Seasoned Air Travelers - Best Luggage?

One thing I forgot to mention was packing cubes.

I was skeptical, since I already considered myself to be well-organized, but decided to try some cheapish ones (AmazonBasics), and am glad I got them.

They help keep things organized, and the compartmentalization can help maximize the use of the space, and allow getting at an item without having to dig up and make a mess of the entire suitcase.

Combined with a hanging toiletry kit (you can run into bathrooms with little counter space) you can live out of the suitcase and its "modules."

Of course, you'll want to hang up anything that can wrinkle, but to me, I've never felt that unpacking and repacking was worth the effort, even when storage space is available, unless I'm gonna be parked in the same lodging for a while (such as a cruise).

Lastly, since we now live in the age of gadgets, a multi-port desktop charger is easier to deal with when outlets aren't in a convenient place. They're not that much larger than wall chargers, and a single long cord is more convenient than the multiple long cords that would be needed to reach a wall charger plugged into a hard to reach outlet. Desktop chargers also tend to have more ports and higher total power capacity.
 
Originally Posted by whatnext
Don't forget a travel power converter. Many countries run 220V and have different wall outlets.


Adapter - yes.

Converter - no.

Every charger from Apple, Samsung, etc. is rated 50-60Hz at 110-220V. You just need the plug adapter. UK is the oddball - big, bulky three prong. EU and South/Central America have a two prong, some with ground, some without. Buy one of each on Amazon. Tops, they're like $2 each.

With that, you can charge your phones, tablets, laptops, etc. No need for the converter.

If your SO plans on packing a hairdryer (I wouldn't, nearly every hotel has one) then buy a dual voltage one. They're cheap. Same with a curling iron. Most of them are dual voltage as well. A converter can't handle the current of a hair dryer or curling iron, anyway.
 
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I'd avoid the muti adapters … just get some well made plug adapters based on where you are headed. Some of the better ones I have picked up came from London airport shops.
Since we are getting into details … find a small first aid kit and make a good list of Rx and OTC meds to take. Yes, you can pick up some bugs that your gut is not used to, tiny little pills on list.
Don't forget some pocket GermX and antiseptic wipes for public toilets
 
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Originally Posted by 4WD
I'd avoid the muti adapters … just get some well made plug adapters based on where you are headed.


I tend to agree. Those big ones can run into situations where physical constraints become an issue, and they won't readily fit. All of the ones I've handled are flimsily made, and assuming that's also representative of the circuitry inside, I'm not going to be plugging my devices that cost hundreds into one of their USB ports tasked with converting 220V to 5V, and possibly release the magic smoke.

Costa Rica appears to follow the U.S. standards, with the possible exception of older buildings, so the OP should be fine.

Hotels, resorts, and other relatively modern dwellings catering to visitors are going to be more accommodating with this kind of stuff, but venturing outside those realms, like with an AirBnB, is when issues can appear.
 
Unless you plan to do a good deal more travel in the future don't buy expensive luggage, Costco is good stuff for the money, and will last a long time. Even cheap stuff will last for a few trips.

You aren't going with carry-on only for a honeymoon to a foreign country, let your new wife take whatever she wants. It will be too much, but this isn't the best time to make "constructive suggestions".

I'm on the road every week, I use a Travel Pro now, it's held up fine, had a Kirkland brand from Costco that lasted many years. I can't see spending more unless you're somebody that can only have the best.
 
Originally Posted by ondarvr
Unless you plan to do a good deal more travel in the future don't buy expensive luggage, Costco is good stuff for the money, and will last a long time. Even cheap stuff will last for a few trips.

You aren't going with carry-on only for a honeymoon to a foreign country, let your new wife take whatever she wants. It will be too much, but this isn't the best time to make "constructive suggestions".

I'm on the road every week, I use a Travel Pro now, it's held up fine, had a Kirkland brand from Costco that lasted many years. I can't see spending more unless you're somebody that can only have the best.



LOL. I was too late checking the thread. I suggested carry-on only, and it didn't go over well! Haha. It's all good now though. Ended up telling her it's fine - she can take whatever she wants.
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted by john_pifer


LOL. I was too late checking the thread. I suggested carry-on only, and it didn't go over well! Haha. It's all good now though. Ended up telling her it's fine - she can take whatever she wants.
smile.gif



yeah, this probably isn't the trip for that suggestion! That said, I will say that checking bags is for suckers. I gave up checking bags a long time ago and never looked back. I've traveled for up to 6 weeks at a time and fit everything into these two bags:

https://www.osprey.com/us/en/product/porter-travel-pack-46-PORTER46.html

and then I attach this daypack and use it as an underseat bag: https://www.osprey.com/us/en/product/syncro-12-SYNCRO12_338.html

Once this trip is over and the pain of wheeled suitcases is discovered, I'd look at something similar for future trips. One thing folks forget about when taking rolling luggage: steps. It's a real pain when you're somewhere with lots of steps and you're hauling a rolling suitcase.
 
Best luggage is a DoD seabag. Airline companies just destroy luggage and the claims are not worth the hassle. My motto has been that if it's good enough for our service members it's good enough. No point paying for expensive luggage an airliner just crushes.
 
Originally Posted by Mike L. V.
Best luggage is a DoD seabag. Airline companies just destroy luggage and the claims are not worth the hassle. My motto has been that if it's good enough for our service members it's good enough. No point paying for expensive luggage an airliner just crushes.


I'll maintain the best bag is the one you can put in an overhead bin. No worries about damage, delays or it getting lost. Plus, if you used Skiplagged to book cheap flights, you have way more flexibility when you're not actually traveling to your final destination.
 
Originally Posted by JOD
Originally Posted by Mike L. V.
Best luggage is a DoD seabag. Airline companies just destroy luggage and the claims are not worth the hassle. My motto has been that if it's good enough for our service members it's good enough. No point paying for expensive luggage an airliner just crushes.


I'll maintain the best bag is the one you can put in an overhead bin. No worries about damage, delays or it getting lost. Plus, if you used Skiplagged to book cheap flights, you have way more flexibility when you're not actually traveling to your final destination.




I always check bags on our long haul flights. Haven't had a problem yet. Sometimes traveling with only a carry on is not feasible.

I've traveled with a seabag. This was almost 50 years ago. Unless they've changed they can be a pain to search through. Durable as all get out though.
 
I am one addition to beg the OP to go with a good quality backpack (at least wenger/victorinox) trip:

-you will take only what is needed = mobility
-your lady will buy some "nice" stuff anyway (say "artsy-crafty-elegant stuff" really quick), so you only have to worry about checked bags when you come back
Why: see new things, learn new things, enjoy new things

Source: our 3 years late honeymoon trip to Cancun, QR ,Mexico. We also leaved from FRRRRRozen Chicago, so long pants+jacket + sweater/fleece on us 'till landing in 85-90F weather
 
Agree Wenger makes good moderate priced stuff … don't have all the zipper issues like some brands … and I'm not shelling out what Tumi wants to have it trashed …
Pulled my last Tumi case for road trips etc …
 
ondarvr had a Kirkland brand from Costco that lasted many years. I can't see spending more unless you're somebody that can only have the best. [/quote said:
I fly once a year on average for pleasure - I've been happy with my Kirkland hybrid carry-on. Bought it back in 2014 after using my parent's big hand-me-downs. I've seeing the trendy(for my age group) Away carry-ones, meh. I like the serious look of my Kirkland.

Ricardo makes the Kirkland stuff.
 
One thing I like is a buckle strap around the bag. Not only does it help with identification, but it also keeps the load and beatings off the zipper during handling. Mom bought us bright orange straps for Christmas and they helped a lot.
We bought a bright red buckle strap for our single bag for a trip to Mexico but it didn't complete even one trip. We met some very nice young Mexicans whose luggage was bursting open. So we gave them our strap. They needed it more than we did.

So we're in the market for another one.
 
Well, our Costa Rica honeymoon got canceled because everything shut down (April 2020), so we didn’t end up getting the luggage.

We did have an awesome road trip through Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and East Tennessee.

Dredged up this thread again because we’re looking again at getting some luggage. Neither of us really have anything decent.

Perhaps 1 good carry-on-sized bag for each of us, one large suitcase each, and one each of those bags (not sure what they’re called) that you pack dress clothes in.

Don’t need the most expensive; we usually shoot for about 7/10 in quality.
 
Well, our Costa Rica honeymoon got canceled because everything shut down (April 2020), so we didn’t end up getting the luggage.

We did have an awesome road trip through Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and East Tennessee.

Dredged up this thread again because we’re looking again at getting some luggage. Neither of us really have anything decent.

Perhaps 1 good carry-on-sized bag for each of us, one large suitcase each, and one each of those bags (not sure what they’re called) that you pack dress clothes in.

Don’t need the most expensive; we usually shoot for about 7/10 in quality.
We've found a good combination is: his and hers rolly bag carry ons and a medium size rolly bag. That works for small trips and big trips (3 weeks in Europe). We have 2 large bags from past times but we never use them anymore. We've found that 2 wheel rolly bags work well (their larger wheels work better on rough ground).

And Travel Pro has a good combination of quality/repair-ability/price. They even have heavier/stronger and lighter products. After traveling on European discount airlines where they focus on weight, we would now go for the lighter stuff. New age fabric sides can take most of what the travel industry can hand out. Our Travel Pro bags have been on many trips and still look like new.

We have 2 bright colour ribbons on all the top handles to easily recognize our bags on the luggage carousel; and a really tough name tag (with our name and address inside) attached to the handle just to make sure.

And finally, take along a bright bag strap (to help out other travelers whose bags have burst)!
 
One good bag to have is a personal bag that is small enough to keep by your side whether you are flying or on the road. That bag can carry passports, medicine, and whatever essentials you might need. On a plane that saves you from having to get up and retrieve your stuff from the overhead bin midflight. Also convenient on a train or in a car.
 
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