Weekend bag, Rimowa trolley or Filson Duffle?

I have a Tumi Alpha Dog bag that I sometimes use, and a fancier Hermes one that I don't like to use as much.

Duffels are clearly more stylish, and can be more practical depending on the situation. I don't like the look of the Filson 266, but it's clearly a quality piece of gear.

At trolley verses a duffle is like boots verses flip flops. They are both great but serve two very different purposes. Get the duffle for car or casual travel. Get a trolly for maximizing the amount of clothing and having it arrive neat and folded. Heavier loads - you will love a trolley.

This.

I have a great Mulholland Brothers duffle/weekender that I use for short trips when I pack lightly. Trips that are 5+ days, or if I'm required to bring something heavy, will usually require some kind of rolling carry/on. I do prefer the looks of my weekender and get a TON of compliments on it.

Many times you can get a soft side onto a plane where they will make you check a wheeled bag.

Filson. I have the 246 medium travel bag. http://www.cranes-country-store.com/...6-p-16307.html http://www.filson.com/products/trave...ium.70246.html Love how it looks, very durable. Only complaint is its a bit wide for sizers if its filled to capacity, had a gate agent kind of stare at it but I walked quickly through and she didn't say anything. I'd get a narrower version. It really is wide when you carry it too... I'd go with a duffel or something longer and more narrow. Its pretty similar to the dimensions of the 266 it seems. I'm probably going to get a Rimowa soon. If I'm going to an airport with long walkways, shoulder bags really aren't that fun, esp if you have a second carry on. Kind of on the fence about getting one...usually like shoulder bags because you can fit more and less problems on smaller planes/capacity in the bins, etc. (I use a Briggs and Riley 235x shoulder bag for longer trips..hate the black ballistic nylon though but its quite functional).

I thought that if it fits into the proscribed measurements then its ok, no matter what its got on it. Am I wrong?

Sometimes on small regional jets they'll make you check anything that looks like a suitcase, even if it's under the usual 45" linear inch rule. A soft duffel might be seen as a "personal item" akin to a briefcase even if it's on the larger side.

FWIW, rollaboards are quotidian and common but that's because they work well for their intended purpose. If you've ever schlepped a large duffel with four days worth of crap through a half-mile of sterile corridor to customs, you wish to the gods you'd opted for a cheap-ass American Tourister roller over that sweet sweet pebble-grain duffel.

But if it's a one or two day trip, I really do prefer the style of a leather shoulder bag.

I travel weekly and for a day or 2 I prefer the duffle. However depending on the airport I go to, I will bring my wheeled small suitcase. Las Vegas airport sucks for terminal switching. Also if you fly southwest and land at the newer terminal in San Jose, itll take you 15 minz just to get to baggage claim/ground trans area. I am in the hunt for a Rimowa though. Wish prices weren't so high though.

When the flight is very full, the first thing they'll make you gate check is anything with wheels. As was already mentioned, the very small regional jets won't hold a wheeled bag in the overhead.

My large tumi duffel (no longer made ) has only been flagged a couple times and it's much larger than the current largest cabin rollers. When not chock full it will fit into a regional jet overhead.

On those regional jets, Ill just stick the suitcase under the seat. Usually Ill have my laptop or a projector in the bag and its a pain to remove unzip everything etc.

As a certified luggage fetishist (more to be pitied than scorned), I'm not a big fan of big duffel bags, as everything gets jumbled up inside. Call me anal, but I like to keep my clothes and stuff organized and neat. If I need to do carryon, I go with an old black Hartmann tri-zip bag with a Red Oxx shoulder strap. It has three equally-sized compartments that keep my stuff organized, plus on one side it has a sleeve compartment and zippered ticket pocket. The other side has yet another compartment that seals up with a flap and latch. The bag is made of a light nylon material. This gives me maximum packing space (no room taken up by a telescoping handle mechanism or wheels) and terrific organization. I also have a somewhat similar Briggs and Riley in Cordura but with two smaller zip up compartments and a larger central one. I can't tell you how much service these bags have given me. For shorter trips when I am simply in casual wear, I have an even smaller ballistic nylon Mountain Equipment Co-op bag that converts to a back pack. It has one large compartment and a flat zip up pocket on the front. Very handy, nearly indestructable and cheap ($46). Alas, both this and the Hartmann are no longer made, but you can find them used on eBay. Checked luggage is another story. I also have a variety of Andiamo pullmans with wheels and telescoping handle -- the heavy and indestructable Valoroso 20" suiter and 28", as well as the lighter Bravo 26 and 28" ones. Both are trimmed with leather. The Valoroso is simply the sturdiest (if somewhat inelegant looking) suitcase made with a mixed Cordura/Ballistic nylon fabric that looks like fabric, and incredibly heavy YYK metal zippers. The Bravo line is of Tumi-like construction (same grade of Cordura fabric) and appearance, with YYK coil zippers. Both come with a variety of pockets and accessories for packing suits, shirts, and have the sturdiest provision for expansion that I have seen on expandable pullmans. Alas, Andiamo went out of business a little over a year ago. They lost the contract providing luggage for Costco, which is where most of their income came from, and that resulted in the demise of their premium lines as well. Liquidation World is selling off the last remains of their stock at a tiny fraction of what they originally went for -- my most recent acquisition was the Bravo 26" that originally sold for $585. I got it for $100. If you can snap one of these up, I recommend them.

Can't speak to the other bags, but if you're going to be using it for air travel, I think the Filson Pullman (243) makes the most sense. 21"x15"x9" (45" total) and opens flat. My only wish is that they had added a flap inside the main zipper - that thing will chew through your clothes if you're not careful.

Oops. Correction - the Tumi and Andiamo Bravo bags are made of ballistic nylon, not Cordura. The Valoroso bags weave Cordura and ballistic nylon together - they weigh a ton, and the canvas-like material appears to be tough enough for bullet-proof vests.