Advice on purchasing suitcases.

unfortunately is was a dunnes case that burst open on us!.... mind you it had done us for a few trips!
 
I bought a Dunnes case a couple of years ago and the handle broke after one journey. I bought a smaller case in TJ Maxx in America and it's lasted me a few years and a lot of trips.
 

Tell us. Where did you go to on all those trips?
 
Trying to take advantage of being child-free for now we do a lot of travelling.

We've done 3 multi city visits to Asia in as many years, Thailand, Malaysia & Vietnam.

If we're going to the US, we tend to do 3-4 cities but that could be 8 flights to get the best price. We're Air France frequent flyers and status is earned by sectors flown as well a smiles so it doesn't bother us to fly Delta to and in the US and say go Dublin-Atlanta-LA rather than direct as we do better miles wise than if we flew direct from here.

It was only when I sat down to write that original comment that I realised I did over 20 flights last year alone, and only 2 for work.
 
Have the samsonite cloth suitcase and find it really good. There is little or no weight in it when it's empty and is really easy to wheel. Can pull it along by a strap or there is a handle you can lift out of the side of it as well.

TJ Maxx has some good bargains in luggage. I saw some samsonite luggage there at a very reasonable price and there were sets of the same type of luggage. now, the only thing was the colours can be kinda funky but I like this. Cases are easier to spot on the conveyor belt
 
In the market for a new suitcase what are the best shops in the Dublin area to get one?

Undecided whether to get the hard case or soft case..?

Using it to travel to Asia for 3 weeks so going to be dragged around a bit

Just looking for sturdy. Will check out the usual places Debenhams, Arnotts, Clearys anywhere else

This shop still open ?
 
I got a wheel along case in TK Max in Blanchardstown a few years ago. It cost £30 at the time. It is in perfect condition despite being used everytime I go away. It is light in weight. The wheels are small but effective. I think bigger wheels are better but probably heavier. A friend of mine invested in a rigid case recently. It weighed 7.5kg - taking half her baggage allowance!
 

Try TK max, they do all the good brands like Antler & Delsey, and the other more famous one I can't remember the name of!
 
I have had a hard case Samsonite (4 wheel) for 6 years now which has seen a fair bit of travel.

On my last trip, the lock/catch mechanism was smashed (presumably by baggage handlers) but the two side catched kept the bag intact. Although it was out of warranty, I called Samsonite, who sent me the replacement part free of charge, no questions asked.

This is great customer care and I will buy Samsonite again.
 
Yes Adamsons are still open - they have a great selection of reliable luggage and are brilliant for repairs

Go for the 4-wheelers every time and put a luggage strap and big label on for easy identification on the carousel - its a good idea to put your name and address inside too
 
I would advise checking the wheels carefully. Don't buy unless they're integrated, otherwise they'll get damaged easily.
 
http://www.debenhams.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?identifier=Luggage_3658&categoryId=60450&catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&top=N (<br /> Debenhams) are having a sale on for Luggage

Looks like I will get one here. Have gone off the idea of buying hard case as easier to put clothes in a squash them down with soft luggage. Looking at the tripp bags
 
Have four different cases from four different manufacturers (Antler, Tula, Samsonite and I can't recall the name of the last manufacturer). All soft cases, and I travel a lot. I have never had an issue with a soft case and would never buy a hard case because it is less manoeverable, and from what I have seen they are usually smaller capacity for the same size case, besides they seem to get marked so easily. I also would be loathe to buy a four-wheeler. All well and good until you have to tackle escalators or for that matter a corner and nothing annoys me more in airports than dodging trailing baggage so I would be conscious of it all the time. The Antler is about 6 years old and has flown hundreds of times all over the world, it is still presentable, usable, the handle still works, the wheels are fine in fact aside from being a bit scuffed and missing the zip tag (which I can live without), it is still grand and I use it regularly. Can't decide which one to recommend, I find them all good depending on what I need.
 
Brand Central a Rathdowney have a really good luggage place (not much else though). We got 3 hard cases, all with 4 wheels, for under €200.
I bought a case in this place recently and seemed to be very good value. It's too soon to comment about quality yet though.
 
I also would be loathe to buy a four-wheeler. All well and good until you have to tackle escalators or for that matter a corner and nothing annoys me more in airports than dodging trailing baggage so I would be conscious of it all the time.

You miss the point totally...a four-wheeler doesn't need to trail behind you as two-wheelers do. A four wheeler can be pushed by your side without having to be tilted in any way.

I would never again buy a two-wheeler.
 
I bought a set of suitcases in Lidl for 50 Euros earlier this year and they are great. I had a set from Dunnes Stores before that and the zips on both cases went so I won't be buying there again.
 
Saw those Tripp cases, large ones, in Debenhams today reduced from something like 150 euro to 60!!! Going to get one tomorrow if hopefully they still have them!! I bought a Voyager large case in one of those Bag Shops during the summer. One trip abroad and the handle wont rise up anymore. It cost about 30 or 40 I think but its too large to carry and useless without the handle.
 
I was up in the Outlet in Banbridge at the weekend, and the samsonite have a 3for2 promotion on a lot of their stock. Checking the prices there are some very good value to be had, in addition to the 3for 2 promo.
We've both hard shelled cases and fabric cases, and my person preference is the fabric cases, as its extendable and light enough for cabin baggage. The expandable bit comes in very handy when going through the UK with their 1 x bag policy, so I can throw in my laptop case and handbag just to pass through security.
The only other cavaet about hard shell cases is that in the past 7 trips to the US we've twice had our locks cut off our cases by Homeland security (can't remember their exact name TSA or something), and had to buy replacement locks, other people on our flights had the locks on their hard cases broken open - at least we have the option of just buying a new lock, their bags are beyond repair, and you don't get compensation.
(I've since ready that if you have books in your case they come up looking 'suspicious', so as I go mad buying books in Barns and Noble every time, its probably why my case has been checked).
 
I use a soft-ish Tripp bag for short trips, best suitcase ever. I used to travel every other week for work for 3 years, so it got thrown around all airports around the world, and not 1 problem with it (except the Tripp badge came off!)
For longer stays I use a Samsonite hard shell case. Again great bag, no problems with it. It's got dents in it but hasn't cracked. It does weigh something like 2-3 kilos when empty so need to be mindfull of that when stuffing it full. It has the combination lock builtin in the top of the case, so when I go to the US, I just leave it at the open combination so they can look in it if they want, and usually do!
If you do alot of travelling, I recommend getting a good brand suitcase.