How to find the best lightweight luggage for you

Your goals in buying lightweight luggage should be: (1) it's lightweight (not as simplistic as it might sound - keep reading), (2) it's as sturdy as can be expected, and (3) it looks and feels like good luggage.

Lightweight Luggage and Weight
What exactly is "lightweight"?  There are no standards, no guidelines, and no government oversight on what luggage manufacturers can claim.  We use a 25 or 26 inch suitcase as a gauge of how an entire collection will fare in weight.  Our personal standard is no more than 12 pounds for a 25 or 26 inch suitcase.  These used to weigh 15 to 18 pounds, before the airlines changed their standards, and many average 26 inch suitcases today will weigh 13 to 15 pounds.  So a 10 pound lightweight suitcase can save you 3 to 6 pounds in weight.  That can be up to 10% of the baggage weight allotment by your airline, and it's significant. For example, the 25 inch Delsey Helium Lite 100 suitcase weighs only 10.7 pounds.  Many online merchants list the weight of each piece of luggage in the product details, so you can compare different pieces.

Sturdy Lightweight Luggage
One of the factors that differentiates one piece of luggage from another is how well it is made, and how it will hold up in travel.  Better luggage will be securely sewn with extra strength on seams that might otherwise split, and will have sturdy zippers.  Lightweight shouldn't mean cheap or flimsy.  Since you can't actually perform tests yourself, you'll have to rely on well known brand names and what other people have said about the luggage.  Individual consumer reviews can be found many of the merchants' websites. 

Lightweight Luggage that Looks Good
As part of your decision process, you should visit a local luggage store and compare the different suitcases.  Notice how each one looks (expensive? cheap?) and decide how you would feel if you were with friends or business associates and this was your luggage.  This is very subjective, but important.  No matter how much or how little your next piece of luggage costs, you should feel some pride in owning it.  And a word about fabric.  Less expensive luggage is often made of polyester, and this can suffer from lots of abrasions in normal travel.  Your best choice is ballistic nylon, which will look brand new for years. 

Other Factors
We aren't done yet.  When you are at the luggage store, notice how the handles feel, how the luggage glides, and how functional it appears.  Zip it and unzip it -- do the zippers pull easily?  Don't give an inch on your impressions, and don't compromise with a feeling that your new luggage will be "OK," or that you will get used to it. 

Lightweight Duffel Bags
We have to mention these.  They're very lightweight, easy to pack, and sturdy.  Some of them even have wheels and handles, just like suitcases.  As an example, we own a Delsey Helium Lite 100 duffel with wheels that holds as much as a 29 inch suitcase, but only weighs 8 pounds. 

Shopping Online
Luggage is a commodity -- the suitcase you look at in your local store is the same one you will receive from an online merchant.  Shopping online means no sales tax, a complete selection of luggage so you buy the exact style and color you really want, and free shipping for many purchases (usually over $100).

       Ready to buy?  Click Here to buy lightweight luggage online.