fadeintoblue1

Anyone have any experience with The North Face Sidetrack?

anacapamalibu

[QUOTE=
As to Tumi-they used to be wonderful,and they USED to stand behind what they made/sold.
I have had some minor work done on my bosses Tumi bags-and the service left a lot to be desired.
Not quite the company they once were.
I wonder if there is any luggage(other than Hartman)that is still made in the US?These bags are all very expensive for chinese made products.[/QUOTE]

Probably just a glitch when they started production in PRC. Their staff was spending a little too much time at KTV.

Think they got down now.

dmach

Unfortunately I found it not long after I posted before, but only after using many variations on the search terms, and sifting through far too many messages. Thanks for sharing such a detailed review!

Unfortunately, I meant the 22" Platinum5 or Crew7 Garments 2 Go, not the standard rollaboard. So I should have been more clear and specified that.

tfar

Still not quite sure which one you were looking for. I made sure I put the full name and size and all in the review title so the search engine would have an easier time turning up results. I know how frustrating it can be when you cannot seem to find the right search terms.

So you were looking at the garments 2 go bag?

Right now the Plat5 version of that is actually $45 cheaper than the lesser Crew7 version. See here http://luggagebase.com/product/355/T...pecial%21.html

Even the standard rollaboard is cheaper. So, why were you interested more in that particular model? I mean, I know, the format is kind of sexy but it is exactly the same size as the standard 22" rollaboard. Let's call the standard the vertical version of the garments 2 go bag.

The horizontal format has several disadvantages, however. Let's see. The Crew7 does not have the Platinum warranty for starters. The horizontal Crew7 is also a full pound heavier than the vertical Plat5. The Plat5 is already heavy, as I said. The horizontal format will get even more in the way when you pulling the case behind you because it has a wider footprint. Particularly in airplane aisles this is something I'd rather avoid. The horizontal format also requires that the telescoping handles have more sections. Therefore there is more stuff to break and it is more likely that it breaks because the sections must be thinner (or heavier, which might be the case here to explain the weight increase). Lastly, if you want to hang an extra bag from the bag hook riding piggy (not impaled on the handle system but hanging in front of the main bag that is), with the horizontal format you cannot attach as deep a bag. Even a normal briefcase might be hard to attach.

So you see, ergonomically the Garments-2-Go bag is really not as good as the standard vertical version. In terms of number of suits you can pack and how you fold them it is also the same thing. I'd say three suits size 42 max in each bag's suiter. In addition, you can remove the entire three-panel suiter of the Plat5 completely and hang the entire thing in the closet with your suits or use the entire thing in a different bag, like I do with my Easygoing carry-on bag. With the two-panel version of the G2go bag this is not possible. It also lacks the really smart cosmetics section the vertical version has.

I bet you didn't think of all of that, he? Jeez, I am the compleat luggage nerd.

tfar

I forgot to mention the height thing, you said you were 6' 2". The Plat5 handle system's extension is going to be just the ticket for you, man. Don't get the horizontal one. Also think of it this way. If you have to pick up the horizontal one directly at the suitcase handle (not the telescoping handle) you have to bend down that much further.

You consider this plus weight, warranty, price and all the other arguments and the standard Plat5 rollaboard becomes a no-brainer.

dmach

Thanks for the very detailed replies!

I was looking for the Garments 2 Go, either in the Plat5 or Crew7 line. The reason I was looking for a new rollaboard to begin with is that I had all kinds of trouble fitting 2 suits and an extra shirt and pair of pants into my Samsonite 22". (I should add that my suits are size 46L, which makes it difficult for them to fit in the tri-fold things anyway). The Garments 2 Go format seemed appealing because it offered much more space for hanging garments, and the clasp thingy (I don't know the proper name for it) into which metal hangers will fit and be locked in. My standard checked garment bag has something like that, and it works quite well. I just need something that wouldn't have to be checked!

To be honest, the horizontal format gave me doubts. I wondered whether I'd get it stuck on an escalator every time I tried to go up. I don't ever wheel my bag down the plane aisle as it is. I retract the handle and pick it up by the strap on top of the bag when boarding the plane. When disembarking, I do that often until I'm out of the jetway and into the terminal. It just gets me out of people's way faster if I pull the handle out and start rolling when I'm in the terminal and can step out of the traffic flow from the jetway, then start walking. The handle with greater sections also worried me for the same reasons you described. I've already self-repaired my Samsonsite handle once, and had it replaced professionally another time. More sections would almost certainly mean more problems. I don't use the hook thing for my second bag, because I either carry a backpack, or a laptop bag which would be threaded onto the retractable handle, as my personal item.

I see that there is now a vertical Garments 2 Go, but at last check it was $390, which is WAY more than I'd like to pay for a suitcase. I just need something that can hold a whole lot more hanging clothes, and still be carry-on. My trips have shifted from a few hanging clothes and lots of normal clothes (perfect with the Samsonite 22"), to nearly all hanging clothes. I really need an entire hanging bag like the SkyRoll rollaboard, except that that one (from FlyerTalk reports) doesn't fit in the overhead too well.

tfar

Did you ever think of using a good folding method for your suits. Honestly with the method I use my suits come out just as well as in a garment bag; it only take more time but not that much more, say 1 minute per suit max.

I cannot explain this in words but when you see it in pictures it is easy. Perhaps you can google it. I learned it from Men's Health and have used it for years.

I will try to put a how-to on onebagger soon.

Till

ben_wilson

Heading out today to pick up two new bags. Came to see if there's anything new or better that I hadn't heard of. Apparently not.

I could have them repaired, again. But this company makes such a great bag, they deserve some more of my money, as does my local luggage shop which has coordinated my repair work every 2-3 years. And you should support them too!

I've done ~2,000,000 flight miles in the last ~15 years. I've had two Briggs suitcases (22", 26") for the last ten years, and had them repaired 3-4 times in total. Guaranteed for Life - no kidding. I've also had 2-3 Briggs laptop cases, and I have 22" rolling bags by Tumi and TravelPro.

Tumi - Bought in a pinch when I had to have a bag in THAT AIRPORT on THAT DAY. Interior space isn't as functional as my Briggs bag. And Tumi screams CONSPICUOUS CONSUMER. If you're a fan of Tag Heuer watches and Mont Blanc pens, and want to look like all the other mgmt consultants upgraded to first, then Tumi will do the trick. If you actually want the best bag, move on.

TravelPro - Rec'd as a gift. Same trouble i.e. the interior space isn't as functional as my Briggs bag. Extending handle is two pieces, which automatically means "flimsy;" I've not used it much but don't think that it will stand up to the abuse I put my Briggs through. And the balance is all wrong - laptop on top over the extending handle makes it fall over.

Both these bags sit in my closet, more or less unused, and only dragged out for family trips when we need extra bags. About which... I probably WILL get these two ten year old Briggs bags repaired, and get rid of these other two. The Briggs bags are that good!

Briggs - Wide open interior space; the "outsider" extending handle really does make a difference. These bags are TOUGH all the way around - not just the fabric and the corners and the zippers, but the extending handles too, which are critically important. You can pull it, push it, pick it up and swing it around, roll it down a couple flights of concrete stairs, etc., all fully loaded; the handle can handle it! These bags have, on occasion, worn out from all the abuse... Handle strap starts to separate, corner or zipper seam frays, etc., nothing I'd call a "failure," fair wear and tear given the life they lead. At which time... Off to the local luggage shop (Rynn's), where they're made new again, no charge, no questions asked.

In conclusion... Briggs. I may peak at a Hartmann. But I'm going home with Briggs.

See you out there!

tfar

Ben, I agree with the Tumi roller assessment and pretty much all of the rest but the Travelpro. Sounds like you might have the Travelpro Platinum 5 due to the two-piece handle you are speaking of. Is it the Plat5? If so, I got one, too and mine doesn't tip over easily even if my heavy briefcase with laptop is sitting on top. Perhaps you have another model though. Or you need to pack heavier things in the bottom, like a pair of shoes and your toiletries bag. The Plat5 also has flip-out feet that change the tilt of the bag. You can leave them folded out all the time; they don't disturb any other function. Using these feet it really has no more tendency to tip over. The interior and exterior pocket and space arrangement for me at least is the best of any case I've looked at, and I looked at a lot of them.

Feel free to check out my review of the Plat5 here:
http://www.1bag1world.com/blog/2009/...er-review.html

Cheers,

Till

skibum85

Checked Bag - LL Bean rolling duffels are in a league of there own.

Carry-On - I'm still searching for the perfect bag, currently have two Victorinox bags a 22 and 15, I like the 22 a lot but its just an inch too big to go in lengthwise. So, I leave my shirts and suits at a dry cleaners near the client site (I'm usually on 4-6 Month projects) and put everything else in the 15.

SuperFlyBoy

Mine does (Plat 5)- you have to flip down the 2 "feet" at bottom (as you stated), and then it won't tip over - most of the time! (Bad design)

Doubt that - mine is the same as the photographs in your review...

tfar

We probably have a different weight distribution then. Mine is really stable even if I don't use the flip down feet. In which direction does it fall over? Towards the front of the bag or towards the handle side? If anything, I think it would fal rather towards the handle side because it has a tilt in that direction anyway.

My briefcase can get pretty heavy. I haven't weighed it but I'd say around 5kg perhaps up to 7. So that's what goes on top for me. The weight distribution in the briefcase should be pretty even. Maybe it is slightly leaning towards the handles actually because files and laptop go there. On the other hand, camera, power supplies, keys and a bunch of other rather heavy doo-dads go in the front.

In the roller bag I will put shoes, toiletries and books at the bottom. Suits, of course, in the frontal suiter compartment. The rather heavy shirt folder goes in last and sits also towards the front. The handle protrusion I fill out with underwear and t-shirts so that I get a flat packing surface and maximize my space.

Obviously, everybody has a different packing method. Mine is not based on any particular philosophy but on looking at the bag and trying to imagine what the optimum load distribution would be. Not sure if this is measurably it, but I don't have the tipping problem.

How do you guys pack? Are you happy with it otherwise? How is it holding up? I will use it again tomorrow on an MD-80. Will probably have to gate check it. Does anybody know how it fits in an AA MD-80? I got a destination luggage tag and zip ties ready to go for when they want to gate check it. Actually, in this case I wouldn't really mind because it is a direct flight and I am in no hurry.

Till

ddschur

I have purchased much luggage over the years...including Tumi!

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND BRIGGS & RILEY...and, based on my experience, will never buy anything else but B&R.

Two examples, had problems with Tumi bag being damaged and the ballistic material tearing badly. Had to fight to get some consideration and finally had to take it to a Tumi store to have them ship it for repair.

Additionally, have had other problems with the Tumi bags we have and they would do NOTHING but say they would apply a modest amount of credit...IF I were to purchase another Tumi bag!!!

Briggs and Riley...extremely durable and well made.

My wife took a trip and was involved in auto accident which damaged one of the B&R bags she had which was in the trunk.

Took it to the local B&R luggage store...they had no questions as to age, etc., etc...just sent it back and it came back repaired...as good as new!

As mentioned, we have several Tumi (very heavy) bags but...other than the ego gratification one might get from saying they have a Tumi bag...would not buy another one...go with Briggs & Riley, you won't regret it!

p.s. I travel a great deal both on business and for leisure...

bigguyinpasadena

I am sure Briggs and Reilly is very good-boring but solid and dependable.
But Come on-is it really worth three times(or more) the price of other solid and dependable bags?
I would never think to pay such high prices for Chinese made suitcases.

MemphisQueen

I just don't understand why they don't make bags is more than crappy colors. I want pink!! I'd make the investment if it wasn't black, navy or green. Seriously.

Those of us that travel every week not only want a reliable piece of luggage but also one that exhibits some of our personality.