I don't spend much time thinking about luggage. One reason is I don't travel that much, but also I tend to purchase a suitcase or two and use them for a long time. But I do have a tendency to be a bit behind the curve regarding features that make travel easier. My main suitcase has wheels, but it's not the "spinner" type with four wheels. I didn't think much of this until I tried rolling one around at a store, and then I understood immediately.
Two-wheeled bags are still somewhat prone to tipping over, especially if you happen to cross an uneven surface, like a curb. Also, the position of the handle causes your wrist to fatigue very quickly, because it's turned against its natural angle. (I solved that problem by getting a bag with a single extension pole with a rotating handle on top.)
As soon as you experience a four-wheel bag, you realize how much easier it is to maneuver, and the wrist-angle thing is eliminated too. I still have my two-wheel bag because it's perfectly good, but I have been contemplating getting a four-wheel spinner bag, because it would be nice to have something larger for the occasional longer trip.
One of the nicer bags I've seen, as well as one of the lightest, is from Muji, the Japanese purveyors of all sorts of interesting and useful things. Muji's only US stores are in New York and San Francisco, but they have offered online shopping for a while now. They are currently offering 30% off some of their hard-side four-wheeled suitcases: the 27-inch model that usually retails for $198 is currently $138, and the 29-inch is down from $238 to $166. These bags weigh nine and 10 pounds empty, respectively, so you don't have to worry as much about how much weight you are putting inside.
I don't know how long these are going to be discounted; there are other, similar-looking bags on the main luggage page that are not discounted, and are labeled as "new," so it looks like Muji may be clearing out the older stock, and if you're interested you should act quickly.
I can travel anywhere for a week with a 21" spinner and I paid about $60 for my Heys at Marshall's. They are sturdy and very lightweight. If you don't travel a lot, you don't need to pay much more for a spinner. I've used mine many times, drag it roughly up and down Paris Metro and airport stairs, Venetian bridges and stairs, etc., and it's holding up fine. My husband, has the next largest size, 25", which we both consider the biggest suitcase we'd ever need, even for long overseas trips. If you need a bigger suitcase than that, you may actually just need packing lessons....
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ReplyDeletePB, I know your comment is well-meant, but I feel slightly offended by your suggestion that I need packing lessons.
ReplyDeleteHere's something a lot of people don't realize or think about: I'm a fairly large person on the spectrum of adult male height and weight, so my clothing is larger and therefore takes up more physical space. A week's clothing for a typical trip to California barely fits in my 24" suitcase. Beyond that, it's nearly impossible for me to travel without a second pair of shoes, which are also larger than average and take up a sizable chunk of room inside the suitcase.
Also, for certain types of trips (most likely ones that would not involve air travel) it can be more convenient for the Mrs. and I to share a suitcase, and a larger one makes this easier.
I know there was a third size of the Muji bags that was smaller than the other two, but I think it has already sold out.
Of course you can pay less for a bag; I never said or implied that Muji's bags are the best deal, just that I find them to be durably made.
Oh, dear, I'm sorry you were offended!
ReplyDeleteI had dinner recently with a man who is shorter than you but heavier, with extremely broad shoulders. He travels frequently on business, for weeks, usually to multiple countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa. He only takes a carry-on, which holds FOUR suits, SIX dress shirts, and everything else he needs, including a week's worth of underwear and socks. (He works out in hotel gyms every day so he must pack those clothes, too.) He takes his 25" or 26" case only if he's traveling to both tropical and cold-weather countries and has to cope with both extreme climates.
I've seen him abroad and he always looked impeccable, just as he does here. I suspect he packs at least one pair of shoes plus his gym shoes.
And he says it takes him 20 minutes or less to pack. It boggles the mind, doesn't it? This is why I believe we can benefit from packing lessons from seasoned travelers, who invariably take only carry-ons. There's nothing worse than lugging big, awkward bags in and out of trains and trolleys and up and down streets and staircases. Unless it's losing your checked suitcase...
I can't imagine how he does that—maybe his clothes are in pill form and expand when water is added?
ReplyDeleteI know. I plan to interrogate him when we can talk in a quieter location, after he's back from his next trip. This information will be shared.
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