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Luggage: Uncluttered and quality solutions
When I was in college, I used my hard-sided luggage as a dust-free storage system under my bed. I kept out-of-season clothing, extra sheets and towels, and some other random items stored inside the three pieces. This was a great system, except for when I traveled and needed to use my luggage.
After college, I had more storage space in my one-bedroom apartment than I had possessed in my dorm room. I no longer needed to use my luggage to store things, plus I was traveling for my job and used my luggage more often.
Since the pieces were no longer doing double duty, I felt that they were cumbersome and a waste of space. Their biggest flaw, in my opinion, was that they didn’t nest inside one another. Also, they didn’t have wheels, which were starting to appear on luggage around that time. They had been an eighth grade graduation gift from my then-deceased maternal grandparents, however, and I didn’t feel right about replacing them since they still worked. Plus, luggage is expensive and I wasn’t exactly rolling in the dough. So, they sat side-by-side on the floor of my hall closet and wasted space when they weren’t in use.
When my husband and I consolidated our households, I instantly fell in love with his luggage. It had wheels! It nested! And, although I didn’t know it at the time, it had a lifetime warranty regardless of how it suffered damage! I said goodbye to my luggage and donated it to a local charity. Memories or not, I knew that his was the superior set.
I believe that nesting pieces are a must-have quality with luggage. Otherwise, they waste valuable storage space in your home. Good nesting pieces also have enough space to allow you to put additional backpacks and bags inside of them, in addition to your traditional luggage. The lifetime, no-questions-asked warranty offered by some companies is valuable, too, especially with the amount of handling a piece experiences in modern airports. We took advantage of ours after a gear on a conveyor belt at Chicago’s O’Hare airport had its way with one of our piece’s exterior pockets.
If you’re content to keep non-nesting luggage, then I recommend using the interior space for storage like I did when I was in college. Yes, it’s a hassle when you need to use the luggage, but it’s better than the space being wasted the other 300 days out of the year when it’s not in use. I can imagine that luggage would be a good place to hide children’s birthday gifts before the big day, extra toilet paper you might buy in bulk from Costco or Sam’s Club, and winter hats, gloves, coats, and scarves when they’re out of season.
Buying tips:
Not all lifetime warranties are created equal. Only two companies I researched had full-service warranties that applied for the lifetime of the bag regardless of how the damage, wear, or abuse occurred:
- Briggs and Riley
- Boyt’s Mach 4 line
- Eagle Creek’s Exploration System line
Other companies have limited warranties applying to damage, wear, or abuse:
- Andiamo–will repair damage done by an airline carrier, but not by you
- Pathfinder’s Revolution line–the first 5 years after purchase
- Victorinox Swiss Army–will repair damage done by an airline carrier, but not by you
- Tumi–the first year after purchase on everything, and mostly everything up to five years
All luggage brands I researched had a lifetime warranty against manufacturer’s defects, and, of course, to get any of the warranties you must fill out the proper registration forms within 30 days of purchase. Therefore, it is my recommendation that if you’re going to shell out the money for new luggage that you go with Briggs and Riley, Boyt’s Mach 4 line, or Eagle Creek’s Exploration System line. A lifetime warranty covering all damage to the bag is well worth it.
Popularity: 18% [?]
17 comments posted
Posted by Bryan - 08/01/2007
Are you sure the warranty card must be filled out? My experience is that the cards are used mostly as a marketing tool, and, rarely, as a way to contact you in case of recall. The manufacturer must state in the warranty what information they require for the warranty to be valid, and that’s all you have to send them. You don’t want to give more information that required and end up on dozens of mailing lists, adding to the junk mail clutter. Bankrate has an interesting article on the topic here: http://www.bankrate.com/brm/ne.....0421a1.asp
Posted by Erin at Unclutterer - 08/01/2007
Good point about the registration card!!! Be sure to read the fine print and act accordingly. I remember that at least two of the companies I listed only honor the warranty if you fill out the registration card. However, I know from personal experience that Briggs and Riley did not request us to prove anything when we took our piece in to be repaired.
Posted by Maureen - 08/01/2007
Don’t forget about LL Bean - their products are extremely well-made, high-quality, and there is a lifetime replacement on everything they make. Even their most expensive bags (Ballistic II series) are priced much lower than many other lines.
Posted by Erin at Unclutterer - 08/01/2007
Maureen –
I can’t find anywhere on LL Bean’s website that says that they’ll repair any piece of luggage damaged from regular wear and tear or airline processing. I found a page that says if you are not happy with the product that you can return it, but not that they’ll repair your piece for free. There’s a pretty big difference between the two offers. If you can find a page with this information on it I’ll update the post to include LL Bean. Thanks!
Posted by Alan Thomas - 08/01/2007
Costco “Kirkland” luggages is effectively guaranteed for life because of their return policy, but they also have an unconditional satisfaction guarantee.
Posted by Scott - 08/01/2007
My understanding is that LL Bean will repair or replace pretty much anything if you are unhappy with its performance. I have an LL bean brand sleeping bag that I have had for almost 15 years. The elastic cord is broken. They offered to either replace it or just fix the cord, whichever I felt was needed. I plan to bring it in and have them fix the cord.
Posted by kelle - 08/02/2007
Eagle Creek’s Exploration System line comes with a “No Matter What” warranty. http://www.eaglecreek.com/comp.....mation.php
what i love about their bags is that they are very lightweight! durable, but light enough for me to lift into the overhead without too much trouble.
Posted by kelle - 08/02/2007
here’s the link to all the items covered under the “No Matter What” warranty:
http://www.eaglecreek.com/coll.....n_systems/
Posted by Matt - 08/02/2007
Actually I have the Victorinox luggage and I never have a problem with repairs. I average 120K flight miles per year and have had the zipper and wheels repaired in SF, Seattle, and Amsterdam for no cost with no questions.
Posted by Erin at Unclutterer - 08/02/2007
kelle — Thanks, I’ve updated the page! It’s nice to have a more backpack style of luggage listed!
Matt — That’s great to know about Victorinox service. It’s not the policy that appears on their website, but awesome that is how they’re honoring it in practice. Great information!!
Posted by Marc - 08/02/2007
The nesting or storage are only important if you don’t travel much. I travel one week per month at least, and don’t can’t be bothered with un-nesting and un-storing other bags every time I pack.
Posted by Marc - 08/02/2007
The nesting or storage are only important if you don’t travel much. I travel one week per month at least, and can’t be bothered with un-nesting and un-storing other bags every time I pack.
Posted by beth - 08/02/2007
I try to keep all my vacation things together. I use my luggage to store items like a beach tote stocked with sunblock and drink coolers, and those gigantic beach towels that don’t really fit in the linen closet.
Posted by Dan - 08/02/2007
Erin,
This is a great article. I read Eagle Creek’s Policy from the link above and was confused because of this paragraph:
That doesn’t really sound like “No Matter What”. So this is what I think… The “Lifetime Guarantee” and “No Matter What” policies are two different things. Their Exploration line is the only one that has the “No Matter What” damage repair policy. Other Eagle creek equipment is only covered by their Lifetime Guarantee. It’s kind of confusing that they explain both policies on the same page. It seems easy to mistake that any of their bags are covered under the “No Matter What” damage repair policy.
Posted by Erin at Unclutterer - 08/02/2007
You’re exactly right, Dan. I’ve noted that it’s only the Eagle Creek Exploration line in the article. However, if someone reads the comments and doesn’t jump back up to re-read the article, your explanation here is perfect!! Thank you!!
It’s like with the Boyt’s luggage, which only applies to the Mach 4 line.
I think it’s weird that a company only offers warranties like this on specific lines … it can’t be easy on employees working every place their products are sold … just my two cents …
Posted by Andrea - 08/04/2007
I have some more info on the LL Bean return policy. It did used to be a “lifetime guarantee” policy, for decades in fact. But its now a “satisfaction guaranteed” policy, as Erin pointed out. http://www.llbean.com/customer.....ml?feat=ln
I have family working for LL Bean. The word from them is “customer satisfaction” means that if you think your Beans product should have lasted longer than it did, they will repair it (sadly they repair less often than they used to), replace it, or refund your money. No matter how you wore it out.
I can attest to that… I, and others I know, have exchanged things that we expected to last longer because they were LL Bean products. My family working there have taken back all kinds of items which the customer thought should have lasted longer. He also said there have been extreme circumstances when they didn’t take things back, for example refusing to refund someone who chronically abuses the policy.
I hope this helps those of you who are comparison shopping for luggage.
Posted by Leslie - 09/20/2007
Tutto luggage is fantastic luggage! It is softsided luggage with a pvc frame, and rolls a little differently than standard luggage, using 4 wheels instead of two. It COLLAPSES flat to just 3″ and can be stored under the bed, or staning up in the back of a closet, taking up almost no room! I have difficulty pulling luggage due to weak shoulders, and this is the easiest luggage to maneuver and pull. (The website calls it “healthy luggage”.) Also, because the pull bar frame is on the outside of the suitcase, there is mor packing room inside, with a flat bottom of the suitcase. The only thing that is a bit of a pain, is that the pull bar must be removed and reattached in order check the bags. But after using this suitcase several times, I decided that the advantages outweighed that disadvantage. It is only available by mail order (I have never seen it in a luggage store). I own several pieces and will not use any other luggage. I love this luggage for ease in storing, ease in packing, and phenominal ease in maneuvering.
http://www.tutto.com/
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