Hello everyone,

My checked bag was rendered inoperable on my current trip, and I need to purchase another bag in the next week or so before flying home. I have done some reading around the web and have decided to bite the bullet and purchase a B&R bag, mainly due to the warranty. I would like to survey some opinions on the best candidates for my needs.

I travel frequently, with my travel usually consisting of 4 to 5 day trips by car, with occasional 2 to 3 week trips to D.C. The majority of my travel does not involve flying, but I would still prefer heavy duty luggage that can stand up to the rigors of frequent travel. I generally check one bag when flying, and I believe my now defunct bag is a 26" or 27" bag, which gets bulky and has gotten me very close to (and sometimes over) the 50lb limit. I generally fly American out of DFW and DCA on MD80s, which will affect my choice of a carryon. I have never traveled internationally, but I would like to do so at some point in the near future.

What I am looking at for immediate purchase to replace my checked bag is the B&R Expandable 24" Baseline w/ suiter (U524LX) http://www.briggs-riley.com/category...4LX&sec=travel. At $500, it is very pricey, but if I would consider it money well spent if the warranty is honored and it protects my possessions adequately. At some point in the future, I would like to purchase a carryon as well, but it would have to fit in an MD80 overhead, and I would like to consider the possibility of international travel as well. The three options I am looking at are:

20" Carry-On Expandable Upright (U420LX) http://www.briggs-riley.com/category...y-on%20luggage
20" Carry-On International Upright (U420LC) http://www.briggs-riley.com/category...y-on%20luggage
18" Carry-On Expandable Upright (U418X) http://www.briggs-riley.com/category...y-on%20luggage

I would welcome any thoughts that the experienced travelers here have on the matter. Thanks for reading my lengthy post!