Luggage is one of those areas where it’s so hard to shop as it is like comparing apples and oranges. Each brand has many many names of lines and – soft, hard, lightweight or even dufflebag types. The best way to shop for it, is to shop at a luggage store where the proprietor knows the products well and can steer you to the right one for your needs. Here in Montreal that could be either Jet-setter or J.P. Grimard .

The one thing owners Vince Mercureo at J.P. Grimard and Chuck Breger of Jet-setter let me know was that lightweight luggage means that structure/frame has been lightened. So aiming for the “lightest” is not a good idea. You need to balance light with strong-ish.

Will you be mostly using your luggage for driving or flying trips? If flying, you have to be aware of the baggage weight restrictions as the costs for overweight are getting higher. Even carry-ons will be weighed soon (some airlines are already doing this) and the size for carry-ons is getting smaller. Since airlines started charging fees for luggage, travelers are bringing more (and heavier) carry-ons. Airlines are interested in reducing weight to reduce fuel costs (and keeping those prices competitive for us).

Light feels wonderful when empty but you will still probably be filling it to the max of 44 lbs  (or 50 lbs. for Air Canada) whether your luggage started out as 6 lbs or 9 lbs.

If your luggage is very light it will not survive when it is thrown around in the airport or if it is the bottom one on a pile of 4 or 5 pieces on a cart or conveyor belt. You need a decent frame to save it. A great tip by Vince, “Never pack it half empty” as it’s more crushable. Filling it up protects the case and the frame.

If you are only flying perhaps twice a year, buy a medium grade lightweight; Upgrade to better made models if you’re a frequent flyer.

I couldn’t exactly compare  size/weight as the height for a medium size varies between 24″, 25″ or 26″. Look at the width of the bag to see how much it really holds. In general, nylon is better than polyester and usually a 10″ zipper is stronger than a  8″.

Here are a few lightweight ones I found (at J.P. Grimard and Jetsetter) in order of weight: 5.3 lbs. Antler Aire, 6.8 lbs. (at Jetsetter), Samsonite Base Hits Ultralight 24″, 6.8 lbs. Delsey U-lite Classic,  7 lbs. Antler Cyber Lite, 8.1 (both stores), Delsey Helium Pilot (expandable), 8 lbs. Samsonite Lift Two.

After repairing luggage for 79 years, J.P. Grimard has finally put all their ideas for best luggage into their own line called, D-Light. It comes either in hard sided (2 price ranges) or soft side. They’ve put a QR code  on each so scanners can find out where it is. They have chosen, of course, good zippers, wheels, and fabric. Yes they are slightly heavier than the ones above but will last longer.

Travel Accessories for Stocking Stuffers at Jet-setter

– Travelon dry sheets of shampoo, laundry soap, body wash, hand soap. You are not carrying extra weight in water and there will be no leaking into your suitcase.

– Stretch fabric luggage covers. If you have black luggage, you can slip this over your case for the airport  in order to find your bag easily. Pretty scenes are of Venice, NYC., etc.

– GoToob squeezable travel bottles. Collapse as you use them up to take up less room. You don’t have to carry the full weight of your favorite giant shampoo bottles, etc.

– Girly Go Garter is a moneybelt which you wear around your upper leg. Good for clubbing or traveling.

– VINNI bag is a thick inflatable plastic bag for you to carry wine, sauces, or breakables.

– Packing bags. Since lightweight luggage has removed all the pockets, you need these to sort everything. Buying color-coded ones makes finding things in the suitcase so easy: blue=shirts, green= pants, etc.

J. P. Grimard is located at: 177 Beaubien est at Casgrain.
Tel: 514-277-4171
Hours: Mon-Wed 9-6, Thurs & Fri 9-8, Sat 9-5
www.jpgrimard.com

Jet-setter is located at 66 Laurier ouest at Clark
Tel: 514-271-5058
Hours: Regular plus Sun 12-5
www.jet-setter.ca

Starting out as a discount store in 1945, no matter where this family business has moved, their loyal clientele have followed them through the years. And now they have a new home, close to their old one.

In their new digs on Ferrier, they carry: name brand watches (Mont Blanc,, Tissot,Victorinox Swiss Army, Movado, TW Steel), pens (Mont Blanc, Waterman, Sheaffer, Montegrappa), wallets, briefcases, handbags and luggage (Samsonite, Kipling, Mancini). You can shop for umbrellas and cool gadgets (Soda Stream, Nespresso) and jewelry by Pandora.

Location: 5337A Ferrier
corner: boul. Decarie
Tel:514-735-1138
Hours: Mon-Fri 10-6, Sat 10-5 (closed Sat July & Aug)
www.mosels.com

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.