Originally Posted by
mspreh
For international, if you are checking it, I would avoid B&R.
All the B&R lovers talk about the warranty, but I'd rather have a bag that didn't need the repairs, or if it did the freight wouldn't cost me more than the repairs. Most of the B&R lovers on here talk about taking it carry on, and even then they have a harder time getting them in the overheads because of the handle design on the outside of the bag.
+ 1 (again) for B&R. I guess this is going to make me a B&R fan boy.
But...also check out what
Casey Neistat travels with. Whether or not you're a fan of Casey, it's hard to imagine luggage that takes such consistent beating.
I didn't buy my B&R for the warranty. I needed a bag in a hurry and I didn't find out about the warranty/brand until I had owned the bag for 10 years. To this day I confuse them with the guys that do lawnmowers.
And while my bag is a carry on size - it has always been checked. I've had to have the zipper pulls (not the zippers) replaced twice under warranty and I blame UA/CO both instances.
No other airline seems to damage my luggage in such a consistent way.
I recently found myself in need of a taller bag and I looked at a number of brands offering solutions.
I'm not a fan of the polycarbonates and all of the soft luggage offerings (including newer B&R's) didn't have the same quality feel.
But the B&R seemed better (or at least more familiar) than the rest and I picked up the medium roller duffel from Amazon UK (sold bythe Excess Baggage Company of all things).
It's heavier than it ought to be, deeper than I need and absurdly expensive. But if it lasts 2 decades (I'm assuming my current carry on will still be going) I'm not going to complain about the cost.