and relaxed way.

I do envy your orangeness, though.

I have a Tumi that cost me a half month's rent and it was one of my better investments. In addition to all the great Tumi features, this bag has a recessed compartment that store THREE pairs of shoes. Heaven! I stopped using it for short trips because it is too large to fit in the overhead bin. Now that I'll probably have to check my luggage regardless, I think I will bring it out of storage.
In the meantime, I've been using a Hartmann "Retro-Luxe" wheeled bag in a delicious brown and red print. Plenty of heads turn when I drag that thing down the concourse at O'Hare...

I think these small bags are simply bound to be disappointing. So my solution is to spend as little money on them as possible. You can find decent no-name imported roller bags for 20 euros. The hardware seems cheap because it IS cheap, but as long as these bags hold up for a few trips (fingers crossed), it's a decent deal. Plus, you have the added bonus of always having a nearly new bag.

unfortunately, like a lot of marc newson's designs, it looks really great but the functionality is lacking. i have a few marc newson products and they all look slightly better than they perform.

I love my Briggs & Riley rolling carry-on that fits perfectly in the overhead. It's black, so nothing that stands out, but it's worked really well for 6 years, business and fun travel. Good construction, looks nice.

At the end of the day, if you travel enough, all luggage eventually dies. But of all the stuff I have been through, my Hartmann roll-on in what they flog as something like "bullet-proof" nylon has stood up extremely well for the last three or so years of fairly hardcore battering.

Alas, it's not orange enough to stand out on the luggage carousel, what with being black and all - I keep meaning to get a colourful strap to aid in identification, but have yet to actually complete the purchase.

Travelpro Rollerboards have never let me down. They are very tough. They only have tippy probs if you unzip the way-cool "extender" (great for when you've bought too many souveniers.) Now that we've got the baby, we pack for all three of us in a jumbo Travelpro and just zip around with one suitcase and a stroller/car seat combo (Graco Snugride/Combi Flash for the infant days, Sit n Stroll for the toddler days). That's the way to do it flying out of NYC, my friends.

My question is, who's the other member of this "we" who's buying luggage with Maxwell, and does SK know about them?

I second the Swiss Army luggage. Worth every penny. Mine is red -- had it for about 5-6 years. Still looks like new and it has had heavy use. Bought the matching "train case" and it is also a great piece.

I'd only recommend one brand of luggage– Patagonia.

No, wait, make that two brands of luggage– Patagonia and LL Bean.

Not as cool looking, or costs a fortune, or designed by Marc Newson, but either looks decent and holds up really well.

Bobby

Just because it underperformed, no reason to burn its wheels on the stove!!!

One word ... Costco http://www.costco.com/Browse/ProductSet.aspx?Prodid=11102092

I travel 250k miles a year and I've tried, and broken, everything. Briggs & Riley is still the best, but for the money nothing beats the Costco bag. Don't get suckered in by fancy names like Hartman, Tumi, or (God forbid) something like Gucci; I've even managed to break TravelPro (it wasn't that hard). Traveling requires something bulletproof and functional.

In defense of the cost of Briggs & Riley I do have one bag that's close to 10 years old, has traveled well over a million miles, and has been repaired 3 times by Briggs, every time promptly and with no objection.

Around three years ago I did an exhaustive search for a large suitcase suitable for a three-week trip but, like, not ugly - or $1,000. I ended up with a leopard-print hardsided suitcase from Hideo Wakamatsu (www.hideostore.com).

This suitcase has an incredible set of wheels - it moves in any direction whether or not it's tilted at an angle - so, for example, you can shove it with your foot as you edge along the check-in line. It also holds a ton and comes with some nice flaps and accessories for organizing the interior.

It does have a couple of downsides though - like much hard luggage it's a bit heavy and after the three weeks of hard use it developed some noticeable scratches to the leopard finish. But overall it's a good choice at under $400 for a large size.

I'm for Briggs & Riley. I bought one when I started flying several times a year almost 5 years ago. No complaints. Looks good and isn't pretentious.

Design Dabbler--

Good question! I always assumed the "we" was Maxwell and Sara Kate -- as in "we have a small apartment." Now I'm wondering, though!

Lots of recommendations but few criticisms, so I'll chime in. I too took a look at these when they first came out but was quickly turned off by the easy to mar surface, and cheap construction of these bags. They were obviously designed to look good rather than work, and I think have done a disservice to both Newson and Samsonite. They were designed for casual purchase by Newson fans, not for actual travel. And anyways, MH way has been making bags like this (and much better) for decades, in orange too!

I like my brown Samsonite 21" suitcase with wheels and upright handle. It handles fine, doesn't tip and easy to turn, it looks as nice as any bag, wasn't too expensive (150 dollars or so) and it comes with extra bags for laundry, shoes, a small bag that fits inside for hanging clothes. It's the perfect size and will be in style and look great for many many years. I love it.
MP

Sheesh, the tipping-over bit would make this bag a no-go in itself.

I have a gray Starck bag, also made by Samsonite, that has the cleverest stand-up zipper pulls so you don't have to fish around to open the bag.

Mark, I have two MH Way Vespa backpacks (they are awesome shapes) in the hard-soft material--do you have any idea how to clean the outside surface?

Beezie, that's a good question, and unfortunately one that I don't have an answer concrete answer for. I used mild dishwashing detergent heavily diluted with water to clean mine, and this worked a couple of times, but eventually it just gets too worn to keep it any longer. That's why when I saw the Newson bag I just laughed, because it'll look good for one or two trips, then you'll want to chuck it. Big waste of money. I have an OLD ballistic nylon Skyway that's lasted 15 years and still looks good. The Newson bag is rubbish, like that flashlight he did.

I've got the yellow version in the Just Too Big For Overhead size. While I haven't had any problems with mine tipping over, the front was completely covered in black after just one flight. I think the bright color screams "slide me across the tarmac!" to the guys working baggage.

Still trying to figure out how to clean the thing.

I'm surprised that only Margo mentioned anything about the Samsonite brand (apart from Beezie a little later). As a brand goes, it's great. Dimensions are made up to fit dragging along even the narrowest plane corridors - except when your laptop bag sitting on top of it is wider :(

I have the overhead locker size as well as the largest luggage size, both with expandable zip compartments and they have truly saved me both travelling on business and for leisure. The large one has taken up to 28kg of luggage and with many moments of being thrown around. I have had no problems w cheap plastic fittings, etc.

Perhaps it's the designer ranges from Samsonite that comprise on the small things, seeing as how you get suckered into the designer name, shape, style and colour. The Samsonite basic range stays reliable.