Strong or flimsy?
I eagerly await delivery of my four wheel suitcase. When it arrives, will it be strong or flimsy? I read reviews on Amazon. Some people thought the so-called light suitcases were fine for weekends and backpacking but would not stand up to long trips with dozens of flights or repeated use. The guarantee is usually for only a year and that is for manufacturing faults and failures, not for the item being so flimsy that the airline handler or baggage carousel breaks it.
Reporting Breakages
If your bag breaks during transit, you need to report it before leaving the airport. (A nuisance if your pre-booked taxi is waiting.) On one occasion my flight was late and I grabbed my bag off the carousel. It wasn't until I got home that I realised that the brand name tag was pulled off, one of the wheels was missing and there was a hole in the back.
If you are poor, you need to take trouble to inspect your luggage on all sides at every point of the journey. You might even photograph it at each point, to be sure you have before and after pictures, and to identify what you have lost if it's missing.
Keep Calm
On the other hand, if money is not so important, instead of upsetting yourself, look at it as a relatively minor cost, compared with the total price of the holiday, or your year's travel, a tiny percentage. Some people reckon bags will bet bumped about and just buy cheap luggage and replace it. Others go for the most expensive luggage which is built to last. (Samsonite, named after Samson, the strong man of the bible, is supposed to be sturdy. Check the brand name on the luggage of airline staff.)
Wheels - tips and tricks
When I first got my wheeled cabin bag I kept lifting it above cobblestones, pebbles or or rough tarmac to save damaging the wheels. Now I only lift it when going upstairs.
When the wheels lock, I've discovered that you can unjam them by wheeling them backwards in the opposite direction, backwards and forwards a couple of times.
Cracking Plastic Interiors
One of my suitcases disintegrated inside. The black plastic kept cracking. I kept finding little triangular pieces of solid black plastic and didn't know what they were. Eventually I discovered that they were a reinforced area behind the zip-up lining. I emptied them out until the whole lot had gone. I then had a less sturdy but lightweight bag for quick trips.
Recycling Your Old Suitcase
The old suitcase was still useful for storage. Before putting it in a high cupboard, or letting it get lost behind the Xmas tree in an attic only reachable up a vertical ladder, by a grandson who has a degree in acrobatics, label and record the contents. The luggage tag can be reused as a quick label.
I photograph the contents of the suitcase before putting it away, even if it is empty or storing a smaller suitcase. You might like to do this. Then keep a list on your computer or pasted inside the attic door with a photo of the item and sit of contents.
Yes, one day it will help a burglar, or your throw it all out ex. Or your descendants doing house clearance, muttering, 'Why did Granny keep this old suitcase with the missing handle, no wheels, storing the disintegrating plastic bags?'
Angela Lansbury, travel writer, photographer, author and speaker.
I eagerly await delivery of my four wheel suitcase. When it arrives, will it be strong or flimsy? I read reviews on Amazon. Some people thought the so-called light suitcases were fine for weekends and backpacking but would not stand up to long trips with dozens of flights or repeated use. The guarantee is usually for only a year and that is for manufacturing faults and failures, not for the item being so flimsy that the airline handler or baggage carousel breaks it.
Reporting Breakages
If your bag breaks during transit, you need to report it before leaving the airport. (A nuisance if your pre-booked taxi is waiting.) On one occasion my flight was late and I grabbed my bag off the carousel. It wasn't until I got home that I realised that the brand name tag was pulled off, one of the wheels was missing and there was a hole in the back.
If you are poor, you need to take trouble to inspect your luggage on all sides at every point of the journey. You might even photograph it at each point, to be sure you have before and after pictures, and to identify what you have lost if it's missing.
Keep Calm
On the other hand, if money is not so important, instead of upsetting yourself, look at it as a relatively minor cost, compared with the total price of the holiday, or your year's travel, a tiny percentage. Some people reckon bags will bet bumped about and just buy cheap luggage and replace it. Others go for the most expensive luggage which is built to last. (Samsonite, named after Samson, the strong man of the bible, is supposed to be sturdy. Check the brand name on the luggage of airline staff.)
Wheels - tips and tricks
When I first got my wheeled cabin bag I kept lifting it above cobblestones, pebbles or or rough tarmac to save damaging the wheels. Now I only lift it when going upstairs.
When the wheels lock, I've discovered that you can unjam them by wheeling them backwards in the opposite direction, backwards and forwards a couple of times.
Cracking Plastic Interiors
One of my suitcases disintegrated inside. The black plastic kept cracking. I kept finding little triangular pieces of solid black plastic and didn't know what they were. Eventually I discovered that they were a reinforced area behind the zip-up lining. I emptied them out until the whole lot had gone. I then had a less sturdy but lightweight bag for quick trips.
Recycling Your Old Suitcase
The old suitcase was still useful for storage. Before putting it in a high cupboard, or letting it get lost behind the Xmas tree in an attic only reachable up a vertical ladder, by a grandson who has a degree in acrobatics, label and record the contents. The luggage tag can be reused as a quick label.
I photograph the contents of the suitcase before putting it away, even if it is empty or storing a smaller suitcase. You might like to do this. Then keep a list on your computer or pasted inside the attic door with a photo of the item and sit of contents.
Yes, one day it will help a burglar, or your throw it all out ex. Or your descendants doing house clearance, muttering, 'Why did Granny keep this old suitcase with the missing handle, no wheels, storing the disintegrating plastic bags?'
Angela Lansbury, travel writer, photographer, author and speaker.
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