Luggage for Road Warrior

January 27, 2005 6:36 PM

I need some suggestions for some luggage. I am starting a new job in the tech field (laptop capability needed for sure) where I will be traveling 60 - 70% of the year. My visits will typically only last a week, but I tend to over pack. Any ideas on the perfect luggage for an IT worker?

Also how does one deal with having to travel, work on Friday before flying out, and manage to carry around all their luggage with them b/c checkout times at hotels are so early?

posted by bobadoci to shopping (25 comments total)

I don't deal with a laptop, but here is my advice: Get something with wheels. One solution is to get a normal sized wheeled carry-on bag and a brief-case style PC bag, and carry the PC bag on top of the carry-on (i.e., hang onto to the handles of both, with the computer bag sitting on top of the carry-on). I do this with a brief case and it works pretty well. When I go to the office on Friday, I leave my carry-on in the trunk of the rental car, but most companies will let you drop it off at the lobby and pick up when you leave, as well.
posted by Doohickie at 6:45 PM on January 27, 2005

I don't travel so often, but the folks on Flyertalk usually swear by Briggs and Riley since their warranty is so great--covers damage even caused by airline abuse. Tumi also gets high marks, Travelpro almost as much.

I use a lot of Eagle Creek packing cubes which make packing and living out of a suitcase--and especially a small one--much, much easier.
posted by grouse at 6:54 PM on January 27, 2005

When you buy wheeled luggage, make sure the wheels are "concealed." By that I mean that pretty much only the part of the wheel that touches the ground sticks out. The ones that have the entire wheel hanging off the luggage are more properly known as "victims." Luggage handlers have sophisticated techniques for destroying them.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 7:05 PM on January 27, 2005

I am not a professional traveller (IANAPT?), and this advice will depend heavily on how formally you have to dress, but I have totally stopped using wheeled luggage unless I'm travelling for weeks on end. I hate checking luggage because it gets lost, and I hate pulling wheeled luggage through city streets and lugging it up and down stairs.

Instead I bought an MLC from Patagonia; it fits about a week's worth of clothes and the bare essentials, is very comfortable to carry in hand, messenger-style, on the shoulder, or as a backpack, and fits in overhead bins so it never has to be checked. I also carry a briefcase with papers and books and laptop. I've found that this is really all I ever need to take with me. Everything fits and is easy to carry.

Packing light is the way to go, IMO; checking bags means lots more waiting in airports, lots more to carry around with you after you leave the hotel, and lots more lost luggage. If you can get away with it I recommend it highly. The MLC is in all respects a great bag, and Patagonia will repair or replace it free for life if it's messed up through wear and tear.
posted by josh at 7:19 PM on January 27, 2005

You should read this site. Lots of help with how to not overpack, and some baggage suggestions based on their ideals.
posted by obloquy at 7:20 PM on January 27, 2005

You may note, if you don't get around to reading obloquy's site, that the author doesn't recommend wheeled bags, either. One important reason: wheels take up room that could be used for stuff.

If I had read more before I started traveling more, I'd have a bag without wheels. I'd certainly recommend it; I carry my wheeled (Eagle Creek, with backpack straps) bag fairly often anyway. I can't bear to throw out an otherwise decent bag, though.

I've personally tried to get it down to one bag for clothes and laptop, but it doesn't seem to work well. The laptop gets a bit too squished (could be remedied by better packing, I guess). The flexibility of having a bag to take to the customer site and a bag at the hotel is too much to give up. Or, a bag in the overhead with the clothes and a small bag at your feet on the plane. So, two bags is my recommendation.

My computer bag is a backpack. If you can stand the less professional look (varies with manufacturer but still seems less professional in some venues), it's far more convenient for cross-airport hurrying and long stints of walking.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to figure out how to pack for Korea next week, coming from a warm climate. :)
posted by RikiTikiTavi at 7:45 PM on January 27, 2005

I worked a job for a couple of years that was 50% + travel on weekdays. Some months I was only home on weekends.

Learn to pack light. Arrange your life so that a week's worth of clothes and gear fits in two bags. I would recommend a standard-sized (fits in overhead compartment) rollaboard and a good suit bag (whether you wear suits or not - a good hanging bag is a terrific and versatile piece of luggage.) Add a good-quality briefcase-style or backpack-style laptop case and you're good to go, Mr. Road Warrior.

Packing light also makes it easier to deal with the "must carry luggage after checking out of hotel" problem. Any hotel will let you leave your bags with them for a few hours after checkout (most have a special room for just that purpose) but I usually parked my bags in some friendly person's office at the client site on days I was travelling home, if I didn't have a rental car with a trunk to stash them in.

Additional tips, tangentially packing/luggage related:

Check *nothing* at the gate. Ever. Take it on the plane with you if you can; check it "planeside" if you must.

Black jeans are your friend.

Use hotel laundries and expense it to your company, rather than overpacking and carrying around a ton of extra clothes. In a pinch, socks and underwear can be washed out in a hotel sink and hung out to dry overnight, but I don't recommend making a practice of it.
posted by enrevanche at 8:07 PM on January 27, 2005

Personally, I've done wheeled and non-wheeled bags, and I'll take a wheeled bag any day of the week. If you pack efficiently, that last little bit of space for the wheels won't make a difference.

If you travel often, you will undoubtedly get to the point where you have to run to catch a flight once in a while. Can you imagine trying to run through a large terminal with a week's worth of clothes in it? By the time you get to your plane you need a shower. Let the wheels do the work. And that's right- they should be concealed. I forgot to mention that.
posted by Doohickie at 8:20 PM on January 27, 2005

Thanks for all your suggestions. Any particular brand names worth checking out? Bookofjoe.com suggested Swissworks.
posted by bobadoci at 8:52 PM on January 27, 2005

For 30 months I traveled every week and flew more than 300,000 miles per year. Generally I hit 2-4 cities per week and one memorable day, 4 cities (with meetings), in one glorious quarter-ending day. For 14 months I commuted from Detroit to Pasadena. Take this with a grain of salt, but it worked for me.
Get wheels. The cost of getting your back fixed is high, not to mention the lost time laying on the floor trying to recover from hefting luggage around.
One roll-aboard means no waiting for luggage.
Get Teflon coated pants. Yes Teflon, they clean with straight water and if hung up to dry do so with few wrinkles and need just a touch with an iron.
Get wrinkle free shirts from Brooks Brothers (about $145 for three) or Sears (about the same $) May not be exactly your taste but the convenience wins out. Pull them out when you arrive and hang them and they look great with no ironing.
Cut, cut, cut! Drop crap you don’t need. I don’t know your age but trust me when you hit about 40 you will thank me for every useless think you did not carry over the years.
I can carry 5 days clothing, (6 pair socks, 6 pair undies, 2 rugby shirts, 3 oxford shirts, 3 dress pants, 1 pair travel pants, 1 pair travel shoes, 1 pair dress shoes, belt, and three ties) plus all toiletries and emergency drugs AND my laptop in one bag. (Solves the early check out.)
Roll everything like a jelly-roll. Less wrinkles.
Buy a photographers vest. You can carry money, snacks (nuts are high protean and low weight), a bottle of water, tickets, wallet, passport, drugs (pain reliever, anti diarrhea, topical antiseptic and Dr. prescribed), paperback book, contact list, cell phone, PDA, and more and you can quickly remove it to throw on the x-ray machine at the airport and the stuff won’t fall out.
If you have a heavy good quality watch put that in the vest too as it will set of the alarm and slow you down.
Make sure your travel shoes are ones you can take off and put on without tying and do so in less than 10 seconds.
Carry a pre-paid calling card in a different place than your cell. In addition to credit cards, in a different place, carry a Visa pre-paid gift card.
On a web accessible, but password protected site, have a password protected Word file with all your id info and card numbers with contact phone numbers so you can access them quickly to cancel them should you lose them or be robbed.
Apply for hotel, train, plane and other loyalty cards. Use them. I get NWA points. I get NWA Visa points. I get double points on both when I charge my NWA travel on my NWA Visa and use my NWA card number. I have had free vacations for many years.
HAVE FUN! You can meet a world of cool new folks!
posted by arse_hat at 9:03 PM on January 27, 2005

On review - sorry to be so long winded.
posted by arse_hat at 9:06 PM on January 27, 2005

bobadoci, I actually have the exact Swissworks bag you linked. Over the past two years or so, I've also traveled every week. The first year, I used a non-wheeled shoulder duffel bag, but I moved on over to the Swissworks and have been content with it. For frequent travel, I'm definitely a fan of having the wheels vs. not. The Swissworks line is fairly lightweight too, so it's not a bad carry-around when necessary.
posted by Mrmuhnrmuh at 9:44 PM on January 27, 2005

I traveled a heck of a lot last year and can't imagine life before the rollie bag. You have to have a rollie bag! I can recommend the house brand at ebags.com - they are built pretty tough and very well designed. They have all different sizes and even though I'm a terrible overpacker, the bag they say is good for a long weekend was big enough to last a week for me.

I used to be a firm believer in carrying everything on the plane and that waiting at the luggage carousel was for tourists. But since the TSA took over the world, I find it's much smarter to check the bag and walk on the plane with a stack of newspapers and a cup of coffee. You stroll right through security, past the people having their bags rummaged through, and to your seat without blocking the aisle or fighting for overhead space. It's enormously worth the extra ten minutes waiting on the other end.

Also, what arsehat said about racking up points. Join all the hotel and airline loyalty clubs and put everything on a card that gives you points.
posted by CunningLinguist at 2:25 AM on January 28, 2005

arsehat - nailed most of it, although I agree with cunninglinguist about checking bags these days, too.

A few other things to add... and this is especially during summer travel. (I fly a LOT)

-Be nice to airline employees. Real nice. Understanding, polite, cheerful. It will occasionally get you upgrades and extra help, and it's worth it.

-Buy your luggage from outlets, do not pay full retail.

-The full "carry-on legal size" is not necessarily going to fit in all aircraft overheads, particularly on the MD80s that haven't been retrofitted with new bins, and it won't fit in the regional jet overheads either, which are becoming more prevalent. Buy one size down.

-Eagle Creek shirt packers are a must.

-Men's Wearhouse also sells wrinkle-free shirts. They're a godsend.

-Orvis makes a non-wrinkling navy blue blazer which I consider an absolute must for business travel. Goes with anything (jeans, khakis, dress slacks) and will not wrinkle. Always looks good. Expensive, but worth it.

-Loafers. Even "TSA-friendly" shoes have to go through the X-ray these days, even in small airports. Get loafers.

-If you can get one, try doing your business travel expenses with a Diner's Club card. Every hotel, car rental and airline in the world take the card, and unlike many cards, you have 60 days to pay the balance, which means you're okay while waiting for the company to turn around the expense reports. You also get points which can transfer anywhere you want them.

Finally, I'd highly recommend you invest in an Igo multi-use AC adapter for laptop, cell, PDA, DVD, whatever so that you don't have to carry around 37 AC adapters. Cut the weight on my laptop bag by five or six pounds.
posted by TeamBilly at 6:06 AM on January 28, 2005

Another plug (heh) for iGo. I got their air adapter Juice thingie from Radio Shack, and when I managed to break one of the cables, they immediately replaced it free when I contacted the website, no questions asked. I was v impressed. If you are traveling business class with access to onboard power, this is a must.
posted by CunningLinguist at 6:28 AM on January 28, 2005

I'll shut up now, but wanted to add that checking your bag not only saves you hassle at security, but it also means you can get a larger one and not worry too much about overpacking.
posted by CunningLinguist at 7:46 AM on January 28, 2005

CunningLinguist - only thing I find wrong with checking a bag is not the wait at arrival time but the wait to check it in the first place. Not so bad some places but it can be very long at O'hare and some others.
posted by arse_hat at 9:05 AM on January 28, 2005

I traveled frequently (not all the time, mind you) up through the end of last year, and I never had a delay due to carrying a bag through security. I wish I had known about photographers' vests, though. I reserved a pocket on my carryon for my glasses, belt, wallet, pocket stuff, etc. If I was running late, all I needed to do was get my shoes on and run; I took care of the rest later on.
posted by Doohickie at 9:12 AM on January 28, 2005

It's enormously worth the extra ten minutes waiting on the other end.

Oh, if only it was just ten minutes. At Sea-Tac, I've never had it take less than an hour to get my bag. Still, I often check it for all the reasons others have given.
posted by kindall at 9:39 AM on January 28, 2005

CunningLinguist - only thing I find wrong with checking a bag is not the wait at arrival time but the wait to check it in the first place. Not so bad some places but it can be very long at O'hare and some others.

Get thee to the automatic kiosk, my friend. This was really bad when I was flying in and out of Tampa a lot, but since most of the carriers have gone to the self-check systems with the touchscreen kiosks, both check in and check out goes much faster. I never, ever use curbside anymore, and I fly into major airports (O'Hare and Midway, Dallas, Tampa, Atlanta) with little hassle because of the kiosk.
posted by TeamBilly at 10:03 AM on January 28, 2005

If you can, get a bag that's a different color than just black or navy blue. Myself, having a bright yellow suitcase, it takes a lot less time in the luggage queque - plus it makes it easily recognizable in case if something happens to it.
posted by itchie at 10:37 AM on January 28, 2005

Yeah, the kiosks have made everything faster, especially since many people still prefer to wait on line, leaving the kiosk for you.

On preview: or do something dramatic to the appearance of your bag, hot pink tags or something. Because everyone in the world now has the same bag.
posted by CunningLinguist at 10:41 AM on January 28, 2005

Having spent most of the last year traveling between US, Mexico, China and Korea I'll add that if you expect to carry any kind of tool or anything that even looks like a long pointy thing you need to check luggage. If you are going to check bag take what you need as size is not a major issue if the luggage has wheels. Plan that your luggage will not make it every 5 th or 6th trip and have emergency medicine and other special stuff to hold you over until it does. (which for me the longest wait was 3 days) On preview, since my bag is a normal standard blue roller a big diagonal piece of duct tape down the front solved the problem and is impossible to come off.
posted by mss at 12:08 PM on January 28, 2005

"Yeah, the kiosks have made everything faster, especially since many people still prefer to wait on line, leaving the kiosk for you. Internet check-in is even better. Do it in the morning and you can walk right to security.
posted by arse_hat at 7:36 PM on January 28, 2005

enrevanche: check it "planeside"

Dont do this if its raining outside or has been raining recently.
There are large pools of water out there, and you dont want your bad soaking in them.
posted by Iax at 8:12 PM on January 28, 2005