Let's talk luggage!

[Smurfy]

When going on a cruise, do you prefer hard or soft sided luggage and why? Any brands you love or hate? I need to buy some new luggage, so I'm trying to get all the opinions I can. I prefer to get something that will last a long time. Thanks!

[CrznTxn]

The wife and I have some hard sided Samsonite luggage that we purchased 5 years ago that has been on over a dozen cruises, many flights and has survived the various baggage handler gorilla's and what not. I cannot say that there has been no damage as one wheel on one case was dented in slightly but it still functions. I've seen many wheel rubber covers along the loading ramps from some lesser expensive cases. I am not endorsing Samsonite but would recommend a good quality name brand luggage, especially look at the warranties. We have had several lower cost generic pieces but they did not last long. As far as hard or soft sided, it depends on what you are carrying, but remember your luggage WILL be stacked with others and I've seen them 6 or 8 pieces high in the cages they use to get them on and off the ship by forklift.

[Andrew72681]

I always go with soft sided luggage as if needed it’s more flexible for adding more to it. And even though it seems counter intuitive, good soft sided luggage is less likely to break with impact. 
Over the last five years my Travelpro Magna 2 suitcase has been on 800 flights and around the world and still looks brand new. 

the wire cutter did a comprehensive review a while back testing numerous suitcases. 
 

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/travel/luggage/

[Gears]

One of our considerations is the weight of the luggage empty.

The 50lbs limit/extra charge for over/depending on your airline policy of the day...is a factor. Our hard luggage is super light and durable. The largest one in our set is almost five pounds lighter than the largest in our previous soft set. It can make a difference. You typically get what you pay for.

[CGTLH]

Mark me down in the hard sided column as well. My current main piece is 24 or 25 inch DELSEY brand, think part of the Helium line. Can't say how rugged worthy it has been with only a few flights but multiple cruises.

Now one OCD thing when it came to hard sided stuff was how it opened. I'm not a huge fan of the clam shell design where you have two half sections. I like a more traditional single flap/compartment.

Example images below are from their "CRUISE LITE HARDSIDE 2.0" line. Just to give an idea of the flap/compartment design.

 

[sk8erguy1978]

32 minutes ago, Gears said:

One of our considerations is the weight of the luggage empty.

This will be my #1 requirement when shopping for new luggage, which will not be for a few years I'm sure.

We too have soft samsonite spinner luggage as our primary pieces, not top of the line and price was very reasonable as it wasn't their latest and greatest. They have held up to all the abuse we toss at them personally, cruise line porters, and airport/airline staff. I think they are decent quality without breaking the bank.

In her younger years my wife bought American Tourister luggage, it was cheap so she could afford it and came with a few pieces. Believe it or not, they held up well, still have them in the basement. The largest one a foot broke so it doesn't stand well (or at all?) on its own, but hey in a pinch we have them. Not bad for the broke college student.

[WAAAYTOOO]

I used to buy top end luggage but I have found that it is easier to just buy middle-of-the-road, less expensive luggage and be prepared to toss it and re-buy more often.  I still have some very expensive Travel Pro luggage with lifetime warranties but I found myself going to the "dealer" for repairs so often (mostly zipper and "pull" issues) that it became a nuisance.  I have never purchased expensive hard side luggage but the hard sides that I have had in the past did not seem to hold as much as the soft sides.  I used the hard sides for a while but have abandoned them for the old soft sides.

[Matt]

5 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I used to buy top end luggage but I have found that it is easier to just buy middle-of-the-road, less expensive luggage and be prepared to toss it and re-buy more often.

This is exactly how I feel. No point in investing in higher end luggage because they all end up falling apart sooner than luggage used to last.

[alamode123]

https://www.amazon.ca/American-Tourister-Disney-Spinner-Checked/dp/B00UI907U6/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&keywords=star+wars+american+tourister&qid=1591190353&sr=8-7

[Va4fam]

We use a relatively inexpensive lightweight hardsided luggage set.   They have wheels, retractable handles, and can expand if needed and easily fit under the bed on the ship.  Each of the 3 bags that comes with the set can easily fit into the larger bag which makes storing on vacation or at home a breeze.   We gave each of our kids a set when they graduated high school and our daughter said it was the best and most practical gift that she received. 

We bought them on a website that rhymes with COUPON.......not sure if I am allowed to say the name?

 

[mworkman]

I second DELSEY brand, I had purchased ours only to use it twice before the airline crushed one of the suitcases, I sent it off to Delsey and received a new one with 3 weeks.

[Andrew72681]

1 hour ago, CGTLH said:

Mark me down in the hard sided column as well. My current main piece is 24 or 25 inch DELSEY brand, think part of the Helium line. Can't say how rugged worthy it has been with only a few flights but multiple cruises.

Now one OCD thing when it came to hard sided stuff was how it opened. I'm not a huge fan of the clam shell design where you have two half sections. I like a more traditional single flap/compartment.

Example images below are from their "CRUISE LITE HARDSIDE 2.0" line. Just to give an idea of the flap/compartment design.

 

I’m the same way, I’d always rather put the suitcase on the rack and fold it up against the wall, rather than having two halves of a suitcase teetering in the edge of falling off. 

[Andrew72681]

While we’re talking checked luggage. One thing that is almost as important as the suitcase itself for a cruise is having a luggage scale with a fresh battery. We keep scales in all of our checked bags because there’s no one I laugh at harder than the people who’s underwear are all over an airport floor because their suitcases were overweight because they didn’t distribute weight evenly. You should never get to the airport not knowing how heavy a suitcase is. 

[RWDW1204]

Whatever you choose,  we're hard-sided people, make sure you do something to easily identify them when you go to the luggage area.

[Leroyr55]

I’ll second Delsey luggage. Used it for years 

[CGTLH]

29 minutes ago, RWDW1204 said:

Whatever you choose,  we're hard-sided people, make sure you do something to easily identify them when you go to the luggage area.

Agree with making your luggage easily identifiable. Way I have my luggage marked up I can see it the second my zone is insight in the luggage area. Another bonus on the first day is finding it getting onboard. I can quickly find it if they haven't distributed the luggage from the various holding spots in the guest areas.

Plus if flying the moment my luggage hits the carousel it can be spotted.

[Quilter620]

I just switched to hard sided luggage and will never go back to soft side. I bought the Samantha brown 30" and 26" suitcases. They are extremely lightweight, expandable, and protect everything very, very well. I only have two complaints,  the silver color shows black marks from the conveyer belts very clearly,  and it is the claim shell design which makes balancing the 30" suitcase on a luggage rack challenging to unpack. I switched to hard sided luggage after a trip to Baltimore when my luggage sat on the tarmac for over an hour in a thunderstorm. All of my conference clothes were soaked through. I spent the evening trying to dry them with the hotel's blow dryer. Luckily my room, had an iron. 

[sk8erguy1978]

1 hour ago, Andrew72681 said:

While we’re talking checked luggage. One thing that is almost as important as the suitcase itself for a cruise is having a luggage scale with a fresh battery. 

This! Never rely on yourself. Wife took a trip last year with her ambulance core she volunteers with for EMS week. Our scale batteries were dead. I said, don't worry I am not struggling at all,  you're under 50 pounds (when carrying to her car). Well, turns out she wasn't and her friends just made fun while she was scrambling (it was only a pound or two, think she moved a pair of jeans or something). I did take the blame later of course . In hindsight I should have at least used our bathroom scale with the weigh without and with trick. Oh well. 

Edited June 3, 2020 by sk8erguy1978
add

[Andrew72681]

18 minutes ago, sk8erguy1978 said:

This! Never rely on yourself. Wife took a trip last year with her ambulance core she volunteers with for EMS week. Our scale batteries were dead. I said, don't worry I am not struggling at all,  you're under 50 pounds (when carrying to her car). Well, turns out she wasn't and her friends just made fun while she was scrambling (it was only a pound or two, think she moved a pair of jeans or something). I did take the blame later of course . In hindsight I should have at least used our bathroom scale with the weigh without and with trick. Oh well. 

Precisely, we all think we could tell the difference between 45 and 55 pounds when lifted but it all just sucks and is heavy. The only thing that gets lighter is your wallet. 

[Andrew72681]

21 minutes ago, Quilter620 said:

I just switched to hard sided luggage and will never go back to soft side. I bought the Samantha brown 30" and 26" suitcases. They are extremely lightweight, expandable, and protect everything very, very well. I only have two complaints,  the silver color shows black marks from the conveyer belts very clearly,  and it is the claim shell design which makes balancing the 30" suitcase on a luggage rack challenging to unpack. I switched to hard sided luggage after a trip to Baltimore when my luggage sat on the tarmac for over an hour in a thunderstorm. All of my conference clothes were soaked through. I spent the evening trying to dry them with the hotel's blow dryer. Luckily my room, had an iron. 

One thing we have used in the past on my daughters suitcase is Mr. Clean MagicEraser. They do a good job of getting skid marks and belt gunk off a hard sided suitcase. 

[Andrew72681]

39 minutes ago, CGTLH said:

Agree with making your luggage easily identifiable. Way I have my luggage marked up I can see it the second my zone is insight in the luggage area. Another bonus on the first day is finding it getting onboard. I can quickly find it if they haven't distributed the luggage from the various holding spots in the guest areas.

Plus if flying the moment my luggage hits the carousel it can be spotted.

If anyone is an airplane nerd in addition to being a cruise nerd, planetags makes great luggage tags that are easily identified and personalized. They are made out of retired airplanes, so you never have to worry about the tag getting damaged. 
 

@Matt maybe we could have them carve out some of grandeur, majesty, or empress to sell some cruise luggage tags 

[CGTLH]

2 minutes ago, Andrew72681 said:

If anyone is an airplane nerd in addition to being a cruise nerd, planetags makes great luggage tags that are easily identified and personalized. They are made out of retired airplanes, so you never have to worry about the tag getting damaged. 
 

@Matt maybe we could have them carve out some of grandeur, majesty, or empress to sell some cruise luggage tags 

Great idea, still on the small side to be noticed...

Found a picture with my luggage, tape comes in handy for random things...

[Andrew72681]

Just now, CGTLH said:

Great idea, still on the small side to be noticed...

Found a picture with my luggage, tape comes in handy for random things...

I spend a lot of my life on Southwest 737’s so I could spot that livery luggage tag from a mile away. The BA 747 one on my backpack is harder to spot as it’s white. 

[joshgates]

Checking a bag, I prefer hard shell and I've got an amazon basics 24" spinner that's seen it's share of being tossed around and is still holding up like a trooper. Like @CGTLH my intense dislike of the clamshell style opening lead me on a search for another solution.  I kind of wish I'd seen the one he had linked, but went a different direction.

Luckily I'm an excessively light packer so this may not work for everyone.  Basically, carry on only regardless of the length of the trip with an ONA Brixton for camera/iPad/kindle/misc electronics and important things, and a duffle bag for shoes/clothes/toiletries.  Do generally have to send a few things out for steaming/pressing the first night and on a multi week trip I'll have to do laundry, but it works.

Now I'm going to be stuck going down the rabbit hole of hard shell luggage with a flap/compartment design for when I do need to check a bag...

[USCG Teacher]

I got one in 1997 and bought a replacement in 2014.  They never ripped, snagged or failed on me.  It also serves as the IDEAL laundry bag once you're there.  Easy to spot on the carousel, too.  Lacks some mobility features of newer models. 

[MAC]

Hard side is the way to go.  Our Soft side London Fog got so stained after 5 years we had to replace.  No amount scrubbing or Dawn could help those pieces. Our Hard side pieces are still going strong.  These are lighter than old soft side too!  

[Ampurp85]

I would say it depends on the trip, I rotate between a few. I have a 26' Samsonite cloth spinner that is about 8 years old. Though a little stained, I can still count on it for long internationals. I have a 23'Olympia (pretty good bags, decent brand) clam shell and The Bigger Carry-on by Away (Meh, a little too expensive for quality). I hate the clam shell aspect because I like when the opening side is lighter.  All have seen horrors...from people trying to shove their too big carry-on's in the bins, to heavy rain while loading. I too agree that getting some mid-price luggage from TJ Maxx or Marshals is a good idea. Color or accessories is the way to go.

[Dan Curtis]

I work at an airport, hard side for sure, I can’t tell you how many times a bag falls off a tug and sits in the rain until it’s picked up. They are lighter than they look and lighter than you would think. We cruise and fly a lot and my wife crams them full, we only use the hard side. The cloth ones get wet and get dirty much quicker. 

[Andrew72681]

One key point is that if you can in any way avoid checking luggage do. If you just carry-on there’s no worry of rain on the tarmac or baggage handlers throwing it. Sherri over at crusetipsTv has some great tips on packing in a carry on. 
 

[TXcruzer]

We have been using “Away” brand hard side for years. 
The luggage  has a lifetime warranty, we have had a couple  bags over the years replaced; no questions asked, due to wobbly wheels, broken zippers, et. al.  

[Rene Desmarais]

never buying hard case again.    Airlines don't treat customers luggage properly,   in two separate trips a total of 3 hard case luggage were damaged.  

[RWDW1204]

18 hours ago, USCG Teacher said:

I got one in 1997 and bought a replacement in 2014.  They never ripped, snagged or failed on me.  It also serves as the IDEAL laundry bag once you're there.  Easy to spot on the carousel, too.  Lacks some mobility features of newer models. 

Ah yes, the Bag, Duffle, OD-Green. Got my first one 1980; wife got hers 1990. Amazing how much stuff you can put in it, especially when given a list and you're TOLD it will all fit. The free name stenciling on the side was a nice touch too.

[mworkman]

10 minutes ago, RWDW1204 said:

The free name stenciling on the side was a nice touch too.

Our names were on the bottom, as it was easier to locate when there stacked up like a cord of wood and you were told you had...those few precious seconds to grab your gear and get back into formation.

[Neesa]

If we sail in August we are scheduled for 4 nights on the Mariner we are going to experiment. We are going to pack and carry on only. This will be a double dip at Coco Cay so lots of bathing suit time, I think we can do it! 

This way baggage handlers are not "exposed" to us and we bring less! My hubby's packing is out of control anyway, a different hat every day lol. 

If we go we will do our part and are intent on making sure the ship is nice and healthy. Everyone working together we can continue to sail through this storm! (Pun intended) 

Maybe Redfield of the CDC is looking for a free sailing or something, to test the waters....Oh I digress;

I preferred the hard cases but they always sustained crazy damage....

[USCG Teacher]

5 hours ago, RWDW1204 said:

Ah yes, the Bag, Duffle, OD-Green. Got my first one 1980; wife got hers 1990. Amazing how much stuff you can put in it, especially when given a list and you're TOLD it will all fit. The free name stenciling on the side was a nice touch too.

It really gave it a sense of personalization, didn't it? 

5 hours ago, mworkman said:

Our names were on the bottom, as it was easier to locate when there stacked up like a cord of wood and you were told you had...those few precious seconds to grab your gear and get back into formation.

This is an excellent idea, I wish I had thought of it 23 years ago! 

[DDaley]

7 hours ago, Andrew72681 said:

One key point is that if you can in any way avoid checking luggage do. If you just carry-on there’s no worry of rain on the tarmac or baggage handlers throwing it. Sherri over at crusetipsTv has some great tips on packing in a carry on. 
 

I've only ever carried on my luggage since I started vacationing as an adult 15 years ago.. soo much easier to know the bag is right there with you! Also, if its over 50lbs it's no ones problem except my own. 

[Smurfy]

On 6/3/2020 at 8:11 AM, WAAAYTOOO said:

I used to buy top end luggage but I have found that it is easier to just buy middle-of-the-road, less expensive luggage and be prepared to toss it and re-buy more often.  I still have some very expensive Travel Pro luggage with lifetime warranties but I found myself going to the "dealer" for repairs so often (mostly zipper and "pull" issues) that it became a nuisance.  I have never purchased expensive hard side luggage but the hard sides that I have had in the past did not seem to hold as much as the soft sides.  I used the hard sides for a while but have abandoned them for the old soft sides.

Do you have a good middle of the road brand that you recommend?

[WAAAYTOOO]

4 hours ago, Smurfy said:

Do you have a good middle of the road brand that you recommend?

I believe the last new pieces we bought were Samsonite.

[tonyfsu21]

Rimowa is the best if you are looking for hard sided luggage that will last a lifetime. We have owned a couple sets for more then a decade and the more beat up they get the better they look. Certainly more on the high end but it will be the last set you will ever buy that’s for sure. PS: don’t buy “hard sided” luggage with a perimeter nylon zipper closure because this DEFEATS the purpose of hard sided luggage. The failure will eventually be the weakest link which will most likely be the zipper system. Waste of money. Hard sided luggage is great because it’s secure but def takes some time getting used to regarding the fact that there is no flexibility in the amount of space. 

[tonyfsu21]