what are some good brands for wheeled carry-on's? i google'd but i have no idea where to start.. i've always traveled with a backpack. i'm starting to travel for work though and want something more work-ish than dirty-backpacker-ish (less wrinkly clothes, can hold laptop safely, etc).

Eagle Creek and Swiss Army both are $$$$ but worth it

L.L. Bean has some nice looking ones. Their customer service is great and they have a good return policy and guarantee.

My mother swears by samsonite. She's had her suitcases (and used them a lot) for more than 30 years (21st birthday pressie) and they're still going strong!
Mine is from Antler, which I think were probably cheaper but it seems to be pretty good.

I guess when looking at wheelie bags the big question is hard or soft? I have hard cases (pressie so I didn't choose) and they're great for keeping stuff safe when they're thrown around by baggage handlers, but they're also heavy. My check-in size one is 7kg empty and my carry-on is 3kg empty. That's a fair bit when you compare it to the limits (20kg and 7kg, usually). I pretty much can't fill up my big case without it going over the limit by a reasonable amount. On the other hand, a soft case will be lighter but it's also much more likely to get destroyed or have stuff inside get destroyed.

My advice is: don't go cheap. Get a decent brand one, even if it costs twice as much. Have you ever see someone trying to haul around a wheelie bag after the wheels have fallen off?

quote:

Originally posted by blue27:
Eagle Creek and Swiss Army both are $$$$ but worth it

I agree, you really get what you pay for in luggage. If you skimp on price you'll be lucky if your bag lasts more than a year of regular travel.

I just bought a Swiss Army Pilot case and a Swiss Army backpack (school size) yesterday. It only cost about $100 for both of them at Wal-mart. For decent quality luggage I consider that a good buy. The backpack is the best padded one I have ever had. I could actually make the trip without the suitcase, just taking the backpack (a month in Europe) BUT I want room for souveneirs and don't want to have to dump the backpack at the hotels/hostels to use it as a daybag.

I learned my lesson during a five week fight with shitty luggage last year. Well, actually, I already knew better than to buy cheap luggage, BUT allowed myself to try to save a few dollars on bags not meant for anything more than a 2 day trip by car.