A Good Garment Bag

[rdawson808]

Hello all,

After getting back from another trip I am convinced I need a new garment bag. I have some specifications though. It needs to comfortably fit my suits which means it needs to be about 25" wide and I would like it to be lightweight but sturdy.

Are there any particular brands that people use and like. I am not looking to spend more than a few hundred (say 350 max) so to LV or such please.

And any advice on packing in general would be appreciated. I seem to suck at it. This time I took a jack and one pair of trousers too many. Though I think I have figured out the "dress code". I.e. there isn't one even though they're all lawyers.

cheers,
bob

 

[globetrotter]

travelpro, briggs and riley, tumi, in order. all have a small tri-fold garment bag.

 

[retronotmetro]

How long are your trips? Do you want a carry on, or a checked bag? Most bags that can fit two suits plus other items are too large to be carried on.

I have a Tumi tri-fold that I received as a hand-me down. It is very small and cannot fit two suits without crumpling the hell out of them--and if you put in two suits you won't fit much else. Just right for a trip where I need to pack a single suit and maybe some casual clothes, but it does not fit my running shoes (let alone a second pair of dress shoes). However, it meets all carry on requirements, and can go in the overhead bin on even the smallest planes.

I also have a Samsonite wheeled garment bag that easily fits two suits and a lot of other stuff, but is too large too carry on.

My standard trip case for 2-3 day trips is a Briggs & Riley wheeled suitcase with a suit sleeve. This just makes it through bag checks as a carry on, fits one suit (two if carefully packed), some casual clothes, and an extra pair of shoes.

I recently got a Swiss Army garment sleeve that is basically little more than a nylon version of the ubiquitous zip-up plastic suit bag, but which folds in the middle and has a handle on top. I plan to use this instead of the Tumi tri-fold, since it is lighter and simpler.

My general plan for business travel is to underpack on suits, but overpack everything else. I always take extra shirts, underwear, and an extra tie. If you repeat a suit, people rarely notice or care, but if you repeat your socks and underwear YOU will ALWAYS notice and care.

 

[thinman]

I'm a fan of TravelPro in general. I don't have their garment bag, but I've used their Rollaboard suitcase for about 10 years. It's lightweight and the wheels have taken untold amounts of abuse. I hate checking luggage, so I use it (and only it) as my carry-on for trips of 1 week or less. The top compartment fits either a suit or a small laptop plus files, accessible without opening the main compartment (presumably to access the laptop/files rather than a suit).

 

[globetrotter]

I'm a fan of TravelPro in general.  I don't have their garment bag, but I've used their Rollaboard suitcase for about 10 years.  It's lightweight and the wheels have taken untold amounts of abuse.  I hate checking luggage, so I use it (and only it) as my carry-on for trips of 1 week or less.  The top compartment fits either a suit or a small laptop plus files, accessible without opening the main compartment (presumably to access the laptop/files rather than a suit).

thinman, is that one over 10 years? I found that my travelpro didn't hold up as well as I had hoped.

 

[demo5]

I have an Eddiue Bauer nylon garment bag that works very well (just a single fold).

 

[rdawson808]

How long are your trips? Do you want a carry on, or a checked bag? Most bags that can fit two suits plus other items are too large to be carried on.

I have a Tumi tri-fold that I received as a hand-me down. It is very small and cannot fit two suits without crumpling the hell out of them--and if you put in two suits you won't fit much else. Just right for a trip where I need to pack a single suit and maybe some casual clothes, but it does not fit my running shoes (let alone a second pair of dress shoes). However, it meets all carry on requirements, and can go in the overhead bin on even the smallest planes.

I also have a Samsonite wheeled garment bag that easily fits two suits and a lot of other stuff, but is too large too carry on.

My standard trip case for 2-3 day trips is a Briggs & Riley wheeled suitcase with a suit sleeve. This just makes it through bag checks as a carry on, fits one suit (two if carefully packed), some casual clothes, and an extra pair of shoes.

I recently got a Swiss Army garment sleeve that is basically little more than a nylon version of the ubiquitous zip-up plastic suit bag, but which folds in the middle and has a handle on top. I plan to use this instead of the Tumi tri-fold, since it is lighter and simpler.

My general plan for business travel is to underpack on suits, but overpack everything else. I always take extra shirts, underwear, and an extra tie. If you repeat a suit, people rarely notice or care, but if you repeat your socks and underwear YOU will ALWAYS notice and care.

"How long are your trips? Do you want a carry on, or a checked bag? Most bags that can fit two suits plus other items are too large to be carried on."

I tend to go for 2-3 days but they could extend to 4. That's a max I think. And I dislike carrying on too many or too large of bags.

From what it sounds like, I should be a rolling bag about 25" wide with a suiter.

The thing is I do have a bag that big, but it is a rolling duffel. I love it, but I bought it not expecting to need to pack a suit. And I'm not sure a suiter used in it would be protected well enough.

bob

 

[Horace]

I've a Hartmann about 30 or so years old.

I've heard good things about the Patagonia "burrito" garment bag. It's a tri-fold.

 

[mano]

I'm a Travelpro Platinum fan. Â I four bags, including the large garment bag I've linked below, on ebay, all for a song. I usually hate it when people post great deals on ebay except my own auctions) , as it has interfered with my bidding, but here's an increadible deal on just what you might need: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws....me=WDVW

 

[rdawson808]

Thanks for all of the responses. This helps a great deal. As a last question before I go out and start actually getting my hands on something to try it out, does anyone have any experience with Delsey? In particular the Helium Limited 300 Garment Trolley (hopefully that extralong url will show): http://www.ebags.com/delsey....d=55450 thanks, bob

 

[globetrotter]

I have not had good experience with delsey. I strongly recomend going with travelpro, B&R and tumi.