Favourite luggage (checked and carry-on)

[memesweeper]

My Away four wheel spinner works fine on two wheels. The wheels appear to me to be extremely good. Many, many miles dragged along London’s uneven pavements.

[The Savage Squirrel]

Andrew. wrote:

But as soon as you start marching along outside on a pavement at about 4mph+ they are utterly hopeless. Last weekend we made the short walk from Paddington to Kings Cross. My mate had his new spinner, I had my trusty 10yo two wheeled Tripp.

It’s off-topic but I just have to ask; why did you walk this? It’s not like the Marleybone Road and the A4205 are going to give show you the best of London’s sights and you have to chew through the Marleybone Rd’s air so it’s 3 pretty unpleasant miles. 😀

[modestpointscollector]

Put me in the 2 wheel club – just never wanted to change! That said, I have some Dakine luggage which has served really well over the last 5-10 years and i’d like to upgrade to some hard cases just for the clasps so if that means I have to go spinner, then I guess that’s where i’ll be headed. The aluminium Away carry on seems to be one of the best right now.

[Comrade Chag]

Any discounts for Away? Do they do any sales?

[AnotherUser]

Also luggage shopping at the moment. Any suggestions for a large wheeled hold bag that’s cheap-ish but solid enough to stand up to a couple of trips on KLM and Ryanair? Normally go with carryon, but need hold luggage for a couple of trips

[jj]

I bought two nesting sets of hard shell from Antler couple of years back. They’ve all managed multiple flights, been squeezed hard into oddly shaped rental cars, pushed effortlessly over rough pavements, and abused by a wide range of concierges, taxi drivers and even water-taxi skippers. Still like new apart from a few scuffs that come off easily with a scourer. Fland, for the first time in my life I’ve had a few other airport passengers tell me how good they look.

Recommended.

[memesweeper]

Comrade Chag wrote:

Any discounts for Away? Do they do any sales?

I’ll check for a code and post it here if I find one.

They did a sale mid-pandemic, it was there first ever, apparently, and they made it clear they weren’t planning to have another if they could help it.

[memesweeper]

The ‘refer a friend’ page on the website is blank and there’s not even a code for signing up to the email bulletin. 🤨

[Andrew.]

The Savage Squirrel wrote:

Andrew. wrote:

But as soon as you start marching along outside on a pavement at about 4mph+ they are utterly hopeless. Last weekend we made the short walk from Paddington to Kings Cross. My mate had his new spinner, I had my trusty 10yo two wheeled Tripp.

It’s off-topic but I just have to ask; why did you walk this? It’s not like the Marleybone Road and the A4205 are going to give show you the best of London’s sights and you have to chew through the Marleybone Rd’s air so it’s 3 pretty unpleasant miles. 😀

We ended up at Paddington much earlier than expected, so had 90 minutes to kill before our AP tickets from KGX. Walking was a good way to lose 35-40 minutes and avoided the mouth breathers.

[Andrew.]

AnotherUser wrote:

Also luggage shopping at the moment. Any suggestions for a large wheeled hold bag that’s cheap-ish but solid enough to stand up to a couple of trips on KLM and Ryanair? Normally go with carryon, but need hold luggage for a couple of trips

Check out your local TK Maxx, one near me had a stock of generous sized Timberland Duffles for about £60.

[Reney]

memesweeper wrote:

Comrade Chag wrote:

Any discounts for Away? Do they do any sales?

I’ll check for a code and post it here if I find one.

They did a sale mid-pandemic, it was there first ever, apparently, and they made it clear they weren’t planning to have another if they could help it.

I think they do Black Friday?

[The Savage Squirrel]

Andrew. wrote:

The Savage Squirrel wrote:

It’s off-topic but I just have to ask; why did you walk this? It’s not like the Marleybone Road and the A4205 are going to give show you the best of London’s sights and you have to chew through the Marleybone Rd’s air so it’s 3 pretty unpleasant miles. 😀

We ended up at Paddington much earlier than expected, so had 90 minutes to kill before our AP tickets from KGX. Walking was a good way to lose 35-40 minutes and avoided the mouth breathers.

Hehe, fair play, that’s very virtuous. Unlike me who with an hour to kill at Kings X would have immediately thought of the Parcel Yard. 😀

[AndyGWP]

I’ll look properly at this thread tomorrow, but any sign of sub-£100, two-wheelers kicking about that people can recommend at all please? 🙂

• This reply was modified 54 years, 4 months ago by .

[memesweeper]

AndyGWP wrote:

I’ll look properly at this thread tomorrow, but any sign of sub-£100, two-wheelers kicking about that people can recommend at all please? 🙂

Finding any two wheelers is hard, good or bad. Most cases these days have poor wheels unfortunately. I’d get a four wheeler with great wheels and drag it two way style if that’s your preference (it’s what’s I do).

[Lula]

@andyGWP My husband and I have just returned from a 7 month trip using Osprey bags – the Sojourn, which has two wheels but can also be converted into a rucksack. The wheels are incredibly sturdy and survived being dragged along rough terrain, various airline/airport handling etc. Having had wheels go on cases before, I was very impressed with these. They also do cabin sized luggage. But they are more backpack style than smart luggage, and are of course soft, so no good for those who want hard shell.

[memesweeper]

Several refreshes on the Away refer a friend now yields:

Tell your friends to get Away
Don’t keep something this good all to yourself. Give your friends $20 off* their first suitcase or bag to help change how they see the world. You’ll get $20 off* your next purchase with us too—it’s our way of saying thanks for spreading the word.

Can’t see the * T&Cs. I probably don’t qualify and it probably doesn’t work in Europe, but ping me if interested. Or try your luck at: https://www.awaytravel.com/friends

[memesweeper]

Got it working in sterling – for £20 off click here: https://referrals-uk.awaytravel.com/away8448

I think the site was broken yesterday.

[AndyGWP]

memesweeper wrote:

Finding any two wheelers is hard, good or bad. Most cases these days have poor wheels unfortunately. I’d get a four wheeler with great wheels and drag it two way style if that’s your preference (it’s what’s I do).

thanks – tbh, never struggle for weight in a case, but looking to maximize space (and those 4 wheelers consume ‘size allowance’ that could be vital luggage space I could use) – I’ve never had issues with size (dimensions) allowance, but as things get more electronic, I can see it being the next money maker

(I’m specifically referencing checked luggage here)

• This reply was modified 54 years, 4 months ago by .

[George K]

I haven’t graduated to an Away hardcase yet, but, I can’t praise their backpack enough.

https://www.awaytravel.com/uk/en/travel-bags/backpack?color=black_nylon

I take this thing everywhere. It’s deceptively spacious. The laptop pocket is big enough for a 16’’ laptop -and- a tablet. The front section is just so well appointed that you just never have to fiddle around the bottom for keys, documents and the like.

There was a massive sale two years ago and did very well to get this at a decent price. I have seen some other smaller sales come about, so you’d best subscribe to their newsletter.

The £20 off referral offer works with sale and other discounts. https://referrals.awaytravel.com/away459444

[memesweeper]

George K wrote:

I haven’t graduated to an Away hardcase yet, but, I can’t praise their backpack enough.

I have the small *and* the standard backpack. Got the latter during the one-off sale. They are lovely. However, I’ve now followed the link you posted and discover they make a larger backpack now! How many do I need, exactly? Must. Not. Buy. Another. Bag …

[memesweeper]

memesweeper wrote:

George K wrote:

I haven’t graduated to an Away hardcase yet, but, I can’t praise their backpack enough.

I have the small *and* the standard backpack. Got the latter during the one-off sale. They are lovely. However, I’ve now followed the link you posted and discover they make a larger backpack now! How many do I need, exactly? Must. Not. Buy. Another. Bag …

… and the new large rucksack fits the overhead sizing requirements for BA perfectly. So for journeys where I need more than just a standard backpack, but the Bigger carry-on is too big? Or I don’t want wheels at all? It’s ideal. If I get a £20 off a referral that’s what I’ll be spending it on. 🙂

[Optimus Prime]

If some bag’s dimensions are 55x37x23cm and LCC’s limits are 55x40x20cm: are you screwed or that’s still fine? I know some US carriers (Delta?) say dimensions must be either 55x40x20 or the sum must not exceed 115cm. Can’t find a similar statement on Ryanair or Vueling’s T&C’s.

[Optimus Prime]

Optimus Prime wrote:

If some bag’s dimensions are 55x37x23cm and LCC’s limits are 55x40x20cm: are you screwed or that’s still fine? I know some US carriers (Delta?) say dimensions must be either 55x40x20 or the sum must not exceed 115cm. Can’t find a similar statement on Ryanair or Vueling’s T&C’s.

Sorry forgot to also ask if anyone has a cabin bag with a front-pocket for a laptop. Are they worth it or will I regret the inner space the pocket eats up when going on a trip without needing the laptop?

[JD]

I have a Samsonite C-Lite Spinner cabin case – it’s a 4 wheeler. I’d recommend it, I think it was quite pricey, but its USP is it’s both very light and very strong. It seems to have lived up to that so far. I also think that it came with a 10 year guarantee although I’ve not had to use it so I have no idea whether it is worth the paper that it’s written on…

For checked baggage, I’ve got some random Samsonite hard shell cases – they feel pretty bomb-proof but are heavy. I’ve also used a selection of North Face duffel bags and a ‘Rolling Thunder’ two wheeled case (https://www.thenorthface.co.uk/shop/en-gb/tnf-gb/bags-and-tents-travel-luggage/rolling-thunder-luggage-36in-3c92 although it seems to get some pretty bad reviews on the shop website, my experience so far has been a good one and I’ve dragged it through a lot of bumpy ski resorts). I would recommend the North Face bags as being very robust (and you can also get the duffels in bright colours which helps for identification on the baggage belt!). I’d recommend that you check out the sizing in a store first (hard to gauge the sizing online versus cabin bags / large cases that are always pretty standard).

• This reply was modified 54 years, 4 months ago by .

[dst87]

I’ve enjoyed reading all of the responses and discussion around benefits of various bags. Thanks for the input everyone.

We re-examined our checked luggage and I don’t think they’re in as bad nick as I remembered. I think I just wanted something new and was pretending they need replaced when really I’m just being an obedient little consumer. I’m going to stick with those for now (Antler cases, and they’ve served us very well to be fair).

That said, we do legitimately need better hand luggage and I’m now considering the Away Carry On Aluminium edition. I think the extra rigidity sounds good, as does having clasps instead of a zip. If it doesn’t appeal I can always put their 100 day return policy to the test!