There is another reason besides hoisting a heavy bag around myself that I decided on a Pilot carryon. When I was checking in at Seattle with BA I had a 20" Travelpro. I never dreamed I would be overweight but in their World Traveler class you are only allowed 13 pounds. My bag itself weighed 9 pounds and I was way overweight - total came to about 22 pounds. I was pretty upset as my carryon luggage was already checked through previous to Seattle. Fortunately, the agent was extremely nice and we were upgraded to World Traveler plus and a 26 pound limit.

I went ahead and bought the Kirkland 22'' rollaboard from Costco and I must say that I am very impressed. All the bells and whistle are great from the garment bag to the laundry bag, to the umpteen compartments. Best of the all, the handle is the sturdiest that I've seen around. I might add that they could have cost engineered this thing down to save on material, but I'm impressed that they didn't; it just ain't flimsy (relative to other $90 bags). ^

I agree. I've had a Kirkland Bag for 5 years and 500K miles and it's held up. Before that I had Tumi - without wheels, and before that Hartmann. I figured even if the Kirkland died had to be replaced every year or so, it was still cheaper than the Tumi. The thing is it hasn't.
I purchased an expandable for my daughter, 3 years ago when she went off to college. The wheels on that one are a little big and sometimes she has to fight to get it into the overhead. I think the wheels on the new expandable - just bought one for a co-worker are better. ^

http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2....prod_id=672589

Samsonite hard side rollaboard less than half price and under $150 ^

How's tumi? Is it overrated?

There is no simple answer to that question. We have several Tumi bags and briefcases - and they are truly workhorses. They hold up very well.

That said they are expensive. I switched from Tumi to the Costco bag about 4 - 5 years ago and have been happy. I still use my Tumi brief and Tumi Cosmetic Bag when I check luggage.

If the name and status are important in your job, then yes they are worth it. If not there are others out there just as good for less.

I bought a 22" rolly on sale at Hecht's in North Charlseton, SC well over 18 months ago, and it has performed beautifully. Normal wear and tear, but no cuts in the nylon. It's hard-sided with lots of extra pockets. I picked a metallic green so it was easier to find if I ever needed to check it.
I even went back and bought a larger version some months later for longer, and overseas trips. Very happy with them both.
The 22" was $99 (reg. $160) and the larger was $129 (reg. closer to $200).

I really can't personally justify spending several hundred $ on a bag. but that's just me. And trust me, these things get a workout with my schedule.

Actually I have been using an Eddie Bauer rollaboard for my last few trips (as a scientific experiment ) and I find them surprisingly sturdy and practical. Not bad at all, and the price is certainly right. However - are they being discontinued? They don't seem to appear on the Eddie Bauer website anymore.

Good to know! I was just wondering cuz I see Tumi thrown around here allot. I'm very happy with my samsonite that I got for a steal. $250 reg. price and I paid $50. :P What brand is the Costco bag and how much is it?

It's their own (Kirkland) brand and if memory serves I paid $85 for it.

There hasn't been much talk here about weight.

I have an Atlantic 20" rollabord that I bought about 4 years back. It's flown well over 300K miles with me, all over thw world, and is still as good as new. My father got one at the same time, and he swears by it.

One of the reasons I like my Atlantic expandable is because it weighs in at 9.5lbs empty.

Now I'm in the market for a second rollabord for my SO, and we'd like to get something even lighter, especially since I travel a lot on code-shares with European airlines who are insistent on keeping the wieght of the carryon down below 18lbs or so packed.

The costco bag at 14lbs empty is way too heavy. Does anyone here have a reccomendation for a top quality light weight bag (9 lbs. or less)?

I was in the market for a large lightweight rollaboard. I shopped @ lunch time so didn't have time to shop around.

I got a Travelpro Xtreme that I'm very happy with, for $80 at Luggage Service in Tampa. It seems to be expandable. I had a weigh-in when I got home. My old bag was 10 lbs. This was 6.5 pounds, I could lift it empty with 2 fingers.

My ONLY concern with the bag is that it seems to be a little too big. I measured it when I got home, and it's 22 X 16 X 9. That puts it at 46 which is one inch wider than the legal allowance. Does anyone think this will be a problem for international?

I too swear by B-R.

I've had a 22" roll aboard from them for about 10 years and it's gone with me well more than 2.5M miles. It's starting to look tired now, but nothing, nothing, nothing has ever broken on this bag. I feel like it could go another 10 years although my vanity probably will not let it!

Last year I added the 19" "computer bag" for shorter trips and this one is even better than the original.

Long live Briggs & Riley.

Aloha,

Lihu'e 1k

Yes, it is Kirkland (Costco's in-house brand) and I think it was $89.99 when I went to Costco recently.

I have a Costco Kirkland that was advertised as 22" when I bought it 10 or 12 years. On most UA narrowbodies (757s, 319s, 320s), I typically am NOT able to get the overhead storage door latched if I put it in wheels-first. Are newer 22" Kirklands better at letting the door close?

Do the other highly rated bags (e.g. Travel Pro, Tumi) let you do wheels-first and close the doors?