Does reasonably-priced, quality luggage exist?

[Life_is_Simple]

Maybe I am looking in the wrong places.

I went to Kohl's today, knowing their luggage was 1/2 price. Half price, but still 2x what I was willing to pay. I can't pay over $100 for one piece. You guys have ruined me! :D But seriously, even before Simple Living, I couldn't pay that price for 1 item.

Maybe that luggage is for people who fly, and their suitcases get tossed around a lot. I'm doing car travel, so I just need the zippers, wheels, and handles to work.

Any positive experiences with luggage?

[rosarugosa]

I gave the matter some thought, and I think we have a perfect score in the frugal luggage dept. We've never bought luggage; it has always come to us free of charge. With that thought in mind, I checked our local Craigslist, and there are luggage bargains galore. So you might want to give CL a try (search "suitcase," because "luggage" gets you a bunch of automotive hits).

[rose]

I've seen some stuff at Ross's dept store reasonably priced. I have a Rick Steve's bag. I think it was $99 when I bought it but the prices are up. I have traveled with it for nine years....many trips a year...and it is still in great shape. It is the size you can take on plane, it has wheels, it is tough. I've been very pleased with it. Have you looked at Eddie Bauer or LL Bean or REI? Might be tougher bags then the department stores.

[fidgiegirl]

Life_Is_Simple, I'd also vote for the garage sale or CL route. We find, like you, that luggage gets so beat up that it's not worth it to pay a lot.

We have paid more for backpacks because they aren't checked luggage on planes, and thus won't get destroyed so easily.

Aha, but I see that you are not even plane traveling! I wouldn't change my advice, though :)

[artist]

I always buy that stuff second hand.

[loosechickens]

We have Rick Steves bags, too.....both the convertible luggage/backpack ones, and I also have one of the wheeled ones. The convertible ones are veterans of years of travel, being thrown in bus luggage compartments, in plane overhead racks, and shlepped all over the world, and they've held up great........They aren't all that cheap, probably over $100 now, but they sure are well made, and they really DO hold up under tough conditions, as well as being really well designed for packing.....

[Tradd]

I have an LL Bean Quickload convertible (non-wheeled) bag that I love. It was $100 last year and I think it's a little over that. Can't miss with the LL Bean lifetime guarantee if something goes wrong.

[Gina]

If you have the time, do the yard sale circuit/CL for a few weeks and you'll probably find something both good and inexpensive. As someone mentioned, Ross is good for discount stuff, but you have to dig through many bags. I did and got a nice one many years ago there. Last new bag I got was at Costco, also years ago. I used that for several long, arduous trips, and it held up well.

[Jemima]

Check thrift stores, too. I just donated a matched set to Purple Heart, a carry-on size wheelie and an overnight case. I originally got them for under ten dollars from CVS, who got them as some sort of special purchase and then eventually marked them down for clearance. They survived many, many trips over the past seven years because my job required travel, some of it by air. I also shipped them back and forth, fully packed, via UPS several times.

If you don't have any moral objections to Walmart, they often have wheeled suitcases for under $100, and so does K-Mart. I've seen quite a few at Goodwill, also.

[jennipurrr]

I have gotten decent luggage when it is marked down (75% -85%)...so if you don't need luggage right now I would be on the lookout for a bargain. They usually go on deep discount once a year to make room for new models. I imagine second hand is a great idea too. When I need new luggage I use the forums at slick deals and I set an "alert" so if someone posts a hot deal with luggage in the title it will send me an email...that way I can leave it and forget it.

I did have bad luck with a supposedly high quality hard piece of luggage I bought. The first time I used it, it was crushed somewhere along the plane ride and arrived cracked and taped up at baggage claim.

[JaneV2.0]

QVC and HSN regularly have deals on luggage (and reviews). Overstock.com, TJ Maxx, Ross, and Marshalls are additional resources. I replaced the 3-piece basic black ripstop set I got at Target for $40 (passed it along to a friend) with pieces found at TJ Maxx and on line. The new ones added up to $150 or so. They should last forever. My local Freecycle is an amazing resource, as well.

[Selah]

Delsey is a good brand and I have had several pieces that have lasted for years and years, including overseas flights, and LOTS of shlepping through the elements on dirt roads, staircases, etc. Delsey isn't cheap, either, but it is well designed and I got my last one at TJ Maxx, I believe.

[Life_is_Simple]

Delsey is a good brand and I have had several pieces that have lasted for years and years, including overseas flights, and LOTS of shlepping through the elements on dirt roads, staircases, etc. Delsey isn't cheap, either, but it is well designed and I got my last one at TJ Maxx, I believe.
I saw that brand at the store last week. There was one that had a LOT of different zippers and storage compartments, all within one bag. I thought about this, because it really would be nice to get something where I could always find what I was looking for, due to such organization. It was quite expensive, as you say.

It sounds like you are saying it is high quality. I will sometimes consider paying more for something, if I never have to replace it, which saves money in the long run.

[Life_is_Simple]

I have gotten decent luggage when it is marked down (75% -85%)...so if you don't need luggage right now I would be on the lookout for a bargain. They usually go on deep discount once a year to make room for new models.


Do you know what time of year the deep discounts usually happen?

[Glo]

This week my son bought a large piece of Skyway luggage at Kohls for$39.95; the regular price was $199.95. It seems to be well made with hard sides and wheels. He also bought new clothes and shoes for vacation and there's plenty of room left for other syuff he's taking.

[iris lily]

But for the bedbug scare, I'd go the Craigslist route.

But honestly, I don't understand the "quality" issue. It's just me, not a judgment on you. Isn't most all of it softsided China imported stuff these days? Black bags on wheels are all over the place. Are you looking for a very large size? because I can't imagine that they are over $100. I like the softsided stuff because it's lighter. We travel on foot rather a lot and I don't want any more weight than I have to have.

Speaking of luggage, in order to make ours distinctive so that we could spot it on an airport conveyer, I painted hearts on one bags and squiggles on another bag. It's doesn't look especially nice, but that wasn't my goal, don't care if my luggage looks nice.

[jennipurrr]

Do you know what time of year the deep discounts usually happen?

I am not sure...I have been using the same pieces for a long time now. I remember when we got a super bargain on a set for DH it was cold outside and I think it was for a trip in January...so maybe after the holidays?