Originally Posted by
februaryfour
High Sierra seems to make something actually durable. My husband's wheeled duffel is over a decade old. He was using it for weekly trips between Denver and Washington DC when he was consulting there some years ago, and he doesn't travel as much anymore, but still uses it. It seems relatively water-resistant (not that we've submerged it or anything, but it didn't get anything inside wet when caught in the rain) and the wheels also seem very durable.
I'm not sure how you measure volume, but give them a look?
http://www.ebags.com/category/luggag...rigin=left_nav However, if you NEED hardside, I'm not sure these will meet your needs.
If I were to buy a duffel again it would have to have a proper hard bottom, something even better (ABS) than this
Delsey Beaubourg .A big issue with duffels is the soft underbelly which leads to the handle tube being bent/snapped. I've had this happen on much higher end duffels than the High Sierra or Delsey.
Originally Posted by
Rusearch
Perhaps the Eagle Creek Lync system would work. I am thinking that you could remove the wheel system and put into the duffel portion just before checking. May be worth a trip to see one in person.
This is interesting. It's a take on the collapsiple shopping trolley. The biggest one (29"/74L) got my attention although at 300 it better be a good bag besides this party trick. I will keep it in mind as a duffel option but I've sworn to stop buying duffels!
While my experience has not been too bad on items being crushed or leaked, this is largely because I end up wasting packing volume in wrapping extra. All duffels I've bought in memory are the high grade/denier nylon so no issues with rips or tears but zipper malfunction is common even with the priciest of bags. Duffels are meant for convenience but it seems my travel destinations/means are too demanding for this type.
OK, the best I can come up with after hours of searching:
Samsonite Aeris, 71cm
Not convinced about durability, mixed reviews on amazon, etc.
Peli Storm iM2750 and the slightly larger
iM2875
These are lighter than regular Pelican like 1610M or 1620M. The handle also seems better (single handle operation unlike the 1620, etc.), it seems the wheels are replaceable.
The 2750 is easily within the 62" combined L+H+W checked bag rule limit common in the US at 58.7", weighs 18lb/8KG which is about double regular options (duffle or regular hardside). At first sounds a huge difference but I can handle reducing my allowance by 4KG.
The 2875 is just within the 62" checked bag rules at 61.7" but it seems this one can sometimes be treated as oversize. Slightly heavier. Better value overall as more volume for slightly more money and weight.