BB: Thanks for posting the links; there's some good information there. I'll start looking into B & R.

But they don't really address my original question, what should the lifetime of a top of the line bag be? Is 4 years "good"? Is it worth it to pay top dollar?

And am still looking for recommendations for a good big (not carry-on) bag; most of the recommendations are for smaller bags that can fit in UA luggage templates.