Big suitcase recommendations?

[ourbabygirl]

DH and I are in the market for a couple of new "large" suitcases (not anything extra-size, just bigger than a carry-on, something we would check). Do you one that you like and care to share your rec. for a certain brand, style, color, and place to get it? Know of any good deals on luggage going on now or some time in the next couple of months? We'd like ones with wheels, and something easy to maneuver in the airport with a baby in tow. Want a solid fabric (rather than print), but not nec. black.

Thanks!

[DebbieJ]

Just be sure to get some that don't weigh a whole lot when empty. Airlines are strict on weight restrictions now.

[bubbaray]

I love Heys suitcases. That is what we will get when our current Samsonite ones kick it.

[Momof3Labs]

Have you tried TJ Maxx or Marshall's? They usually have pretty good quality suitcases for a reasonable price. Just check the weight - some of the bags we looked at were pretty heavy even when empty, which just pushes you closer to the airline weight cutoff for surcharges (which are mostly 50lbs/bag but could change as the airlines need to find more sources of revenue). Also, don't buy too big as it also becomes hard to pack under the weight limit (actually, the point where you incur a weight surcharge).

[MamaMolly]

We travel a LOT with DH doing several international flights a year for work. We always get hard side luggage ever since DH flew on a plane that had an incident involving animals in the cargo section and a catastrophic loss of pressure. Because of the pressure situation, the 'liquids' were pulled THROUGH the fabric of the bags. Gross but it happens.

We've also been in a taxi that ran over a chunk of metal, punctured the gastank and trunk and sprayed the inside of the trunk and our bags with gas. We wiped off the suitcases are were good to go.

On another flight there was a family shipping a 5 gallon plastic bottle of oil (cooking? olive? holy anointing? who knows??) and it burst. Again we wiped down the bags and went on with our day. These were on foreign and domestic carriers, the taxi incident was outside of Chicago. I don't know if we just have weird luck or what, but as much as I hate to admit it DH is right to insist on hardsides for us.

It is kind of a PITA because you can't keep cramming things into them like a soft side, but we also don't have to worry as much about our breakables breaking. Costco has a set of 3 right now for under $150 though I don't know about the brand.