Fern, Adam, Alice and I recently headed to Edinburgh for an event. I reluctantly had to put my hand luggage into the hold and when it circled around on the baggage reclaim it was looking a bit worse for wear.
I think it’s about time I treated myself to a new cabin case. My current one has two wheels and just one gauze pocket which means I am a big fan of the packing cubes to compartmentalise all my odds and sods.
Matalan
Matalan claims to have ‘The World’s Lightest’ suitcases. Coposed of fibreglass and ultra strength tensile, the cabin case weighs just 1.7kg so you don’t use too much of your all-important baggage allowance. The style is very practical rather than chic but has inside several pockets and comes with a ten year warranty too. From £35.
Debenhams
My current case is a Tripp. We have a large suitcase and huge holdall from the same brand although both of their handles got damaged during transit on the way to our honeymoon. What can I say, baggage handlers and I seem to have some history?
Endorsed by the Good Housekeeping Institute, the ‘Holiday’ range at Debenhams comes in a variety of zingy colours and includes those fabled four wheels. This stability would be a godsend for me as my case often loses balance and I end up dragging the fabric of my poor case along the ground.
Asda
Annoyingly, Tesco used to have a very highly regarded case (which was picked out in a Telegraph round-up) but it now seems to be out of stock with Tesco Direct folding. Instead, I had a look over at the other supermarkets and found the maximum capacity case at Asda which is apparently the approved case for EasyJet cabin crew.
It makes the most of size restrictions for maximum packing space. Measuring 50 x 40 x 20cm, (including wheels and handles), the case can be stored in either the overhead locker or underneath the seats. I can’t imagine it’s that easy to slide under a seat but knowing how quickly those overhead lockers get filled up this seems like a good idea.
Amazon
Amazon have a very smart hard shell offering with those fabulous four wheels and a 33 litre capacity. 75% of owners have given its five star review so it’s worth checking out as it seems fairly reasonable at £29.99.
Very
I feel the chichest of the bunch is this tan and embossed cream number from Very. It has a ten year warranty, eight (yes EIGHT) silent wheels and an expander function if you’ve had a bit of a spree on your hols. I wonder how it looks after a few turns around the luggage carousel though?
I also noticed Very have a very substantial collection of other cabin cases too. If you like a print do check out Mylene Klass’ collection. There’s leopard ladies.
My overnight bag is also on its last legs and I sure pretty soon the shoulder strap is going to snap in two which won’t be ideal if I’m lugging it around London.
Southwood Stores
While all the cases mentioned are less than £50, by eye has always been drawn to the slightly pricier ‘Escape’ weekender canvas utility bag. The bag stands on metal rivets so less likely to get damaged and featured cool leather handles and straps. Perfect for a weekend away. Available from Southwood Stores for £79.99.
M&S
My mum bought my sister an M&S weekender holdall as a pre-wedding present several years ago and it’s still going strong. I’m loving the bright colours of their latest offering but I’m not sure which one I’d go for?
Kangol
Having not purchased anything with the infamous Kangaroo kangol logo on since pre-millennium, I was actually quite surprised by this sweet leaf print weekend bag. The laminated PVC finish makes it easy to keep clean and there’s an optional shoulder strap too.
How do you like to transport your wares when you’re heading off on a trip. Any good recommendations for suitcases and holdalls?
I’ve got a Go Explore case that I picked up from Argos. It was a recommendation from a work colleague and it’s ace. It’s only 2 wheels, but it has two compartments which I’ve never had before and I can pack so much in it – it’s like the Tardis of suitcases! It’s a hard case but super lightweight. Used it as carry on mostly but I did put it in the hold once and it survived that so seems to be a good all rounder. Unfortunately I’ve just tried to find it on Argos to link here but they only seem to do the medium and large hold versions now lrather than the cabin one. Worth looking out for if they restock though!
Will keep a look out, thanks Jo.
I think I got carried away wanting extra pockets as my mum had a cabin case with lots of them, however when I was putting this post together it seems it’s quite the norm to just have one big pocket.
A few weeks ago I had my small travel case stolen (with literally all my best stuff in it!) stolen from the boot of my car.i loved the M&S case which is swrved. Me well for about 7 years so this post is well timed for me, thank you! I have decided to treat myself to one of my lovely friend Eddie’s luxery travel bags. Eddie Harrop bags are gorgeous leather bags so not sure I’ll be checking it in ever,but check them out they’re amazing! Net-a-porter has the canvas version on sale too..
ROCHELLE, NO!!!!!!!!
Oh you poor love. That’s so irritating. Yes, you totally deserve to treat yourself to all sorts of gorgeousness x
I’m a fan of Samsonite luggage, specifically the Cosmolite cases. The husband and I travel a lot for work (both UK and internationally) and they have survived public transport and many baggage handlers! Very lightweight, four wheels, tough and simple, and hold a surprising amount of stuff (I always over pack!).
Not cheap but my large case is now nine years old and still is perfect, so worth the investment if you travel a lot.
On a cost per use basis I can imagine you definitely get your money’s worth if you travel a lot, and that’s so good that it’s still goings strong after 9 years.
For weekends away you can’t go wrong with Roxy! Fab prints and practical too. I only ever buy in the sale and there are usually some proper bargains to be found! https://www.roxy-uk.co.uk/too-far-travel-duffle-bag-3613373462480.html#cgid=accessories_luggage&frmt=ajax&start=13&hitcount=28
My husband and I bought the Tripp suitcases from Debenhams a few year ago. We bought them ahead of our ten year anniversary holiday as we did six flights (two long haul) in three weeks and wanted something sturdy. A couple more holidays later, they are lasting really well and we have not had any problems so far. I love that they have four wheels on the bottom, much easier than dragging a heavy case. We went for a teal colour to make it easy to spot on the carousel.
Agree about getting a colour that stands out on the carousel – my large case is purple – not a colour you see often!
That said I’d also avoid any case that is too fancy as I’ve always heard that these mark you out as having something worth stealing 🙁 I would love a Lulu Guiness case (they do lovely hard case spinners in three sizes) but am put off for this reason.
It’s expensive but we recently got the Eastpak Tranverz Small. It’s holds so much as can expand. My husband and I were able to fit into it what we usually held in two bags!
Ooooh Bernadette, does that pack flat for storage too?
I got my eastpak bag 10 years ago and it’s still going strong. Love the seperate compartments inside pocket on the front for tablet. And if it’s empty it stores pretty flat. It’s been in the hold a couple of times as well and held up ok. Pricey but lasts. Has only 2 wheels but you cope
I have the best bag ever.
Its a craghopper 40l backpack. Fabric, not that horrible hard suitcase material you can never ram in an overhead locker. Completely boring looking (I prefer classic).
Reasons you need one immediately:
1. No compartments meaning you can pack sensibly with elastic bands for maximum ease and access. I get enough for a family of four, in hand luggage, for a long weekend in that bad boy. Its the maximum cabin bag size for all the airlines too.
2. Its a backpack so its perfect with the kids i.e. I have two hands
3. It doesn’t have a rigid structure on the back so its lighter (for taking hand luggage)
4. It has a handy zip on the front for documents.
5. Its rectangular so its easy to store in the foot well of the car on journeys where we are stopping off overnight on the way up to Scotland or way down to Cornwall or whatever and just want one bag to drag in to an overnight stop.
I rave about it to everyone. When it breaks I will CRY.
Practicality wins every time here.
So good you can hold luggage for a family of four Rebecca. All for practicality!
As it turns out we might be in the market for a new suitcase – I have a fab samsonite that I was packed off to uni with ahrhrrem years ago, which has been on many a luggage carousel and I genuinely expect it to last for ever, but it is a bit too big for carry on, and currently a bit too small for me + toddler, and I have a larger tripp case in a snazzy blue and purple polka dot which is doing great after a few years (it was bought for a 2 week jaunt to India in 2015, and came back quite a lot more full than it went). My husband however owns only a suitcase so big that it can hold a fully grown adult, with a bit of room to spare – a point I proved once when trying to justify why it was too ridiculously large to take for a mere week long trip away, and so found himself using an old antler case for our holiday last week that previously belonged to my grandparents, and has only 2 wheels that squeak rather a lot, and is quite precarious to balance as you are trying to sprint through the airport or train station with toddler in tow. So yeah, timely post!
(Although our next trip away is UK based and we’ll be driving, so we probably won’t bother with a new case for that one)
You’ve made me think about the case by Grandparents used to have Rebecca – the ones with the clasps on them that made a very satisfying noise when they opened 😉
I have an M&S weekend bag in the style of the Longchamp range. It cost £49.50 and I’ve had it 4 years or so & it still looks new. Definitely recommend.
On a separate note, where are the dress & shoes in the header image from? 😍
The shoes are Topshop and the one coming out of the suitcase is a top from New Look. Both previous seasons though I’m afraid x