Luggage

Hello again,

Well, after the incredible (not) trip with VS to Miami where, amongst everything else that could and did go wrong, one of our suitcases broke on the way back It was an Antler ABS case so we are now looking for a replacement.

Just wondering what brands of cases people have good experience with as I am fed up with replacing our luggage after every two trips!

We've had two sets of ABS siutcases and both had pretty bad damage after only a couple of trips so were sent to the tip !

Now gone with soft cases and although they have got a bit tatty at the edges, have lasted over 5 years and numerous trips.

The current set are by Atlantic which we got from QVC. ( I believe they are an American brand )Good value for the price with some nice features.

Having had a tour behind the scenes at an airport, I would not use abs cases. Personally. I would go for something cheap and cheerful.

This firm offer a good range.

http://www.luggagesuperstore.co.uk/

Another vote for fabric (soft) cases. My antler cases have lasted years and are still in great shame.

My samsonite one is also in great shape after 4 years!

We received a Samsonite soft case for a wedding present and its still going strong after probably 30+ flights.

I particularly like the big wheels as it makes it easier to pull along and navigate rugged terrain not that you come across much of that at an airport :-)

We had M&S for quite some years but as they are getting too battered we ae changing to Tripp Superlite sold through Debenhams. Doing very well so far and are pretty light(of course with that name ). Pretty good prices too.

We have always gone for soft ones, usually extendable!!!

We had M&S for quite some years but as they are getting too battered we ae changing to Tripp Superlite sold through Debenhams. Doing very well so far and are pretty light(of course with that name ). Pretty good prices too.

We have always gone for soft ones, usually extendable!!!

A must !!

Had this dilema last year.

Did I go for hard / soft? Two / four wheels?. Expandable / not?

After trudging round several shops looking at several for £ 70+ quid I saw one for £ 20 in sports direct and grabbed it.

That said I only do 2-3 trips a year where I use it but it does for me !

[Darren Wheeler]

Personally I go for wheeled duffles like TNF or Animal. Hate the trend for 'spinner' cases as they seem to run away if left on a slope and the wheels are vulnerable to being snapped off.

Personally I go for wheeled duffles like TNF or Animal. Hate the trend for 'spinner' cases as they seem to run away if left on a slope and the wheels are vulnerable to being snapped off.

Duffles are usually easier to spot on the baggage belt too !

If it wasnt for my shiny v-flyer tags my black cases would get lost in the sea of cases!

The NH household all converted to duffels by far more practical, especially for going up escalators etc (for japan a must!) also better to store in hotel rooms etc
Have always liked Tumi, generally way overpriced here, however have built up our collection with cany US outlet shopping over the years..

Well seems like people here don't like hard cases , but my Samsonite (can't remember their name) hard shelled cases are doing very well and are very light. I also have some Briggs and Riley bags, that are fabric by very rigid (so a bit heavy) but they are amazing at keeping the contents safe and neat. I don't like it when the luggage labels get stuck to the suede handles though, gets them dirty

Knowing how a lot of people on here like 'named' items, but the best 'cases' we have at the moment came from Wilkinsons. They are plain black holdalls, but look very expensive. They have lasted numberous trips and still look brand new. They are light and can hold a huge amount, much to John's annoyance. Best of all they cost £10! As a previous poster stated, they are easy to carrywhether on your shoulder (nice big strap) or use the extendable handle and have one in each hand to wheel along. I mananged all three of them at MCO in February and avoided the second luggage pick up. (I did look a bit like a donkey and not the UC passenger I had been a few minutes before).

I have a loft full of various cases, second favourite are our Delsey lightweight, soft sided cases, once again they are very roomy but light. John's pleased I have changed to the black holdall's as the Delsey cases are; 2 x lime green, 2 x tangerine orange, 2 x fushia. No-one ever picked them up by mistake! You can get more sensible colours.

Holdalls win overall for versatility and durability.

Kaz

I hope to goodness Sunshine doesn't see this post.

R-P

My case came from Matalan and has survived 6 trips to the US and several around europe. the rest of my family have hard cases from Primark and they are still good so I would just buy a cheap case If it does break at least it didn't cost loads.

And if you want to see them on the luggage belt cover them in fabric paint drawings. You will see your case from miles away

I also would recommend the Tripp range from Debenhams. Mine's last a good 5 years.

For cases that are easy to recognise, nothings beats my son's spaceman suit case from Samsonite.

We have to stick with Hard Samsonite as our main case every February for carrying 2 crash helmets in and so far so good, but the other two soft cases came from Myers in Melbourne and are cheap and cheerful and have lasted over 5 years now, so I guess a lot depends on who is placing your precious luggage on the conveyor belts behind the scenes

we are changing to Tripp Superlite sold through Debenhams. Doing very well so far and are pretty light(of course with that name

I also would recommend the Tripp range from Debenhams.

And good pricesat the moment too.

However turquoise and pink might not quite be ME...Hmmmmmmm.

Well seems like people here don't like hard cases , but my Samsonite (can't remember their name) hard shelled cases are doing very well and are very light.

I'm with Hamster here. My Samsonite hardshell F'lite cases have been very strong, durable and light. I bought a set of four for the whole family about 6-7 years ago and they are still going strong. Plus they are bright (Virgin) red so don't get lost in the sea of black cases. My V-Flyer tags help in that respect, but you can't see them from a distance.

I did get one lock smashed on a VS flight to New York, but the VS baggage agents back here in the UK sorted it out with no problem. (I asked them to send the new lock and it was replaced in 5 minutes).

Thanks everyone!

Well, we have had not so good experiences with soft cases too (I think we're cursed!), so prefer to stick with ABS/hard shell now. En route to Debenhams this weekend we found one in TK Maxx for a reasonable sum so snapped it up.

I'm pretty sure the damage is done at MAN airport, every trip back to the UK ends up with some damage to luggage. It really bugs me that airlines send you to claim from the travel insurance - maybe if they had to compensate their customers & fine their handling agent for every damage caused things will change.

Another vote for Hard Samsonite. Bought in 1996, must have done 500K Miles, still works.....

Peter

Thanks everyone!

Well, we have had not so good experiences with soft cases too (I think we're cursed!), so prefer to stick with ABS/hard shell now. En route to Debenhams this weekend we found one in TK Maxx for a reasonable sum so snapped it up.

I'm pretty sure the damage is done at MAN airport, every trip back to the UK ends up with some damage to luggage. It really bugs me that airlines send you to claim from the travel insurance - maybe if they had to compensate their customers & fine their handling agent for every damage caused things will change.

Hm.

I do know of one major UK airport that keeps a stock of suitcases for when the inevitable happens. It depends I guess on how hard you argue the point. After an 9 hour flight most of us wouldn't want the hassle.

Another vote for Hard Samsonite. Bought in 1996, must have done 500K Miles, still works.....

Peter

Another vote for samsonite!

We bought 3 hard samsonite back in 1995 (blue/pink/yellow) and they are still going strong and have outlasted many more recent luggage purchases for the younger 2 in the family

How can anyone say they are cursed when I have been through one case per trip for the last year

That includes, soft cases, hard cases, Atlantic, Antler, Samsonite, etc

BA handled the situation the best and sent me a new suitcase that had just won an award and was worth more than the one they damaged - almost by return of post.

This case has so far survived one flight so it has beaten my track record

Virgin had the worst Customer Service and 6 months later I was still out of pocket and it was damaged in front of me so no one else could take the blame

I now drop to my knees in thankfulness if a case with an unbroken lock, the correct number of wheels and no rips with undies hanging out, appears on the carousel

BTW if anyone would like to employ me as a suitcase tester I would be very happy to oblige and could be packed at a moments notice to travel the world on the grounds of helping my fellow v flyers

Sunshine

We had Tripp ones that only lasted one trip, the handles broke, I complained to Tripp and got a refund.

We now have Antler soft expandable cases and I really like them, they are easy to pull and you can get loads in them.

I like to have matching luggage