Luggage Review

Hell on wheels takes on a new meaning with the wrong luggage

Making the improper choice with luggage will leave you cursing like a character from Reservoir Dogs. Those wheels that made your luggage roll so nicely through the airport won't seem like such a good idea when you're bouncing your bags along a cobblestoned street to get to your hotel. Expandable luggage is an entirely different beast, though loathed as much as wheeled bags by in-the-know travelers.

Wheeled Away

Wheeled luggage, originally designed for use by airline pilots, seemed like such a good idea back in the day. But recently, those popular suitcases have become maligned for the very feature that made them stand out among the crowd when they were first introduced.

Luggage with built-in wheels is effective if you have physical limitations or your travel plans are limited to long walks through airports or hotel corridors. However, frequent fliers avoid wheeled luggage for the following reasons:

• Tight squeeze - It can be harder to fit wheeled carry-on bags into nearly full overhead bins because of their rigid construction. Better to use well-constructed, soft-sided bags that have a little more flexibility in the overheads.
• A weighty issue - Having plastic wheels and their associated hardware attached to your bag is naturally going to add weight. If you're flying an airline with tight weight restrictions, that can mean paying more for checked bags or leaving something behind.
• Reliability - How many times have we seen poorly constructed bags break down? Too many. Retractable handles break, and wheels go wonky. With more moving parts, there's more chance something will go wrong - usually at the worst possible time.
• Packing heat - If you're hip to efficient packing techniques, you'll avoid a wheeled bag. With one large compartment, it's hard to pack efficiently.

Expanding Waistlines

Luggage that gives you an extra inch or two of depth to play with might sound like a great idea, but that isn't necessarily the case. Giving poor packers the freedom to expand their suitcase is an invitation to jam more clothes into the bag - a bad idea at the best of times. The feature also adds weight and manufacturing costs to the bag and reduces its water resistance and durability. Remember, the key to becoming a travel guru is taking less, not more, when you hit the road.