Don't forget eBay for bags!

I used to be the biggest Tumi snob - between the wife and I we probably had a dozen Tumi pieces.

After a while, you get sick of seeing them destroyed during check-in if you aren't carrying them on with you. I last saw my 26" get ripped by a bus driver somewhere in SA and said "no more".

Sooo... I still have a carry-on Tumi 22" that has held up well and I bought a 26" Briggs, which I think is inferior to the Tumi in materials, but still a good bag, but more importantly they warranty it for life against any kind of damage, even airline damage, and I've used them on it and they back it up.

I bought the 26" on eBay for cheap (compared to new), seems like it was about $200 new, in black.

Another thing I've found is that more and more the international airlines are becoming tough about the weight of your carry-on bag. The Tumi bags (and probably most of the top-shelf stuff) are really heavy, even empty. Something like those light Travelpro series bags are having more and more of an appeal. Once this Tumi expires, I'll probably go that route.

Anyway, back to my response - check out eBay, I've found mid-line stuff on their (Travelpro, etc) really cheap and shipping isn't bad, and no tax, either. Much, much cheaper than I found anywhere online. All items were new and in-box, probably overstock, liquidation, etc. Probably a lot of margin in that stuff to begin with.

--Doug

Ditto on TJ Maxx and Marshall's for finding luggage deals.
So far in this thread there's been
Costco
Tumi
B&R
Alantic
Travelpro
Luggageworks

Kinda surprised no one mentioned Pathfinder.
IMHO hard to beat for the $.I'll probably be upset with myself for sharing, since I haven't bought mine, but hey it's what FT is all about, right?

I'm not sure you're allowed to sit in FC on DL if your carryon isn't Tumi...

Although I will only use Tumi. Nordstrom has decent luggage at really good prices. Last time I say the Nordies at Perimeter mall in ATL selling there luggage for 50% off!

Made a last minute stop by Target tonight and spotted this neat 21'' Eddie Bauer Medina carry on. Any comments from users of Eddie Bauer luggage?

Briggs and Riley are very welcome in the FC section of DL

I have one of these Victorinox 22" rollaboard as well. I love it. However, had I found out about the Costco Kirkland brand before I bought it I probably would've bought that. After all, while I love my Victorinox, it does cost $300 vs. $90 for the Kirkland band...

You might be happier with the Victorinox. The Kirkland 22"er weighs 14 pounds and I believe the one you have is a good bit less.

My wife and I bought matching Vitorinox 22" black and grey bags with the small shoulder bags that go with. A great combination for weekend MRs/vacations. You can shop around for deals - ours were about C$400 for all four pieces. Always fit in standard overheads, hold a ton of stuff, are the lightest bag on the market and look great. The only complaint I have is that the 22" does not have a small upper pocket in which to place smaller items that you want to access frequently, but I usually use the shoulder bag for this anyway. The only problem we have encountered is that we can get so much into the Vitorinox that we often run into the newly-enforced weight limits on carry-ons but the problem is even worse with the heavier bags out there.

Another vote for the Costco bag.

I picked up the 22" after my el cheapo $10 roller finally started showing age. I never knew what I was missing before. It rolls with minimal effort over uneven surfaces and takes corners well without tipping.

Many times I check it as to not deal with the hassle of dragging it around (most of my flights are connections) and it still looks and feels new. The zippers are high quality and the wheels are the "Rollerblade" type.

Also, as others have mentioned, if anything DOES break on this thing, Costco will take it back and give me a new one no questions asked.

http://www.eaglecreek.com/

The new Exploreration line has a very nice feature. An attached backpack. These rollaboards are just great.

I just purchased a Delsey 22" expandable from the Jones Store for $69.00. I am currently on my first trip with it. Seems like it will work fine. Maybe not as many features as the Briggs or as my TravelPro suiter but it is light weigth and seems to be constructed OK.

Not in the price range, but I just picked up a Dakota 22", and I love it. I have a Dakota 26", a rolling duffel, and a carry on that are still holding up well that I picked up back in 1998 (didn't travel more than 3-4 times a year until recently).

[rant]On a related note, I can't stand eBags. They will have different coupon codes all over the place (banner ads, from Amex, etc.) for a diffferent % off. However, you have to follow a link to their site that will actually give you different retail prices before discount depending on the link you follow, so you may actually pay less with a 10% off (following the associated link to lower retail prices) than with a 20% off (following the associated link to siginificantly higher retail prices). [/rant]

I don't know about their rollaboards, but the other Eagle Creek products that I've used are great. They have a lifetime repair-or-replace warranty, and they take it seriously.

Their gear is very durable - the bag I use on almost every trip is an Eagle Creek travel pack that I bought in 1987, and it's lasted through some pretty rough travels. I've sent it off for repairs/refurbishing three times since then, and it has always been sent back in excellent shape, with small gifts (luggage locks, etc.) included each time. All in all, a great company IMO.

Michael

I recall first seeing the TravelPro rollabords in the late 80s or early 90s. I was lugging a (non-wheeled) suitcase and garment bag around, and I saw that the flight crews all had these fancy black rolling suitcases. Finally, on one of my business trips, I went up to a flight attendant and asked her what brand of luggage she was using, and I wrote down the name. As soon as I got home from my trip, I rushed out to buy my first TravelPro (22" rollabord). I have had absolutely no regrets.

In 15 years, I have purchase just 2 TravelPro rollabords, the second one about 5 years ago. The first actually is still in very good shape. The handle is hard to pull out and push in (it got bent slightly when someone knocked my rollabord over and then stepped on the handle), and one of the wheels sticks occasionally; but otherwise, it still works great. We still use it when my wife is travelling with me.

TravelPro, I think, was the pioneer in rolling luggage, and invented many of the cutting edge features that hard-core road warriors now expect their bags to have. And the quality of their entire line has consistently been high. For many years, TravelPro bags were far superior to the competition and accordingly were "pricey" in comparison. However, in recent years, a lot of other companies have caught up, and consequently TravelPro prices have become much more competitive. (I recall that I paid well over $200 for my first bag, and a little under $200 (on sale) for my second. I'm sure that the prices are probably under $150 these days.)

I haven't shopped for luggage in many years now, but I'm certain that TravelPro should be one of the top contenders. Of course, I'm also sure that there are now quite a few high quality brands you can choose from. But you should definitely check out TravelPro.