I've got a nice 21" B&R expandable carryon that I've been using for at least 10 years now. Still in great shape. (I also have a 24" or 26" version that I check and their deluxe travel tote.) I've been very happy with their quality - but I haven't bought any luggage in 10 years.
I'm getting ready to do some more international travel, and since my understanding is that the international airlines are more strict on carryon sizing I'm wondering if I should get something smaller/lighter to use? And if so I'm looking for recommendations. The recent thread on
TravelPro vs B&R vs Tumi has got me thinking, since I do have a Tumi Alpha briefcase that I like. So while I love the B&R warranty, if I feel like spending the extra cash I might go for Tumi. (And if I really like it I might use it for domestic travels.)
B&R has an 18" model in the Baseline collection - but Tumi has quite a few "international" rollers in their Alpha line. I'm wondering two things:
1) Which one is the best apples to apples comparison vs the B&R Baseline 18"?
2) Is one of their compact ones better to get if I'm going to be doing travel to/from/in Europe? Based on what I've heard my main concerns would be weight and then size. I'm looking for a bag that I would be VERY unlikely to have to check. I don't think I'm looking at too many regional jets - just the usual international flights.
I've had trouble before - I love it when a bag that you took on the flight TO Europe is a problem on the way back...
ETA: For the money I would be spending on the Tumi I guess I could get a Salsa Air Ultralight...but size wise it does worry me. It looks like Lufthansa would make me check it, for example. That's why I was looking at the "18" class in the first place.