Ladies and gentlemen. Did you check your luggage? We did. And then you received your suitcase, which is already dripping chacha from your uncle from Asia, it is dirty, and even broken? It happened. I had it, and many others.
And here’s the thing: the suitcase itself, plastic and hard, or fabric and elastic. One will keep you safe but will break itself, the other will absorb shocks better but will get dirty faster. So which one to choose? Let’s speculate together.
My first suitcase was exactly like that. How often do you fly? A couple times a year? A month? We (me and the suitcase) fly 20-30 flights a month. That means we have the opportunity to give this container a good stress test.
From time to time I also put the suitcase in the luggage, where it is exposed to bad weather, sometimes it falls off the belt, and sometimes it flies thanks to the power of the hands of the movers. And sometimes I take it on board and stash it in the closet.
And so, I bought a fabric suitcase, at a reasonable price. I was satisfied with the purchase. I chose a larger size to fit everything in, as I wanted to bring more outlandish souvenirs and goods available only at a distance from my hometown.
The first plus for me I allocated quite quickly – the suitcase had the possibility of a small deformation, so the souvenirs easily lay one to one, laid T-shirts and dresses, and for their integrity I did not worry.
And it’s also quiet, if something rattles inside, the fabric upholstery hides the extraneous sounds pretty well. For the same reason and the sound from its rolling was also quieter than the plastic counterparts. But I suspect that this fact is caused by the model of wheels.
I saw the disadvantage on the second flight – the black surface got dirty with dust quite quickly. And after landing in Dubai and waiting for the crew bus in the parking lot, blown by all the winds, my suitcase got a yellowish tint. Cleaning it was a real chore.
The second disadvantage I found was a couple weeks later, when I was caught in a torrential rain. Just a wall of rain and a suitcase standing at the nose rack of the landing gear, waiting for its turn to be loaded on the plane. It was soaking wet and hadn’t dried out in the five hour flight. Guess what the stuff inside was like? That’s right, just as wet. It also got heavier.
However, after another six months we had to part with it – it became a decoration for the garbage cans near the house. The soft case broke in the middle, which made the suitcase no longer hold its shape. Due to the deformation, the handle stopped moving out and back in, but simply locked in the middle position.
The next choice was a plastic suitcase purchased from our guests from the Middle Kingdom. What did you like about it? It is light! It weighs almost nothing, as the walls are thinner, less material is used, but it is stronger! A miracle!
The stress started on the day of purchase: a downpour. The suitcase stood on the platform, watered by all the waters of heaven. Half an hour later, I wiped it with a cloth, opened it, and everything inside was almost dry. Only the part of the contents near the fabric zipper had gotten wet. Plus.
Once, back in the distant years of my love for different drinks, I visited a Duty Free on the border with Abkhazia. Yes, I was traveling on business at the time. A few liters of exotic drink decorated the interior of the suitcase, and later I checked it in the luggage with a calm soul. The suitcase arrived. It was even intact. And the wheels were still in place.
That’s weird. Slight bump of the side against the metal edge of the tape. The inside rang. The suitcase leaked. It’s a shame that two bottles inside at once broke, and the aroma of the drink when I opened the suitcase reminded me of this incident for a long time to come.
Why? Because of the thin walls, as well as the fact that I did not put anything between the bottles. Well, that’s my fault.
When carrying a suitcase like this on the pavement, everyone on the street will hear that you’re about to fly somewhere. It’s loud, really louder than my past fabric counterpart.
Its last day of flying was in the winter of 2023.
The movers dropped a suitcase from an icy belt from a height of about 2 meters. That is the height of the loading bay of my airplane. Touching the ground, the suitcase earned several cracks incompatible with life, or as it is commonly said after an accident – TOTAL.
Many people may say: “Girl, you bought the cheapest suitcases, no wonder they break and deteriorate from contact with air”. Partly I would even agree, expensive things and serve longer, but do not forget that there are different weather, and different temperatures, and different conditions of use, and the suitcase, it is, you know, such a thing, which is often bought once in a lifetime.
At the time of my passion for diving, I carried all my equipment only in a fabric suitcase of a famous diving brand, I was happy as an elephant, but being constantly on business trips in the fabric disappointed pretty quickly.
Now there are more expensive brands of suitcases, I will not advertise, you know them well without me. There and water-repellent impregnation will be, and branded zippers, reliable as the entire civilian navy, and plastic suitcases can be so flexible that any gymnast would envy. I won’t forget the time a salesman rolled a plastic suitcase into a roll in front of me and then unfolded it back.
But it may happen that the wheels will break on the expensive version of the suitcase, and the telescopic handle may bend, which means that it will be less pleasant to use. Therefore, the price of the suitcase should not be exorbitant.
At the same time, it may happen that the cheapest option will serve you well for more than one trip, and you will recommend this very model to all your friends and acquaintances.
What am I flying with now?
Plastic. To be more precise – polycarbonate. Since winter 2020. A famous Chinese brand that produces everything from smartphones to vacuum cleaners, and now, it seems, has presented a car. And no, my suitcase doesn’t drive itself, charge my phone, or recognize me by voice, but it’s damn reliable.
Dozens of drops, hundreds of bumps, and thousands of flights. It’s covered in scratches and “Inspected” and “Crew” sticker marks, but it works and carries my stuff properly.
Telescopic handle, classic black color, rough surface, 4 wheels and opens into two equal parts. Traditionally only half full unless I’m flying to the edge of fish and caviar. Do I recommend it? Yes.
As always – everyone chooses their own suitcase for themselves, what they like, weighing the pros and cons. Personally, I prefer plastic, it is lighter and stronger, and protects things better if they are properly laid out.
Yes, it is noisy, but there is no place without minuses. But it practically does not get dirty with dust, does not get wet from rain, and in case of dirt, it can be washed at a self-service car wash under high pressure, and then just dry. Also – it’s still intact.
