<p>I need to buy a piece of luggage that would be good to use as checked luggage on an airplane. I think a wheeled duffle would be a good idea, but I need one that will stand up straight, rather than toppling over after it is packed. </p>
<p>My son is going to need this luggage for 2 things, an unexpected flight within the US where he will be going somewhere with cold weather for 5 days (needs to pack heavy winter clothing). This trip will be soon. Eventually he will also need luggage for a 3 week trip where the weather will be warm, but that trip is not for another 1.5 years. That said, he does have an Eagle Creek duffle with wheels that is sitting at home now that may work for the 3 week trip. I do not know what size it is, but it seems to hold a fair amount, but it is definitely not oversized or too heavy in weight for a flight. DH thought I should just buy another piece of luggage and send it to his school rather than paying to ship the Eagle Creek luggage. </p>
<p>Any suggestions? Again, looking for light luggage that stands up after packing (does not fall over), on wheels, good for airline regulations. I think he will need to check luggage, since he needs heavy winter clothing for 5 days, and might take school items (ie: books, and laptop) as a carry on. Thanks.</p>
<p>I’m sorry if I sound like I work for the company but I have nothing but praise for the Ebags motherlode junior duffle. We are a family of expats and frequent travelers and we own about 10 motherlode bags in various sizes. They’re just the best we’ve ever found and we can never figure out why we don’t see more of them. In addition to all the great features, they are guaranteed for life. We’ve had one fixed and one replaced with no questions asked. And to their credit, it was badly abused before the zipper started to look a little frayed. It still worked fine but still, they sent us a new one. I really can’t recommend this bag highly enough. They should pay me to say that but sadly, they don’t.
[eBags</a> Mother Lode eTech Junior 25" Wheeled Duffel - eBags.com](<a href=“http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/mother-lode-etech-junior-25-wheeled-duffel/54633?productid=622580]eBags”>http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/mother-lode-etech-junior-25-wheeled-duffel/54633?productid=622580)</p>
<p>My H and I travel with a 25" duffel each for any trip over a week with air travel and that seems to work out perfectly. We also take a wheeled underseat carry-on for electronics and plane stuff. I think we’ve found that we pack the same amount of stuff for any trip of a week or more and just do laundry at least once a week plus some sink washing inbetween. Our duffles happen to be Eagle Creek and we like them because they are fairly light weight. Sturdy wheels are required. Our duffles have good backpack straps built in. We bought them that way after having to shlep our bags through Venice where wheels meant very little. We have not used them since we bought them, however, because the bags are pretty heavy for me to have on my back when fully loaded. I also like the expandable feature and the compression straps on the inside and outside and handles everywhere. These are all things to look forAnything over 25" or 26" gets to be too much if you are travelling around much. Probably okay if you staying in one place. A 25" is also pretty impossible to pack over the weight limit - we never have to worry about that. The important thing is that I can lift it up onto racks myself.</p>
<p>These do stay upright all the time, are guaranteed for life.</p>
<p>Don’t buy a Jansport. We bought one that came with a lifetime warranty and you were suppsoed to be able to take it to a local repair place. Well, a wheel broke so I called to find out where I could take it for repairs. Turns out they no longer offered that option and instead expected me to ship this very large duffle to them for repair. It would cost more to ship it than to have it repaired locally. I am sure they know that. Not to mention I have no box for that thing.</p>
<p>northeastmom - the motherlode junior is the ideal size for a 3 week trip. The full sized one is very large and when fully packed, it will definitely be over 50 lbs. Fully packed with fairly heavy things, the junior usually weighs just under 50 lbs. I often travel business class so am not as concerned about the weight but my kids own hand held scales (the brand we have is the original one, the Balanzza). I’ve observed that one of my Ds has become a human Balanzza as she invariably weighs in at the airport just ounces under the limit. </p>
<p>On the Ebags website somewhere there is a great video showing all the features of the motherlode. It’s quite versatile. And unlike jym’s experience, we weren’t asked to return the old one when we got a replacement.</p>
<p>Thank you for the advice. I am going to speak with my son. He has 2 carry on pieces in his dorm (one that is a real suitcase, and another that is an oversized backpack on wheels that discovered does not fit in the overhead, but he somehow was able to squeeze it under the airline seat). He also has his regular backpack. If he needs to check a bag, I will break down and probably buy the motherlode junior.</p>
<p>I just sent my youngest son back to college (via bus and train) with the motherlode junior. It was stuffed to the gills and weighed just under 50 lbs. It is very sturdy and well constructed. My daughter used it for some abroad trip and her only complaint was that it was pretty heavy to start with. You could definitely pack enough for a 3 week trip in it. I also bought the huge motherlode duffle in some weak moment, but that thing is truly heavy and I don’t know if it will ever get an airplane ride.</p>
<p>Thanks kathiep. If he does not NEED to check a bag for this short trip, which I am not at all sure about, then I can’t see a reason why the Eagle Creek duffle would not work for the 3 week trip. He used it for going to college this year (it too was stuffed). When he flew home in December, even though he had carry-ons and we told him to leave his things at school, he flew home with the Eagle Creek piece 90% empty, and they let him take it on the plane as a carry-on! I told him that they will probably make him check it on the return flight (he had more things to take back to school, so it would have been at least half full), so now it is sititng in our home.</p>
<p>kathiep, your D is absolutely right that the motherlode bags are pretty heavy even empty. I figure it’s the trade-off for the high quality construction. And I also have two of the giant motherlodes. My H uses one occasionally when he’s on a long business trip and carrying tons of files in addition to his clothes. He doesn’t care how much the bag weighs. It’s also great for car trips and even for moving.</p>
<p>I very recently purchased (2) 29" Travelpro “spinners” from Luggage Factory online. They were priced at around $150.00 each. They are very lightweight when empty, although I do have to say the quality is not as good as my 20" Travelpro bag that is 20 plus years old. Nevertheless, for that price I am happy with them so far.</p>
<p>Update: I just ordered the mother lode junior (bought 2 actually). I got an email from ebags after 3 years after procrastinating spending that money on those bags regarding a special insider price (I am on their email list for special offers). Bought them today, no tax, and no shipping charges. Signed up for their reward points and went through ebates too. Very pleased! Thanks for your suggestions!</p>
<p>This thread was perfect timing for me…planning logistics for trip to Great Britain this spring. I too ordered the mother lode junior. Thanks for the tips!</p>