Luggage for frequent flyer (carry-on)

[Furbo]

We've currently got a set of Delsey Chatelet luggage, which is quite pretty, but I am thinking of buying a personal set for when I travel alone.

I tend to take a carry-on and backpack, which then doubles as a day pack. But I DO look like a tourist when I do that!

What I want:

1. Must pass muster with Ryanair, Jet 2, Tui, Easyjet for carry-on
2. Maximise packing space so that I can stay for longer periods if required.
3. Be good quality / durable.

I have been looking at Briggs Riley expandable stuff, but would welcome other suggestions.

TIA

[Alorotom]

As a reasonably frequent traveller and flier (couple of times a week short haul and a couple of times a month long haul) I take the opposite approach and tend to buy the cheapest carry-on spinner case as they get so beaten up - until very recently I did end up having a Antler case that IIRC I paid £40 for last just shy of 10yrs and it only went in the bin as the rubber worn clean off 2 of the wheels (which has never happened to me before).

It has been replaced by a £60 American Tourister and will be used and abused the same.

I pair this with a leather samsonite backpack picked up for $20 on clearance in Burlington in the US (previously a North Face backpack that wore out).

After travelling like this for work for 15/16yrs now I find buy cheap and use/abuse works best for me and also saves worry about dings etc.

[hellorent]

This ^^^^ have a look at the Aerolite Range, cheap and large.

[Furbo]

hellorent said:

This ^^^^ have a look at the Aerolite Range, cheap and large.

Just have. Looks good. Will play.

[The_Doc]

https://cabinmax.com/products/metz-30l-hybrid-45x3...

Metz Hybid 30ltr

Wheels - tick
backpack straps - tick
Well made - tick
Clever pockets. - tick
Under £50 - tick

Complies with all carry on regs apart from Ryanair (solution - don:t Ryanair)

[Furbo]

The_Doc said:

https://cabinmax.com/products/metz-30l-hybrid-45x3...

Metz Hybid 30ltr

Wheels - tick
backpack straps - tick
Well made - tick
Clever pockets. - tick
Under £50 - tick

Complies with all carry on regs apart from Ryanair (solution - don:t Ryanair)

I can’t not Ryanair.

[Exiled Imp]

Furbo said:

The_Doc said:

https://cabinmax.com/products/metz-30l-hybrid-45x3...

Metz Hybid 30ltr

Wheels - tick
backpack straps - tick
Well made - tick
Clever pockets. - tick
Under £50 - tick

Complies with all carry on regs apart from Ryanair (solution - don:t Ryanair)

I can’t not Ryanair.

Good shout. Also look to do Ryanair size as well

https://cabinmax.com/products/metz-24l-hybrid-40x3...

[bennno]

Im seeking some ultra expensive suitcases to use on Ryanair and easyJet ???

I’d go cheaper as per earlier posts and replace as required, we’ve brought from wardow - wenger cases are part of victorinox group and great quality / inexpensive. We also got some cabin zero backpack cases which take the most possible as a carry on.

[Griffith4ever]

Exiled Imp said:

Furbo said:

The_Doc said:

https://cabinmax.com/products/metz-30l-hybrid-45x3...

Metz Hybid 30ltr

Wheels - tick
backpack straps - tick
Well made - tick
Clever pockets. - tick
Under £50 - tick

Complies with all carry on regs apart from Ryanair (solution - don:t Ryanair)

I can’t not Ryanair.

Good shout. Also look to do Ryanair size as well

https://cabinmax.com/products/metz-24l-hybrid-40x3...

We have these - excellent bags. Took them all round India and Thailand last winter - one of them suffered a 7 Kg Bronze Ganesha statue for most of the journey without breaking! We've had them a good 3 or 4 years now and no signs of wear, and we go away a lot, including most winters.

[eein]

I've had and still have various luggage items of all different sizes from lots of different manufacturers, and travel extensively on hand and checked luggage. All I've learned is that cheap or expensive makes no difference to the durability - it's 50/50 either way.

My wheeled hand luggage is an upper mid range Samsonite and it's still going fine coming up to 20 years old and 100s of trips. It was £120 in ~2008. Yet a college who started travelling about 15 years ago got a similar sized bag from the high street market for £5 and it's also still fine. For hand luggage durability is massively influenced by how you treat it.

In recent years I got a new laptop bag and happened to end up with a Samsonite Varsity bag - struck a good balance between looking smart enough for business situations and casual enough for other times. Also not too showy or weird so as not to draw attention. I think it was free using points from staying at Shangri-La hotels.

[Shnozz]

Not sure if it was a PH recommendation but someone steered me to American Tourister luggage some years ago and I have been v impressed with it.

[captain_cynic]

Furbo said:

I tend to take a carry-on and backpack, which then doubles as a day pack. But I DO look like a tourist when I do that!

If the backpack works for you, why change?

Why do you care what other people think? I guarantee no one is thinking less of you for using a backpack, OTOH dozens of people are thinking "how can I get past this tt" when they plonk down their oversized carry on and meandeer up the jetway blocking the whole thing whilst moving at half the speed of smell.

Plus backpacks tend not to arouse the suspicion of the gate guards even when full, it's pointless as you can ultimately just squish them into the measuring frame.

[bennno]

Shnozz said:

Not sure if it was a PH recommendation but someone steered me to American Tourister luggage some years ago and I have been v impressed with it.

It's made by Samsonite to a slightly lower specification and much cheaper price. Akin to Seat or Skoda to VW a few years back.

[Furbo]

Thanks for the tips guys, I am following up.

I can tell people what not to buy, if it helps anyone: Delsey. The adage was never more true: Never buy anything French that you cannot put in your mouth.

UK support is a bloke in a rented unit in a garden centre in Essex. I kid you not. Any problems are met with a Gallic shrug and complete disinterest. A minor fault on a couple of cases took them months to sort out, and the final solution was that they supplied two replacements that were different from the originals.

They look pretty though.

[Jonathan27]

I bought a very standard black Samsonite case about eight years ago. I think I paid about £200, and it came with a lifetime guarantee. I normally fly between 100 and 150 times per year, and that case has been all over the world and taken a serious beating at times. So far Samsonite have replaced three sets of wheels and one handle under warranty, without any hassle at all.

I would 100% recommend getting a standard mid price Samsonite. Expensive luggage is totally unnecessary and unless it comes with a lifetime warranty, it can't stand up to the Samsonite offering.