Checked Bag Recommendations?
 

Hey all. I know most on this forum travel frequently and light, thus with carry-on rolling suitcases or - increasingly - backpacks. I normally am on team carry-on for 95% of my travel for business and vacations and use a combination of Travelpro Crew 7 / Kirkland (Costco) 22" / various backpacks. However I'm looking for a new ~26-28" rolling suitcase for longer trips that require more space for clothing and/or other stuff. Think ski trips, winter travel, etc. Also, whenever we fly with young kids, we like to pack all their stuff into one bag to make things easier. The use cases, when they come up, really make sense for a 26" rolling suitcase which we know we will check in as checked luggage.

My current TravelPro Crew(??) 26" has a weak point in its zippers that break quickly, I've had it for about 10 years, and it needs to be retired. I prefer 2-wheeled for durability but it seems nearly everything has gone to 4-wheel spinners. I want it to last and not bust a wheel the first time it drops off a belt loader or gets abused in some other way.

What does the forum recommend? Are there any larger 2-wheelers still made that are worth a look? Willing to consider hard (polycarbonate, not alu) or soft-shell.

Hubs and I both have 24" Eagle Creek 2 wheel checked bags. They're old and hubs started looking at new pieces, but hasn't found anything he likes as much. I'll probably go the large(r) wheeled duffel option when I need to replace, but they still have some of the structured 2 and 4 wheel options. https://eaglecreek.com/collections/checked-luggage

I have a Briggs and Riley Sympatico Medium spinner hard polycase that is holding up well after 6 years. I think it is 26". Do not use it as much anymore -- I pack too much stuff and end up taking my Bric's 30" poly on most international trips -- but the Sympatico is still great when I do use it. My carry-on is B&R as well and in excellent shape after nearly a decade. B&R also still have several 2-wheel models.

Definitely stay away from Travelpro -- my family has gone through 3 soft cases in the past 2 years. Similar zipper issues. They have been good about replacing under warranty but then the replacements break quickly too. Have also have had issues with Delsey bags - both a soft and a poly. As of now my wife and kids have Samsonite bags -- though in our case larger 28 or 30 inch bags - mostly purchased from TJ Maxx. So far those seem to be holding up.

^^ I love my B&R checked bag. I try hard to not check, but when I need to, it’s been incredibly reliable. The expandable/compression system is very useful. I’d buy again in a heartbeat.

Consider the Zero Halliburton: Portable Trunk 99L. It is very roomy and occasionally goes on sale. I have two.

We've had good luck with our Costco Samsonite, often sold as a pair carry-on and check-in. We've used it for more than a decade, probably 4-5 trips a year, It works great fitting two pairs of boots and all our ski gear ( helmet, jacket, pants, etc.) , carry-on for the additional and of course a ski bag for our skis.

Thanks all. I've used a B+R 26" checked 2-wheel owned by a friend about 10-12 years ago before I got the Travelpro and agree that they are a level above in quality and the warranty is good, though you do pay for it up front. I will consider it though it might be overkill for our needs.

My experience with Travelpro has been good with the Crew series of carry-ons. I used to fly 2-3 roundtrips (sometimes with multiple connections) monthly for work and vacations and these things have held up if I don't check them. Have a couple flightcrew buddies who tried these as well though they managed to destroy them after a year or so before they went over to Purdy Neat rollaboards and never turned back. Those things are the Toyota Land Cruiser of luggage - indestructible, repairable, and they never stop.

I'm a fan of the Quince luggage so far. I've had the medium checked bag for about 1.5 years and it has been on 10 or so trips without issue. I'm going to get the large for trips where I need bulkier clothing.