With vacation time approaching, it is time to check your luggage to see if it can survive another trip, or if it meets the new airline standards. Luggage allowances have been downsized in both sizes of carry-ons (safety and line-up issues), and then the weight limit for stored baggage has been reduced due to the cost of fuel and also employee injuries when hoisting overweight bags. Whereas a thirty-two kilo limit (for checked) per suitcase was an industry standard in the past, it is now only twenty-three kilos, with some charter airlines only allowing twenty kilos (and only one piece of luggage!).
To meet the new norms, newer luggage aims to be lighter, and the old standard 29″ bag has morphed into the new standard 25″ or 26″ bag. One of the most important things to look for when you buy luggage, if you hope to keep it for many years, is a recognizable brand whose company will stand behind its guaranteed product even through the ill-treatment a bag has to live through. There should be a hang tag announcing the company’s web site and an international phone number for customer service. With cheap unknown brands, once it breaks you are stuck with paying for the repair or buying new luggage.
– What kind of fabric should you be looking for when buying new luggage? Nylon is stronger than polyester, and the higher the denier the better. Nylon should be at least 800 denier, though around 1600 denier ballistic nylon is really good, and polyester should be 1200 denier and up. Unknown brands could boast good fabric, but costs were cut with poor quality sewing or zippers; flaws usually show up around the seams. Usually also, the bigger the zipper the better.
When I was in China in the Fall, the standard bags were super-light hard-cased luggage in pale metallic colors, so get ready to see them.. However be warned that plastic, if not flexible, breaks and cannot be repaired. (Price was $18 in Walmart for 26″ one!). Another new trend is toward duffle bags on wheels. There is less framing, so it’s lighter.
– Rollarblade wheels are still the best kind for luggage (think about how much abuse they get on the bladers’ feet!). Suitcases should roll without making much of a racket. High noise factor usually means too much plastic and not enough rubber. The newest wheels are called “spinners”, and they are fun because the wheels rotate 360 degrees like a baby stroller, so you can pull them in any direction.
– The handle should slide easily up and down. If it jiggles a little, that’s okay, there is very little breakage these days in handles.
Some last thoughts: Pack heavier items down at the bottom of a suitcase, near the wheels, so the case is more stable. Do not put your home address on your luggage tag. Put a company or a relative’s address, so if it gets lost there’s a place to ship it to. Most importantly, you don’t want to announce to anyone that no one is home at your address.
J.P. Grimard, 177 Beaubien St. East at Casgrain Ave. Phone: 514-277-4171. Hours: Monday to Wednesday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday and Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is one of the places where the airlines send their claims, so you can be sure your luggage repairs will be done properly here. Better quality luggage is sold here: Delsey, Samsonite, Tumi, Atlantic, Skyway, Briggs & Riley, Swiss Army and Pelican. Even this 4th generation which took over this 70-year old family business knows how to custom make luggage out of aluminum, ABS fiber and vulcanized fiber. Other location (shorter hours): 2305 Guy (514-932-6979). http://www.jpgrimard.com
Carman Luggage, 6887 St. Laurent Blvd. at Belanger St. Phone: 514-274-1633. Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and by appointment. Since 1945 there have been 3 reasons to shop here. Firstly, name brand luggage (Samsonite, Delsey, Travel Pro, Hedgren, Andigmo, Carlton, High Sierra) is discounted. Secondly, luggage can be repaired here. Thirdly, this is the place to go to have luggage and trunks made to order for computers, cameras, salesmen’s samples, etc., and you can even hire someone to give packing lessons or pack for you.
Willy’s Handbag Repair, 5456A Westminster Ave., Suite 206, at Cote St-Luc Rd., Montreal Ouest. Phone: 514-481-8446. Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday and Friday 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. If your luggage is still okay but just needs a bit of repair, walk up to the second floor here to find a luggage repair depot that has been open for over forty-four years and can handle airplane claims. They know how to replace zippers, locks and wheels, but also can handle trickier repairs to fabric and vinyl luggage. Techniques they have learned over their forty-four years allows them to fix handbags, tote bags, straps on strollers, jeep windows and even open combination locks.