How to Choose Perfect Baggage

While picking the right luggage for your travels, you need to consider a number of important factors like airline’s restrictions, the material the baggage’s made of, its size, weight, etc. If you ignore these peculiarities, you can end up either with additional fees to pay at the airport or with an uncomfortable suitcase that doesn’t protect your things and can break down at any moment.

That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you make the right choice and be confident in your travel

Airline Baggage Standards

There are 2 types of luggage you can take with you on a flight:

1. Cabin baggage. According to IATA, the optimal size of a suitcase you can take with you on board for free is 55 x 35 x 20 cm. But these measurements may vary from airline to airline, so it’s always best to visit the official website of an airway you’re planning to fly with and check its restrictions on size and weight.
2. Checked-in baggage. The standard checked-in baggage should weigh no more than 23 kg. The limit is set to maintain health and safety of airport workers. But this is not the maximum: 32 kg is the biggest baggage weight allowed to be checked-in. These are the IATA standards, so, again, you need to review the rules of your chosen air carrier because they can differ.

After you’ve made up your mind on what type of baggage will be most suitable for your air travels, you can get onto selecting the actual suitcase or bag. Many luggage brands comply with the airline’s restrictions and pinpoint when their models fit cabin or checked-in baggage.

The first feature you pay attention to when picking baggage is its shell: it can be hard and soft.

Soft-sided baggage is usually made of different kind of fabric: polyester cloth, nylon, leather, etc. While leather bags can be very heavy, nylon ones are light and quite durable (especially those made of ballistic nylon). Soft-sided luggage can be “stuffed” as the fabric stretches a bit, and in terms of weight they are more useful when every kilogram counts.

As for the disadvantages, fabric can be easily torn or cut, and isn’t protected from stains and smells. In addition, it is not recommended to pack fragile things when you check it into a plane baggage compartment.

Hard sided luggage better protects your packed things from the outside impact. The materials used to produce this kind of luggage are polypropylene, polycarbonate, ABS and aluminium. Polypropylene is the lightest polymer while polycarbonate is the most durable one with a quality to flex under the impact. ABS is the cheapest material among all. But today baggage manufacturers often mix them to make suitcases and bags sturdier and, at the same time, more cost-efficient.

When it comes to weak points, luggage with hard shell weighs more than soft-sided suitcases, and when it’s cracked, it’s unrepairable in 99% of the cases (while fabric can be mended and patched).

So, while choosing between hard and soft shell, you need to consider:

• Weight
• Safety of your possessions
• Capacity
• Durability

Whichever factor is more important to you, focus on it and make sure you feel comfortable with your choice.

Colour

Dark colours are usually more convenient because the after-effects of usage like scratches are not so visible. But because of the abundance of grey, black and navy suitcases, there are often misunderstandings as travellers don’t notice them among others on the luggage carousel or even take someone else’s baggage thinking it’s theirs.

Bright colours on the contrary allow you to notice your bag almost at once; you’re not likely to mix it up with other suitcases. Though, dirt and scratches will stand out more.

Wheels

Wheeled baggage is much more convenient if you prefer suitcases and bags, say, over backpacks. And a suitcase can usually have 2 wheels (upright) and 4 wheels (spinner). Spinners are steadier and easier to roll than upright, but that’s not the main factor you need to take into account.

Pay attention to:

• Material. Polyurethane skate wheels are the best for baggage because they are durable unlike plastic ones which tend to break and crack. Soft material deforms and wears out quickly as well.
• Protection. Spinners are very mobile, but their wheels are usually unprotected at all, and can be easily broken off. The best variant is the wheels recessed into the bag frame. This way they are less likely to get damaged.
• Fastening. The wheels should be firmly attached to the baggage without any looseness.

The quality of wheels is very important because if they break down in the middle of your journey, you won’t be satisfied carrying a heavy suitcase in your hands. So, you definitely need to consider them.

Handles and Straps

Suitcases and bags usually have retractable (telescopic) handles that make pulling your baggage much more convenient. These handles can be placed inside the baggage (better protected from various damages), or outside (leaving more internal space for packing). But the most important thing to take note of is whether a retractable handle is sturdy and firm and can withstand the weight of the packed baggage.

Top and side handles are also essential, so you should make sure they are comfortable to hold. Also see how they are attached to the baggage. If they are fixed with screws, they will be easy to replace in case they are torn or cut.

Straps are typical for duffle bags and backpacks. Here you need to check whether they don’t cause any discomfort while being placed on your shoulders or waist. Straps must be made of wide webbing ideally with pads in places where they fit to your body.

Locks

It’s always best to opt for TSA locks as in this case your baggage will not be damaged during security checks. TSA representatives will be able to open your suitcase or bag with a special master key. With a usual lock, they will have to remove it or cut your baggage to check the contents.

Waterproofing

If you’re afraid of getting in the rain with your baggage, there are also suitcases and bags protected from the water impact. They can be made of hard shell featuring special rubber or waterproof zipper systems. Soft-sided baggage made of Cordura or ballistic nylon with a waterproof seal can also do a great job at preventing your possessions from getting wet.

While picking waterproofed baggage read carefully the descriptions and reviews to choose the best variant for yourself.

Additional Features

Different baggage manufacturers add more and more features to their products to make them efficient and suitable for travels. Among them there are:

• Expendability: there is usually one more zipper apart from the main one, and if you pull it open, the baggage gets bigger and gains more room for packing.
• Additional compartments: soft-sided luggage usually has extra outside pockets where you can put things that must be easily accessible. There also pockets inside hard-sided suitcases where you can put some important documents, or just separate some little things from clothes.
• Straps inside the baggage: they help to immobilize your packed possessions and hold them on their place. We recommend you to choose straps made of webbing rather than the elastic ones because they stretch out after some time.
• Adjoining straps: they hold several pieces of luggage together or allow you to fix your backpack or bag to your baggage.

As you can see, it’s important to choose baggage basing on not only how good it looks, but also on its qualities and peculiarities. It’s possible to pick a decent durable baggage from different price ranges taking into account factors we’ve mentioned here. So, when you decide to buy a new bag or suitcase, make a list of features it should have, and focus on them while selecting.