chiflygirl

I have been scouring web sites and luggage stores for an affordable but QUALITY 22" suitcase. I've basically narrowed it down to Pathfinder, but the thing is, I've never heard of this company. The man at Irv's told me that it's an offshoot of Andiamo (but I don't know much about them except they're expensive).

Does anyone have experience with Pathfinder that they'd like to share? Or maybe you have a recommendation of something else. I'd love to do B&R, as my 26" is by them, but the cost is too prohibitive.

Zarf4

Sorry, I'm sold on B&R, but there are other reviewers who have used Pathfinder.

I apologize for just doing a cut & paste...for some reason when I pasted the URL I must have screwed something up as it was going to diff posts

If they still are the OEM behind the Costco Kirkland brand it's probably a no-brainer to pick one up & return if you're unhappy.

12172003

don't get a B&R unless you measure it out with a tape measure yourself the exact model. B&R size measurements are the inside dimensions so it does not include the handle and wheels. As such, my 22" rollerboard is really 23.5" long and doesn't fit in half the overheads. it is a great bag but it's a load of nonsense how they lie about their dimensions. Unfortunately it is too late by the time you realize it as you inside the plane. So considering the B&R's are smaller in size since their handle eats up so much room, for a carry-on, I'd go with a different brand. For checked luggage, I'd definitely recommend them. And without a doubt, DO NOT BUY TRAVELPRO!!! Horrible experiences.

chiflygirl

This is great info. And I've heard, too, that Travelpro is just not worth the money anymore. I think I may try Pathfinder...the bag felt quality, and it had all the features I'm looking for. It seems to be on sale at all the luggage stores.

(I'm still going to look into getting the wheels replaced on my old but good-shape Atlantic rollaboard. I've had it since 2002, and the wheels and one missing zipper pull are the only things that've wonked out)

aktchi

Just curious, did you decide what to get?

shawbridge

I've had them all over the years. I have a small Pathfinder rolling garment bag (that can be taken on a plane), a Travelpro 22" rolling suitcase, a Tumi rolling suitcase that fits the sizer in Heathrow (most American 22 inchers do not), Kirkland rolling suitcases (for the family), Briggs & Riley very small rolling garment bag, and other brands. I only use the Pathfinder for trips where I need several suits (e.g., two weeks in Australia). But, its quality seems fine.

I use the Travelpro in the US, and the Tumi in Europe. I don't like B&R. Their designs are not very good on the suitcases I've looked at (e.g., on the small garment bag that competes with the Pathfinder, it doesn't fit a suit for a 6'1" man without folding over the last couple of inches a third time -- don't have the same problem with the Pathfinder). The balance and internal space on the B&R vertical garment bag make it almost unusable for me. I had one Travelpro for 10 years with no problem. The second one has no quality issues, though it is a little large. The Tumi is good, though I've had quality problems with Tumi in the past -- and they don't stand behind their brand like B&R is reputed to do. The Kirkland's wheels are not as smooth as the Tumi or Travelpro, but the quality seems very good.

Alpha

I have the B&R and really like it. Yes, there have been times when it wouldn't fit in the overhead and had to be turned sideways. Worst case, I valet. And yeah, the suit thing is annoying.

Pathfinder is good stuff, though. Well built. I have their compu-brief and LOVE it.

shawbridge

B&R is definitely well-built. They just need someone to pay attention to design. I actually wrote them explaining that to pack a suit for a 6'1" man requires an extra fold that the the carry-on horizontal garment bag is not designed for and they sent me a tip sheet on how to pack a suitcase. Pathfinder got the size right.

Joypebble

Pathfinder is one of those "old fashioned" companies that still believes in and delivers true customer service.

Jet Blue sliced off a flat spot on the wheel of a 26" Pathfinder Trolley Case and I discovered it too late for redress from JB. Even though the case was well past the warranty and Pathfinder's wheel was clearly the victim of a baggage belt, I decided to ask them for help.

I wrote to Pathfinder to ask if they could suggest a resource near me for a repair. I received an unexpected note from their Purchasing Manager with a set of wheel housings from a similar model (the 26" case was discontinued a year before) with a personally composed narrative on how to install them, compliments of the company.

A month later I asked my "fix-it" guy to do the repair and he discovered that the replacement housings would not fit on the old case as hoped.

I wrote to Pathfinder again to ask if there were any solutions they could suggest to replace the case since I had found the original (26") to be a wonderful product. (I offered to pay for any "scratch-and-dent" older model they might have laying around.)

He sent me an offer I couldn't refuse. A staggering discount which included shipping for a 27" replacement from their line. It represented a 75% discount from list price.

They went out of their way to try to send parts for a discontinued model and then they followed-through and just offered me a case for apparently cost.

Their product wasn’t to blame for the damage but they stuck with this customer all the way to a great solution.

Their heart is in the right place and that counts a whole lot for this weary old road warrior.

---JP

tfar

Now that's really nice and welcome to FT with such a positive story. Unfortunately, Pathfinder and parent Andiamo have folded in 2009 or 2010. Pity, really.

CongressDJ

Totally agree with the comments regarding excellent customer service from Pathfinder. I had a roller bag purchased in 1998 that had its handle break in 2005. The company not only replaced it for me, for free, with the newer model, they threw in a second roller bag for free (for my wife) "for my troubles". They were phenomenal.

Now my replacement bag has a broken zipper and I am trying to contact them again to see if they can help help out. However, I'm seeing disturbing reports online that Paragon Luggage - the owner of Pathfinder - and the folks that helped me in 2005 - have gone out of business.

If so, this is terrible, terrible news.

tfar

Yes, it is so and it is terrible news, not so new, though.

I actually believe that the bags were too good and the service and warranty were too good. The stuff I have from them (Andiamo Bravo and Valoroso, Pathfinder TX2) is so well built and over-engineered, I don't think it will ever break.

The prices on the Valoroso line though were higher than Tumi. But the brand recognition wasn't as good. They failed at advertisement and marketing. I remember seeing a Valoroso bag in a very fancy luggage shop in Paris in the 90s. It was really expensive at MSRP. Like 30% more than Tumi. I especially like the handle, which I still believe to be the best ever. However, the stuff was priced dangerously close to Louis Vuitton but had nowhere near the prestige and otherwise looked almost like Tumi.

I think today that the Andiamo Valoroso line is basically the Vuitton of nylon luggage and if you look at the prices of even used pieces on Ebay, they are appreciating. How crazy is that?

Till

kthomas

0) There's still a website that looks updated.

1) One of my wheels got cut in the rubber a few years ago, and it's been slowly deteriorating since. They don't seem to reply to email.

aktchi

The old company went under. This is a new one. Not sure how the quality and service will be going forward, let alone attention to older merchandise. Please post any experience or impressions.

Lynnea

I recently remembered that one of my wheels broke on my Pathfinder set. I went to call Pedro's luggage and found that Pedro died and left the downtown property to the city to be turned into a park. That seems like something he would do, it's not easy to find business owners that are as dedicated to their customers happiness as Pedro was.

At one point the zipper broke on one of my large cases. I was kind of ashamed bringing it in because I felt at fault for trying to pack too much. He said nonsense dear and sent someone to the back to get me a brand new one.

I started to worry because I was having a hard time finding another store that was exclusively luggage. I went online, found the email address for Pathfinder and wrote to them about my broken wheel.

When I purchased the luggage, the quality seemed excellent, Pedro's store employees were so knowledgeable but the best part, the thing that pushed me to purchase was the lifetime warranty.

The people at Pathfinder wrote back and informed me that They purchased Pathfinder some years ago and my lifetime warranty no longer exists. What. A. Bummer. They gave me names of a couple people on the east coast that could repair my luggage. I don't want to send my luggage across the country for a wheel replacement. So I see that they have wheels for sale on Amazon. But I'm not sure what size to get. The wheels measure about 85 mm across without including the angled part near the surface that touches the ground. So I'm thinking I should get the 90 mm x 24 mm

Does anyone have the black/silver Pathfinder, the largest one or know what size the wheels are?

I absolutely love my luggage and although I shopped online to try to find something comparable, I couldn't find anything near the quality or with the versatility that mine has. I did learn that there are very few luggage companies offering any kind of warranties.