After 4 years and probably 300 long haul US domestic segments, my trusty Tumi 6-suiter is about to bite the dust. It's one of those big foldover garment bags with a retractable handle. The ballistic nylon is starting to fray, a couple of the zippers have problems, and the bag is starting to come apart.

How long would you expect a top-of-the-line bag to last? Did the bag serve me well, or did it give up the ghost too early?

And what should I replace it with? Recommendations, please.

There was just a thread on this type of luggage issue. Can anybody locate it and perhaps put in the link?

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum1/HTML/001671.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum1/HTML/000903.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum1/HTML/001176.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum1/HTML/001216.html

Looks like those B&R (Briggs and Reilly) bags have some real devotees!

[This message has been edited by BlondeBomber (edited 06-01-2000).]

Hi dgolds!

I've got a Tumi briefcase that I've carried everywhere for about ten years. It's been great, except for one problem. The springs in the clips on the shoulder straps gave way and the shoulder strap started coming off. Tumi has a lifetime warranty against defect and they called this a wear problem. The cost for a new strap was about $40 (but the new strap is actually much nicer.)

I've found the stitching and zipper action flawless so am surprised that you luggage gace up in four years. Based on their overall performance, when I started travelling frequently last year I bought a Tumi overnighter.

It has worked well so far. Crammed full, it still squeezes through UA's scanner templates. My one complaint about it is endemic to the style. It is a softside piece and is a bit difficult to pack until I get enough things in it for it to hold its shape and stand up.

I also have some Samsonite hardsiders that my father gave to me a few years ago, but that I haven't used that much due to its size. The largest case has built in wheels and a handle. On a recent trip through the Belly of the Beast one of the wheels broke off. That did not make me happy, since I've only used it a few times. I've not yet checked with Samsonite about repair.

BB: Thanks for posting the links; there's some good information there. I'll start looking into B & R.

But they don't really address my original question, what should the lifetime of a top of the line bag be? Is 4 years "good"? Is it worth it to pay top dollar?

And am still looking for recommendations for a good big (not carry-on) bag; most of the recommendations are for smaller bags that can fit in UA luggage templates.

You should check out E-Bags (and if are a member of ClickRewards you can earn miles.)

Let me check out my bags:

Samsonite Garment bag: 8 years old, no problems (except my aching bag.)
Eddie Bauer Big Gym like bag: 5 years old, one zipper that I don't really need broke, but otherwise fine.
Eddie Bauer carryon: 6 years until one day dear Eddie decides to make it his bed and promptly rips it up and gets sick on it. Not a pretty scene.
Samsonite rollaway bag: about 3 months old. It's holding up well, even to Eddie trying to sharpen his claws on it. It does fit in the template because I hate checking bags.

So the average lifespan of a bag 6-10 years.

Good luck Dgolds and let us know what you end up getting.

Catman: Thanks for the tip on eBags. They don't have the bag I'm thinking about, which is the Briggs and Reilly U-78 Wardrobe on Wheels, but an interesting site nevertheless and a new one for me. I located the bag at http://www.1800Luggage.com for $475; found it for $450 at a store 5 miles south of SFO. Will continue looking for it locally to see if I can do better.

BTW, does anyone out there have an opinion on the B & R Wardrobe on Wheels?


[This message has been edited by dgolds (edited 09-22-1999).]

Six to ten years for a bag, Catman? For a carry-on maybe, but not for something that gets checked every week. I haven't tried B&R or Tumi, but most of my bags have given up in 2-3 years. Realize that these are bags that fly almost every week for that entire time period.

dgolds, I'm using that very same B&R bag. That's the one I made ref. to in the other posts about luggage.

It cost me $379 here in PDX, and literally looks like new after 18 months! It's the first piece of luggage I would ever recommend to anyone.

David, besides the great quality of B&R bags, and the fact that no matter who breaks it, they'll fix it---they're just down the coast in Half Moon Bay, CA, so if it needs repairing, you could "drop it off" on your way to a day at the beach (if you have time for that sort of thing).

Call Tumi, tell them how much you love your bag (be a walking advertisement) and what is wrong with it. I have never had them fail to fix or sometimes even replace my bags with NEW a one.

Regards,

John.

Shadow: Thanks for the recommendation and the pricing information. I was able to obtain the U-78 bag from a dealer 5 blocks from my house for $380. That was significantly less expensive than both 1800luggage.com and two big "discount" chains in the Bay Area. Because of your post, I felt confident I was getting a good price.

johna: Bet it's the same luggage dealer you use. Our neighborhood guy beats everyone yet again. He has incredible inventory for such a small shop. Another advantage of buying a bag there: you get to play with his cute puppy!

Catman: I wonder if you could post about your satisfaction with the bag you bought last March. The discussion thread made for some interesting reading, and I'd like to hear the rest of the story.

auh2o: Truth be told, I don't love the Tumi bag. It's served me reasonably well over the last 4 years, but it's got a pocket that's basically unusable (because the zipper breaks every other time I use it) and the design's not nearly as nice or as clever as the B & R. We'll see if the B & R is as durable over the years as the Tumi has been.

I also think Tumi's warranty policy is a little weak. It covers defects in materials and workmanship, but not "product damage...that may result from normal wear and tear." That leaves lots of wiggle room for Tumi, and my experience was that in two cases I was charged for luggage repair because my problem was construed as "normal wear and tear." I don't normally think to call the manufacturer in such a circumstance; wish I had as you suggested, but I didn't and I ended up paying for the repair.

I am not sure what is in Andiamo's warranty but the dealer I bought the bag from fixed my broken and bent zipper pulls for free. (He shipped the bag bag to Andiamo and they fixed it.) Despite that, the zipper pull is once again bent after scant use of the bag just two months after the repair. Because of the repeated problem and the high prices of the Andiamo bags, I wouldn't buy another one until they change their zipper design.

B & R's warranty states "if you ever have a problem with a Briggs and Riley bag, even if it was caused by the airlines, we will repair it for you...We'll make the repair for free and have the bag back on its way to you within three days of receipt. Simple as that." Sounds good to me.

Thanks, everyone, for your help.

[This message has been edited by dgolds (edited 09-23-1999).]

I thought I'd post a follow up on this post. I've had the B & R bag for a couple of months now and taken it out on three trips. I'm extremely pleased with the bag's construction and features. Lots of neat little nooks and crannies in it. It is about the same size as my old Tumi six suiter but feels like it holds a lot more because of the way it's configured. I especially love the big pocket on the front of the suitcase - great for stuffing in my business materials at the end of a trip, after I've packed.

There was one feature I thought might be a problem - the extra long telescoping handle. Great if you're 6'4", but for me at 5'8", it seemed like it might make the bag uncomfortable to pull around. The guy I bought the suitcase from told me that the President of B & R is an extra tall guy who essentially designed the bag for himself, and had been frustrated by the short handles on other makes. In any case, the extra long handle has not proved to be a problem; it's quite easy for li' ol' me to drag around.

My Andiamo zipper broke after only a few months, so I may try the B&R next time. Also the so-called invulnerable ballistic cloth is starting to look ragged...

QL: I had similar experience with Andiamo zippers. The good news was that the dealer I bought the bag from sent it back to Andiamo and it was repaired at no charge. I also had problems with Tumi zippers, and they charged me for the repair.

Ballistic nylon on the Tumi bag went 3 1/2 years (probably 300 checked segments) before it started to show any wear. The nylon on the Andiamo bag is showing no wear and tear anfer 2 years and probably 20 checked segments.