Purchasing a new set of luggage for most people usually consists of just going to the closest store and picking up whatever looks the nicest whether it is a brown duffel bag or its pink luggage sets. Sometimes however a little research can go a long way to making sure that you get the most from your luggage. With that in mind we here at The Pink Luggage Set would like to offer the following reference guide.
Material – luggage materials can be broken down into three main categories, hard sided, soft sided, and leather. Hard sided luggage is made of a hard outer shell of polycarbonate or aluminum making it very tough and durable yet heavier than the other types of luggage. Soft sided luggage is made of polyester or nylon and is lighter in weight and allows for a certain amount of expansion. Nylon is graded by a denier rating which refers to how thick the fiber is. The thicker the fiber the stronger and more tear resistant it is. When looking at nylon luggage a denier rating of 400 should be considered the absolute minimum, with larger bags the higher the rating the stronger the bag. Leather bags are a distinctive sign of quality but when looking at leather luggage make sure to look for genuine leather or full grain leather, this is the strongest of all the leather products. Full grain leather is breathable and retains its strength even as it ages unlike lower quality leathers. Leather now also comes in a full spectrum of colours and you can easily find one to suit your own personal sense of style even if that is for pink leather luggage.
Luggage Seams – seams are what hold the different sections of luggage together and describe how the zippers are attached. Poor quality seams will end up fraying and will eventually come apart. Better quality seams are usually taped and are locked stitched together making them more durable which means that they last longer.
Handles – check to see if the handles are recessed and sit flush to the body when closed. Exposed handles can easily get caught or bent by other bags or by luggage handling equipment when being thrown on and off the various conveyer belts at the airport. If the handles are recessed when closed there is less chance of damage. This particularly applies to luggage that has telescoping handles. If you are purchasing luggage with extendable handles also measure to make sure that the handle extends far enough so as not to be uncomfortable when you are using it.
Expandability – some of the more versatile bags available in the market are able to be expanded so that you can pack more items into them if needed. Most expandable bags have a section of material that is held together when closed by either a zippered side or by using several straps. When you unzip or un-strap the sides the material is able to fully extend adding anywhere from 20 to 30 percent more room inside the case. When selecting expanding luggage I would always recommend that you select the one that uses the zipper instead of straps. Though the zipper can eventually wear down particularly in cheaper luggage sets I still highly recommend it because when the zipper is fully closed it contains the expandable material section without any exposed parts that could be be damaged easily. Straps are usually found on less expensive soft luggage and zippers on better quality luggage sets.
Zippers – come in various sizes and are made of metal or plastic. The larger plastic zippers tend to last longer and are easier to pull than smaller metal zippers. Some modern plastic zippers are self repairing meaning that if a part of the zipper does separate it can be easily fixed by zipping over it again. I highly recommended this because there is nothing more frustrating than trying to fix one of those small metal zippers when you are rushing to get somewhere.
Interior Frames – most semi soft-sided luggage comes with an internal frame or skeleton which is usually made of light weight aluminum or fibreglass. This skeleton runs along the edges of bag and is covered by material. These interior frames add to the sturdiness and overall durability of the bag without adding undue weight. If you are unsure whether the soft sided luggage you are looking at has an interior frame simply place the empty bag on the floor. If the bag simply falls down on itself it does not have an interior frame however if the bag even when empty stays upright then it has the added the rigidity of an interior frame.
Rolling Wheels – though most people think all wheeled luggage is basically the same in fact there are two distinctive types of wheeled bags and they use either two wheels or four wheels. The type that most people think of is the two wheel bag that you see people pulling beside them with the telescopic handles. These bags usually use inline wheels similar to rollerblade wheels and are easy to roll in straight lines. Four wheeled bags have the additional benefit of supporting all of the weight of the luggage and can be moved in any direction easily without having to pivot them as you would with two wheeled bags. When looking at the wheels regardless if it is a two or four wheeled bag look for a larger ball bearing wheel and axle design this will glide smoothly under the added weight of full packing. Once again look for designs that have the wheels recessed into the body of the bag like some of the newer types of hot pink luggage. Wheels are very easy to damage by catching them on something, and bags that do not have at least partially recessed wheels are more easily damaged and these can have the wheels ripped of entirely if you are not careful. A few manufactures are now even starting to offer rolling luggage with fully retractable wheels.
Compartments – Most bags offer different internal and external pockets to facilitate easier storage and access for your items. Consider what type of things you will be traveling with and how quickly you will need to have access to them. Smaller bags that are used as carry on bags have both outside and inside pockets so that you can easily get to reading material, food, drinks your tickets and passports easily. Larger luggage bags will have gusseted pockets, and separate internal side pockets for storing shoes and other harder items. Some specialty bags such sporting duffel bags will have completely separate sections for equipment, clothing and even wet/dry sections.
Weight- is directly related to the size and type of material the luggage is made from. Larger cases like the hard sided pink luggage sets weigh considerably more than smaller soft sided luggage yet offer much more protection for the contents. In most cases the weight of what you will be packing will be far more than that of the luggage itself and is not really a concern. That being said for carry on luggage and cases that you will actually need to physically carry not roll then stick to soft sided luggage or the more modern cases made of ultra light weight materials.
Locks – when buying locks for your luggage take the extra time and look for TSA (Transportation Safety Association) certified locks. With these locks your luggage can be inspected by airport personnel without having your locks clipped and destroyed. TSA locks can be reclosed by security personnel and the lock itself will have a small red indicator to show you that it had been opened. Some manufactures of these locks go so far as offering a guarantee that if the lock is ever accidentally clipped by security they will replace it free of charge.
Luggage Tags – losing your luggage is never a pleasant experience, with that in mind make sure you use a luggage tag and enter all the necessary flight information and a contact phone number into it. When choosing a luggage tag get a brightly coloured one that is distinctive such as a hot pink luggage tag, this will make it easier for you to spot on the luggage carousel. A good practice is to also make a copy of the luggage tag information and place it inside the luggage on top of your belongings. If for some reason the pink luggage tags are lost when they open your case all the information is right there and they won’t have to take everything apart.
If you have any suggestions for improving or adding to this article we would love to hear from you so that we can continue to add to it. With time we here at The Pink Luggage Set want to make this the ultimate resource for all of your luggage buying needs.
