alect

I have a Mandarina Duck laptop bag - ironically I don't travel with it since it's structure is semi-rigid and it can't be folded/put into a roll-a-board to comply with the LHR 1 piece fiasco.

I love the look of it. I haven't taken it through the ringer, so can't comment on the durability - it looks like it would be durable. The ony thing i don't like on it is the clasps.

aktchi

Sadly, seems to be nowhere near B&R. According to http://thetravelinsider.info/travela.../travelpro.htm,

"Travelpro offer a limited lifetime warranty on their bag, although they note that if the bag is being used for commercial use, there is a reduced three year limited warranty...

"Qualifying for warranty service might be difficult...

"You need to keep a copy of proof of purchase...

"keep a copy of their warranty statement...

"[keep] the 'product tags'...that came with the luggage...

"They also ask you to keep the carton the bag came in..."

Fly4SCUBA

The above quote is for the Crew 5 series. Is this also the same for the Platinum 5? The Platinum 5 appears to have a better warranty on the TravelPro website.

ebra

I have gathered a lot of different bags over the years, and here’s a brief review some of the bags I use when I fly:

Andiamo is really good quality, but it can be hard to find
- Carry on bag (no wheels, Tuxedo-collection???) that was my number one choice for years, and it still looks like new.

Atlantic: Mediocre, but can usually be found for a very reasonable price
- Large wheeled expandable upright that is my primary checked bag. I have used it on maybe 10 or 15 trips, and it’s almost dead. The advantage is that it looks very inconspicuous and is hardly ever searched/manhandled by luggage handlers.

Hartmann: Top quality and they tell me it has style (I don’t, so I wouldn’t know)
- 22” rollaboard which I really like, but unfortunately it’s too big to carry on – at least in Europe – and too small for checking. A frequent companion on train travels though, and so far it has taken a lot of beating.

Briggs & Riley: Probably my favorite brand. Unbeatable quality, warranty and price.
- Deluxe Travel Tote that has now become my usual carry on. Love the easy access and many pockets. Large main compartment makes it easy to pack laptop, camera equipment etc.

Mandarina Duck: Nice design but not too sure about the quality. Zippers seem flimsy.
- Tiny Work-series rollaboard, which has almost zero capacity. Looks briefcase-ish so I’ve use it on overnight trips for my laptop and a clean shirt.

Red Oxx: Built to last forever but maybe not the right look for a business trip.
- AirBoss is a great carry on bag, but not really if you need to bring bulky SLR cameras. So I got myself a …
- SunChaser, which is of equal high quality, but I hardly ever use because my laptop won’t fit.

Rimowa: Legendary German quality but very pricy.
- Aluminum upright that I bought because I wanted a really nice, hard sided bag to check. Luggage handlers seems to think it is their goal in life to see just how much beating it can take, so I’ve stopped using it. After 2 or 3 transatlantic flights it has some _serious_ dents, so now it sits in my basement.

TravelPro: Like Atlantic – medium quality but often at a very competitive price.
- 18” Crew5 that is my primary wheeled carryon. Nice pockets and good expandability, which is often handy.

aktchi

I basically took it as reflecting Travelpro's attitude towards warranty and customer service. The problem here was not the absence of warranty, but intentional hurdles to prevent you from using it. Maybe Platinum 5 is treated better, but a buyer should research such details thoroughly.

aktchi

Great survey, and my experience agrees with yours wherever they overlap. I haven't tried some of those brands, and I purposely avoid carry-on duffels and wheeled totes, preferring a shoulder bag with several compartments; just a personal preference.

My favorite carry-ons are B&R Suiter Tote (235X) and Red Oxx Air Boss (which does come in black and other sober colors if one wants to sneak it into business settings). For those who like duffel style (which increase usable space at the expense for organization), your Deluxe Travel Tote is great, as are Red Oxx Safari Beanos PR4 and PR5.

What I miss is being able to organize small gadgets safely. Typically even a might have two mobile phones, a digital camera, a film camera, an ipod, their chargers. I haven't found a solution to keeping them nicely and safely organized.

Many years ago I got a no-name carry-on in India which was of lower quality than my B&R and Air Boss is every way but one: it had a larger number of pockets of various size along a padded wall and you could secure each with a button. Initially, with only pen to carry, I didn't know what to do with all. But as time went by and I acquired new things, there was always a pocket waiting! I used that bag as long as I could and miss it greatly. Today's computer bags do have a few pockets for gadgets, but somehow manufacturers don't realize that even casual tourists have to carry all that stuff.

PVDProf

I happened into Delsey ten years ago when I was replacing a bag on an airline's tab. The guy at the luggage shop recommended it as nearly as good as Travelpro. My 22" rollaboard was pretty light, well designed, great (rollerblade) wheels, and always fit in the OH (wheels in). It died recently after 10 years, and I've replaced it with the Delsey Helium Lite (couldn't stomach the TravelPro prices) which I got for I think $60 on LuggageOnline (in the UAMP Mall). It's a solid bag, with the same great wheels, and very, very light. I got black, but it's also available in bright blue, if you're after a color that will stand out. I also picked up some larger pieces, and they seem good as well, and very, very light.

ebra

My biggest problem with carry on bags is that I more often than not carry big SLR cameras, so as much as I would love to love the AirBoss, a bag with 3 relatively flat compartments is just not the bag for me. But it is a great bag.



Yes, I have a black, but with the heavy duty hardware etc. I don't think it looks very business like. Unless your business is jumping out of airplanes ...


I usually put smaller gadgets in a seperate pouch, but like you I'm still looking for the perfect solution.

Cheers

aktchi

I understand. It is a good bag (as you know yourself), so if you have no use for it in your specific circumstances, maybe sell it to a more casual traveller. I just bought mine a few months ago, otherwise I'd be willing to buy.

OTOH I don't have a black Air Boss...

BTW does your B&R Deluxe Tote have enough padding to protect the SLR gear? Just curious as I haven't looked at that style of bag, or camera.

Do you carry a separate pouch for each? I wouldn't want them to be bumping into things. I don't always use a case for phones, let alone pens, so I can't find any before travel. Often my practical solution is to use socks for a gadget case, it works, but I do wish the manufacturers will catch up with the times.

BTW, did you have any experience with Dakota? I haven't, but it is the less-overpriced division of Tumi, so I'd be curious.

viking407rob

Delsey is certainly worth mentioning. My lady bought a set in LA a couple of years ago and loves them. They have been on many long trips and have held up very well. I actually considered a set but opted to buy the eBags brand instead. I considered going all out and getting Zero Haliburton or Rimowa but was afraid it would be an invitation for disaster. I was a bit worried, like ebra said, that luggage handlers would try to see how much abuse they could take.

While sitting at the gate waiting to exit the plane, I once saw a baggage handler "sling" a bag onto the belt thing. It flew right off, hit the ground and burst open like a watermelon. The guy did a little "raise the roof" type dance like he had done something cool. It was sprinkling rain and the ground was already wet, but the handler didn't offer to pick up the bag or it's contents. Finally another employee (possibly a supervisor) came over and attempted to cram everything back into the bag. He scolded the unorthodox handler to which he just hung his head but laughed when he walked away.

fuzz

I recently saw some Briggs and Riley at a TJ Maxx, I believe, and considered buying a carry on and a suitcase.

They do have superlight ones, but it still seemed heavy.

I travel nowhere nearly as frequently as you all, but really considered B&R given their excellent warranty. I believe the 22" carry on was about 200 dollars, as was a 24 inch suitcase. These were from the Baseline collection.

I still found them rather heavy, particularly the expandable ones, and was concerned given how picky the airlines are these days about weight restrictions.

I wonder whether I should look into Delsey or a Samsonite hardside, or whether the B&R deal is too good to pass up.

What do you think?

fuzz

aktchi

The no-brainer part is, you should buy the lightest carry on that meets your needs. However, only you can decide what your needs are.

I am giving away no great secrets in revealing that wheels and the associated frame and handle add a lot of weight and rigidity. If you must have them, that is an expensive need: your bag will be about 5-6 lbs heavier, will not fit many sizer bins and many overhead bins. So think again, and once again.

For all practical purposes, size and weight would not be an issue for a shoulder bag. Both B&R and Red Oxx make very good ones. You even get a choice of duffel style (more efficient storage) and multi-compartment (better organization).

BoyAreMyArmsTired

My Travelpro died recently and I bought one of the ultra light Delsey rollaboards. I haven't had it too long, so the jury is out, but so far, I like it even better than my Travelpro.

Teacher49

This is a story of TUMI. BOYT, Travel PRO and Victorinox


I had a very nice TUMI expandable computer brief. Paid $335.00 for it several years ago.

After having it a couple of weeks, one of the zippers became quite balky - hard to zip skipping a tooth.

I had to pay to send it to be repaired. OK, $35.00 UPS for a brand new bag ... six weeks in the shop .... that's only strike one.

After that I loved it. Great design, easy to use. Good friend.

Then in March it was stolen. Sad story, but another story.

I bought the closest model I could find to the original. Basically, the only design change was to move the computer compartment - or so I thought.

However, it soon became apparent that this was not the only change. The whole thing was just a bit more cheaply made. The handles - which had been perfect in that they would come together for easy grip when the bag was full, and were very comfortable- were now shorter and pulled on the hand that was holding them. The lining did not seem as heavy or as durable, the stitching not as good. In general the bag - which was about $40.00 more expensive than it's older cousin - was definitely downgraded.

I mentioned what I thought about the decline in TUMI quality to a few salespeople on the telephone with on-line sellers and in a good department store. Several told me that they were getting similar complaints. A salesperson of 20+ years told me that TUMI has been "bought out" from its originator by a larger company. Make sense ... how often does it happen that a maker of a quality product with an excellent rep is bought, then the sharp pencil guys come in and mess with the quality a nickel and dime at a time?

BTW, not only does TUMI prohibit web sellers and others from discounting, but they are also forbidden to offer free shipping. There is a minimum shipping fee table that TUMI enforces.

So I went shopping. A good bag, as I said, is a good friend but an inferior bag is a real annoyance.

After looking high and low, I have settled on a Victorinox ... a brand that I have not seen mentioned on this thread. Their attempt to penetrate the high quality market for business bags is relatively new. So far, so good. roomy expandable computer brief with an interesting design to protect the computer.

Now my main piece of luggage for clothoing has been a Boyt bag for many years. My trips are long - usually 4 - 5 weeks, and I do not travel light. I had 100's of thousands of miles on that large Boyt foldover garment-style bag. But it was wearing out ... more than that I was tired of the fact that it did not have wheels.

I looked at all the major brands, and settled on a Victorinox bag for that, too.

So far, I am very happy with both Victorinox bags, but I have just used them for 6 round trips. They seem of very good quality ... time will tell.

bigguyinpasadena

I wanted to like Victorinox-but like Porsche designs they are way too heavy.I think Victorinox should sue Samsonite for stealing their designs.