What luggage for airplane travel?

[TC11201]

Originally Posted by Taxler

You may change your mind when you find out how much Fedex charges for next day delivery of a 40 pound suitcase. Plan ahead and use Fedex ground.

Not only that, but Fed Ex / UPS is fine for a single long trip. If someone is travelling every week or something close to that, the Fed Ex route would be unworkable - you be spending all your time packing and unpacking Fed Ex boxes and shelling out $$, not to mention the inevitable delays, etc. (they do happen). I've Fed Ex'ed my ski equipment for the annual ski vacation, but that's a one off, longer trip and quite honestly, it may be more expensive, when all is said and done, than simply lugging out my boots and rented really good demo skis (which has attractions of its own - namely trying out great new equipment).

 

[Hodaddy]

http://www.onebag.com/pack.html

 

[gdl203]

I don't know any frequent traveler who sends his stuff fedex... What's the point? Unless you're going for long trips, all you need can fit in a carry-on easily.

For overnight trip, I travel with a small Trafalgar bag that has a change of shirt, ties, underwear, socks, toiletries, belt, a second pair of shoes and my Jiffy steamer. Meaning: I wear the same suit on travel day and the next day.

For more than one night away or if my outbound is on a Sunday (dressed casual), I use a Tumi tri-fold garment bag so I can pack an extra suit too. Much better than any regular two-fold garment bags I've used in the past. Enough room to pack all of the above (+ extra shirt, undies, etc...).

I never check luggage for business travel - mostly because flights are always screwed up on domestic airlines and I end up changing flight at the last minute or at the gate probably 50% of the time

 

[TC11201]

Originally Posted by Hodaddy

http://www.onebag.com/pack.html

I particularly like the sarong and "Ida's Ultra Soles" from the clothing packing list. That'll play in most cities...maybe even as a combo

 

[antirabbit]

Originally Posted by MetroStyles

I recommend a Briggs & Riley garment bag. You can get a large one that still counts as a carry-on but barely. Big enough for all your stuff, and it leaves your suits unwrinkled.


This is what I use, I am on a plane with 2-3 suits at least once a week. I find this bag to be exceptional when it comes to plane travel. I can easily fit 1 week worth of clothing in here. Also, they really hold up to abuse.

 

[polar-lemon]

Originally Posted by antirabbit

This is what I use, I am on a plane with 2-3 suits at least once a week. I find this bag to be exceptional when it comes to plane travel. I can easily fit 1 week worth of clothing in here. Also, they really hold up to abuse.

+1, I use the carry-on size B&R garment bag. For short trips, it can hold 1-2 suits plus all other necessary items. If anything ever happens to it, send it back to Briggs and they repair free of charge no matter what. It is nylon and perhaps isn't so stylish, but is lightweight and highly functional.

 

[TC11201]

Originally Posted by gdl203

I don't know any frequent traveler who sends his stuff fedex... What's the point? Unless you're going for long trips, all you need can fit in a carry-on easily.

I never check luggage for business travel - mostly because flights are always screwed up on domestic airlines and I end up changing flight at the last minute or at the gate probably 50% of the time

+100; only small timers check bags for trips under 5 days

 

[globetrotter]

I use a briggs and riley tri fold, and a rolling computer bag. I very very seldom check bags - usually only on my way home when I have done a lot of shopping.

In a typical month, I travel 2 weeks which is 10 cities, and my baggs carry everything I need. I do laundry a few times, essentially I carry as many shirts, underwear and socks as I have days that I won't be able to do laundry - I do laundry on days where I can get to my hotel after 5 pm, or if I spend 2 nights in the same place. so, if I have 3 days where I get up in the morning and fly after my meeting, and then the 4rth day I have time to go back to my hotel before I fly - I will carry 4 shirts socks underwear. if I have to wait for the weekend, I may carry 7, if it will be less days, I'll carry 2 or 3. I carry very small toiletries - for instance I use tooth powder instead of toothpaste, and a tiny piece of deoderant.

I only carry one pair of dress shoes per trip, and usually only two suits - for shows I may take 3 suits.

 

[hangthree]

I like the Air Boss from Red Oxx. Its very well built and fits everything for a week on the road.

Never check luggage.

 

[TCN]

I travel by air about once or twice a month, and I switched to Tumi luggage about a year ago, and let me just say that it completely blows. I've had my rolling suiter in twice for zipper repairs, and now a buckle has broken, and the exterior doesn't seem to be holding up any more than my old Samsonite DLX (or whatever it's called) or my old Travelpro stuff.

 

[JayJay]

I never check bags, regardless of how long the stay or whether it's domestic or international. I've had too many last minute changes that would have screwed up the arrival of my bags. Even for a three-week stay in Europe last year, I packed everything in my carry-on bag which included three-suits, 2 pairs of shoes, among other stuff.

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by TC11201

Until I left investment banking at the end of last year after more than a decade in the industry, I usually travelled 3-4 days a week, 3 out of every 4 weeks, both within the US (particularly to LA and SF from NYC) and internationally (Europe, Asia, Latin America, but on rare occasions went to Australia and Africa). Most of my trips would last 2-3 days (even when I went to Hong Kong or Singapore - I did two and a half day trip to Singapore from NYC (including travel time to and from) at least once a quarter for 3 years - not fun...) and, if domestic or to Europe, would involve multiple cities in that time (a trip to one city for more than 2 days was very rare; many weeks involved multiple trips). Needless to say, I accumulated absurd amounts of air miles and ff status, along with many travel tips. That said, I hope I never have to return to that sort of schedule again...

In all that travel, I don't remember ever checking a bag for a business trip. If your trip is less than 5 days and you are sensible about packing, you can fit everything you need in a carry-on sized clothing bag, a briefcase of some sort and still look quite smart. My clothing bag of choice was / is a bridle leather bag from Barbour with leather handles and a shoulder strap. Unlike a duffel, it has a framed, modestly hard bottom, which I found made it more useful for lugging professional clothing than a duffel (fewer wrinkles). It is, IMO, the perfect travel bag - very sturdy, wide opening to facilitate packing, easy to carry and soft sided other than the bottom (so more flexible than a rolly with a full frame, for example), but also much more attractive and stylish than most things. It is just about maximum legal carry-on size, but comfortably fits two suits / odd jacket & pant outfits, along with up to 4 days worth of shirts, ties, socks, underwear etc., as well as one pair of shoes and workout gear.

A few helpful hints -

1) those Eagle Pack-It cubes (or other similar packing aids), particularly for dress shirts, are your friends (keep things neat, pressed and compressed),

2) use empty spaces wisely (pack socks and underwear into shoes, for instance),

3) learn which order to pack things in to maximize space,

4) choose items that are versatile enough to serve in difference combinations (two odd jackets and two pants that can each be worn with the other, for instance),

5) if you workout, stay away from cotton workout gear and get compressible synthetics (for many many reasons, among them, the synthetics take up far less room) and see if the Nike flat sneakers will work for you (essentially they don't have the rigid heel of most sneakers, so can collapse to be very thin),

6) buy high quality clothing in high quality and durable fabrics (sheds wrinkles more easily), and

7) get the book Gentleman, by Roetzle - there is a great section on how to fold a suit (essentially turning one sleeve inside out and then placing the two shoulders inside one another) - I've used that method consistently for the last five years and have found that it works far better than any other method in keeping clothes relatively wrinkle free (and I tried them all).

Between that and a relatively large briefbag for all your paperwork, laptop, etc., 4 days of travel should be no problem, and honestly could even be easily stretched to accomodate 5 days worth of clothing.

Hope this is helpful...
Great advice.

 

[Bounder]

I can recommend the 22 inch TravelPro suiter. It is reasonable inexpensive -- about half the cost of a Tumi and reasonably durable. It is the maximum size for a carry-on and it is surprising how much it will hold.

I particularly like the design of their suiter because it actually works. One suit will survive a trip in excellent shape. In a pinch, you can squeeze in two though you may end up with the odd wrinkle. TravelPro's suiter (I believe they were the first) is apparently patented and includes a bunch of foam bars and straps rather than being just a simple sleeve.

The only caveat is that it is too big to transit Heathrow or Gatwick as carry-on. If you are routing through the UK, you have to check it which is a pain and defeats the entire purpose. Tumi and, I believe, Victorinox make 20 inch suiters which can be carried on in the UK but I have not tried one. Does anyone have experience with these? Does anyone know of any other suiters that can be carried on in the UK?

 

[globetrotter]

Originally Posted by Bounder

I can recommend the 22 inch TravelPro suiter. It is reasonable inexpensive -- about half the cost of a Tumi and reasonably durable. It is the maximum size for a carry-on and it is surprising how much it will hold.

I particularly like the design of their suiter because it actually works. One suit will survive a trip in excellent shape. In a pinch, you can squeeze in two though you may end up with the odd wrinkle. TravelPro's suiter (I believe they were the first) is apparently patented and includes a bunch of foam bars and straps rather than being just a simple sleeve.

The only caveat is that it is too big to transit Heathrow or Gatwick as carry-on. If you are routing through the UK, you have to check it which is a pain and defeats the entire purpose. Tumi and, I believe, Victorinox make 20 inch suiters which can be carried on in the UK but I have not tried one. Does anyone have experience with these? Does anyone know of any other suiters that can be carried on in the UK?

I've had really bad luck with travelpro - I've had maybe 3 of their bags over the years, and each lasted less than a year.

briggs and riley is the most durable so far, with tumi second. B&R has the best warrenty, tumi's warrenty isn't nearly as good.

 

[Bounder]

Originally Posted by globetrotter

I've had really bad luck with travelpro - I've had maybe 3 of their bags over the years, and each lasted less than a year.

briggs and riley is the most durable so far, with tumi second. B&R has the best warrenty, tumi's warrenty isn't nearly as good.

It's true they're not as durable as some. (It also depends on which line. I've been using their "Crew" series bags.) I've had to have a couple of handles replaced as they got stuck at half-mast. In theory, they have a lifetime warranty but as a practical matter, they won't repair them if they don't have spare parts so it's really six or seven years.

The two pluses TravelPro bags have is that 1) their suiter actually works quite well and 2) They're about $200. IIRC, the last one I got was only $150 as they were closing out an older model. Anyway, at their price point, they are hard to beat.

I am, however, seriously thinking of trying out one of those 20" Victorinox suiters as they can be had for about half the price of the Tumi equivalent. Does anyone have any experience with their luggage, specifically their Tourbach line?