Welcome to the Luggage Buying guide. This section is designed to help you choose the right luggage to suit your travelling needs.
5 Questions to Ask When Buying Luggage
Before choosing your luggage it is important to ask yourself these five questions:
- How often will I travel with this luggage?
- How many people are travelling?
- What is my destination?
- What colour do I like?
- What is my budget?
Depending on how you answer these questions you can determine the size of the suitcase you'll need and the material best suited to your travels.
Quick Overview of Luggage Brands
What constitutes the best luggage can be subjective, but the following guidelines will help.
If you are looking for affordable fashion luggage that is built to last, consider Airport or Swiss Gear.
How about luggage that combines world-class reliability and engineering and is super lightweight? Look at the Antler Litestream or Antler Tronic.
Are you a road warrior who lives out of your luggage and wants the very best in construction backed by the best warranty in the luggage business? Go immediately to Samsonite.
If you want premium luggage that not only makes you feel good about traveling but also reminds you that you never settle for second best, Victorinox luggage may be your ticket.
Want a brand that caters to all these needs? Check out our huge variety of Samsonite and Antler luggage.
Example 1: John's Trip To Sydney
 John is going on a business trip to Sydney for 1 week. Since John is the only person travelling and it is only a relatively short trip with little chance of damage to the luggage, John will most likely need a soft shell bag with a length of approximately 60cm (72 L capacity) such as the Antler Litestream.
Example 2: Sarah's Trip To England
 Sarah is travelling to England with her husband and son for 4 weeks. As Sarah is travelling for a significant period of time and may be sharing the luggage with her son or husband she will require a larger bag which would need to be approximately 75-80cm (95-125L capacity).
She could take either a hard-shell or soft-shell bag depending on her preference. However, as the travelling conditions will most likely be good, a soft-shell suitcase should be fine. In Sarah's case another factor to consider is that she is travelling to a colder climate and will require more space in the bag for sweaters, jumpers and coats. The Antler Tronic (72cm) or the Samsonite Cruiseair Spinner (72cm) are both suitable for this type of travel. Sarah will also be able to pack more into her luggage using space bags.
Example 3: Greg's Trip To Africa
 Greg is travelling to Africa for 6 weeks. He'll be staying Africa for quite a while so he'll need to carry a lot in his bag. If he will be staying in one place then a 70-80cm (95-125L capacity) hard shell suitcase should be adequate. This is a large suitcase which will allow Greg to carry enough for his 6 week trip and because it is a hard shell bag, it will be more resistant to dust and water. If Greg will be trekking about then a travel pack (large backpack) will be better for him because it is easier to carry and store. The Black Wolf Cuba (90L) pack would be ideal.
Example 4: Jane Visits Her Uncle
 Jane is visiting her uncle for a couple of days. Her uncle is a three-hour train trip away and Jane rarely does any travelling. Since Jane is only travelling for a short period, rarely travels and the travel conditions will be light on the bag then a soft-shell bag such as the Antler Litestream (46cm) would be suitable.
HANDLES
Lets face it, without handles it would be pretty hard to move your luggage around so it stands to reason that the handle system should be constructed properly.
You should beware of handles that are not secured in place when not in use. If a handle is only held in place by friction, it may potentially pull out during travel making it susceptible to damage.
It is important that the handle is not situated on the exterior of the bag. The handle should be well protected. While padding between the handle tubes and the case exterior is desirable, it is not essential.
WHEELS
Ideally you should look for a wheel system where the wheels and feet are separate units (i.e. not one long unit). This is important because if one wheel becomes damaged, you want to be able to replace just one section as opposed to the whole wheel mechanism.
The more embedded the wheel the better. If a wheel protrudes significantly it is usually more susceptible to damage. You should also avoid non ball bearing wheels as they may heat up and damage the plastic around the housing.
Many manufacturers now use in-line skate wheels which are strong and durable. The wheels should be inset into the case allowing only a portion of the wheel itself to be exposed. This is a good configuration as the wheel is less likely to be damaged.
FRAMES AND CASING
Frames basically refer to the material the casing of the bag is made from. There are generally two types:
- Hard shell suitcases are moulded from materials such as polypropylene, ABS plastics, or metal. Hard-sided suitcases often have in-built security locks. They offer good protection against impact from the outside and are more resistant to water and dust.
- Soft shell suitcases are partially framed with soft, somewhat expandable tops and bottoms. They are lighter in weight than hard-sided cases but still offer good protection of contents. Like the hard-sided cases these have wheel and handle systems.
HARD SHELL OR SOFT SHELL?
Many people ask which is better - hard shell or soft shell cases? What it really comes down to is what you will be using the luggage for and how often you will be using it. For example, if your contents require significant protection or if the bag will be subjected to dusty or wet conditions then a hard shell case may be more suitable.
Buying Luggage Online
We have tried to make using this website as straightforward as possible. Each product description provides you with a detailed run down of all the features of the luggage including size, colour, material, capacity, warranty, weight and security .
This buying guide and our Travelling Tips sections are here to help you make your selection. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us.
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