B & Riley vs TravelPro

And for someone looking for a hard shell bag , CR had the Samsonite Outline Pro Carry-On Spinner ($140; 10 yr warranty 7.2 lb) rated equal to the 2 Frank mentions.

I posted my initial thoughts on a different thread when someone was considering a B&R. As a retirement gift to myself I was researching an international- size carry on ( so, the 21" had to include the wheels and handle) because my first generation Away carryon case, still going strong, exceeded that.
I actually planned to purchase something in Europe earlier this summer, since there are some smaller sizes. The Rimowa looked like a rolling....safe? I know those who know would somehow know, but I'm not after status. And the rest I saw in luggage stores was either poorly made or else brands in the US.
I decided on this one:
https://www.briggs-riley.com/products/global-carry-on-spinner
And have now taken it on one train and two domestic flights. It is, above all, hefty - it feels very, very well made and also very, very heavy. If I have a regret it's the weight, especially since trying to stay under European carriers allowances was already a challenge. I actually thought on a carpeted stretch of airport that it was harder to roll ( despite the very hyped wheels) than my Away.
If Away made a carryon the same size, that would be my preference. But I'm about to try the B and R on an international trip, and will see how I fare hoisting it!
Getting it around when not in the overhead bin was fine.

My husband & I each have a 'checked' size B&R compression suitcase that is very well made, but it is SO heavy. The ONLY time we travel with it is if we are doing a tour with a company like Tauck that handles our bags for us. There is NO WAY I could lift it onto trains, etc in Europe. We got them at a very good discount or we would have NEVER spent the money on them.

We normally travel with our EAGLE CREEK 26in checked luggage and a Tom Bihn backpack each - we've had them both for years and we've been all over the world with them. Seems the EAGLE CREEK also has a lifetime warranty. We've had them for a long time and they look GREAT. We are huge fans of Tom Bihn & Eagle Creek - although we read good things about TravelPro.

I don't understand the concept of investment in regard to purchasing very expensive luggage. When I buy luggage I buy functionality, convenience and invest in Phillip Morris or Apple. I think you just made a good argument for buying status. "I am successful." "I can afford expensive luggage." And in some profession the display of "success" is critical. Over the years when I traveled a lot, I just want a good bag to hold my clothes but not so expensive it would attract a baggage thief.

With the difference in price between B&R and Maxlite, I could just replace my Maxlite a few times.

Keep it simple. Buy what you want; buy what you can afford; buy what works for you.
Status? Regarding brand - I don’t think anyone really cares what type of luggage a traveler uses. Most people don’t even know who you are.

Country of origin - where my money goes does matter to me. After all the COVID virus mess, I think more about country of origin than I ever did before. This is purely a personal matter of choice for me.

Posted by Sun-Baked in Florida

Keep it simple. Buy what you want;
buy what you can afford; buy what works for you.

And after reading the Packing thread for awhile, I know that the day after I buy the "perfect" suitcase, one will come out that is even more "perfect" and weigh half as much and be half as big and hold twice the volume and levitate itself into the overhead and roll itself through the airport, train station, subway, busses, streets, and levitate up flights and flights of stairs, and, and, and, . . .

So I keep in mind what level of investment I'm willing to make and what longevity I expect out of that investment.

Carol, You do Not upset me!

Khansen,
The quest for “the one” keeps the luggage industry going. I truly have more bags than I need. As airlines keep changing bag protocols - I use this as an excuse to buy yet another bag. Then, there’s bag sales. As I age - I am trying to go smaller and lighter. Actually, budget airlines have “forced” me to be more minimalist.

Also, I don’t like a lot of modern bags. That greatly reduces my choices.
Pack and Learn!

(Just don’t try to take my packing cubes and zip-top mesh pouches from me!)

I'm currently looking for a replacement for my 15 year old Eagle Creek 2-wheeled rollaboard. It's served me very well over the years, but this summer's cobblestones have almost destroyed one wheel, and the zipper is starting to show signs of impending failure. I'm really struggling with selecting its replacement, because although my wife's Travelpro Platinum Elite spinner is extremely well made, it's very heavy and the spinning wheels don't lock. I've posted elsewhere that this can pose a problem for train travel. The new Eagle Creek models don't look very good to me.

I think I'll consider the Travelpro Maxlite 5, non-spinner. I'm old enough that I don't need another 15 years.

I was just over on Flyertalk and someone is trying to find a new handle for their Travelpro. Because the lifetime warranty apparently doesn’t apply if they no longer have the parts. I’m not sure how you can call that a lifetime warranty unless the definition of lifetime is as long as we manufacture that piece

I, too, have heard issues with the new Travelpro bags and their appearance bothers me for no intelligent reason. My husband and daughter have B&R bags. They are great for a limited amount of circumstances as they are just so heavy. They only get used now when moving house or moving house to another country. That's it. They are lovely though in theory.

I just finished going thru a packing journey for a domestic trip in preparation for a Paris trip to determine how to pack. I was starting with an Eagle Creek wheeled tote, 13"X14"X8". I packed everything I would not have in my PI in that bag as it is only 3 1/2 lbs. (My back has been bothering me.) It fit and all was only 13lbs. That being said, there was no room for my jacket or anything extra, even though I am not a shopper. I moved to my always reliable 2015 5lb RS wheeled bag, which looks like new. Much better, I just like having extra space...but it makes one pack a bit more as instead of coming in at 13lbs, it came in at 18lbs. Personally, I find the RS bag, unglamorous but very well organized and sturdy (usually checked when traveling internationally). Well, then vanity happened as I'll be checking at first class counter, LOL, and I like my Eagle Creek 21.5" bag's appearance, sturdiness and color (when did I get this way?) so I packed it all in there and as that bag is 7 or 7 1/2 pounds, I thought it would go over my 20Lb personal limit...but somehow it ended up the same weight as the RS bag. No idea how that happened. The thing about expensive and lifetime warranties is that I would feel I always have to use that same bag, forever. That would be very painful for me to give up bags or stop studying bags...go cheap, go happy. LOL

Now what was the question? ;0

I’m not sure how you can call that a lifetime warranty unless the definition of lifetime is as long as we manufacture that piece

Travelpro doesn’t have a lifetime warranty. It has a limited lifetime warranty. It pretty much only covers manufacturing defects. I’ve also seen complaints about the unavailability of Travelpro parts.

I have a travelpro maxlite 5 and it is obvious why it is so much lighter than a B&R. It just isn’t made with the same sturdy materials. However, at $145 vs $660, who would expect the same level of quality? This really comes down to weight vs. durability. I don’t want a 10 lb suitcase so I went with a less durable and cheaper Travelpro Maxlite knowing that it won’t last a lifetime. Travelpro has better quality lines than Maxlite, but they both cost and weigh a lot more.

I have the travelpro maxlite version 1 and it is still going strong after 14 years. However, it weighed about 2 lbs more than the newest version. I replaced it with a maxlite version 5 earlier this year because I wanted a lighter suitcase. I don’t expect the new suitcase to last 10+ years. It is clear how they shaved off a couple of pounds. The wheels and zippers aren’t as sturdy, they replaced the full sized plastic handle on the bottom of the suitcase with a fabric handle, and they removed some features like a zip out water bottle pocket. Still, I love the lighter weight and how much it holds and I think it is a good choice for a less expensive bag. If someone wants a bag that will last a lifetime, I wouldn’t recommend the maxlite.

Briggs & Riley quality and the warranty support or lack off

This is a review of the quality as well as the lack of keeping their so called lifetime warranty. I expected high quality and when the product fails, I expect them to repair or replace the product. After having purchased nearly ten bags from this brand, here are some of my experiences and I absolutely recommend against buying any of their products!

Couple of months back, I noticed that my expensive Simpatico 21” international expandable carryon had a big crack in the top cover (about 10 inches through which I could see the inner lining) - had to duct tape it. I called customer service while in Italy and shared my photos with them. The agent claimed that they can’t do anything until I return to USA and ship the suitcase to them on my own cost. I returned on 5th Feb & shipped it to them on 6th. And I had told them that my next travel is in three weeks. They slept on it for two weeks and then informed me by email that it cannot be repaired and they are offering $450 credit (for a suitcase that costs 649 plus taxes) or give one of the samples from their stores, but they didn’t have any in the stores. I refused to accept the credit. Next email, they informed me that they have a 22” domestic carryon from their samples, which I refused as that model is not permitted on many airlines. Next day, they said that they found a sample, different color, which didn’t bother me and they are going to ship it to me to reach before my departure date. Two days passed and when I didn’t receive a shipping notification, I enquired and they said it will be shipped that day. I am leaving on my travel tonight and Fedex says it will be delivered tomorrow!

Would you buy any product from a brand who doesn’t stand behind their warranty terms with all the catchy marketing phrases? This is one of their current products, not an obsolete one. I purchased this suitcase 18 months back. I learned about their vaunted warranty terms from this forum many years back and I need to provide my feedback.

A year back, the pull handle broke while in Paris. And about nine years back, the top cracked in another Simpatico (non expandable one). I am done with this brand for its quality and lack of customer service.

I'm one who does not invest a lot of money in luggage (well, in a single piece). I would much rather pay $145 for the TP Maxlite 5 (which I did) than $660 for a very heavy, albeit well-built bag. I guess you could say that the B&R provides good strength training for all of us seniors, but I can find weights for a lot less. :-)

I'm one who does not invest a lot of money in luggage (well, in a single piece). I would much rather pay $145 for the TP Maxlite 5 (which I did) than $660 for a very heavy, albeit well-built bag. I guess you could say that the B&R provides good strength training for all of us seniors, but I can find weights for a lot less. :-)

I agree on the weight training part my wife and I have been traveling a lot in my retirement and I can relate to the feeling. I am always looking to buy something that I don’t need to replace and reduce my contribution to the landfill, but B&R is not a brand that meets that requirement.

I’ve had to make two warranty claims with Briggs and Riley. In one case the luggage was apparently towed behind a baggage handling cart. At least that’s what Delta thought happened to it. Delta fixed it somewhat, but it wasn’t right and I took it to Briggs and Riley and received excellent service. In the other case it really was all cosmetic but i thought for what the luggage cost. I shouldn’t have had it happen so I contacted them and they fixed it quickly and fast. Both of these were within the last couple of years so I have no idea why somebody else had so much trouble, but my experience has been very positive.

I have a Travelpro, but a while back I got a Takeoff carryon. It is now my favorite. The wheels pop off so it fits easily in sizers at 18x14x8. I was worried about the sturdiness of the wheels, but I've dragged that bag around on multiple cobblestone streets and so far, so good. I like that it's a hard case, comes in various colors so it can either blend in or stand out, and doesn't have pockets, just an open space so I can pack things the way that works best for me. You can purchase extra wheels too, so if one would break, you don't have to send the whole bag away for repair. My next trip is longer, with more moves, so I might pack an extra wheel just in case.

For my last trip, I tried packing my things into both the Travelpro and the Takeoff. I expected things to fit in the Travelpro better since it's a bit bigger, but it really seemed the same so I took the Takeoff since it's smaller.

I really wish it was easy to find bags that specifically met various airline size requirements. Wouldn't that be great?

My husband had the two wheeled TravelPro Maxlite 5. He bought it in late 2019 and used it a handful of times because of course we lost over a year of travel during COVID. One of the feet broke off late 2022, after the two year warranty period. They have a parts catalog and the part was there, so I figured no problem. I reached out to order the part and they said it was unavailable and would not become available. They offered a discount on a new suitcase

I went back and forth with them repeatedly, pointing out that they still sell the IDENTICAL suitcase (and still do today) so the part must exist in their supply chain, but they wouldn't budge.

My BIL was able to 3D print the part, so we got another few uses out of the suitcase before the foot broke again and we threw it out.

I was very disappointed with TravelPro and wouldn't buy another one.

Since 2000, I've spent 24 weeks on 11 trips in Europe. In that time I've used a RS convertible bag, an Outdoor Products Essential Carryon bag, and an eTech 2.0 Weekender Jr. bag (my current bag). I don't think I've spent much more more than $200, total (the OPEC bag was just over $30), for those three bags, and I've never had a failure. I really don't understand the rational for spending a lot on a bag.

For me, light weight is the most important criterium, but I prefer cinch straps to tighten the load and a sternum strap to keep the shoulder straps together.

BTW, I pack light (<15#) and carry-on only. My bag is always managed by me. That might have some bearing on durability.