Buying Luggage: Part 1
Getting yourself the right luggage is essential, especially if you are taking lots of business trips. This week we look at choosing the right luggage for you.
1. Frame
The frame affects a bagin 3 ways: shape, strength and weight.
Most people want something that keeps it shape, is very strong, but is also lightweight. Traditionally frames have been made of aluminium or wood, which are strong but heavy. Luckily today’s luggage can come with moulded plastic or fibreglass frames, making it much lighter to carry.
2. Construction
Look at the quality of the seams and the joints, as this is where the wear and tear will show. Look for reinforced strips along the seams, and lock stitching, which means if one stitch on the seam comes loose, the one next to it will not. Also look for reinforced joints where the seams meet, it is best if these are covered with something hard wearing like leather or metal.
3. Material
The material the luggage is made from will be a compromise between how strong and protective it is, compared to how heavy the it is.
Most modern luggage is made from nylon, which is tough and lightweight. Ballistic nylon is the best quality, but can be expensive, and Cordura nylon is cheaper but not as protective. Leather is also popular and a classic “look” for luggage, but it is expensive to get the best quality, harder wearing leather, called top or full grain.
You can get luggage made out of modern ABS plastics, these shell-like cases, popular with manufactures like Samsonite, are very tough, and quite lightweight, but are very bulky.
