Just bought $199.50 on B Lite Xtra Softside Lge 77cm for family travel. RRP $399. Lowest is $191.50 online delivered but I prefer Myer for return and points.
Samsolite is great but In your opinion, will you pay $199 for a large luggage.
What do you find as an alternate or better choice?
Can return. All sold out online in Myer except this particular model.
Learn from OZB, "act quick, think later".
its actually "buy now, regret later"
Costco had a few 69 cm ones for around 110 bucks, Samsonite
lol what's with you and America.
why can you never fill it up unless you're travelling to america??
business class flights get extra luggage allowance if you're talking about weight
well America is usually 32 kgs (some airlines, some are lower these days)
other places between 20-25kg
true about business class but not everyone can get business class!
"heard of incidents where luggage left out in the rain at airport @#$#"
Really? 1 in how many millions of bags?
doesn't happen much, but if its raining and they are loading the plane, it will get wet! and in Asian countries during rainy season its not good
mines wasn't that bad, I had double wrapped all my electronics
my friend was totally soaked!
also lucky it was on my way home, if it was on the way there I would be really pissed!
Fair enough and I hear you regarding asian countries but in over a decade of travel with more than a dozen trips a year through Asia I have not had water damage once though the outside of my bag has been damp.
Also I carry anything of value like electronics in carry on, no way I would leave anything valuable in check in bags.
yeah, same, been there a lot too, never had issue, then I had one bad experience and friend had one too (a few months apart), and it changed me
yeah, usually do carry the electronics but was a hairdryer, lucky I double bagged it!
It happened to me on my most recent trip. Well, to be precise they left it in a puddle.
I bought my 73cm "hard" suitcase for AU$68 in HK at a shop in the Temple Street market 2 years ago.
was already travelling with a decent family suitcase but with all the inexpensive items in HK and previously in KL we required a second.
great case. used for 4 weeks in europe last year and several fortnight aust trips since.
We usually take travel packs, the straps zip up behind a flap when not in use. We tried the wheeled thingies and they were just impossible for travelling in Europe with the train stations with all the stairs. It also leaves your hands free to deal with tickets etc. All our electronics is in our small backpack handluggage as well (travelpacks usually have zipoff front packs). I work on the basis that the electronics is the stuff I need most, and/or can afford to lose least, when I'm travelling. I even keep the power packs etc in hand luggage 'cause it may not be possible to replace them if baggage goes missing. I'm a 5 ft tall, 50ish lady and I don't have any trouble with the packs for the distances we normally travel with them. (However, I don't try hiking the Andes trail).
get one with wheels
I have had 'no brand' hard cases and samsonite brands. Samsonite are noticeably lighter and easier to lift, smoother wheels. Never had branded ones crack or broken zipper. Look at the features such as expandable, lockable zips, 4 wheels.
But looking at large sizes, i prefer 2 medium sizes if possible, i dont wanna break my back doing heavy lifting on holidays.
I travel each month for work, 4+ flights min. After a bad run with a high priced samsonite, i tried an angler. It was so great last year for a trip around Southern Europe. Its a combination hard and soft sided, hard corners for durability, but has an expansion zipper if you over pack. Super light and easy rolling (compared to the samsonite).
I recently purchased a second antler hydra suitcase from David jones at 1/2 Rrp, about $169, so both hubby and I have one.
I second the vote for antler. I got an antler hard case on special for qff points and it has been more reliable than my last two samsonite.
A hard case will protect the contents of your luggage, as it doesn't compress or crush. The Samsonite soft-sided models are super durable but will not protect their contents very well from impact or crushing. As noted above, they are also water resistant, but (unless you are expecting a water landing) there is rarely an issue with water getting into luggage. The main advantage of Samsonite is with weight, they are feather-light, so easy to manouvre and maximise available weight for checked luggage. Antler and American Tourister are also comparable quality, better priced and usually more sensible colours/designs — red/white/grey/blue/black may seem easily reconisable now, but at 3am when you are waiting bleary-eyed at the luggage collection carousel after a long-haul flight, you will be surprised how many identical bags you will find — choose a bolder, non-primary colour.
If you fly in smaller planes, your luggage is usually loaded from open air carts by hand. I've had many bags wet after landing when transiting through Brisbane and Qld regional centers. International isn't such an issue though.
Look into the wheel/backpack hyrbids. You want one with a supportive backpack system that zips away and then you can use wheels that are large and sturdy.
Beware 4 wheel cases. They roll away on slopes.
You already bought it so what does it matter?
I do a dozen or more trips a year and have had expensive bags in the past and while they may last longer than cheap ones I don't think they last 20x longer
Now I just buy cheap ones while overseas for under $20 and replace them every couple of years.