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I used to be a big fan of Tumi but that relationship went sour soon after the Samsonite takeover and the resulting precipitous decline in service standards and quality (not to mention the massive dilution of the warranty offered). Ever since then, any new luggage that I’ve purchased has been from one of the Briggs and Riley ranges and I haven’t looked back.
Right now, Amazon is offering some very impressive discounts on a variety of Briggs & Riley products so if you’re in the market for a new carry-on or some checked luggage, this may be a sale to look into.
The carry-on I use – the Briggs & Riley 22″ Baseline-Softside CX Expandable Carry-On in Black – and which I love more than any other carry-on case I’ve ever owned, is available at a price I haven’t see for quite some time, and the 33% discount available on some of the Baseline checked-luggage spinners makes this normally expensive range a lot more affordable.
Personally I prefer 2-wheeled carry-ons, but if you’re more partial to the 4-wheeled variety, Amazon has you covered with a 38% discount on the excellent Baseline model.
If you prefer hard-side luggage over the soft-side variety there are deals of up to 50% off on the Briggs & Riley Torq range…
…and there are a few good deals in the Sympatico range too. With deals on backpacks, tote bags, briefcases, and more, there’s probably something for most people in this sale.
Why I Love Briggs & Riley
There are two very good reasons why I’m a big fan of Briggs and Riley. The first has to do with the compression system built into a number of the company’s Baseline bags (including my 22″ carry-on) and the second is the warranty that Briggs & Riley offers – it’s fantastic.
The compression system is best explained by the video you’ll find alongside the images of the products on the individual Amazon webpages but, essentially, you expand the bag to its greatest depth while you’re packing and, when you’re finished, you push down on the sides of the bag to trigger an inbuilt ratchet system which then locks the bag into place in its most compressed state. It’s genuinely incredible to see just by how much a bag can be compressed and it’s hard to overstate how much more this system has allowed me to pack into my carry-on bag without flouting the airlines’ carry-on size restrictions.
As far as the Briggs & Riley worldwide warranty goes, it’s a thing of beauty. Per Briggs & Riley:
Briggs and Riley is the only luggage company that offers an unconditional lifetime guarantee. In the unlikely event that your bag needs to be repaired, we are here for you.
Our simple as that® guarantee means if your bag is ever broken or damaged, we will repair it free of charge, no proof of purchase needed, no questions asked.
This is similar to the warranty that Tumi once offered (only better) and it’s one that takes a deal of worry out of traveling with a checked bag – it gives confidence that the bag will stand up to the kind of treatment it will get from an airline.
Bottom Line
There are a lot of great Briggs & Riley deals available on Amazon right now so, even if you’re not traveling right now, this may be a good time to pick up a new carry-on or checked bag for when you’re ready to head back to the skies. If you do nothing else, check out the video of the Baseline compression system – it works amazingly well.
Link to Briggs & Riley on Amazon
IMO, $371 is still too high for a 2-wheeled carryon. Costco sold (unfortunately past tense) almost the exact same bag for ~$109 until about 2 years ago. I am glad we bought 4-5 of them and still have 2-3 left. When we used to fly 400,000 miles a year, they would last 2-3 years each (or about 1 MM per bag per person). It’s crazy to think how suddenly 400,000 went to zero…
I would bite at $199!
I guess it depends on how you view things. If the Costco bags last 2-3 years each the Briggs and Riley 22″ bag in this sale would have to last 6 – 9 years to match up and, based on my experience, that shouldn’t be an issue.
I think it all comes down to personal choice – a new, cheaper, bag every few years or a more expensive bag that lasts a lot longer. To be clear, I’m not saying that every expensive bag will significantly outlast a cheaper bag (there are paper bags that will outlast some of the expensive rubbish I’ve seen being sold) but in the case of Briggs & Riley bags, I have a lot of faith that they will.
My 22″ expandable baseline has gone 20 yrs and 1500 flights – though it is finally showing its age. Makes the price seem cheap to me. If you only fly occasionally, it’s not worth it; but if you are a hard core traveller it is worth every penny.