pgrin

Travelpro Bold 22" Expandable Rollaboard

Fits in all overheads. No sizer problems. I customized this bad boy by replacing the wheels with high density urethane inline skate wheels. Off with the hard plastic clack, clack, clack. This bag glides across all surfaces in silent stealth mode. It is a pleasure to pull. No vibration up into the elbow. I had a car service driver convinced the wheels were motorized it pulls so easily. As for 4 wheel spinners I have personally seen several travelers go ... over tea cups with these including one older women who fractured her hip on a jet bridge. This design is inherently unstable and space wasting. The wheels hang off the bottom and a begging to get snapped off.

kochleffel

I have this ebags rollaboard and have been pleased with it:
https://www.ebags.com/luggage/carry-...r=fits-22-14-9.

Until 2018 I always used an older ebags non-wheeled bag, but I happened to dislocate my shoulder shortly before traveling and the ortho doc said that I could go, but only if I used a wheeled bag--there was just enough time for the wheeled one to arrive.

scryer999

I own Briggs, Tumi, Travelpro, and a cheapy Samsonite to haul ski boots in. I'd probably stick with the B&R if I were you.

With 100 nights a year you need something that will hold up, and you are an experienced traveler who understands that spinners are terrible. That takes a lot of luggage off the table, particularly with Samsonite's acquisition of Tumi and Hartmann and subsequent brand devaluations. My old Tumi is rock solid but I wouldn't touch the new stuff; my wife's bought it more recently (as is Samsonite's design for the now "fashion" brand) and it has not held up. You're paying for the label, not the luggage.

The B&R is the "perfect bag" but does not have a removable suiter -- well, true, technically. However, the space eater with the suiter is the crease flap with the roll bars -- and that is removable, at least on the ones in my closet and featured on the web site. Yes, you still have the middle flap with the tie compartment, but that will compress into the lid quite easily and they have left extra fabric at the fold to enable that. I think you gain far more space with B&R's compression system than you are losing with the remaining 1/2 a suiter flap.

The Travelpro will work. It's a pretty good bag and flight attendants wouldn't keep using them, despite the presumed subsidy, if they didn't. I'm just not sure the construction will hold up at the travel volume, and I don't think in the end you get more space.

aww3583

Thank you for the detailed reply. I weighed pretty heavily the B&R decision. The perfectly-sized B&R bag has the suiter, as you described, and is $600. That's a lot of coin for something that's not perfect.

A previous poster recommended the now-discontinued Kirkland (Costco) bag. I found one on Poshmark for $60. I haven't taken it on a trip yet, but first impressions are favorable. It's used and got some miles on it from a cosmetic standpoint. The only minor quibble at this point is that it's pretty heavy. Hopefully that means its structurally sound. Fingers crossed.

WarringDanimal

I am unfortuantely replacing my Kirkland 2-wheel rollaboard and struggling to find a comparable replacement with as much expansion ability for bigger trips and bringing stuff back as checked luggage. All of the other two wheelers on the market seem to expand up to 1.75 inches when the Kirkland bag goes at least 4 inches the way I pack it in a pinch.

Adam Smith

I think my old Tumi Alpha 2 is nearing the end of its life, and figured I might go replace it with the current incarnation, as I've generally been quite happy with that bag.

I recognize that 4-wheel bags are quite popular, but I was shocked and dismayed to see that 2-wheel bags seem to be dying out. I would have thought there were enough frequent travellers who appreciated the extra space and durability of the 2-wheel bags to keep that segment alive - or more alive than it currently is.

Thanks to those who have contributed to this thread. Before I started doing some searching tonight (before visiting this thread), I had figured I was in that very early stage of starting to think about maybe making a purchase at some point in the not-too-distant future, but with the scarcity of options on the market, am now thinking that I might not have another few months to wait. I might just buy a B&R or whatever looks good and stick it in the closet until the old Tumi wears out.

WilcoRoger

Unfortunately the 2 wheelers are more or less extinct, be it checked or carryon luggage.

ikwia

I really don't understand this. There isn't enough demand for Tumi, for example, to keep even a single 2-wheel model available?

TWA884

While 2-wheel luggage may not be as popular as the spinners, it is far from extinct. There are plenty of options by Briggs & Riley, TravelPro, Thule, Timbuk2, Eagle Creek, Samsonite and others.

Hoyaheel

All our luggage is 2 wheeled -we both hate 4 wheel spinners. Most of my luggage is Eagle Creek - love those chunky wheels! - so sad they're not going to be around more. No clue what I'll do if my bags ever die.....

I do have one B&R 2 wheel - but I bought (discounted from Sierra Trading Post) in 2014 - BRX Explore Upright Suitcase - 22
FYI REI has some 2 wheel options - tend to be more rolling duffels (my husband has one of the North Face rolling duffels - it's his favorite carry-on) but not sure a duffel would work for OP.....REI also is still selling Eagle Creek.....

aww3583

I appreciate posters bumping my year-old thread.

I ended up purchasing a Kirkland roll-aboard used off of Poshmark. For $70 (after shipping and handling), it couldn't be beat. The only minor issue I have is that it is relatively heavy.

But, the wheels are as smooth as any I've seen, including B&R bags, and the zippers are large, high quality, and very smooth to operate.

All in all, very happy with the purchase!

WilcoRoger

You are probably right, though I went thru the luggage section of KaDeWe last weekend - not one two-wheeler on view.

I'm a Rimowa guy myself and they stopped two-wheelers ages ago. - now here's hoping that my current ones will see out my traveling years

ikwia

Yes, that's a great bag. I am looking to get another one to have on hand for when my current one eventually dies.

Adam Smith

I was on the Samsonite website the other night, prior to visiting this thread, and there were none there. That would probably have been the Canadian site, but I doubt the offering is different in the US.

TWA884

I Googled before I posted, and one of the articles in the search results, not the Samsonite website, mentioned a particular Samsonite rollaboard model. I can't replicate it now and since I used my office computer, I can't look up the browser history. There are two 2-wheel carry-on bags listed on the US Samsonite site, Detour 22" Wheeled Duffel and Insignis Underseater Wheeled Carry-On; neither one is the model which was referenced in the articles that I read.