Spinner Luggage?

[hlauburn]

Looking for a new luggage for our upcoming cruise and I'm trying to decide how important the "spinner" feature is. Is it a "must have" when purchasing new luggage or just a bonus? The non-spinning kind seem a lot less expensive :rolleyes:

 

Thanks!

[Clarea]

The spinner wheels are a must have for us. Much easier for us to roll the bags with the spinner wheels.

[SuiteTraveler]

The advantage of spinner luggage is that 100% of the weight of your luggage (could be 50 pounds) rests on the luggage wheels and not on you. I have also found that the hard sided luggage, somehow can hold more than the soft sided luggage (not sure why.) The two wheeled luggage you have to drag, the spinner luggage you push mostly but you can also drag it as well. My suggestion is that you go to a department store and try both. Remember, if it is full and you are dragging it, your arm and hand will get more tired than if you are pushing something that does not feel like it weighs much (spinner luggage.)

[cruzeluver]

They are easier to manipulate if that is a consideration. However, they are also more easily damaged (wheels breaking off) than the ones with recessed wheels.

[zqvol]

How do you use your luggage? Is it just for cruises, or do you fly a lot? Do you check bags or always carry on? All of these go into whether or not spinners are worth the extra cost.

 

Unless you carry luggage through an airport, IMO spinners are not worth the extra money, and in fact most of them don't fit properly in an overhead on most planes.

 

Unless you have back issues they are really not worth the money.

[slidergirl]

The previous poster had valid questions for you to ask yourself.

 

Are you only using this luggage from house to car to airport to car to cruiseship, using skycaps/porters/bellmen so you don't really take care of your own bags more than maybe 25 ft or so? Are you going to do other types of vacations where you will have to handle your own luggage on sidewalks, trains, European cobbled walkways, carpeted hotel hallways?

 

I'm an experienced luggage handler from my time working at hotels; the worst luggage I had to take from the front desk to the bell closet or up to a room are those spinners. I can take nice, full strides with 2-wheelers, but I can't do that with the spinners as they won't keep up with me with them at my side.

[Keith1010]

Positive about spinners is that they are easy to move.

 

Negative is that sometimes the wheels break off and that is a problem.

 

To me not very critical.

 

If you have physical issues then it might be important to you. We don't so it's not something that we must have.

 

Keith

[LHT28]

AWD for us just do not leave unattended on a slope :D

 

I agree go to the store & try them out as well as the 2 wheeled versions

 

I have HEYS hardside cases & usually I walk beside it with my carry-on on top

[crzndeb]

I'm going to be getting a piece of spinner luggage before my next cruise. I travel solo and take longer cruises...dragging close to 100lbs of luggage is getting to be a chore, especially with my back. . The spinner will make it much easier to push around.

[sbbquilter]

I travel every week both by car and fly. For me it is a toss up-

Spinners are easier to push on flat smooth surfaces but a pain in bumpy or carpeting. The wheels do eat up a bit more space so if you carry on as I often do, I don't want to give that up. And as noted above that may not be a rugged - my wheels broke off before zippers ever gave way.

[bigsky]

Must have since I've been using them. Sometimes can be tricky depending on the surface. I just pull it the old way if it's too bumpy. Can probably get some less expensive ones at Costco to try and see if you like them. Not too much of an investment. I don't spend a whole lot anyways. They seemed to get pretty beat up with traveling.

[Keith1010]

AWD for us just do not leave unattended on a slope :D

 

I agree go to the store & try them out as well as the 2 wheeled versions

 

I have HEYS hardside cases & usually I walk beside it with my carry-on on top

 

I love it, and actually true. :)

 

Keith

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We replaced our 2 large cases with spinners last year, already had a carry on size, and they were much easier on my back, shoulders & arms than our old luggage. We did a bit of walking at the airport to get from the terminal to the train to the transportation. The only problem I ran into was getting the luggage over the door sill on the train.

[Krazy Kruizers]

When I started to have wheelchair assistance getting through the airports (about 5 years ago), DH had a hard time handling the regular wheel carry-ons. So we bought the spinner carry-ons. He loved them so much that we went out and bought all new luggage with spinners. Great for moving the luggage out to the car -- great in hotels -- great on the ship.

[Scrapnana]

I usually take longer cruises and need at least two suitcases. The spinners are much easier for me to maneuver. Put one on each side and off I go. I would not get very far if dragging two behind me.

 

I do not buy the most expensive luggage. Normal wear and tear of flying and cruising will take its toll on all luggage. When mine gets damaged beyond use, I won't mind replacing it.

[gwsster]

I prefer the spinners because they don't fall over and are easy to wheel, that being said, I have had 2 expensive spinners broken at the wheels on a vacation. One case was a hard case one was a soft side (same trip). I don't know who broke the wheels, the airline or the cruise ship.

I solved my dilemma by using a 2 wheeled carry on size with recessed wheels to keep with me and then bought a much less expensive yet good brand 28" spinner bag to check in. I stack the carry on to the larger spinner bag until I check the larger bag. I only have to deal with the carry on through security to the gate.

There are discount stores that sell online luggage that have brick and mortar stores. (Rhymes with Moss and other similar stores) you can find some great bargains there. If the wheels get broken off the spinner I won't feel so bad as I didn't spend tons of $$$ on it.

One reminder make sure your case doesn't exceed 62" inches for checked bags Length x width x depth or you will get hit with a huge oversize bag charge, be mindful of the carry on size limitations as well. One major airline was measuring carry on's and if over at any point was gate checking and charging the passenger on our last vacation. We weren't charged but our luggage was measured (we passed the inspection) by a surly gate attendant.

 

 

Looking for a new luggage for our upcoming cruise and I'm trying to decide how important the "spinner" feature is. Is it a "must have" when purchasing new luggage or just a bonus? The non-spinning kind seem a lot less expensive :rolleyes:

 

Thanks!

[K&RCurt]

I just bought a set of spinners for this past cruise and I loved them. The ones I got you can also "tilt" and pull like a two wheel set if you only have one bag.

 

Getting 2 bags (Med and large) and a carry-on to the cab after the cruise would have been a major pain with 2 wheeled bags.

[gymbomb]

I like spinners on larger suitcases, but not on carry on sized ones.

 

 

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[Guest maddycat]

I gave up my 2 wheel bag when I could no longer handle the weight. I bought a spinner and love it. It glides along beside me. I was so pleased with the spinner after my first trip that I went out and bought a spinner carry on. My husband still uses his old large 2 wheeler suitcase and a 2 wheeler carry on.

 

Marshall's and TJ Max usually have a very good selection of luggage at excellent prices.

[Kartgv]

It's spinners for us - bought some for our last trip and the ease in handling was amazing. Love them (except for the pink polka-dot lining, but that's another issue!)!

 

If you fly, another major factor in buying luggage is the empty weight of each piece, especially for larger pieces. If you completely fill a large piece of luggage, you can easily go over the 50 pound limit and the excess weight charges are absurdly high. We found as much as an 8 pound difference between different suitcases of the same size. The heavier bags might be sturdier and hold up longer, but in the long run cost more due to the overweight charges. Websites such as Luggage.com and Amazon should tell you the weight of each piece - if not, don't buy it.

Edited February 26, 2016 by Kartgv

[Flatbush Flyer]

If you fly a lot, skip spinners (rough baggage handling will eventually break them). Instead, look at Travelpro's upper level stuff. Expensive (though deals come and go) . But, guaranteed forever. I've still got a couple of stowable rollaboards that are more than 20 years old (have newer pieces as well)

Next time you're at the airport, check what many of the flight crews are pulling behind them - Travelpro.

Edited February 27, 2016 by Flatbush Flyer

[Clarea]

If you fly a lot, skip spinners (rough baggage handling will eventually break them). Instead, look at Travelpro's upper level stuff. Expensive (though deals come and go) . But, guaranteed forever. I've still got a couple of stowable rollaboards that are more than 20 years old (have newer pieces as well)

Next time you're at the airport, check what many of the flight crews are pulling behind them - Travelpro.

Thanks for the tip.

[Floridiana]

Spinners for us, much easier to handle. They just roll along. We lost wheels on our cheap spinner suitcases almost immediately. The expensive ones have held up very well, Rimova and Heys, in several cruises, 12+ flights, countless busses, and 2 Chinese train trips. We stay under 20 kg (44 lbs) to comply with cheap foreign carriers. Our carry-ons are cheap and extremely light spinners from discount stores. One of them is smaller than regulation sizes and fits in all overhead bins and under the seat.

 

If you are young and strong and do expedition type adventure trips, I would recommend a different type of suitcase. Our heavy and sturdy soft side with 2 wheels was in service last time when it needed to fit in an Amazon canoe. In the Galapagos, I watched the crew literally stand on passengers' suitcases when unloading luggage.

[flamomo]

When I bought a carry on size spinner, I thought it was really slick when walking thru the airport to get to my gate ..... UNTIL I had to try to make it move on a carpeted surface. It did not roll easily in the upright position, and it was terrible to try to drag behind me like a 2-wheeled on, due, I think, to the small wheels. It took more effort to get it to move than my old 2-wheeled kind, and ended up making my shoulder sore from the effort.

When I bought a set of new luggage, I bought the 2-wheeled kind.

[MTdreaming]

I have pretty severe back issues and still don't like spinners. I think the pushing along is an awkward angle for shoulders and elbows. Make sure you try yours out before you purchase.. and also as many have mentioned they work fine on very smooth flat surfaces, but are a pain on carpet, cobbles and slanted surfaces. I also really really dislike that all I have seen (there might be exceptions to this) open in the middle so they fold open from the center. I find this harder to pack and close up and it also takes up a lot more room in hotels.. won't work on luggage racks etc.. I like to slide our luggage under our beds on a cruise and then just pull one out slightly and put in the dirty clothes - can't do this with a center opening suitcase.. for some this isn't a big deal for me it is a constant irritant. I find pulling a two wheeled suitcase through a crowded airport much easier for maneuvering.. the side deal takes up a lot more width.