Their ratings only include wheeled bags. For some people, a non-wheeled backpack may be preferable.
Backpacks are also a bit more squishable so that they can fit in overhead bins more easily than a wheeled bag that is just 1cm too big.
That happened with my when I took it for a repair. I donāt travel enough to have a preference. That being said, if you want durable luggage, get Tumi luggage. I have Tumi pieces that are at least 25 years old and intact.
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We flew a turpoprop from Dublin to Glasgow and the carry on restriction was something like 18". We got a Samsonite bag that was exactly that long, and it has turned out to be a very good small bag for overnights. It was obvious those who flew that route often, as they had the smaller bags. Many others had standard carry ons that wouldnāt fit overhead that had to go under the plane.
Agreed; itās hard to recommend luggage so expensive especially as it no longer comes with a ālifetimeā warranty. But that old rollaboard flew with me roughly 1-2x per month for 30 years and still looked close to brand new. Only one repair during all that time, and the 2nd repair was when they said they no longer had the parts. A testament to the durability of 2-wheelers, too, as I logged many miles on city streets with it.
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I was traveling three weeks a month for about 20 years. I never had a bag last anywhere near 25 years like @anomander did. But, I had some crazy traveling and maybe I donāt treat luggage as well as I could: I can see one month pre-Pandemic in which I was in Boston, London, Boston, London, Bogota, Mexico City, Boston, Toronto, San Francisco, and Boston.
With respect to lifetime warranties, I have not loved Briggs & Riley but I believe that they still have a lifetime warranty.
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Rimowa luggage has a lifetime guarantee for luggage purchased in 2022. You do have to register to get the guarantee. Itās priceyāprobably as much as Tumi.
Iām not nearly as well-traveled as some on this thread but our luggage generally lasts a decade or longer. We were flying about 30,000 or so miles/year. H often checked his bag but I never did (mine had Rx and rechargeable batteries for medical equipment) and his naturally got more beaten up. The most recent bags we have been happy with are wheeled Delsey Helium and Tumi 2 wheeled roller board we got on clearance at Costco.
Last year, I bought D all the small carryons that Costco had. She ended up keeping a spinner that she finds easier to use than the old 2-wheeled cases we use. Sorry, canāt remember the brand.
Last time I checked, selection at Ross of carry ons was very very small.
Some Nordstrom Rack stores have a decent luggage (including carry on size) department - I was able to find an IT hard side, 4 wheel carryon for about $50 - normally I wouldnāt spend that on a carryon but I was given a gift card and wanted to burn through it since there really isnāt much at that store for meā¦Iāve used this bag at least 10 times since I got it, and love it. I especially like the hard shell (never had one before) as it protected my stuff from rain more than once. Itās pink and purple so the few times I gate checked it was easy to find again!
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We have E-Bag backpacks. Theyāre very sturdy, and work on most but not all domestics. Theyāre also heavy when empty (imho). I prefer backpacks over rollers, but my back is no longer appreciative. Next one will likely be a roller.
I LOVE my Briggs and Riley. And I have noticed everyone else in my house does too - if I am not traveling with them, they take mine rather than theirs!
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I know this thread is about carry-on bags. Carry-on bags get much less abused than checked-in bags. Iād be interested in what others think about light weight but durable checked bags.
My H invariably checks his Briggs & Riley carry on and before this his Delsey Helium. Both have lasted over a decade. The Delseyās wheels started crumbling so we decided to stop using it. The B&R is still in excellent condition and you can hardly tell Hās bag is checked and mine rarely is. Both are like new after 100,000+ miles of travel.
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I am a little leery of getting a hard-sided carry on (although they look very nice!) since it seems airlines are getting stricter about dimensions (one flight required every single passenger to put their carry-on in the āmeasuring boxā). Seems like thereād be more flexbility with a soft-sided rollerā¦?
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Hard sided carryons that are sized to fit the airport boxes are great, you never have to worry about having overpacked and over-expanded the bag.
D20 was one of very few people allowed to keep her carry on luggage on an international flight this past summer. She had the Away carry on (hard sided) which smoothly went in and back out of the luggage box for Lufthansa - a requirement for everyone on that flight to go through to get a ācarry on approvedā tag you needed on your bag to get it on the plane.
Plenty of people had soft sided bags which couldnāt fit in and out smoothly because they were over packed and were forced to gate check (paying a fee!).
I think the most important thing is to make sure you donāt try to fudge dimensions. Check what the limits are on your flights and make sure your bag is within those limits.
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BJās had a deal on Travel Pro also.
My Delsey bag was great as carry-on and checked. Took a fair amount of abuse and lived to tell the tale.
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Thanks, beebee3. I do try to be careful with dimensions - just get nervous if Iām 1/2 inch off Iāll be in trouble! I watched a guy at the gate recently have to unpack his over-sized carry-on and put on layer after layer of shirts and jackets to get his bag small enough!
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@gouf78 , ditto for the delsey helium we still have and use. Nothing has broken, but it looks a little worse for wear. On the other hand, it is probably leading in the dollars paid per trip category. This bag has to be one of the best values out there.
When I bought carryons first D to choose among, I had soft-sided ones and hard sided. She considered both and opted for soft sided, which is more forgiving if she wants to overpack a tad. So far, she seems pretty happy, and itās the 1st piece of luggage she chose (instead of settling for using a bag she could scrounge around the house).
In the decades Iāve traveled, I have not regretted having soft sided luggage and had not gotten my things wet. I had not had trouble with sizers either, so far.
Itās all personal preference and what size of planes you fly and how strict they are.
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I bought H a Briggs & Riley carry on a year or two ago as a replacement for his 20+ year old one. The best thing about it is that its expansion option has vents to compress it back down to the smaller size after packing. Heās brand-loyal, and itās a terrific suitcase ā worth the price for us.
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