WanderingDaruma

Hey FT. Long time lurker, which means long time beneficiary. But I've got a question to throw out to the luggage-minded collective.

I see myself needing three different sets of luggage for three different kids of travel.

1) Short-term, casual travel. These are local weekend trips, quick flights to a friend on the other side of the US, or not so far, etc. For these kinds of trips I envisage myself with an AirBoss for my luggage and a Lowepro Fastpack 250 for photography equipment (vitally important for me while traveling) and enough space for books, magazines, etc.

2) Short-term or medium-term business travel. This is the professional suite of luggage needs. For this I see something like a B&R rollaboard (24" max) and an accompanying laptop briefcase like the Tumi briefcase currently being oggled at OBOW.

3) Here's where my question comes in - I recently took a two and a half week trip to Japan. It was a mix of business and pleasure. It was also a horrible luggage experience. I had a backpack, a messenger bag, a large duffel (no wheels, a sad little hand-me-down) and a beastly garment bag. I decided that, even if no business were involved, this is the kind of trip where an AirBoss would not be enough. It's longer than my traveling style would permit with an AirBoss, and there's a lot more "stuff" involved, including hauling a small trove of souvenirs back across the Pacific.

To that end, I wonder what kind of luggage people use if they have to have something big enough to check-in at the counter. There seem to be two styles of "big bags." Wheeled uprights, which have that large rectangular shape (reminds me of the Thwomp from the Mario games) and large, wheeled duffels. Which do casual, recreational travelers prefer, and why?

And after recommending a style, what brands/models do people prefer? I was looking at eBags and their Mother Lode series, as well as High Sierra in that kind of "young person, metro, not-stuffy look" but I'm willing to keep an open mind.

Thanks!