brandall10

It looks like the Baseline line was just refreshed: https://www.briggs-riley.com/pages/baseline

Aside from aesthetics, which I do find more appealing (esp the green), can anyone point out any actual improvements?

Thinking about ordering the 25"... it's about $150 more vs. what I can get the older model for on other places online, thinking it's probably worth it as they may have worked out any known kinks, but I dunno. It also appears to be a bit heavier as well, but from what I understand B&R fibbed a bit in the past, maybe this is just an accurate spec now. Also silly question - what's the point of the CX system on the 25"? Fully expanded it should still be under the 62 linear inch limit. It seems being a checked bag it might be a bad idea to crunch it down if TSA could open the bag and have trouble zipping it back up, maybe damaging something.

On a side note, the purpose for this isn't standard travel (my red oxx tres hombres does just fine for 1-2 week trips) but to supplement a digital nomad lifestyle where I'd be moving to a new shared house every 1-2 months - I'd like to bring more clothes/shoes, scuba/exercise gear, etc. So it'll only be checked about 8-9 times per year, but I can't be in a situation where a repair will take more than a few weeks - between the inherent durability of the bag, the no questions warranty/support network, free parts, etc, it seems I'm fairly well covered... that said, is my concern unfounded and something like this is overkill considering the relatively light use?

TPACjv

Tbh, I think the cx system just adds weight and limits how you can pack because it only works well with soft cloth items that can tolerate being cinched down aggressively.

If you have hard/sensitive equipment or lots of shoes or athletic equipment not amenable to being cinched down, it's not going to be effective for you.

That said, I would suggest a trunk or duffel shape instead because it would better accommodate hard or irregular shaped items - even better if the cinch system were lightweight and completely internal, like the rimowa packing platters.

In terms of international service, I'm not sure b&r is the way to go unless you get to north America regularly as my understanding is their main repair center is in ny and I don't know how extensive their local partner repair centers are abroad anymore. So you may want to check out the international service capacity of tumi or rimowa and others before deciding on b&r.

brandall10

Fair points. I'll primarily be in the US, possibly Latin America (need to remain in US timezones for work) and the checked bag will mostly be clothes and shoes to free up the Tres Hombres to hold more hard/heavy/expensive items... so it shouldn't have issue compressing, I just don't get the point of actually doing it. I guess there's some slight utility in not really compressing but having the bag 'right sized' for the contents seeing as it appears to have multiple stops.

As far as Tumi/Rimowa, don't really want to go further upmarket or be a target for theft, but happy to pay for durability - to a point. More thinking about getting a kinda durable but cheap option that I can just toss and replace if something happens, though not a fan of creating unnecessary waste.

TPACjv

The point of compressing is to fill the interior space as completely as possible, protecting the bag and contents and allows more efficient packing while also protecting the cx mechanism. I think leaving it un compressed would risk damaging the system.

Price-wise briggs is quite close to certain rimowa products and not always so distant from tumi, especially on sale. Though within the br family, I think the duffel or trunk might suit you better.

Looking at other brands may give you a better idea of what you really need as well and you may find an even better value proposition along the way.

Badenoch

My two favourite bags are certainly not improved. I don't care for the redesign of the Expandable Cabin Bag and moving the CX119 to spinner-only means it goes from my favourite rolling carry-on bag to a bag I don't want.

Global Adventurer

Agree. And overall they just look cheaper. The handles on the original Expandable Cabin Bag is a suede leather and the new ones are a cheap web material. And the new handles snap, which is a hassle to me. I like the magnetic closures on the original. I had posted all the new ones when they first came out in a different thread because I was too lazy to make a new thread. lol But, overall I'm just glad I purchased all my B&R luggage before these newer ones came out. And I'm glad I purchased extra handles and wheels, that way they should last "my" lifetime😁

brandall10

Appears to be leather looking at the photos.

I prefer the look, but I can certainly understand a preference for the older... they went from a more understated utilitarian look to attempting to inject a bit more style, look less boxy. In a way it seems to go against the ethos of the brand.

Changed things up and ordered a 22" domestic spinner in blue w/ an expandable medium brief in grey as they complement each other in a way, will be putting the Tres Hombres in storage as I think ~70l of space will probably be enough for my needs.

Global Adventurer

After looking at the handles on the brownish model, yes it does look like leather. But those snaps...ugh. Also, I like the hidden pocket location on the older model. The newer models look nice, but I'll stick with my older model, and also the back slide in sleeve on the older model is wider and helps to easily slide it over another piece of luggage when it's stiffed. I already have another older model in my Amazon cart to buy before they discontinue them totally.

brandall10

I am kinda coming around to liking the older smaller carryons more - it seems the slightly oblong shape also probably gives up a bit of storage, esp. on an item where you want to maximize that as much as possible per stated dimensions. And I do agree that a magnetic closure makes more sense than snaps, maybe they moved away because there was some failure point (or the leather got scuffed up too much or something), as it doesn't *seem* like it would be a cost cutting measure.

For the larger luggage the only design element I'm sideways on is the monogram holder, esp. if you don't actually get the monogram. I ordered these without monogram as I need to get these within the next week and the off-chance I want to return if a test pack doesn't work out. I see you can order a monogrammed replacement blank for $20 for the @work series, hopefully it will come out for this new baseline soon as well.

brandall10

I've been second guessing my purchase of the 22" domestic spinner against the old model as it's $120 cheaper on Amazon. Some of the things I've noticed from comparing the suitcases in photos -

- Front pocket zips much further down
- Quick access pocket moved to the top of the case
- 2 pockets, instead of 1, underneath the suiter
- Beige interior, looks to be somewhat cleaner/more snug in appearance.
- zipper heads have this sort of hardset alignment... unsure if there's any functional benefit (or detriment) and/or it's just to lend a cleaner look
- front and rear wheels are the same size
- wheels are color blocked to the case, bit of a cleaner look
- front wheels are now molded around the corners of the case and pushed forward ~1"
- (from marketing material) shock absorption for the wheels

While most of these are minor... the 3 functional improvements to the wheels lead me to believe the newer bag will be a fair bit more stable, which is important as I'll be really packing it solid, so I'll just stick with my order.

Badenoch

That's my main issue with the Expandable Cabin Bag. The utilitarian look of the older model made it look more like a business laptop case than fancy luggage. I'll wait until I see one in person but the new version's "style" seems a bit out of place for my purposes.

Global Adventurer

The only thing I like about the new ones is that all the wheels are the same size. I actually like the single long pocket on the suiter because it can hold a variety of things at different lengths. I use that pocket on every trip and wouldn't like it shorter or divided at all. But, they moved that hidden pocket to the front of th expandable bag which I definitely don't like. I'm 100% sure I will never buy any of the new pieces as my current bags will out last me. But, I'll give them an A+ for fixing the wheels.

brandall10

Possibly more significant is pushing the wheels out to the corner of the bag... looks like the spindles are about an inch further forward by eyeballing it. - esp. if you pack heavy or put much stuff in that front pocket to the point where it's prone to tip.

brandall10

Received my luggage yesterday. After a test pack I was able to get just about everything I need w/ a few minor concessions. Really love both items quite a bit - the brief in particular is nicer than I would have expected based on the photos (both quality of materials and comfort). Its ability to expand allows me to fit my scuba regulator bag (including 2 regulators/octopus, mask, snorkel, diving watch/AI unit) inside the middle... with 2 laptops, liquids bag, all computing supplies. It's an amazingly efficient bag. My entire life, at least for the next 6 months, fits in these two bags.

The combo of both bags loaded up and stacked... easily over 50 lbs between them, is super stable with no propensity to tip over wood and low pile carpet.

Confirmed w/ B&R support that monogrammed tags for the new Baselines will be available momentarily. The screws to change them out are on the inside of the pocket instead of the outside.

One thing I don't really see is any suspension system w/ the wheels. Maybe the bottom of the bag has a bit more give, but the wheels and the wheel mechanism don't seem to compress. Also the zipper alignment only applies to the top pocket that tucks into the bag, it's clear the rest were just aligned for product shots - no magnetic alignment or anything like Tumi.

Global Adventurer

What is the name of the bag on top the spinner?