The Search

This weekend, we went on an ardous search for the perfect piece of luggage.  My suitcase was damaged beyond repair during it’s last trip through DFW, and with the ski trip drawing close, I needed a replacement.  Because I travel frequently, I’m really picky about my luggage.  I know what I like (and what I don’t like) in a suitcase.   Unfortunately, most luggage is geared towards male travelers, and what I like is hard to find.

At first, I thought the search would be simple.  I wanted an exact replica of my current suitcase.  It was the perfect size.  It had a separate expandable garment bag area for my clothes, great pockets and wet/dry areas to protect my suitcase from spills.  Reality sank in pretty fast; apparently, they don’t make ’em like that anymore.  

So, we searched online and trekked from store to store at the mall trying to find a suitcase that would meet all of my requirements.  Who knew it was so hard to find luggage? 

I couldn’t find everything I needed in a single suitcase, but I finally narrowed it down to either a Samsonite Silhouette 10 Softside Spinner Garment Bag or a Kenneth Cole Zero Boundaries Upright Pullman.  Both had their pros and cons — they were very different pieces of luggage. 

The lucky winner is….The Kenneth Cole Zero Boundaries Upright Pullman.

At the end of the day, I wasn’t certain that the Spinner Garment Bag would be able to accommodate all of my clothes and accessories.  It was twice as expensive as the other option.  In addition, it was only available in black at the store, which is the color of almost every other bag on the carousel.  The Upright Pullman was similar to my previous suitcase, and it was a great color, “flame” (you’ll never get it confused with someone else’s luggage, which is a big plus for me).

I can’t give it a full review yet, but after the ski trip, I’ll let you know how well it works.

4/12/08 UPDATE:  The bag has survived 3 airline trips so far.  It has held up well, but I do have one complaint.  After only a few trips, the fabric has become very dingy.  The bag looks like it’s 2 or 3 years old instead of 2 months old.  I’m not sure if it is because of the light color or the type of fabric covering.  Inside, I still love the bag.  It has lots of room for my clothes, shoes and other personal items.  I just wish the bag didn’t look like I bought it at the Salvation Army — dirty, dingy and scuffed.  I didn’t expect that to happen so quickly.  One of the things I liked best about the bag was it’s color, but now I’m thinking I should have gone with something darker.  Although, at this rate, it may end up being black after only a few more trips. 😉