As my trip approaches, I have to sing the praises to the Samsonite clam shell hard case suitcase. If I recall correctly, I bought mine before I sold my old place. So it is at least as old as Zhen. Maybe older than Mulan.
My soft sided cases would keep getting destroyed. One actually didn’t even last one leg of its first trip. With all that, I stopped at the Samsonite outlet store in Waikele. It is still there. And my case is still going strong.
When I asked the clerk if the basic super simple case was strong, he said super strong. And he said, "Have you seen the commercials with the gorilla beating on and jumping on the suitcase? Watch." He grabbed one of the model that I was looking at. The he threw it on the ground. And then he started jumping up and down on it. He was having himself a good time.
No misses with the case. So I told him I would take it. But a new one that wasn’t jumped on.
So the case... very simple. Clam shell hard case with wheels. No liners. No pockets. I take that back. There were a couple of detachable little pockets. But I never use them. Retention straps and TSA locks. That’s it. I think I paid $60-70 for it on sale.
It is all scratched up and heated on. But nothing has broken. The only "damage" after all these years is the wheels aren’t as smooth any more.
It is too big to carry on. But I don’t care. I always check a bag anyway. That way, I can pack a knife or multi tool for use at my destination. That way, I just have a small bag to carry on. More like a man purse sized messenger bag. iPad, battery, book, snacks and a sweater. And any papers I need. Oh, always have a metal pen, a small note pad and a magazine.
Rolled up magazine and pen are a great improvise set for espada y daga (sword and dagger).
Usually got a bandana in there too. And if I’m going some place cold, a scarf and/or a wool cap. And on the bag strap is a carabiner. So useful! I will use the carabiner to clip the strap to the seat pocket. With the seating aisles more and more narrow, some times it can be hard to even bend over to grab stuff. This way, I just grab the strap or carabiner.
Samsonite clam shell hard case is very recommended