Suitcases
The finest case ever has these wheels. They are 15cm / 6" in diameter and are protected by the guard plates - which take the damage. I bought this in Munich in 1999 and have never seen it on sale again - anywhere. The company no longer sell this style. Yet, it must be readily apparent that these two wheels are brilliant for all regular roads and so forth.
This case is mid-sized, you can do a week if it's summer, or possibly even longer. I have constantly searched for a full sized version with these kind of wheels but nothing has revealed itself. All those silly spinners. Incidentally, this case was given a VERY serious workover by FCO/airline/LHR to the point where I was given a full price replacement voucher. That was in 2004. The case is still going strong as it is 'old school'.
Another Victor Mature production.
This case is mid-sized, you can do a week if it's summer, or possibly even longer. I have constantly searched for a full sized version with these kind of wheels but nothing has revealed itself. All those silly spinners. Incidentally, this case was given a VERY serious workover by FCO/airline/LHR to the point where I was given a full price replacement voucher. That was in 2004. The case is still going strong as it is 'old school'.
Another Victor Mature production.
A possible solution that has not been mentioned for your particular trip in which you state you require a large case and bear with me on this...is to buy a large hard lockable suitcase without any wheels and buy a separate foldable trolley with large wheels that you can collapse and fit inside the suitcase for transit and get out at the other end to refit and transport the case.
I have such a trolley [bought from a discount chain which is from Germany
] which was cheap/foldable and is rated at 50KG looks a bit the one below but I'm sure lots of others are available, it came with some bungee straps for attaching cases/equipment. I use one for transporting all my camping gear. The good thing being when the wheels eventually give up, easy to replace just the trolley as the case is still good.Another tip if you did go down this route, take a plastic bag to put the trolley in before packing in the suitcase, that way if the wheels are wet/dirty your clothes won't be affected.
Paxing All Over The World
Thread Starter
That is an interesting solution - and I did have one like that in the mid/late 1970s! I used when going home from college for the holidays. Bungee straps did not work as they flexed too much when going up and down kerbs. Tie down straps did work. Then I got my first wheeled case, bought in Bristol.
The rolling duffle is certainly another solution but I find, when lifting them, their width make them more difficult (for me) as the centre of gravity is further away from your knee. It may also be that, having always used regular suitcases for 58 years - I am too settled into how I pack them.
The rolling duffle is certainly another solution but I find, when lifting them, their width make them more difficult (for me) as the centre of gravity is further away from your knee. It may also be that, having always used regular suitcases for 58 years - I am too settled into how I pack them.
When travelling as crew, it’s a hard side 4 wheel case for me. Much easier to handle a spinner when you’ve got a flight bag in your other hand, and as it’s home to car to airport to crew bus to hotel and back again the surfaces are reasonably level. Leisure travel involving coach stations, ferry terminals and pavements requires two generous sized wheels. Soft sided can be better, I use a manufacturer known for packing safely which has good security features. A decent sized backpack gives hands a lot of versatility, it can be cabin luggage when travelling and a day pack when exploring your destination.
If you are crew and need the most robust stuff for daily use, consider luggage works from my view. Build like a tank but heavy. The most robust trolleys on the market. Some even fit tight 737 cockpit spaces. They are best when you carry them with you all the time, as they are too expensive to be thrown around.
https://luggageworks.com/
https://luggageworks.com/
Don't buy black and don't buy if it has a zip. If your going to do a lot of travel then spend a bit more and don't buy black. Take a photo of your bag as you check it in as proof of condition if you have it damaged when you pick it up at the other end, oh, and don't buy black
This sounds unethical, and were it a matter of a valuable item with a family cherished history, that would certainly be the case but ...
Don't buy a trolley. Go to lost and found and tell them you lost one. There are a great number of them there, never ever going to be reclaimed, and when you describe yours as metal with wheels and a handle they will very likely give you one to clear it out. They are most likely to be left by people struggling to get on a plane but have no interest in wrestling with the item through TSA or into the overhead or packing it into the suitcase. They may have obtained it from lost and found themselves - the great circle of trolleys. When you are done, leave it at the luggage carousel. It will either go to other adventures or be recycled back to lost and found.
The same applies to umbrellas. Black, folds up small. Or doesn't fold up small. Pick a story and stick with it.
Don't buy a trolley. Go to lost and found and tell them you lost one. There are a great number of them there, never ever going to be reclaimed, and when you describe yours as metal with wheels and a handle they will very likely give you one to clear it out. They are most likely to be left by people struggling to get on a plane but have no interest in wrestling with the item through TSA or into the overhead or packing it into the suitcase. They may have obtained it from lost and found themselves - the great circle of trolleys. When you are done, leave it at the luggage carousel. It will either go to other adventures or be recycled back to lost and found.
The same applies to umbrellas. Black, folds up small. Or doesn't fold up small. Pick a story and stick with it.
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With regards to the Black case discussion.
All of mine are Black and the way I have got around identification issue is by having some very bright Orange luggage tags with a White Aircraft logo on them which is slightly luminous.
They have a small metal wire hawser and a screw coupling which locks together. The tag is made of 5mm latex and are a little smaller than an iPhone and cost around £35 which seems a lot, but they are over 10 years old and and are as tough as old boots and were made in US.
In all my travels I have yet to see any others. I am sure there are other companies doing stuff similar but yet to see another one like mine also I would say if you do this a lot you get to know your bag from its various battle scars.
Cheers
Mr Mac
All of mine are Black and the way I have got around identification issue is by having some very bright Orange luggage tags with a White Aircraft logo on them which is slightly luminous.
They have a small metal wire hawser and a screw coupling which locks together. The tag is made of 5mm latex and are a little smaller than an iPhone and cost around £35 which seems a lot, but they are over 10 years old and and are as tough as old boots and were made in US.
In all my travels I have yet to see any others. I am sure there are other companies doing stuff similar but yet to see another one like mine also I would say if you do this a lot you get to know your bag from its various battle scars.
Cheers
Mr Mac
Or, as a mate of mine did, buy a whole set of luggage in Screaming Pink - think Barbie plus.
He never lost his luggage and TBH no-one would go near it
He never lost his luggage and TBH no-one would go near it
Paxing All Over The World
Thread Starter
The cases of my lady and her daughters, are all shades of red.
- Arriving long haul and feeling slightly jaded, we counted the red cases but miscounted as there were so many (a large cabin bag was in matching colour). We only discovered one was missing on reaching the hire car. Then the prolonged trip through the human systems (all saying No in the bluntest of terms) to locate it. Wasted over an hour.
- Arriving short haul and picked - what I thought was - my lady's case off the carousel. Check the label and it was not. Looked around to see an identical case well advanced towards the exit. MUCH running required and caught up with the man just the other side of official Exit barrier. He apologised. Then I had to message the others to say that I had got the case but could not return as the security guard was doing his job - no criticism.
Just to confirm for Asturias the brands are Helly Hansen, eagle Creek & the 2 matching expanders from Walmart were Jeep branded and picked up from the Houston Conroe Walmart's clearance shelves.
I'll check the brands for my hard sides when I get home.
I'll check the brands for my hard sides when I get home.
Last edited by Donkey497; 9th Dec 2023 at 21:09. Reason: incomplete
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Paxing All Over The World
Thread Starter
A friend has just orderd a hard side case that is a spinner - but - the wheels can be removed once you reach the bag drop. As most spinners have the wheels as their weak point, this could be good. I shall report after her first trip.
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Hard shell [Extremely Large] is a "Titan" with a carbon fibre & polycarbonate shell, very nice & highly robust, Been in service for about 15 years now & yet to accumulate any significant battle scars despite extensive use by myself & family, came courtesy of a large number of points accumulated on Etihad and seems that it would have been value for money had I spent actual money on it.
The other one is a "Jetstream", Chinese made Walmart special, hard back and sides with a ballistic nylon soft front. This was bought, purely on size, when I had bought a couple of paintings on holiday and needed something to swallow the paintings, sheet insulation board protection plus one of the bags and the contents I had used to go on holiday, so whilst it's been about the dark & scary luggage areas of airports a fair amount, it hasn't seen anything like the same amount of international use as my other options, but I have previously used it a fair bit as well for lifting & shifting costume & SFX gear to & from theatres when I used to do backstage stuff.
Both have been good servants & have many years left in them. I've been fortunate enough to be able to match what bags I needed to what type of travel I was expecting to do & if I didn't have something suitable, to be able to pick up something that was.
The other one is a "Jetstream", Chinese made Walmart special, hard back and sides with a ballistic nylon soft front. This was bought, purely on size, when I had bought a couple of paintings on holiday and needed something to swallow the paintings, sheet insulation board protection plus one of the bags and the contents I had used to go on holiday, so whilst it's been about the dark & scary luggage areas of airports a fair amount, it hasn't seen anything like the same amount of international use as my other options, but I have previously used it a fair bit as well for lifting & shifting costume & SFX gear to & from theatres when I used to do backstage stuff.
Both have been good servants & have many years left in them. I've been fortunate enough to be able to match what bags I needed to what type of travel I was expecting to do & if I didn't have something suitable, to be able to pick up something that was.
This sounds unethical, and were it a matter of a valuable item with a family cherished history, that would certainly be the case but ...
Don't buy a trolley. Go to lost and found and tell them you lost one. There are a great number of them there, never ever going to be reclaimed, and when you describe yours as metal with wheels and a handle they will very likely give you one to clear it out. They are most likely to be left by people struggling to get on a plane but have no interest in wrestling with the item through TSA or into the overhead or packing it into the suitcase. They may have obtained it from lost and found themselves - the great circle of trolleys. When you are done, leave it at the luggage carousel. It will either go to other adventures or be recycled back to lost and found.
The same applies to umbrellas. Black, folds up small. Or doesn't fold up small. Pick a story and stick with it.
Don't buy a trolley. Go to lost and found and tell them you lost one. There are a great number of them there, never ever going to be reclaimed, and when you describe yours as metal with wheels and a handle they will very likely give you one to clear it out. They are most likely to be left by people struggling to get on a plane but have no interest in wrestling with the item through TSA or into the overhead or packing it into the suitcase. They may have obtained it from lost and found themselves - the great circle of trolleys. When you are done, leave it at the luggage carousel. It will either go to other adventures or be recycled back to lost and found.
The same applies to umbrellas. Black, folds up small. Or doesn't fold up small. Pick a story and stick with it.
But free if you are a gold card holder, I'm told.
I left my bag on the platform at Malpensa (Milan airport) railway station. Laptop, iPad, money, credit cards.... Everything except passport and one credit card (that I keep separate). Collected it from airport lost property the next day. Nothing was missing - the money (EUR 250 plus coins, GBP 200 plus coins) was in re-sealable plastic bags. They had an itemised list of everything in the bag and I had to sign for each line item. No charge. Nothing was missing.
Back to the topic: two wheels, not four. I got a Briggs and Riley bag for next to nothing in TK Maxx more than 25 years ago. Still using it. It seemed to be falling apart - when I looked I found there were holes in the lining that allowed you to access the screws holding it together. Five minutes with a screwdriver, good for another 25 years.....
I left my bag on the platform at Malpensa (Milan airport) railway station. Laptop, iPad, money, credit cards.... Everything except passport and one credit card (that I keep separate). Collected it from airport lost property the next day. Nothing was missing - the money (EUR 250 plus coins, GBP 200 plus coins) was in re-sealable plastic bags. They had an itemised list of everything in the bag and I had to sign for each line item. No charge. Nothing was missing.
Back to the topic: two wheels, not four. I got a Briggs and Riley bag for next to nothing in TK Maxx more than 25 years ago. Still using it. It seemed to be falling apart - when I looked I found there were holes in the lining that allowed you to access the screws holding it together. Five minutes with a screwdriver, good for another 25 years.....
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Wife has a Delsey 3pc hardside 22"/26"/28" thats been going since 2002...flaming flourescent orange...and been through phillipine cock-ups multiple times. Still looks almost brand new - frenchies make good stuff...
