How to protect your cabin bag when travelling

I had luggage assist on the railways. Unfortunately, people, trying to help, didn't understand that four wheel bags need to be upright. They insisted on dragging the bags forwards on two wheels. This damaged the front pocket of the bag, leaving dirt and holes, and damaging the beading edge.

I bought a patch in a craft shop. the assistant said to me, "You don't want an iron on patch. You need a glue-oo patch."

Problem
How do I prevent more damage next time? My wheel on luggage gets damaged easily. How can I protect it?

Answer
Do what you see done at the airports. They charge you to wrap your suitcase in what looks like clingfilm.

You could encircle your bag with a strap.
Use clingfilm.
Add bubblewrap.

Wrap an old blanket around it, then a plastic bag.
Place a pretty new pull-on bag inside an already old and dirty larger bag.

Author
Angela Lansbury.

Two wheel cabin cases with owls, only £14.99

A wise own said a two wheel suitcase is available on line with free postage. Never mind the size, feel the weight.

If you don't mind having two wheels (rather than the latest four wheels) you can get a cheaper suitcase. Karabars sell a two wheel pull along case in lots of patterns. My favourite is the owls.

The price is only £14.99 with free delivery. That saves about five pounds, a quarter of the price of the £20 model. But £20 is still a good price, if you must have four wheels.

If you look at the pictures on eBay and blow them up larger, you'll see that the handles on the top and side are flat, not padded. I think they are assuming that most of the time you will be pulling the suitcase, only carrying it when walking up stairs.

If you want a padded handle, either inspect pictures carefully, or look at suitcases in local shops to decide the style and size you want, before buying from a shop or ordering on line.

Note the 20 inch cases are really weeny, for those airlines which limit you to a tiny carry on case. You might consider a bigger case for daily use, or a set of three.

If I wanted to protect a laptop computer for work, I would pick something more padded and heavyweight, less likely to be damaged by pointed objects, or slashed by a thief. You can lock together the zip tabs on many of the 'good value' cases. They are more secure than shopping trolleys.
karabars.co.uk

Angela Lansbury, travel writer, author, speaker. 

Four Wheel Luggage - before and after

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.