I think all of us spend a lot of time on the road thinking about the perfect bag and the travel kit!

I was the biggest Tumi believer for decades, but I eventually got tired of my luggage getting destroyed when checked in. I took a bus in Africa, and the driver threw my Tumi carry-on underneath in the storage. There must have been a piece of metal sticking up because it sliced the side of the nylon like a knife through butter. Another time, one of the zippers got caught in the luggage carousel at PHX airport, tearing the side of the bag open and spilling all my belongings onto the carousel, much to the amusement of everyone watching. Nothing was ever covered by Tumi, and that was the last straw, if felt like ever other year I was dropping another $600 on Tumi.

I switched to Briggs & Riley for a two-wheel carry-on. I'm about 6'1" tall, and maybe I have short arms, but the B&R was the first one with a long handle. For the first time, the bag didn't hit my heels when I pulled it behind me. I ended up with a couple of B&R bags, mostly because of their lifetime "we fix anything" warranty.

Some years ago, I tried a Rimowa Cabin Plus after reading all the hype here. It was my first experience with a four-wheel carry-on, and the main reason I chose it was that it was technically wider than legal for carry-on but the legal length from top to bottom. I took it on hundreds of flights and never had a problem taking it as a carry-on, although I don't doubt some airlines stop them. I can't say I'm completely sold on the clamshell design. I don't struggle with packing; it just feels awkward when I want to grab something from my bag in the terminal or in hotels. It seems like I need an unreasonable amount of space to open up and unpack compared to the old Tumi or B&R, where you just open it up on top and dig around.

I travel quite frequently with Pelican cases filled with equipment (check-in only) all over the world. They are bombproof but incredibly heavy. I started only buying the Pelican Lite series, which are much lighter, or the Pelican Storm cases because I prefer the more square design and the latches are easier to manage. The Storm 2950 and the Air 1615 are my go-to check-in Pelicans with wheels. You can't hurt them, but you have to watch the weight; it’s easy to over-pack them.

I see a lot of people on our film teams using the Pelican 1535 as a carry-on suitcase. I can't imagine using it for more than a night or two; it's really small inside. I also find the handle too short; I can't pull it behind me without constantly kicking it with my heels.

I started another thread asking if there’s a polycarbonate carry-on available that matches the dimensions of the oversized Rimowa Cabin Plus - 22.4" x 17.3". I want to get another one, but they don’t seem to make them anymore. Anyone have suggestions?