apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I have the Tumi - all 5 pieces pieces are of the T3 line pictured. All of my pieces are discontinued colors, mostly purchased via eBay, so I've never had to pay full retail.

The coolest thing about the T3 rolling bags is that the handle grip swivels - so that instead of twisting your wrist to hold the handle you can swing the handle inline with the way you'd naturally hold your hand as you walk.

i have the black rimowa ... a 3 piece set. i got it at a discount online. the set is very vesatile, light, well-designed, and durable. the pieces still look pretty new even though they've been well used. they have a great warranty.

before i got these i kept spending money on less expensive luggage that would break after just a time or two of going through the conveyor belt at the airport. having this set has saved me time and anxiety. well worth the investment.

I think Eagle Creek makes some of the very best luggage out there. I got my first convertable backpack-suitcase in 1999 and traveled all around central America with it. When the zipper was damaged, I sent it in for a free repair (they have lifetime repair warantee! http://www.eaglecreek.com/company/warranty_information.php)

In 1996, I decided that I wanted a more sophisticated bag -- one with rollers and an extendable handle. The one I chose has an exterior, detachable pouch that converts into a daypack. I've loved that bag for 12 years and it's been all over the US and Europe with me.

Well, it's 2008 and I'm ready to upgrade again. This time I chose the Eagle Creek Velocity collection. http://www.eaglecreek.com/collections/velocity_series/
It comes with built in Pack-it System features, which I love. Also has that molded but soft-shell construction. These pieces look great, are extremely durable, are light weight, and you just can't beat the warantee!

I tend to look for a cheap and good solution.

For me - a carry-on only type of traveler - my travel stalwart for YEARS has been a $40 wheeled duffle bag made by CALPAK that fits in an overhead compartment. They don't seem to make it anymore, though. Duffle bags are good because they don't have a lot of extraneous hardware and pockets that add weight and reduce the bag capacity.

LLBEAN seems to have some really nice options in the wheeled-duffle bag territory that I may check out when it comes time to replace.

I also cannot say ENOUGH about using packing cubeshref>. Even an infrequent traveller would benefit on having a set. They help keep clothes compressed and organized which helps me stay carry-on only. And useful to take an extra set of clothes to the gym.

I agree with mannequingirl. Definitely the Rimowa all the way. Superb engineering. We have had ours for years (before we even considered stocking it) and it is just fares better than standard travelpro upholstered ones. Scuffs wipe off easily too.

The aluminum version costs an arm and a leg but lasts forever but the poly version is more affordable ... and very light. Truly we are not trying to pitch but really believe in their quality based on personal experience. It is extremely durable and looks appropriate in both a 5 star setting or a rugged tibetan plateau - both tried and tested! (and we all know how ATers love to look as stylish and practical as their homes!)

Swiss army on the other hand makes excellent cargo pants for travel!!

You can get it here from Crew Tag.

I really disagree with travel cubes. They might help organize but I think they really take up valuable space and weight that could otherwise be used for other items to be packed.

I use a small zero halliburton for my light meters and other equipment I need on the job when I travel. They look great but are very prone to dings, dents, and scratches. Never check one when you fly because what comes out on the conveyer belt at the end of you trip will horrify you. I always pack mine inside of another suitcase (with clothes) if I need to check it. This has really cut down on dings and damage and I have been using mine for 13 years. I highly recommend it.

I checked the retroposting and I can see why you wrote off that Samsonite - but to be harsh, you DID choose a novelty colour (orange - whoever travels in light clothing, let alone baggage, which will get hurled about and all sorts) so my experience so far is that the Big S is the way to go - only, make it black, and fabric.

Although I love McQueen's ribcage rigid cases for the sheer beauty of them, I saw a pal in SA with a broken rigid plastic suitcase, and it leaked and scored fail even more than if it'd been fabric, and so stitchable, whatever.

I read somewhere - and it made sense then and now - that baggage handlers will stack other stuff on top of large, solid (ie rigid, plastic, whatever) cases, while shipping soft/small cases a bit more delicately at the top.

Guess if that were my job, I'd do it that way too - something to consider maybe?

Hmmm, based on the post I ordered the patagonia bag. I already have several large patagonia bags and was looking forward to this one. It is awful-- small and not very accessible.

I much prefer my eagle creek bag, it is lighter, holds more and can be carried as a backpack if need be. I have the older version of this one: http://www.eaglecreek.com/bags_luggage/wheeled_carry-on/Switchback-Max-22-20198/

I love love love my Hideo Wakamatsu in flight case. It's lasted years and years.

Every pilot, cabin crew and tour guide I have ever met uses Samsonite. I believe they know something about the durability of luggage.

This post is about CARRY ON bags, so you don't need to worry about what baggage handlers do. I travel a lot for pleasure and have a 21'' expandable British Samsonite soft side. It is very light, which is a key criteria for a bag - so often, the bag itself weighs 10 lbs, which is nuts. I intentionally bought one a bit smaller than the maximum allowable carry on, to force me to keep down what I pack. It ALWAYS fits in overhead bins, even those on airlines whose bins are smaller than the American norm.

And I use a couple of big packing cubes and, most recently, double zippered nylon mesh bags from Muji for the really small stuff. Since I'm a weight fanatic (I just spent $125 for a 3 ounce Patagonia black rain jacket, because the one I had was 9 ounces), trust me: a couple of pack cubes are REALLY worth it. Just don't do lots of small ones. There are better options for those.