Having had several had a Ciao, Samsonite and American Tourister bags all fall apart after a few trips, I invested in a Travelpro. I managed to find a 22" Travelpro Vibe available at about $60 (yes new, and the cheapest price was teh Hewlett Packard website ?!?) three and a half years ago. It has traveled about 500,000 miles with me on mostly domestic travel and is still looking great, even though it has been thoroughly abused.
Many of my flights are on regional jets where the bag is checked planeside and mishandled by the luggage handlers. If a cheaper Travelpro is this good, I would be confident about the Flightpro and Crew lines. I have since bought a Travelpro hanging garment bag and a 28" extreme Light bag. Both are doing well, though neither has been used as much the roll-aboard.
When I need luggage I now troll the net for cheap end-of line Travelpros. There are some good bargains out there on ebay and the like.
Programs: NW Gold, AA Gold, HI Platinum; every other airline and hotel chain
Posts: 80
I've got a small exandable wheeled tote (great for an overnight) and 27" expandable wheeled suiter both Dakota MTX from Tumi, but my work horse is a BR U21X (?) expandable carry on. I can expand it and check it for the longer trips. I've had it for 4 years now and it's really held up under some abuse, I'm a serial overpacker; anyone else have fun trying to pack a hard hat in their carry-on?
Has anyone else used the Eagle Creek folders or other packing aids? I used to use the folders, then I ended up trying to pack a bunch of square packages, which gave me less flexibility (IMO).
I bought three wheeled TravelPro 4 pieces when they were on clearance at Macy's a few years back. I paid around $400 for all of them, which included a 24", 26" and 29" piece and a complimentary non-wheeled shoulder bag. They rolled smoothly, nested well inside each other and were stackable. Well after my first trip, I realized that the 29" piece was far too large for me, plus it was overweight, weighing in at 52 pounds. I had to do some last second reconfiguring at the airport.
If I were to do it again, I'd buy more medium sized pieces (24-25") and forego the larger ones (27"+) entirely as they tend to be unwieldy. I'd also skip the shoulder bag entirely as it dug into my shoulder. I've since replaced it with a wheeled carry-on that I found for sale on e-bags. It has really come in handy and can be strapped on to the TravelPro pieces. I looked for a matching TravelPro carry-on, but they've discontinued the model and color.
Because we plan on taking the girls next time we fly, I recently bought two 22" Kirkland brand (Costco) wheeled pieces for the girls. They were $99 each. Their quality is very good though they do seem to be a bit heavier than the TravelPro. And now that we've used them on one trip, I realize I should have gotten something a tad larger (25"). Maybe for Xmas.
Has anyone else used the Eagle Creek folders or other packing aids? I used to use the folders, then I ended up trying to pack a bunch of square packages, which gave me less flexibility (IMO).
I bought a couple of those a while back and agree with you. Now I only use the folders when I want to pack separate groups of clothes, such as for 2 different parts of a trip. They're helpful for that, but yea, they absolutely restrict how I pack.
I have a B&R #U422NX expandable 22" rollerboard. I love the bag but the REAL size is 8.5 x 14.5 x 23". It does NOT fit in 2/3's of the overhead compartments wheels in first. I have to put it sideways. Fortunately for me I get priority boarding so so far it hasn't screwed me over but I'd bet it has screwed someone else over at some point. One time someone did flip my bag wheels in first after I put it in sideways. I very closely almost got screwed.
I wrote B&R and they replied:
"Briggs & Riley measures our luggage by the packing capacity. Most airlines have a 45 linear inch rule. This means that if you add up all three dimensions you need to get 45” or less. The total measurement of the bag is 44.5 linear inches. Therefore, making the luggage a carry-on. "
United has this as well as the normal 9x14x22". This bag conforms to neither of those restrictions. Yes, I should have tried it out ahead of time but I feel the labeling of this bag is flat out wrong. I continue to use the bag but wish others had pointed this out to me and stupid for taking B&R's word on it.
Anyone else have this experience? (note, I did try wheels up/down, wheels in first/outward and all combinations, none work)
I have a B&R #U422NX expandable 22" rollerboard. I love the bag but the REAL size is 8.5 x 14.5 x 23". It does NOT fit in 2/3's of the overhead compartments wheels in first. I have to put it sideways. Fortunately for me I get priority boarding so so far it hasn't screwed me over but I'd bet it has screwed someone else over at some point. One time someone did flip my bag wheels in first after I put it in sideways. I very closely almost got screwed.
I wrote B&R and they replied:
"Briggs & Riley measures our luggage by the packing capacity. Most airlines have a 45 linear inch rule. This means that if you add up all three dimensions you need to get 45” or less. The total measurement of the bag is 44.5 linear inches. Therefore, making the luggage a carry-on. "
United has this as well as the normal 9x14x22". This bag conforms to neither of those restrictions. Yes, I should have tried it out ahead of time but I feel the labeling of this bag is flat out wrong. I continue to use the bag but wish others had pointed this out to me and stupid for taking B&R's word on it.
Anyone else have this experience? (note, I did try wheels up/down, wheels in first/outward and all combinations, none work)
I'm not sure it I have the same bag as you, for my computer case. It is listed as 03-BRW14-0150527-0 on the inside label.
I love this bag. If you pro-rate the cost, it is a steal. Paid about $250 for it 3 years ago. Use it everyday. About 6 months ago a wheel came loose in DFW and it would not roll. The concierge "McGeiver'd" it back together, I took it to the local B & R authorized repair shop and 30 minutes later walked out with new wheels (and no charge).
It will fit into any overhead (wheels up and backwards, zipper side down), even on RJ. I took it with me on a trip to Africa, schlepped it thru the savanna, and even fit it under a seat on a 29 seat prop plane! Figured if I messed it up, they would repair. I also traveled with a $9.99 rolling duffle from Value City.
I love my Briggs and Reilly (always want to call it Briggs and Strattons!)
Programs: AA EXP 1MM, UA 1K MM, Hilton Diamond, Costco General Member
Posts: 19,357
Briggs and Riley
I now have 8 pieces of B&R. All are incredibly well designed, sturdy and made of great material. Also the warranty is great. I dont get anything but B&R at this stage except for backpacks, which I get from LL Bean.
__________________
"And the only sound that's left after the ambulances go
Is Cinderella sweeping up on Desolation Row"
As what, decorations or luggage? No wheels, and one of the collections was lacquered???? Looks nice though. Maybe some of the larger pieces would make nice coffee tables. Im not sure how well that will hold up slamming into the overhead on an S80 though
__________________
"And the only sound that's left after the ambulances go
Is Cinderella sweeping up on Desolation Row"
Briggs and Reilly
)
