aktchi

I have been a luggage fanatic all my life, always looking for that perfect luggage that would serve me from +5* to -5* situations. You don't specify a few crucial details: To be checked or carried on? What size (approx)? Wheels or no wheels? Still, here are a few comments.

Traditional checked luggage w/wheels. Don't skimp on quality here, after all this is what you hand over to the airline. Travelpro is decent. The best value is Briggs & Riley (they also have a lifetime "no questions asked" warranty). Tumi is good quality and has many fans, but is overpriced and has a reputation for poor warranty service.

I would buy Briggs & Riley. Color choices are not great, but you can personalize them yourself with ribbons and luggage tags (see tagsforbags.com). Or have some kids in the family draw on them with magic markers.

Checked luggage w/o wheels. Wheels, handle, and frame add a lot of weight to the luggage (about 10 lbs to a checked piece). For strongest and lightest bag, consider "Safari-Beanos PR 5.5" by Red Oxx, a highly specialized manufacturer based in Montana: http://redoxx.com/catalog/safari-bea...053-pr5-5.html. They do come larger, but this one is sized to remain under 50 lb limit when packed.

Most Red Oxx products come in all 12 colors you see in the just cited page! Browse the Red Oxx site for other interesting choices. They too offer lifetime warranty; they remind you to be sure to leave your luggage in your will.

Wheeled carry-on. Not my favorite kind, as wheels reduce capacity (by 30%-40%) and increase weight (by about 5 lbs), but if you must have wheels, I recommend Briggs & Riley again, followed by Travelpro. Don't skimp on quality because you may have to check this piece! For a comparative review of many brands see http://thetravelinsider.info/travela...ryonwinner.htm.

Carry-on shoulder bags. If you can manage without wheels, I'd recommend a few Red Oxx models (browse http://redoxx.com/catalog/cat_airlin...n-luggage.html):
Air Boss for versatile multi-compartment bag (http://redoxx.com/catalog/carry-on/p...-air-boss.html)
PR5 Safari Beanos (redoxx.com/catalog/p_91031-pr5.html), or its smaller sibling
PR4 Safari Beanos (http://redoxx.com/catalog/safari-bea...91031-pr4.html

The above come in all 12 Red Oxx colors.

Briggs & Riley also make great shoulder bags. Color choices are limited---basically "black" and "non-black" (grey or olive) ---but materials and construction quality are exceptional.

The following pages by an opinionated expert make interesting reading for carry-ons, even if you are not a "one bag" type and you certainly don't have to agree with him on everything:
onebag.com/bags.html
onebag.com/leisure-bags.html
onebag.com/business-bags.html
onebag.com/wheeled-bags.html
onebag.com/creeping-bloat.html

In general, I like and recommend Briggs & Riley as well as Red Oxx for exceptional quality, fair price, and the best imaginable warranty. Boyt is another good one; if you find one on clearance, don't hesitate. Avoid designer names. Avoid store brands (except maybe Costco, but it is mediocre not exceptional). Avoid luggage sets. Avoid leather. Try to avoid wheels at least on your carry-on (as noted above, they add approx 5 lb to a carry-on, and 10 lbs or more to a checked suitcase).

Hope this helps somewhat. Good luck.