Suitcase VS Duffle

post #1 of 14

7/27/11 at 4:19pm

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lemmywinks

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I've been travelling my whole life with roll on suitcases luggage in all shapes, sizes, and brands.

I recently received a Filson 256 and I fell in love with it and I really wouldn't mind getting a Filson duffle... but do I need it? Why do some people prefer to travel with duffle bags when you can just roll a suitcase around?

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post #2 of 14

7/27/11 at 4:41pm

ter1413

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Me....
Suitcase for trips longer than 2 days...
Duffle...ovenight/weekend trips.
(for the most part)...

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post #3 of 14

7/27/11 at 6:20pm

impolyt_one

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Both, if you need that much space - I use a hardshell roller suitcase (Muji in ballstic nylon) for checking in, and then carry a duffle for my carry-on, to keep the expensive jawns in. Been using a Givenchy duffle but it's not as comfortable as I'd like it to be, so I might switch for a Visvim backpack eventually, depends on where I'm going I guess. You can put your small bag on top (like stewardesses and pilots do I guess) and wrap it around the handle, and it makes walking with your bags fairly pleasant:

268683_10100278596282770_15904009_51751881_579111_n.jpg

268683_10100278596282770_15904009_51751881_579111_n.jpg

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post #4 of 14

7/28/11 at 10:48am

Joffrey

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+1 on duffle for shorter trips (weekend), roll on for longer. I can pack for a week in a 20" roll on suitcase and used it as a carry on.

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post #5 of 14

7/28/11 at 11:05am

pocketsquareguy

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This is an interesting topic to me. I used to travel regularly for work which required a standard suitcase. It was the most practical way for me to take suits and shirts and have everything arrive looking its best. But, when I traveled for pleasure, there was something relaxing and mood altering about taking a duffle. It was as though I had a whole different attitude. A duffle also seems to develop visions of adventure and exploration. (I mean would Indiana Jones use a roll-on?) Packing my duffle also caused me to edit what I packed, reflecting a more casual trip and not defaulting to the things I would take on a business trip.

So, yes...get a duffle. Throw it in the car or carry it on the plane and let the adventures begin

Below is my 1980's vintage LL Bean duffle. It has been to the fjords of Norway, camping by boat in the San Juans, bus trips through Mexico and never once carried a pair of Lobbs or a necktie.

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post #6 of 14

7/28/11 at 1:07pm

Krish the Fish

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I prefer to think of it this way: I'll take a rolling suitcase when I'm traveling via plane, and a duffle any other time. I just got a Filson duffle (222) this week and I have a couple road trips for which it will come in handy soon.

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post #7 of 14

7/28/11 at 1:38pm

JayJay

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Joffrey

+1 on duffle for shorter trips (weekend), roll on for longer. I can pack for a week in a 20" roll on suitcase and used it as a carry on.

Same here. I have an 18" roller suitcase that I use for week-long trips, and it can fit under a seat. Duffle for shorter trips, even by plane.

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post #8 of 14

7/28/11 at 2:00pm

Johdus Fanfoozal

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Quote:

Originally Posted by pocketsquareguy

This is an interesting topic to me. I used to travel regularly for work which required a standard suitcase. It was the most practical way for me to take suits and shirts and have everything arrive looking its best. But, when I traveled for pleasure, there was something relaxing and mood altering about taking a duffle. It was as though I had a whole different attitude. A duffle also seems to develop visions of adventure and exploration. (I mean would Indiana Jones use a roll-on?) Packing my duffle also caused me to edit what I packed, reflecting a more casual trip and not defaulting to the things I would take on a business trip.

So, yes...get a duffle. Throw it in the car or carry it on the plane and let the adventures begin

Below is my 1980's vintage LL Bean duffle. It has been to the fjords of Norway, camping by boat in the San Juans, bus trips through Mexico and never once carried a pair of Lobbs or a necktie.

Couldn't have put it better.

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post #9 of 14

7/28/11 at 2:34pm

Ambulance Chaser

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A rolling suitcase is fine if you are going directly from the airport to your hotel and are getting ferried around from place to place. It's a pain if your travel is any rougher than that (e.g., trekking, camping, travel on public buses). I recently purchased an Osprey Porter 46 Travel Duffle for the times I may be roughing it a bit. It's airline overhead carry-on complaint and has stowable backpack straps:

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post #10 of 14

7/28/11 at 4:57pm

impolyt_one

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I actually really hate the idea of overstuffed, rolling carry-ons, because they absolutely fuck up air travel nowadays - everybody gets by with a little more, and everybody has 3 fucking carryons now to begin with, so 20" roller, a 'laptop bag' which is always an overstuffed briefcase, and a purse/manpurse/backpack.... those bins were meant to hold that 20" roller for each person, and not much more.

Flying one of those tiny commuter Embraers recently, I was pretty delighted to see everyone with a roller carry-on have to forfeit it right as they got on the plane into a huge pile of things they were putting under the plane.

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post #11 of 14

7/28/11 at 8:18pm

JayJay

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Quote:

Originally Posted by impolyt_one

... I was pretty delighted to see everyone with a roller carry-on have to forfeit it right as they got on the plane into a huge pile of things they were putting under the plane.

This is why I'm reluctant to take my 18" roller nowadays. Even though it fits under the seat and in all overhead bins, more times than a few I've been forced to gate check.

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post #12 of 14

7/28/11 at 8:31pm

impolyt_one

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For the better good though, man, definitely more so than anything else that's been rearranged with air travel in the past 5-10 years. I learned last month, on the little jaunts across America, like O'Hare to LGA or O'Hare to LAX, you can use those e-ticket machines and if you're lucky and flying at the right time of day, you end up with offers like: $25 to check-in a bag, and $60 to check two, $10 more to prioritize your security line/baggage/boarding, or pay $90 and sit in first class and get 3 free checked bags, some booze, and a sandwich. No brainer.

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post #13 of 14

7/28/11 at 8:34pm