Luggage: To Spinner or Not?

[chengkp75]

Check out LL Bean. Great stuff and if it breaks it's returnable.

 

Another vote for Bean's. Even if it's not broken, but just worn, you can return it. Or if you don't like the way it rolls or packs, return it. Money refunded with no questions asked.

[Talisker92]

One of the nice things about spinners on your carry on is you can roll it down the airplane aisle sideways. It makes life a lot easier.

On a very long trip, we took 3 large suitcases and 2 carry on bags. I put the carry on bags back to back and put a luggage strap around them. That way we had 4 pieces and 4 hands!

It really made life easier as we had to change trains 5 times to get from the Swiss Alps to Nice!

[griffy116]

Are luggage has been killed in the past by both the airlines and one suitcase between the cabin and return to us at the pier. Didn't know it till we opened it up and say that it had pieces falling out all over the place. We went with inexpensive spinners and bit our nails all the way for fear of them surviving. We left ATL to LGA, LGA we had to go by taxi to JFK. JFK to Dublin. Dublin to Rome. Rome to cruise ship and the same route home. All of our spinners made it in pristine condition. So much easier to go with the spinners in the airports and the aisle of the plane that we were in shock. We even managed to roll them down a cobblestone street in Rome with no problems, crossing the street. We were worried because we didn't go with a more expensive brand but these spinners (hardside) have now made two trips to Europe and gone through several airlines and cruise lines and a couple of plane trips for land vacations. No regrets and we will never go with anything other than the spinner luggage again. The only thing I might do different is I'm really liking the hardside luggage with the soft zippered compartment on the front. It looks like the best of both worlds. I like to have that zippered compartment on the front.

[Talisker92]

 

Editing to say I never have a carry on. I guess I'm lazy.

The main reason for having a carry on, especially for my wife, is to keep any valuables with you. Also, it cuts down on the weight in the suitcases.

[sprint180]

Ebags 2 wheeled softsided bags.

Have held up for years and you can get tons in. I did try a 4 wheeled one and it rolled wonderful but it seemed to use a lot of extra space with those extra 2 wheels.

 

back to my 2 wheeled one. whish also rolls really nice.

[Guest maddycat]

I switched a couple of years ago from 2 wheel luggage to 4 wheel spinners. I could no longer manage the 2 wheel, it was just too heavy when it was tilted so that it could be wheeled. I absolutely love the 4 wheel spinners. It's a pleasure to maneuver on any surface.

[wishIweretravelling]

Between airlines and cruise lines, my luggage takes a beating. I now buy at TJ Maxx, and find that lower-priced luggage is the better. I have a spinner bag that I bought there for peanuts that has held up well, as well as a carryon. Both look like they once lived in a landfill, but they do their jobs well and hold up. And, yes, I love the spinner. Even when I overstuff it, it moves nicely through an airport.

[Gallivanting Souls]

Does anyone have any experience with this set from Costco?

 

http://www.costco.com/Samsonite-Black-3-Piece-Softside-Spinner-Set.product.100116079.html

 

Right now the set is on sale for $149.

Any thoughts?

[crystalspin]

@ familyoutdoors

 

If you need a set, that might be a good one, certainly a good price IF you need the larger bags.

 

We travel carry-on only and bought two of the smaller units similar to this set (at CostCo), a couple years ago:

 

http://www.costco.com/.product.100115426.html?cm_sp=RichRelevance-_-itempageVerticalRight-_-CategorySiloedViewCP&cm_vc=itempageVerticalRight|CategorySiloedViewCP

 

Similar to that one right down to the weight of 7.6 lbs. I notice the smallest/carryon bag in 'your' set is 8.3 lbs. Some international carriers have a carry-on limit of 18 or so pounds! One I know of (Qantas) has limit of 15lb.!!! When your bag weighs half of that EMPTY, that doesn't leave much room for anything, really.

 

Domestic flights SO FAR seem to limit by size and not weight, at least that is what is published on the Delta website.

 

With that in mind, I just ordered the two-wheel IT Luggage "Lightest" 22" bags from eBags. They weigh either 3lb 3oz or 3lb5oz (3.3lb) depending on which source you get the info from (I will know in a week!). They have good sized wheels and good sized "feet" on the other corners. Don't get me wrong, I've loved the spinner IN AIRPORTS and DOWN THE AISLES in airplanes (sideways), which is where we generally have to move them. But that extra 4lbs of clothing go a long way towards my comfort and not having to be hand-washing something *every* time I see a sink!

 

Keeping that in mind, if you need or want the full selection of sizes, and if you largely travel domestically (or on British Airways!) -- that seems a good price for Samsonite.

[SadieN]

A 22" spinner has less capacity than a two wheeled suitcase. Usually the 2 wheels weigh less than spinners, in the same design.

 

DD loves her 2-wheeled IT bags. Her small one has even survived RyanAir and Lufthansa 'weighing of the bags'. The larger one (26") is light lime and has scuff marks, just makes it more identifiable. She got both at TJMaxx.

 

The best suitcase she has has flown FCO-LAX many times--An old brown tweed Jordache from the late '80s. Lightweight, has all four wheels and is still easy to manuever.

Edited February 25, 2015 by SadieN

[donaldsc]

We use Osprey Ozone series bags because they are so very light. The 28" bag although not quite as large as some 28" bags weights only 4 pounds, 14 ounces empty. Most other 28" bags are 8 to 9 pounds. They also have an excellent warranty although we have not had a need to use the warranty.

 

DON

[BridgeMates]

We were cleaning out the attic the other day and found an old brown hard side Samsonite suitcase from the 50's which belonged to my mom. They were indestructible but heavy as I remember. We were a military family and traveled a lot including overseas a few times. Don't know what to do with it....hate to throw it out so will probably just take to Goodwill.

 

We have the 2wheel Travel Pro. Bought them after using Atlantic for many years and lots of cruises, etc. I think Travel Pro bought out Atlantic. So far so good with the Travel Pro although we've only had them 2 years. They're kind of a funny grayish blue color so we can spot them quickly.

[scottbee]

Another vote against spinners. The extended/exposed wheels are not just vulnerable to being snapped off, they significantly reduce the actual carrying capacity of the bag. Since total bag size allowance is on exterior dimensions, 2 inches of exposed wheel are two inches that can't be used for carrying compartment. Similar dimensioned spinners hold less than a 2 wheeler of the same size, since the two wheels are nestled into the corners.

 

As for a favorite bag -- for many people, it is not worth the investment in a high-quality Tumi, though they are great for frequent travelers. I highly recommend the Mother Lode duffels from eBags. Quality materials combined with very intelligent design features. They've served me well and are my go-to bag unless I need a traditional "box" design due to the need for a suiter or if I'm carrying something that needs that extended diagonal dimension.

 

Where as I would have totally guessed you were a "Tom Bihn" person.

[NewSalt]

For our first trip to Europe, pre 9/11, we bought a good, expensive set of 2-wheeled Travel Pro. In today's world, I doubt they would meet the weight limits empty.

 

A couple of years ago, I bought three soft-sided spinners. For a cross-country trip last years, we decided at the last minute that we needed one larger suitcase since we were going to a wedding and needed to bring several dress outfits. I ran up to Costco and bought a hard-sided spinner. I was amazed at how much more could fit inside. It killed me, but I replaced the almost new soft sides with more Costco hard sides.

Edited February 25, 2015 by NewSalt

[donaldsc]

We use Osprey Ozone series bags because they are so very light. The 28" bag although not quite as large as some 28" bags weights only 4 pounds, 14 ounces empty. Most other 28" bags are 8 to 9 pounds. They also have an excellent warranty although we have not had a need to use the warranty.

 

DON

 

To add an addition to my own reply - another advantage of the Osprey bag is that they are dayglo green and easy to spot.

 

DON

[crystalspin]

@ BridgeMates

 

Yes, Goodwill is the thing to do... unless you are a regular on a Freecycle type e-list. I have a couple of my late mother-in-law's I need to donate as well! At one time I thought I would decoupage and shellac them and use them for specific storage, like scrapbooking items or such.

 

Then I remembered -- I don't scrapbook!

 

Anyway, that is what SOME people do with them. Stacking 3-4 old suitcases and calling it a chair-side-table is another idea that some decor magazine publishes every year or two. This is just to say you are not sticking Goodwill with an unsellable item even though no one carries those big old heavy cases any more!

 

@ NewSalt

 

Haha, we replaced heavy 2-wheel carryons with 4-wheel CostCo spinners a couple of years ago. The price was a one-fer ($40!) and they were *flying* out of the store. I never thought I got more in them, but they were several pounds lighter at 7.6lbs. Now that seems heavy! So we're trying the IT Luggage "Lightest" and back to two rugged wheels.

 

One caution -- IT markets several lines under the banner in the "Lightest" collection... they are not all equally light (although all are lighter than 7.6lb). The quilted carryon spinner is a half-pound heavier and has 25% less capacity! and for some odd reason more available when I looked...

 

The "argument" about which style (hard or soft) holds more has not been decided! Some feel soft (because they give a little), some hard (because they push things together harder). If I were going to push one to the brink of its capacity, it would be the hard -- although they both have a zipper as the weak point, the hard still maintains its original dimensions when over-stuffed.

[slidergirl]

I'll bring in my experience from a "professional" view. I work at a hotel. I end up assisting our bellmen frequently with luggage in the lobby. My absolute least favorite bag to deal with are the 4-wheel spinners. Trying to take them across our carpet is just a pain. The big ones stuffed to the gills with winter clothes are the worst - they are so heavy I have to almost push them rather than walk next to them. Can't take big, fast strides with them because they won't roll easily. I liken it to the dog handler in the ring walking while the Yorkie is running (4 wheeler) vs handler running quickly with the Golden Retriever.

I just like my soft side 2 wheelers.

[Floridiana]

Lots of smooth surface travelling in airports: spinner

Lots of rough surface travelling on cobblestone etc. : 2 wheeler

[BullDawg91]

Our first experience with a hard side spinner was fine for the hard side part and for the spinner part.

 

Our problem was with the combination lock which was built in the side of the case along the zipper. When we got home from a flying trip, we couldn't get the lock open under any circumstances. We had instructions on resetting it which didn't work. I searched the interweb for suggestions. We had to separate the teeth of the zipper to get the contents out. If we could ever get the lock open, the zipper would still work.

 

Assuming we have to replace it, I will avoid that combination lock feature. At least a traditional lock could have been cut off.

 

Oh, and I'm also in the cheap is sufficient category. We have a Samsonite skate wheeled case that is very nice but very heavy empty. We avoid taking it whenever possible. Our favorites were cheapo Walmart two wheeled bags that we carried for probably 15 years before the handles literally fell off.

[kelkel2]

After having cheap luggage that didn't do well on one cruise we upgraded to Samsonite spinner luggage. It's hard shelled on the inside and holds it shape well and soft on the outside. It is pretty large and also it's actually a little heavier than our previous luggage.

But my mother in law purchased my husband's old luggage from K-mart and it had to be saran wrapped at the airport to make it home after the cruise line did a number on it. We paid someone $15 at FLL for their help and thankfully it made it home just in time for it's date with the garbage man.

The Samsonite luggage, even just a tad heavier than I would like, holds up fantastically! I seem to get heavy tags on it all the time, but I think that's really because it's larger than my old suitcase and I can shove more crap in it. But I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Edited February 26, 2015 by kelkel2

[kelmac]

No spinners here! I always thought my "Club Glove" golf bag was the best piece of luggage made; turns out they make regular luggage as well.:)

 

Same "kick plate" design and made to last. Made in the USA!

 

Great colors and my name is embroidered on the side. Easy to spot coming off the turnstile or the luggage zones after a cruise.

 

http://www.clubglove.com/CG/C02-Travel-Luggage.php

 

Enjoy!

Kel

[port msp]

I have no experience with spinner luggage, but when I've looked at the mounting points for the wheels, they’ve always looked like a weak point to me. I've seen lots of people dragging broken spinners with three wheels (or less) still in tact. Plus, the 4 wheel models I've seen, the wheels/mounts are 2"-3" alone, which would limit the size of the actual bag for packing.

 

We've been using 2 wheeled soft sided Travel Pro 20” wide body carryon bags for the past few years. We carry our own bags, both onto the plane and onto the ship. Each is used several times a year and doesn’t show much wear. We also have 22” Travel Pro bags, but have found that they don’t always fit as they should, “wheels in first” into the overhead bins of some aircraft. The 20” wide body bags always fit. Perfect size? That depends on how much stuff you want to take. ;-) I’ve been taking less each cruise. I’ve found I just don’t need much for 7 days. Initially I bought luggage that had lots of internal pockets and compartments, thinking that was the way to go. Now I like to use packing cubes and just want a “box on wheels” to put the cubes into.

 

What I like about the 2 wheeled models is that the wheels don't add appreciably to the height of the bag and the mounting of the wheels is generally well protected. What I don't like about most 2 wheel models is the handle mechanism taking up so much space inside the bag. I've found that the slim packing cubes from ebags fill the spaces nicely, but I still think space is lost because of the design.

 

I've been eyeing the new Pelican Pro Gear Elite luggage. Pelican makes hard plastic cases that stand up to just about anything. Their new luggage line is hard sided and double-walled, and because of this construction the interior space is much less than a soft-sided bag of similar size. The 22” carryon size only has about a cubic foot of interior space, where a 22" soft sided carry on has about 1.5 cubic feet of interior space. I've been thinking that a larger model, the 27” weekender or the 30” vacationer, would be kind of nice to have, if I were going to switch back to checking a bag. I think it would be kind old school to buy stickers from the places I go and stick them to the case. But I really don’t need the extra packing space so we’ll see.

 

Good luck with your choice. http://www.ebags.com has a wide selection and the reviews can be helpful.

[Shak]

I have no experience with spinner luggage, but when I've looked at the mounting points for the wheels, they’ve always looked like a weak point to me. I've seen lots of people dragging broken spinners with three wheels (or less) still in tact. Plus, the 4 wheel models I've seen, the wheels/mounts are 2"-3" alone, which would limit the size of the actual bag for packing.

 

We've been using 2 wheeled soft sided Travel Pro 20” wide body carryon bags for the past few years. We carry our own bags, both onto the plane and onto the ship. Each is used several times a year and doesn’t show much wear. We also have 22” Travel Pro bags, but have found that they don’t always fit as they should, “wheels in first” into the overhead bins of some aircraft. The 20” wide body bags always fit. Perfect size? That depends on how much stuff you want to take. ;-) I’ve been taking less each cruise. I’ve found I just don’t need much for 7 days. Initially I bought luggage that had lots of internal pockets and compartments, thinking that was the way to go. Now I like to use packing cubes and just want a “box on wheels” to put the cubes into.

 

What I like about the 2 wheeled models is that the wheels don't add appreciably to the height of the bag and the mounting of the wheels is generally well protected. What I don't like about most 2 wheel models is the handle mechanism taking up so much space inside the bag. I've found that the slim packing cubes from ebags fill the spaces nicely, but I still think space is lost because of the design.

 

I've been eyeing the new Pelican Pro Gear Elite luggage. Pelican makes hard plastic cases that stand up to just about anything. Their new luggage line is hard sided and double-walled, and because of this construction the interior space is much less than a soft-sided bag of similar size. The 22” carryon size only has about a cubic foot of interior space, where a 22" soft sided carry on has about 1.5 cubic feet of interior space. I've been thinking that a larger model, the 27” weekender or the 30” vacationer, would be kind of nice to have, if I were going to switch back to checking a bag. I think it would be kind old school to buy stickers from the places I go and stick them to the case. But I really don’t need the extra packing space so we’ll see.

 

Good luck with your choice. http://www.ebags.com has a wide selection and the reviews can be helpful.

 

It used to be that your bag under most circumstances had to be 45 liner inches but with the advent of the airline sizers the carry on now have to be within a specific measurement. Your wide body may be within the liner inches but will not fit the 14 inch width of the sizers. This may be the reason why many wide body luggage are on close out.

 

You may not have had a problem in the past but if the airlines decide to actually use their sizers you may find yourself having to check it.

 

http://www.travel-goods.org/travel-goods-showcase/clips/tgs-vol36no3-20-inch-wide-body.pdf

 

Shak

Edited March 1, 2015 by Shak

[busmech]

I use a 2 wheel Victorinox werks traveler. The one with the T handle. It has been great for been using it for 10 years now, 4 cruises and a few other trips. It is well balanced on the wheels and the t handle rotates so it fits your hand perfect. It was great in Venice and walking a bit in Athens when the streets were closed and could not get the taxi to the hotel. Also have the garment bag which straps to the suitcase. Not the cheapest but you can find them on sale.

[port msp]

It used to be that your bag under most circumstances had to be 45 liner inches but with the advent of the airline sizers the carry on now have to be within a specific measurement. Your wide body may be within the liner inches but will not fit the 14 inch width of the sizers. This may be the reason why many wide body luggage are on close out.

 

You may not have had a problem in the past but if the airlines decide to actually use their sizers you may find yourself having to check it.

 

http://www.travel-goods.org/travel-goods-showcase/clips/tgs-vol36no3-20-inch-wide-body.pdf

 

Shak

 

Possibly. We did get a crabby gate agent at McCarran Airport last October that insisted our bags wouldn't fit and made me put my bag in their sizer. I think it was a Sun Country flight. When it slid right in, she seemed surprised, and even a little perturbed. She didn't seem to notice that it was a bit wider than it should have been. She made my wife put her identical bag in the sizer also, I suppose because she could. Both bags went into the cabin.

 

I'm not sure if each airline has it's own carryon sizer or if they all use the same unit. I've carried the 20" wide body on multiple airlines at least 20 times without a problem so far. Although, we have been flying business class and economy comfort quite a bit, so maybe that has accounted for the leniency. On A320 aircraft there are some overhead bins that hold just one bag. I've found that the 20" fits those bins perfectly. I think some bins are less deep than others, but I've never actually measured. I've read a theory that bins aren't as deep towards the front of the plane because the fuselage narrows as you go forward.

 

I may end up downsizing bags even more for cruise travel. Not to avoid baggage fees, I don't pay them now, I just don't take much anymore.

 

It is interesting what one sees carried onto a plane these days. I've seen large backpacks and duffel bags make it on board and there's no way they would have fit in the sizer.

 

Thanks for the link. I'll give it a look.