Thanks. I'm at the point where 3-4 years with luggage in this price range sounds like a decent plan to me.

I've got the same fear, though, and it (or a version of it) has come true already. One of the latches on my last Samsonite broke halfway through a 3-week international trip (12 planes, 7 hotels). Thankfully I was already using a luggage strap just in case, and was able to rig it to stay closed anyway. That's one reason I'm considering the eBags, despite its size - the unconditional lifetime warranty seems to be at least something of an indicator of quality.

I'll check out TJ Maxx, etc. I hadn't really thought about that recently. I got my first big roller from Marshalls at a real steal, and it lasted for years without any problems at all.