What kind of luggage survives multiple flights best??

[robert angel]

Copied below from a recent thread--but anyone have better luck w/ a certain type of luggage?

Yes--they are brutally rough on luggage. Anyone remember that Samsonite TV commercial showing gorillas as airport baggage handlers, swinging and banging the luggage all around? ?  The humans might actually be worse.

We don't buy real expensive luggage--more like in the middle cost range luggage and at that--we might get 3 or 4 trips before we start to question if the bags will come apart--a rip or crack becoming a huge split and we lose our stuff. It's gotten to the point where I don't like to let people borrow our luggage anymore.

I've wondered if hard shell luggage is better that soft, semi reinforced<--(what we usually use), or if better condition military surplus canvas rucksacks might be better yet--anyone got opinions or experience there?

Heard of Tumi and Briggs and Riley before--B&R has the best warranty, but I don't know if after paying three times as much, if it or Tumi lasts even twice as long as the better luggage from  TJ Maxx, Marshalls (same company actually) or Ross Dress for Less, the latter which is usually 10-15% cheaper than the TJ or M's for same stuff.

Here's some opinions below--it's also a helluva consumer driven website for bargain/quality minded consumers.

http://slickdeals.net/f/5936060-opinions-please-toughest-most-durable-luggage-ever-wheels-preferred

[Ray]

 
Was cleaning out my garage last week and found my old Navy sea bag. It's well past 30 years old and still not a scratch on it after multiple airline, bus, train, boat trips around the world.
 
Those military duffle bags were built to last, but I don't know if they are still acceptable for checked baggage because of their size.
 
 
Ray
 
 
 
 
 
 

[robert angel]

Was cleaning out my garage last week and found my old Navy sea bag. It's well past 30 years old and still not a scratch on it after multiple airline, bus, train, boat trips around the world.
 
Those military duffle bags were built to last, but I don't know if they are still acceptable for checked baggage because of their size.
 
 
Ray

Yea man--those heavy canvas US Military duffle bags are all but indestructible! I have seen some cases where they have developed a tear here or there and an ample amount of duct tape and they keep on going.

They also make a more modern version of US Military canvas that is sort of plasticticized (new word?) treated and I have used it on my boat, leaving it exposed to extreme heat, salt water and air--my charts and gear were fine. None of that stuff is pretty, but it sure does last.

I've mentioned some similar, but a bit more fancy heavy canvas bags with leather cross stitch handles, that my parents got for me at age 16 when they kicked me out of the house. (Whenever I said "I'm running away", they'd say: "we'll help you pack", so I sort saw it coming) but I still have those bags, kept in my hot garage several decades later and they still are fine.

For the money, don't think you can beat heavy duty canvas, even if it's not hard shell protection.

[bcc_1_2]

My bags get scuffed and roughed up, but I've been using them for years and they don't look like they are going to fall apart or anything.

[robert angel]

My bags get scuffed and roughed up, but I've been using them for years and they don't look like they are going to fall apart or anything.

Umm--so what type are they superman--kryptonite?

[bcc_1_2]

Umm--so what type are they superman--kryptonite?

I'm not sure what I had when I first started but it was the same set I used in high school and college for any travel. At some point I upgraded to a Nautica set over the years.