ll bean duffles
 

Hello everyone,

While I usually travel carry on only, I am in the market for a larger bag for travelling to and from school. I want a bag that is lightweight but durable and inexpensive. Tall order, I know. I was thinking of getting an ll bean medium rolling duffle. Thoughts?


http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/63915...-duffle-medium

It may be too long at 23 inches. 45 total inches is the max but 22 is usually the longest.

Look at the website of the airline hat you fly. THey will advise for dimensions of allowed carry on

Yeah, with the plastic frame likely wont fit into the spacer. Often with luggage the measurements exclude the full diameter of the wheels as well.

Just to clarify: I already have a good carry on, I am looking for checked luggage. I picked that size because I am 90% sure I can pack it to 50lbs and 100% sure packing the next size up full would be over 50 lbs.

Red Oxx ?
 

If wheels aren't a neccesity, check out the Red Oxx Aviator series of duffel bags. Inexpensive, lifetime warranty, tough.

I sure it will be ok. If not, LLBean has always done right by me with a repair/replacement. The price is good.

Yes, we use these to check heavy unbreakable stuff. I do take the precaution of using large trash bags as liners to keep everything as dry as possible.

We also use Red Oxx Aviator bags in several sizes to carry photo gear (unbreakable) when driving. Lots of abuse to those bags and not a sign of any damage.

The come in mesh and regular. We started with mesh for the car bags but I can't remember why. The next order will be for the regular fabric.

As a petite female, I worry about being able to carry a 50lb bag without wheels. Would you suggest I get the red oxx aviator bag with a luggage cart over the ll bean duffle?

Wheels
 

O.K. I now understand your preference/need for a wheeled bag. I love the Red Oxx stuff, but why complicate things by adding a set of luggage wheels? L.L. Bean's offerings will probably do the job nicely in this case. Happy travels.

For a student, I would suggest your local TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Ross, Tuesday Morning, or similar. They sometimes have excellent bargains on last years' models.

A duffel style bag is definitely preferred to minimize storage space requirements.

also - costco. 1/2 the price of ll bean and more than functional

I've had two LL Bean backpacks. One lasted 11+ years (used for school, carrying books, etc.), and my current one for 12+ years (finishing school, travel, gym bag).

I don't know about the specific product you're looking at, but I know my backpacks are/were extremely durable. I would guess that the product is durable.

You might look at this one:

http://practicaltravelgear.com/eagle...ks-down-tight/

More expensive, but lighter weight and folds down small. Also, no ridgid handle, so less things to break from rough handling.

If you are going to check it in,that is fine,but then again you get a better deal at a Marshalls or Ross or Burlington Coat Factory at possible half or less then what you will be spending at LL Bean.


^

Stuffing 50 lbs. into a 1'x1'x2' space will require some pretty heavy items. If, as a student, you're lugging a lot of books and papers you can probably do it. If it's not all heavy items, though, you might want to consider the large size. It's still within airline size limits.

The Eagle Creek bag referenced above looks interesting but the frameless design would require very careful packing. LLBean's reputation would assure you theat you would have a strong, reliable bag, but I've personally never owned one. The color choices will let you select an option that you can easily find on the carousel.

JimS