lgordon

My husband and I have LOTS of Tumi luggage, but it has gotten too heavy for me. We are taking a 3 week trip to Italy and I want to buy new luggage and I am considering the hardsided luggage as it seems the lightest. Also, I do not want to spend the price of Tumi, but also don't want it to fall apart. What is everyone's advice? I have looked at Delsey, Samsonite, Hartman and Rimowa and am totally confused.
Thank you.

gretchendz

If you don't mind soft-sided--I am a Lipault Paris fan:

http://www.lipault-us.com

Very very light

GadgetFreak

Check out Briggs & Riley. They are very well made and have an unconditional lifetime warranty. Their BRX line are light soft side bags and they have light hard side as well. Do some searches for them here on FT, they have quite a few very satisfied customers here.

DJCobol

I love my Delsey helium aero series luggage. Its a hardsided case and it has been very durable so far. Very light as well.

TObject

Heads up! Delsey Helium Aero three piece set is the deal of the day on Amazon. Edit: all gone.

Be aware, though, they say that the smallest piece is "International Carry On," but in my opinion it is a bit too large for that. Should be good for domestic.

rgustafs

Perfect luggage, huh? We can all dream. Because we are likely different kinds of travelers, my perfect is likely very different than your perfect so giving us some more information might make the answers more useful.

Though I am sure others will have more and better questions, a few that come to my mind are:

• What are you planning to pack for this trip?
• Are you planning to check luggage or do carry on only?
• What airlines will you be flying?
• During the trip, will you be based in one location or will this be planes, trains, and automobiles?
• Does said luggage need to have wheels? (Some people would happily lug their own body weight on their back/shoulders; others have physical and/or practical limitations to consider.)

And that's assuming we're talking about the perfect luggage for just this Italy trip. If you want luggage that will better suit you for general travel, then that opens up a whole other set of questions about your general travel habits.

Hope these Qs help get you started thinking about your practical requirements for perfect luggage. There are lots of luggage pros (and -- I say this with love -- luggage hoarders) here so I am sure there will be some more great info to add to that of previous posters.

-rgustafs

UAPremExecflyer

The OP asked the question nearly 12 months ago!
They never returned. All answers are moot.

rgustafs

Ooof. Sorry! Didn't catch that.

TObject

I do not really think there is anything you need to be sorry for. It is effortlessly conceivable to think that there is more than one person on the planet looking for perfect luggage. How do you think I got into this thread? LOL

You raze valid points.

And in the opinion of one forum member, Delsey Helium Aero is good choice. I will be getting my set tomorrow.

iclaudius3

I just bought a Briggs and Riley Baseline International after doing a lot of research. Will come back with thoughts after recent upcoming travels.

TOMFORD

Rescind your sorry!

flipstah

Bump. Did you ever get new luggage? Looking to get Rimowa but don't know how it compares to TUMI, other than the price tag haha.

Looking for non-garment luggage that won't dent. Stupid Hey's.

lz8028

3 Weeks in Italy, so lots of trains, buses, and rolling up and down cobbled stone pavements. I assume you're not planning on going carry-on only. And I also assume your wardrobe choice will be mostly casual and thin on business attire - beside, if you need something for a dressier occasion you can always buy it there, especially now that the Euro has fallen (again). My suggestions:

- DO NOT get a light weight spinner cases larger than 25". Once they're loaded to the hilt (and you will if you're planning to shop in Italy) they are a pain in the butt to drag over cobbled stone streets. I've killed 2 of these spinner wheels in 1 trip to Italy before.

- Italian trains have very little dedicated luggage space on each car, so you will probably have to roll it down the aisle and hoist it up to the overhead rack which is higher and shallower than your average overhead bin in a plane. Large suitcases probably won't work.

- I find a split bottom rolling duffle pretty versatile for these occasions. B&R makes a really good one if you want to go pricy, but even your average Costco bag will hold up fine.

- Pair that with a couple of carry-on hard side spinners for you both, and a foldable duffle for surplus shopping. Just make sure the carry-on comply with European airline standards, especially if you have to fly discount airlines over there.

- Get a couple of luggage straps so you can drag the duffle and spinner in tandem if you have to.

- Get something low key so as to not advertise yourself with the hoard of pickpockets and scammers around every major Italian tourist city.

Good luck!

pnt1

Have you checked out the Rimowa Salsa light collection? I have a carry-on version, and I find it to be very very light.