The Luggage Blog

Take advantage of some last minute Labor Day Weekend travel deals!

Labor Day Sale: 15% off already low prices @ Luggage Online (now thru 9/2/08)

Up to 60% off Last Minute Labor Day Flights @ Priceline.com (now thru 9/1/08)

I’m not sure what everyone thinks about the new Live Luggage but I wouldn’t mind having luggage that’s power assisted.  Live Luggage is a British company who made these innovative suitcases with many cool features and it seems pretty durable and secure.  Live Luggage has an anti-gravity handle that allows most of the weight to be transferred to the wheels, which makes it more maneuverable.  Tilt sensors will kick in if you accidentailly drop your bag and it will continue behind you. The power assistance kicks in only when needed to keep you from draining the rechargeable battery too quickly.  At $1,365.25USD this bag seems pricey but can you really put a price on a bag that does all the work for you?

One of Tumi’s newest collections is the Tumi T-Tech Polycarbonate and it’s all the rage!  Tumi uses a PC Plus polycarbonate, which is triple layered to provide great durablity.  These new cases are not only strong and sleek but they are lightweight and we all know how important lightweight is these day.  Especially since we don’t want to pay any overweight charges for our luggage.  This Tumi collection is reasonably priced from $375 to $495.  On top of all the great features, it has great organization as well!

View the Tumi T-Tech Polycarbonate on Luggage Online.

With airline regulations changing all the time it is so hard to decide what bag to buy. All airlines are charging fees if bags are overweight (most over 50 pounds) and some are now charging for EVERY bag you check. So now the dilemma is, which way do you go and what is the best way to be able to take the most on your trip while being charged as little as possible?

Let’s start with this. If you can get a 22″ wheeled carry-on bag, (or a 20” for international travel), that does not have a lot of structure to it and only take what can fit into that bag, you will be in great shape. Just remember if you pick this option you can only take liquids that fit into a quart size plastic bag.

If you can not handle that limited selection of clothes and shoes, your next best option is a lightweight 30″ wheeled duffle or a 28″ suitcase that only starts out at about 10 pounds, which is a lot less than most brands. I use the Eagle Creek Centerline 28″ suitcase and I love it! One time we were going away and I had all of my things packed into a 26″ older upright suitcase that started out heavier and when I put it on the scale it was over 50 lbs. I then took all of my things out and put it into my Eagle Creek suitcase and I had no problem! I think you will find the weight to be such an advantage to you. The organization is nice and the quality is excellent! Now, why don’t you give it a try!

With all the fees that airlines are charging and beginning to charge today.  Why pay for overweight fees too?  This article has some good advice on why you might just want to purchase lighter weight luggage to begin with.  You might agree once you see how much overweight fees can be!  There are many brands that are meeting the needs of travelers and going to lightweight, lightweight, lightweight! The article mentions a few, such as Eagle Creek, Victorinox and Briggs & Riley.  Don’t worry these lightweight bags are just as great quality as those heavy bags that you’re carrying now.  Good Housekeeping Research Institute tested the bags and you can read more about their findings by reading the full article.

You might even want to get your own travel luggage scale.  I use mine before I go on every trip and I even bring it with me in my carry-on, because I always tend to bring back extra things on the trip home.  If you use a scale when you’re done packing, you will know whether or not your bag is overweight and you can take things out or rearrange your bag.  This way you won’t be surprised with any extra fees when you get to the airport and we all know that we don’t want any more fees than need be!!!

See here an example of a luggage scale for purchase at luggageonline.com: 

Travelon Luggage Scale