Compact luggage
Dairenn Lombard
Who makes and what kind are those carry-ons that I see pilots and
flight attendants wheel through airports from time to time? They're
very compact, I noticed, and I like their style. I'm looking for
something like that with a retractable handle and on wheels. Anybody
know where I can find something like that? Looking to replace my
gear.
Best regards,
Dairenn Lombard
Los Angeles, CA
Christopher
http://skyshop.dlh.de/cgi-bin/Skyshop.storefront/3e2c2ffd02c5596e273fc0a8013
c0652/ChangeLanguage/EN
or go to Lufthansa skyshop .. via google
"Dairenn Lombard" <dairenn...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:d89b0eef.03012...@posting.google.com...
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JimL
Oh my word! You haven'tbeen in luggage stores for a few years?
EVERYBODY makes them. And they are available in a wide range of
prices and quality. -fabric, leather, hard or soft sided, etc. The
first models were designed to meet the size requirements to be stored
under seat, but now there are ALL sizes available.
Just one bit of advice: In choosing price and quality, decide how
often per year (or how many years) you will be using it, and
especially whether you may occasionally check the bag instead of
carry-on. THen become familiar with brands, construction, and watch
for sales! I bought one for $70 (supposedly half price) and real
leather. It worked well for 3 round trips per year for three years.
Then I started ding longer trips, and checking my luggage. Two round
trips and the thing (actually two pieces) are a wreck from baggage
handling. However, they still work. Just dirt and scratches make me
look like a "seasoned" traveller ;-Q
mrtravel
The Bill Mattocks
> flight attendants wheel through airports from time to time? They're
> very compact, I noticed, and I like their style. I'm looking for
> something like that with a retractable handle and on wheels. Anybody
> know where I can find something like that? Looking to replace my
> gear.
Nearly every luggage manufacturer makes rollaboard luggage, in a
variety of sizes. The largest 'legal' rollaboard luggage for most
airlines is 9" x 22" x 14", so don't waste your money buying larger
luggage - you won't be able to carry it onboard.
Now, after 9/11, most airlines are limiting carryon luggage to one
item plus a 'personal item' such as a purse, laptop, etc. I have been
carrying a max-legal size rollaboard for a number of years, with a
laptop backpack (can't use a shoulder bag for medical reasons). Both
used to go on just fine, but no more. Now I can just carry on the
backpack, the rollaboard gets checked - so it may not be as useful as
you think.
The luggage used by most airline employees is TravelPro
(www.travelpro.com). It is crap. The airline employees use it
because they can buy it dirt cheap - it is a loss leader by TravelPro
to snare people just like you - "well, if the airline employees use
it, it must be good!" Good logic, but not true, just clever
marketing.
All luggage is sheer and utter crap, with the exception of several
brands. For rollaboards, choose Hartmann (my personal favorite),
Andiamo, or Tumi. All are expensive. They don't break. If you
travel for a living, you should invest in good luggage.
For laptop carry, there is only one brand, whether you prefer shoulder
bags or backpacks - Brenthaven. It is expensive. It is worth it.
All luggage brands offer long warranties. These mean nothing. If the
luggage breaks while you are traveling, you are screwed. You will not
be able to take the hours needed to go find an authorized repair
center, nor will you be able to interrupt your trip to Fedex your
busted luggage back. No. What you will do is dump your broken
luggage and buy something else to get home with. And your luggage
will not break when you are at home - why would it? It breaks when
you use it, and you use it to travel.
Therefore, warranties mean absolutely nothing. Anyone who tells you
differently is mistaken. Buy luggage that does not break. Brenthaven
and Hartmann. I am now on my 6th year of 150,000+ air travel per year
(mostly domestic) so I fly an average of twice a week, every week. I
know what the hell I am talking about. Buy Hartmann and Brenthaven
and be happy.
Now, someone will post that they have a $49 discount Walmart
rollaboard that has been run over by a dumptruck and has passed
through the digestive tract of an elephant, and it works like new.
Wrong. If you travel for vacation once a year, buy the junk, I guess.
If you travel for a living, buy good luggage. Cheap luggage is a
dumb mistake. I know, I tried all the various discount brands myself,
and they all broke, and rather quickly too. Penny wise and pound
foolish and all that. I'm a cheapskate, I hate to spend money. In
the case of luggage and shoes, I have learned to sigh, get out my
credit card, and live much happier with my choice.
Others will tell you to buy leather. Nonsense. Leather is heavier
than much stronger synthetics, and if it gets wet, forget it. It also
screams 'steal me'.
Best Regards,
Bill Mattocks
Dan
> All luggage is sheer and utter crap, with the exception of several
> brands. For rollaboards, choose Hartmann (my personal favorite),
> Andiamo, or Tumi. All are expensive. They don't break. If you
> travel for a living, you should invest in good luggage.
Samsonite?
randee
Vandenberg, and White Sands; thus also racking up the miles. Most of
this was on DL, SWA, or Amtrk. I can concur with this assessment. My
Tumi never failed me in all those trips (and in all my wife's trips, she
used it when I wasn't) and it is still going strong. If you travel a
lot and are using a cheaper brand, then be sure you carry a large tube
of RTV (that's what my co-workers used to do......). A choice among
these brands will be on personal taste for a particular design or color,
not on durability; their all equally durable. FWIW, these are all, or
used to be, US made brands. Hartmann has been around for ages.
One other note, I have never had to check my 8x14x22; it has always been
OK as carry-on (at least on DL, UA, SWA, and Frontier).
--
wf.
The Bill Mattocks wrote:
<<snip>>
Alan Gore
>Now, someone will post that they have a $49 discount Walmart
>rollaboard that has been run over by a dumptruck and has passed
>through the digestive tract of an elephant, and it works like new.
>Wrong. If you travel for vacation once a year, buy the junk, I guess.
> If you travel for a living, buy good luggage. Cheap luggage is a
What you want is sturdy luggage that LOOKS cheap. There's no point in
investing in Tumi if it invites "special inspection" by the ramp rats.
ag...@qwest.net | "Giving money and power to the government
Alan Gore | is like giving whiskey and car keys
Software For PC's, Inc. | to teenaged boys" - P. J. O'Rourke
http://www.alangore.com
randee
Hartmann luggage is pretty stylish and generally stands out unless you
get something in black. But if you wanted black, why bother with
Hartmann....... Andiamo also looks like the majority of luggage.
Alan Gore wrote:
>
> What you want is sturdy luggage that LOOKS cheap. There's no point in
> investing in Tumi if it invites "special inspection" by the ramp rats.
>
> ag...@qwest.net | "Giving money and power to the government
> Alan Gore | is like giving whiskey and car keys
> Software For PC's, Inc. | to teenaged boys" - P. J. O'Rourke
> http://www.alangore.com
--
wf.
Wayne Flowers
Randee Greenwald
ran...@zianet.com
Dairenn Lombard
> I recommend the Kirkland one from Costco.
Thanks for the update. I actually found a really nice carry-on (the
link is at my job, I'm at home; I might try to paste it later) that I
plan to buy. Looks better than the "Travelpro" Bill was warning me
against. I don't beat the hell out of my carry-on luggage and neither
have the valet people with American Eagle, but, it's probably a good
idea to stay away from "crap". hehe.
Thanks folks.