@hotindallas I hope you weren't offended by my tongue-in-cheek reply of "intelligent enough to know learn how to pack".
If you are interested at all in learning it, please do check out the packing masterthread stickied at the top of this forum. When I learned the tricks of proper packing it has changed the way I travel BIG TIME. Faster, lighter, more efficient, more comfortable, even cheaper because I now can live indefinitely from a 22" roller or equivalent duffel. No more lost bags, no more pilfered bags, no more waiting at the baggage claim. Love it.
And even when I do have so much things to take that I need to check a bag, my goods are packed very neatly and arrive in tip top shape usually.
I do own one really nice rolling garment bag (Samsonite ProDLX). The thing is about as big as a 24" suitcase. It fits three suits, a couple of pants, sweaters, t's etc. But fitting shoes is a hassle and overall the packing takes longer. It is also very heavy. I use it now mostly for car travel and if I know I will go somewhere, where the conditions are a bit dusty and not super comfortable (e.g. visiting an artists studio and staying there - I'm an art historian). Usually there is no closet. The garment bag then serves as my closet and I hang it over a door or on a hook on the wall.
Cheers from the hot Austin,
Till
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No offense taken; I actually am quite a good packer from years of business travel. The garment bags are more for leisure trips and vacations with the wife. Outside of suits and dress slacks, virtually everything we both own is 100% cotton or linen that doesn't travel well when folded. We've found through the years that hanging our shirts/blouses and other cotton items etc gets them to the destination virtually wrinkle free. We've used garment bags for this purpose for so long that packing them is a breeze.
One thing I really like about the Tumi bags is that they have a zipper compartment in the floor of the bag that utilizes the wheel compartment space and is a great place for shoes and toiletries because it is essentially "free" space. The B&R bags have the removable fold out that is great for long dresses. Both bags have their pluses and minuses as far as functionality and neither is a direct replacement functionally for the two Hartmann bags that we lost.
Everyone keeps talking about stolen bags but in close to 40 years of travel with Hartmann bags I've never had one lost or stolen. Maybe we're just lucky but that has been our experience. Whichever way we go I am going to miss the easy identification in baggage claim that Hartmann offers. I'm very sad to see their quality and functionality slipping.
Thanks for the help and advice. I now need to consult my bride to see if she cares one way or the other; I know she has ruled out Hartmann which makes it a little easier.