Traveling frequently for work or leisure can be both exciting and challenging, especially when it comes to packing. A good luggage is essential for any traveler, serving as a trusted companion on countless journeys. Whether you’re jetting off for a weekend getaway or embarking on a month-long adventure, the right luggage can make all the difference. With a myriad of options available, choosing the perfect suitcase tailored to your needs can feel overwhelming. In this guide, we’ll explore key factors to consider when selecting a travel suitcase that not only meets your practical requirements but also reflects your personal style.
Here are my shopping experience. When choosing a suitcase, I usually look at the following points:
- Weight, capacity and material
- Pushing feeling
- Smoothness of the handle
- Scratch resistance
- Drop resistance
- Zipper and lock types
There are some non-essential highlights, which are also factors I consider:
- Is there an expansion layer
- The tightness of the case
- The height, folds and shape of the handle
- Is the other handles comfortable to hold
- Is there a bottom handle
- Internal space layout
Material
- According to the material, suitcases are usually divided into hard cases and soft cases. Most hard cases are resistant to high temperature, wear, impact, water and pressure. Their hard shell material can protect the contents from being squeezed and impacted. The disadvantage is that the internal capacity is relatively fixed; soft cases can provide users with flexible use space, and most of them are light and tough.
ABS material
- The main material for hard cases. Most suitcases made of it are hot vacuum formed. The suitcase has a more delicate texture and more changes in the surface of the case. It is more impact-resistant than the soft case, but the weight is heavier because of the existence of the case frame. However, it is solid and can protect clothes from wrinkles and fragile items. Try to fill it up when using it, press it and then close it. ABS is basically a very durable material.
PP material
- The main material for hard cases. Most suitcases made of it are heat shrink molded. The inside and outside of the case are the same color and there is no lining. The development cost of PP material is relatively expensive, and the product price is also high. The spare parts are all special equipment and cannot be modified. Therefore, only very professional brands and manufacturers are capable of producing it. Its characteristics are impact resistance and good waterproofness.
PC material
- The main material for hard cases, it has excellent electrical insulation, elongation, dimensional stability and chemical corrosion resistance. The indicators such as strength, heat resistance and cold resistance can also make people satisfied, but its hardness is relatively insufficient. It is usually used in combination with ABS material to achieve the effect of complementing each other’s strengths and weaknesses. At the same time, the products made of ABS+PC material have advantages in cost performance.
Aluminum-magnesium alloy
- The main material for hard cases is also the most familiar material. Because it is metal, it has strong plasticity, and it is durable, wear-resistant and impact-resistant. Generally, the box can be used for five to ten years. The pull rod type of this material has one-piece molding and combined molding, and the appearance is generous and beautiful. However, compared with other materials of pull rod boxes, the weight and price are much higher.
PE material
- The main material for making soft cases. Strictly speaking, PE material is not soft enough. It is lighter than ABS material but more impact-resistant. People often combine it with cloth or leather to make soft cases. The combined trolley case has both the safety of a hard case and the portability of a soft case. The disadvantage is that if the seams are cracked, the trolley case will be scrapped, so you must pay attention to the rationality of space use.
EVA material
- The main material for making soft cases. The use of EVA material combined with cloth or leather is a revolutionary trend in recent years. This type of trolley case looks like a hard case, but the quality is particularly light, the case panel changes a lot, and the functional design is more expandable. It can adapt to the use of most consumers and has been quite popular in recent years.
Other: Nylon (PA) Oxford cloth, polyester, leather, PU material
Nylon, Oxford cloth and leather are the main materials for making soft cases. They are relatively wear-resistant and the product appearance is average, but they are economical and practical and can be used for more than ten years. Leather has a good texture and can greatly improve the appearance of the product, but you must pay attention to daily maintenance when using it. As artificial leather, PU has the same advantages as leather, but its price advantage is very obvious.
Conclusion (comparing products of the same price and not too much water):
Durability: nylon soft case is the best, high-strength plastic is second, aluminum alloy is third, and leather is the worst;
Lightness: plastic is the lightest, nylon is second, aluminum alloy is third, and leather is the heaviest;
Price: nylon is the lowest, plastic is second, alloy is third, and leather is the most expensive;
Appearance: It depends on personal opinion, but generally speaking, no one thinks that nylon soft case is the best looking.
Details
- Box
Whether it is a hard box or a soft box, the box of the trolley case must be very neat. First of all, you need to check whether the corners of the box are symmetrical and whether the box surface is flat. You can stand the box upright or upside down on the ground to check whether the box has four feet on the ground, and at the same time check whether there are scratches or cracks on the surface of the box.
If it is a soft box, you should pay more attention to the stitching of the textile fabric. Good workmanship will not even expose a thread. The surface fabric of the box body should be well sealed, rainproof and waterproof, and the surface material should have a larger particle size, so that the surface is easier to wear. Of course, there are many smooth surfaces now, which are also more wear-resistant after special treatment. But once scratches are left, the smooth surface is much more obvious than the rough surface.
- Zipper
Although the zipper is small, it plays a very important role. If this thing collapses, the entire trolley case will burst. When choosing a trolley case, pay attention to the workmanship of the zipper. It must look more delicate and not easy to bend under external force. At the same time, test the feel when pulling. Every time the zipper is pulled, you should feel a sense of smoothness, smoothness, low sound, and tight bite. Pull it repeatedly several times, and you can basically judge it.
When the trolley case is full of items, the zipper is often in a tight state. If the zipper is not of good quality, it will cause “box bursting”. In order to avoid box bursting, many manufacturers will choose to work on the zipper, usually using double-layer chain teeth reinforcement to improve the bite.
When we buy a product, in addition to asking whether it has an explosion-proof design, we can also use a sharp object to scratch the zipper. If it is an explosion-proof zipper, the trolley case will not be scratched, and the items in the box can also be well protected.
- Handle
There are two key points to look at the handle. The first is whether there is a handle on the side of the box. Many friends buy boxes with handles only on the top, which will be particularly inconvenient in future use.
The second is to see whether the connection between the handle and the box is firm and whether the material is reliable. Be sure to refuse to buy handles made of inferior plastic and designs that use nails to fix the handles on the box.
- Trolley
The trolley of the trolley case is generally built-in now, so that the structural stability will be stronger. The external trolley will be inconvenient when loading and is very easy to damage. It has basically been eliminated by the mainstream of the times.
If possible, we also need to open the inside to observe the color of the inner tube. If it is black, it may be an iron tube. If it is white, it may be an aluminum tube. We prefer steel. Only such a pull rod can withstand various pressures and hold various scenes.
When testing the pull rod, be sure to test the locking button several times. After pressing it, it should be able to extend and retract freely, with a very smooth and unobstructed feeling. After the pull rod is extended, test the stability. The building structures of many airports and train stations are full of stairs and steps. The operation balance of the pull rod is very high when going up and down. This must be carefully judged.
In addition, we would like to remind everyone to pay attention to the handle on the trolley case. It is better to give up the hard plastic material, which has extremely poor durability. The handle must be soft and feel good.
- Wheels
The wheels are the most consumed parts on the trolley case, and the quality must be excellent. When you evaluate it, you must pull it more. The sound of a good wheel will be very small, the smaller the better.
In addition to the sound, the diameter of the wheel is also very important. If your trolley case has a large-diameter wheel, it will definitely save you a lot of effort, and the large-diameter wheel will be more able to withstand the test of time and wear. It is worth mentioning that the wheels of trolley cases nowadays often have two directional wheels or four universal wheels.
- Anti-scratch design
Some trolley cases will have thickened or different hard materials at each corner to protect your trolley case from collisions; similarly, there will be some additional cushions on the surface of the case to separate the trolley case from direct contact with the ground to prevent the trolley case from being scratched.
If you have high requirements for the service life of the trolley case, you can focus on whether there is an anti-scratch design when selecting the product.
- Luggage lock
After all, trolley cases are relatively private items, and confidentiality and security are still very important. When testing the lock of the case, you can randomly combine a few groups of numbers for testing. Here, the main thing is to look at the positioning accuracy of the number wheel. For example, if your password is 277, if the positioning is not accurate and it can be opened at 287, it will bring a lot of trouble to your life when going out.
By the way, many merchants will emphasize that their products have TSA locks. TSA means the Transportation Security Administration of the United States. Since January 2003, TSA has stipulated that all luggage entering US airports must be opened for inspection. At the same time, TSA has issued a warning: unless a TSA-certified lock is used, the checked luggage must not be locked, or customs has the right to pry and destroy the lock of the checked luggage.
For suitcases with TSA locks, customs staff can open them directly, and you also have a key. If you don’t have this lock, you will have nowhere to complain if you are “forced to demolish”. If you often travel to the United States, you can consider buying a product equipped with a TSA lock.
- Interior
You can’t just look at the appearance when buying a trolley case. An excellent interior can make your trolley case more versatile. If your trolley case usually needs to carry suits or notebooks, please pay attention to whether the product is specially designed with such compartments.
In the interior design, it is not recommended to choose a case with a large number of zippers, because if the case is not full, it is easy to cause damage to the zipper connection during the check-in process, so it is recommended to choose more socket-type ones.
Of course, the fabric of the interior is also very important. Strong and wear-resistant materials are your first choice. Don’t let your suitcase be beautiful on the outside but rotten on the inside.
Finally, in the design of the interior of the suitcase, whether there is a telescopic enclosure is very important – although you may never unfold it in your life, once your suitcase is fully loaded one day, you will be very glad that your suitcase has a telescopic enclosure. It is absolutely a wise saying to be prepared.
