andymillichamp

Happy Thanksgiving and holiday season ahead to all of you.

I will be traveling back to the UK for the holidays and my folks have asked me to buy them some luggage for their use in the future.

In particular they are looking for a carry on 21' or 22' (inches) and a suitcase approximately 26'/27' or 28'

They want wheeled luggage, unfortunately, they are not used to backpacks, or the newer hybrid forms of luggage.

They want something lightweight, as they tend to travel heavy and are subject to the lowest weight allowances on flights.

I would like to get them a nice brand, nothing too cheap, which is durable and respectable to travel with.

I am a member of Costco if that is the way to go. I am in Houston, TX (USA).

I will be able to take these with me to the UK, so transporting them is not an issue.

Please do share your words of advice and wisdom

Thank you,
Andrew

tcl

How hard are they on luggage? What type of travel do they do? Travel to & from the airport via cab is very different from taking an airport shuttle van or shuttle coach.

For lightest wheeled carry-on, I have and like IT branded luggage at 3.8-lbs. However I would not trust it to be gate checked nor tossed in the back of an airport shuttle van. The next level I would look at would be Lipault luggage which is about 5 - 6 lbs. If you're looking at something fancier the Tumi Voyageur Super Leger is nice too. The last 2 have study rollerblade wheels and soft fronts. If they need more protection for their things in carry-on, Heys makes lightweight hardsided luggage that is sometimes available in Costco. The only downside to Heys is that if you get one with a glossy finish and it does somehow gets checked and returned at baggage claim the finish gets scuffed-up quite easily. I have seen IT and rarely Tumi at TJ Maxx. For something really nice (and lightweight) , look at Rimowa.

For the larger pieces, I would not recommend IT luggage as it is too fragile especially if not packed full to help give it more strength and structure. Again, a good recommendation depends on their style and mode of travel.

andymillichamp

Hello,

Tcl, you have been very kind to reply. They usually drive by private transportation, either a family member drops them off in the car or else they take a taxi.

The luggage will be used for medium/low frequency travel, maybe 20-30 trips a year. They usually check in the larger suitcase, and tend to travel heavy, thus I am looking for a light weighter suitcase.

Please do share any suggestions, especially for the checked in luggage.

I will look into these options, thanks. Are we allowed to get recommendations for retailers on here, especially if I were to go the Tumi or Rimowa route?

Thank you,
Andrew