This silly article in the Daily Mail (is there any other kind?) prompted a thought or two from me. But first, an excerpt:
Despite years of obsessive searching, I’m yet to find the perfect suitcase. It’s as elusive as a desert mirage. My attic is filled with discarded luggage experiments, lurking in the dark as memories of a different life and far too impractical for my current one.
I used to have that same problem, back when I traveled a lot (50+ flights per annum, on United — mostly — out of O’Hare). A simple overnighter? No problem, a decent garment bag generally sufficed. Anything more than a couple/three nights, however, and things started getting a little more problematic.
And back when I was constantly flying to Yurp and Britishland, the problems increased exponentially.
I remember once giving in to the nylon/canvas “duffle bag” trend, and oy…never again, even with wheels. (Without wheels? Nope, never again in this lifetime. No wheels — on any luggage choice, no buy.)
The only good thing to say about duffle bags is that they start off light, whereas suitcases start off being heavier. And of course, if you’re carrying anything that’s not an anvil, the soft duffles afford no protection for your stuff whatsoever. But if you’re going to use the wheeled duffle bag, just remember that the extendable handles need a structure to hold them when not in use, and that structure means that the bags will end up being about the same weight as a soft-sided suitcase.
Now add to all that the journey through the tender ministrations of baggage “handlers” at any airport…
(thanks,Kenny)
…and you’ll see my point.
Then there’s this little temptation:
I would love to indulge myself with really expensive, luxury suitcases such as the Globe-Trotter Safari:
…but at around $3,000 per piece, and remembering Kenny’s pic above, you’d be better off — maybe — just shipping your luggage via FedEx or something. (Don’t laugh; I knew a guy of considerable wealth who used to do just that: ship his heavy luggage from one destination to the next, leaving the hotel’s concierge to handle the details.)
Or you can do what I used to do, when doing expense-account / client-funded travel: buy cheap-ish luggage, use it once and then toss it in the trash after you get home. Repeat as necessary. (It actually adds to the pre-trip excitement, by the way; buying luggage for your trip is an event all by itself.)
One last option is to see your luggage as a challenge to baggage handlers of the Delta/American/United ilk, and go with aluminum suitcases:
Just be aware that this stuff can cost a lot more than the hotel bill from your trip to Amsterdam or Tokyo. And baggage thieves know how much this stuff costs, so the chances increase greatly of having your luggage simply stolen for its container rather than its contents.
Lastly, you can always just go with a steamer truck (or as they’re sometimes called, footlockers):
Just remember that unless you’re going to a place that has porters on call, you’ll want to make sure to get that thing with wheels. (Another of my buddies uses one for travels with his wife; they pack all their clothes and such into the one trunk, and he just pays the weight penalty on his air ticket, saying that the reduction of hassle is worth the extra cost. I don’t believe him, by the way; if you’ve ever seen Planes Trains And Automobiles, and watched John Candy struggling with his trunk, you’ll understand my skepticism.)
Trunks, by the way, are pretty much indestructible, even for airlines. I once used one to get a large and expensive crockery set back from Britishland, just checking it in at Heathrow or Gatwick (don’t recall which one). I expected to lose a couple of pieces to breakage, but nary as much as a chip, let alone a breakage. Trunks are also less likely to be stolen because they’re just too heavy to carry easily, and too bulky to be hidden away somewhere.
And unlike Alexandra Shulman, I don’t care about features like “compartments”; just a sufficient volume will do just fine.
Afterthought: one of the besetting problems with airline luggage is that most options (like Ford’s Model T) come only in black, which makes it a chore to distinguish your luggage from all the others on the baggage carousel. One option is to go with something like this camping trunk:
…which should be strong enough to survive the trip, and it generally costs (and weighs) much less than the average suitcase — $50 compared to $200-$300 for ordinary suitcases. And it’ll stand out like a dog turd on the black tablecloth of carousel luggage.
Cabela’s often has the smaller one of those green boxes on sale for about $15. then you just need a handcart or dolly that will fold small enough to fit into your carry on bag. I guess you could zip tie the crate closed.
I would like a good quality hard sided suitcase but I would use it so infrequently that it’s value to me just isn’t there. Right now I use a duffel bag that I put in one of those plastic containers shown above. It rides in the back of my truck. The plastic box keeps the bag dry if it rains. Also, I can leave the bag loose if I buy stuff that needs to be protected in the plastic box.
I’m a carry-on only guy where possible. I use a G-RO – the big wheels are awesome – but annoyingly airlines have reduced the maximum size from 56cm to 55cm so I may have to replace it. And the zippers are an insecurity feature if it has to be checked.
I agree with everything you wrote.
My wife and I identify our generic appearing luggage with 2 strips of different colours of masking tape on each of the large sides.
Have you tried using mesh luggage organizer packing cubes? I started 2 years ago and love them. Socks and underwear squashed into one. Casual pants and shirts squashed into another. Dress shirts and slacks carefully folded and put loosely into another etc. Then the entire collection into the big case.
I bought 3 sets, different colours. When I want socks it’s the small green cube and I don’t have to root around in the main bag like a wild pig looking for socks and disturbing everything else in there into a dishevelled mess.
I installed satellite earth stations which required extensive travel. Small systems took 3 weeks or less. A 3 meter or larger with multiple dishes could push up to 5 or 6 months. My standard luggage was a sectioned canvas duffle. There would be 4 sets of work clothes, work boots, and 3 or 4 casual shirts to start. I also had a mess kit that included a french press and coffee. I had a carry-on backpack with my computer, shave kit, and a change of clothes. I always used the laundry services of the hotel dropping clothes every other day.
I like to travel light—usually one rollaboard and a briefcase will suffice. I’ve tried dozens of solutions and the one that works best for me is a 22″ Travelpro Crew 5 rollaboard. They’re indestructible, relatively lightweight and if you use the bundle packing method, you’re good for a month or more on the road with a reasonable number of pants, shirts, sweaters and personal items.
After shlepping a brand new “spinner” bag through the cobblestoned streets of Prague for a week, I switched back to the 2-wheel Travelpro and haven’t looked back since. It can be expanded by a couple of inches to bring back souvenirs and unfolded laundry, etc, if you don’t mind checking it instead of putting it in the overhead bins.
Old school Samsonite hard sided.
The Timex of luggage.
ebay is your friend.
Classic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5sEIWlQO7A
We used Pelican cases for equipment so the got liberated fo overseas travel . Mine survived multiple trips to eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Away luggage. Closer to luxury, cheaper than Rimowa, common enough to blend in and not be a theft target, rolls nicely.
Gunnuts got it in one. 30 years as a field engineer. The old Samsonite hard case for long jobs and a hard frame soft-side carry on for quick ones. Once watched the Samsonite do a 6 foot Brody off the unloading belt from the airplane. Airline paid to have the one foot that broke off replaced. Used a luggage strap and strapping tape over/around the buckle.
That one went all over the world with me – except into the Canadian NWT replacing the DEW and BMEWS lines with automated radars. I used a hockey bag when I did that one easier to pack/carry and load into the twin otters and the Lear.
Dufflebag? Gawd, no! Not since I was in the military, and much fitter, though having the two shoulder straps and being able to carry it as a backpack in the airport helped. I suppose there must be a way to pack clothes so they’re not a complete shitshow when you get to your destination, but I never learned the trick. “Duffelbag” was what we called someone who looked like he’s just come out of one — a rumpled shitshow, in other words.