Recommend a suitcase please

[Nexttoyou]

Going on holiday in August 2025, haven’t been abroad for years so have relied on sports bags for Uk travel.

I am in need of 2 large suitcases, have no clue where to start as there seem to be so many options!

We like the IT soft cases that are marketed as "worlds lightest". Hard cases are harder to fit in the car boot

Trunki.
Hours of fun at the airport.

Same. They are reliable, light and look nice too

You cant go wrong with a Tripp case. Great quality.

Are they to go in the airplane hold? Check to see if your airline has any luggage restrictions. I prefer hard cases for the hold, as they get chucked around in the baggage system. You need something that is robust with good hinges and locks. I also prefer two wheels, you often see the spinners minus a wheel or two on baggage carousels. Don't forget to put a coloured ribbon or stickers on them so you can identify them quickly.

Samsonite every time.

thank you everyone.
Yes they will go in the hold, good tip for the ribbon!

I agree with the 2 wheel sentiment. Spinners on 4 wheels are great, l travel a lot for work and use a carry on spinner.

But if they are going in the hold it’s another story. With 2 wheeler cases the wheels are usually protected by design when on conveyers etc. With a spinner the wheels are fully exposed and get get very bashed about to the point where they break off.

Finally, with most cases, the guarantee does not cover the wheels.

We have a couple of large It soft sided 2-wheel cases ( when full they weigh between 18-22kg).
They are used regularly to fly/cruise/train and still going strong after 8 years.

do you mean the ones that tilt back onto 2 wheels (with no wheels on the front side of the suitcase) are better than those with wheels on each bottom corner?
sorry if I’ve mistaken what you meant was just trying to picture

We bought two IT suitcases last year, used them four time still look really good, easy to manage good quality. Ours are a really nice colour, I am often complimented on them by other travellers. Don’t add ribbon, as they can get caught up in the machines.

Yes, exactly that. Sorry l wasn’t clear. Maybe too much everything at Christmas 😀.

no not at all! You were clear for someone in the know but I wanted to be sure, thank you 😊

And please allow me to digress? Whichever case you buy, put a strap round it before you “wave goodbye” to it at the airport. At Heathrow recently l started counting the number of shoes, toiletries and knickers on the carousel that had come from burst suitcases.

Sorry if l appear to have taken over this thread. x

We use green straps around the cases and that makes them recognisable on the carousel

you have been super useful as have all the other posters, it’s been 10+ years since we travelled abroad and I’m quite nervous about the airport in particular!

American Tourister hard shell from Amazon and air tags!

Exactly. With suitcases buy cheap buy twice is always the case.

Vote here for Samsonite. I prefer soft shell, I've never had my stuff damaged with soft shell but I've had a few hard shell come out of baggage claim cracked like an egg. I agree about the wheels too, look for a design where they're more 'tucked in'. they get more dirt accumulated but they don't get knocked off. When I've had wheels come off, they've left a hole in the base of the case, so rendered unusable really

To avoid any confusion American Tourister is a Samsonite brand.

Paravel are really good. I bought one, then DH nicked it for work trips so I bought another which DS has somehow managed to adopt!