SanDiego1K

I pay a lot of attention to what exbayern posts in this thread. I've bought suitcases based on her recommendations and been very happy. The Travel DeLite is my favorite. I hope it lives a long time. Still, I like to have backups. So I went ahead and bought this bag. It was a deal at the price and I really like the color. I had gone to the Lipault store in Paris, wasn't confident I liked the design, and didn't buy. Now, given the $75 price, I took the risk. I used the bag for a 2 night trip this past weekend and was quite happy with it. It doesn't hold as much as the Travel DeLite and is a few ounces heavier. Its fabric is like a puffy winter coat, rather than the sleek ballistic fabric of the DeLite. The plus side is that it has a bit more structure. I was able to put a very light case on top over the handles and have it still stand upright. It has a side handle as well as a top handle so can be grabbed easily from the overhead compartment on the plane. The wheels are good and the bar is sturdy. It pulls easily.

There are a couple features where I scratch my head and wonder what they were thinking. The most serious error is the outside pocket. The zipper is up under the puffy fabric, about 1/3 way from the top. It is impossible to zip it when the suitcase is standing upright. I can't get in and out of it easily. Also, I like a smaller outer pocket where I can put an umbrella or gloves/muffler. This lacks that. I like mesh inner pockets where I can see thru the mesh and know what is within. This has opaque inner pockets. The side inner pocket is to the back rather than the front when the case is unzipped. But these are small things. I am very happy to have this suitcase in my family of lightweight cases.

exbayern

You got a great deal! This week was the second markdown (for those not familiar with France sales, there are two official sales a year, which have progressive markdowns)

I've been looking online and in shops, and nothing here came close to that Amazon price. I'm really glad that you did manage to take advantage of that deal, as I do think that it was one of the best so far in this thread in terms of value. (I believe that my original Travelite was a bargain being one of the very last on German Amazon, but that Lipault is probably even better priced)

Enjoy, and it was nice to see for once an item less expensive to US buyers on this thread...

cathammer

For anyone looking for a bargain carry-on right now, I ran across this yesterday while looking for something to downsize our bags for a vacation that includes a few European regional flights. Bought two.

As I measure, it comes in right on 5 lbs, & 19" x 13" (maybe 13.5" to outside of wheel guards) x 7" (expandable another 2"), overall, including wheels...might could be squished in another 1/2" each dimension if you had to.

Obviously, it's not super heavy duty, but it appears sturdy for what it is, and has a surprising number of decent features: Formed metal interior frame about 1-1/2" wide that runs the center of the full perimeter and backs up the side & top handles. Interior curved sheet-plastic corner stiffeners & wire-frame edge supports. Two flat zippered exterior pockets & a larger one behind them on the interior (mostly for fairly thin things). Two snap-release buckle interior packing straps & a heavier exterior strap/buckle to secure another small bag to it. "Skateboard" wheels. Pull handle that extends up to 24", with several stops in-between.

Sorry, not trying to sell them, just wanted to provide details since websites are often short on in-depth details.

On sale at only $20 ($18 if you order online w/code CUPID in the next couple of days), I considered it a deal if it only lasts thru the one trip, & it seems tough enough to make it longer if you're not too hard on it.

Hope this is useful to someone.

exbayern

Sometimes the inexpensive things last a surprisingly long time. I purchased one at a similar pricepoint at Target almost a decade ago, and my sister sometimes uses it. I'm currently using the very cheap Check In I posted upthread as a checked bag, and it is still going strong.

I looked at this last week; not cheap, but still quite effective I think http://www.tumi.com/product/index.js...uctId=12293499

freecia

Eagle Creek showed a few bags at the recent Outdoor Retailer conference which will release in Fall 2014.
http://www.snewsnet.com/press-releas...for-fall-2014/

I'm honestly not quite sure about these. The wheel-less load hauler looked the most interesting until I saw that at 10" in depth prior to expansion. I'd likely put too much in it and it would have to be wedged into sizer frames. It also seems that by choosing to make it 10" deep instead of 2" wider would throw off center of balance a bit more in backpack or briefcase mode. I own the current 22" Load Warrior and do like it, though since I purchased it for the relatively light weight, I'm not sure I'd evaluate the Tandem Warrior as favorably due to the additional 1 lb 8 oz for a zip off duffel.

Cloudship

I tried one of the morphus. While good in theory, it ends up eating a lot of storage space in the bag, pretty much negating any gains with the thin bottom shell. If they simply made a decent 22in duffel that used the hard shell bottom and external handle, I think that would be a strong product.

exbayern

I found a luggage repair shop which has given the zipper of my Travelite v2 some loving care and attention for the grand total of $2 (I had brought in my full size bag for a much needed zipper repair, and asked if he could do anything about my Travelite)

I hope that this stretches it for another year of use, but the zippers are definitely the weak parts of the old and the new version. I'd recommend addressing any shortfalls as soon as you seem them as once the zipper weakens it really becomes costly to make repairs. The cost to repair my original version would have been about the cost of the bag originally.

sfmom

After driving myself crazy trying to find bags for my kids that were very light, under 22/14/9 and spinners (and could make breakfast) I finally decided to try a couple of these:

http://www.lojel.us/wave/carry-on-19-5/wave-s-100.html

Claims to be the right size and 4.3 pounds. Plus they came in fun "girly" colors for my image-conscious daughter. I had been looking at the Rimowa but the 15+ width really worried me (why are so many bags made over regulation size?). There were very few mentions of this brand online, though. Anyone out there got one?

I'll report back when they arrive.

SanDiego1K

Very intriguing. In looking for pictures of the interior, I found a reduced price at Overstock.com. It has a good picture of the interior. Add it to the cart to see the $170 price.

I look forward to your report.

Elmo151

if anyone is interested in acquiring the travelite starlit II it is being sold on ebay by a company in Germany for 119 euro + 19 euro for shipping

sfmom

They just arrived and they look good. I measured them and they appear to be the right size and passed the lift-with-one-finger test. They have some nice features, like the lock and the net mesh on one side. While not as sexy looking as the Rimowas they are more fun, which works for my kids. The only downside I see now is that it has only one handle on top - it's a nice handle but still. They are taking their maiden voyage next month, which will give me a better idea how they perform.

lovetheduns

I *like* this suitcase- but it is beyond fragile. One trip on a short flight checked (not my choice but it happened). Non-stop from RDU to BOS-- ripped the fabric like a too ripe peach in the back. Cheap material.

I wanted to love her-- I saw tons of them in Paris and their cute hard sided ones, but I only take it on car trips now.

royalbrett

I found this Delsey http://shop.delsey.us/trolley-boardc...ote/27918.html at Kohl's on sale for $79.99. Fits great on the CRJs I was just on.

freecia

Eagle Creek EC Lync offers a convertible backpack + wheels for 4 lbs 9 oz - 22" size or 4 lbs 6 oz - 20" size. I believe that makes it almost 1.5 lbs lighter than other similar convertibles and it can be stored away in a bag. It is 1 lb 14 oz without the wheeled frame which keeps it on the lighter side for a 22" 43 L backpack, though probably not the lightest. It has the "No Matter What" warranty unlike the Load Warrior 22" which has the lesser coverage the lifetime warranty.

http://www.eaglecreek.com/eclync-system

http://www.rei.com/product/879699/ea...led-luggage-22

Interesting concept. It looks like the back of the bag doesn't have a stiffener and relies on the bar + frame? Could be useful as the fabric holding the single pole might allow a flatter back to the bag's interior.

NYTA

Wow - looks like a great idea - but the price is rather high for what it is. Funny - I thought about doing something similar to my Cabin Zero bag but didn't have the time to figure out how to rig the wheels. I guess the best thing about it would be if there's a way to keep the frame in an appropriate sized "personal item" bag and then once it has been weighed then put the wheels back on.