Originally Posted by Mellonc

You bring up a very good point. Most people don't realize how important a frame is to a bag. When a frame is broken or bent, you can't (or can with huge labor cost) fix it. You have a get a new frame and resew the whole fabric on it. In other words, you are better of getting a new bag.

Tumi bags are a bit more thought through in the process than some of the Seattle made cloth bags that simply has two pieces of fabric and bunch of Chinese made (and Japanese designed) YKK zippers. The Tumi stuff has an outer fabric, frame, inner foam and inner fabric all sewn into a single piece and then additional pockets and zippers all over the place. Read: Cheaper labor cost from foreign countries help in that regard.

I recently got a hand-me-down Briggs bag with a crushed frame. Sent it in to its repair center and at my own cost and got it back a month later with a new frame. They told me they restitched about half of the bag. It was a long wait but at least it was fixed.

IMHO. Tumi should just give you a new bag.