Can I once again consult our collective knowledge on a question? William goes to a college in a big city. When he comes home for a visit, he walks a short distance from his college to the nearest subway station, then takes the subway to a more reasonable pick-up point, and we collect him there. This means he has to haul all of the stuff he needs for the visit. This is not yet the question, but it the question is on its way.
I would get him a large rolling suitcase, but any luggage has to be stored in his small dorm room. (My college had a storage area for luggage-type things, but his does not.) So it has to be luggage that collapses as much as possible. I bought him a 3-pack of Ikea duffels for transporting his stuff to college originally, and those worked great for that and they fold so nice and small—but they are less great for lugging long distances. He also has a duffel with a shoulder strap, and a backpack. So you can see this is not an emergency, and he can manage. But he has a birthday coming up, and there is nothing he wants, and he has complained about his luggage situation and wished he could used a wheeled suitcase like Rob does, so this would be the perfect practical problem-solving present! Every college boy’s dream!
What I would LIKE to get him is basically a duffel bag with wheels and an extending handle. And such things exist! I have seen them online! Here’s one I NEARLY bought, until I read the reviews! But—a lot of the reviews on such items are daunting. Things like “The very first time I took this out, a wheel broke and the duffel fabric ripped.” With photographic evidence.
Another option is to get him a folding luggage cart, which perhaps he could use with his folding duffel bags. But is hard for me to tell how much luggage those carts will hold. Can he pile, say, two folding Ikea duffels on one, or is that ridiculous? The little platforms look so small.
So here are the recommendations I am hoping we have in our hive mind:
1. Personal-experience recommendations for collapsing duffel bags with wheels/handles—or a fairly conclusive consensus that such things are garbage and not worth buying.
2. Personal-experience recommendations for folding luggage carts—or a fairly conclusive consensus that such things are garbage and not worth buying.
3. Any other recommendations that might address this issue.
Oooh! I’ve got this! For their Christmas present senior year of high school, the Boys each got LLBean rolling duffles. They come in large and medium sizes and medium is great for regular trips but large was just right for long trips (study abroad, for example). They have been absolute workhorses, and have gone around the world multiple times. I got them in each kid’s college colors and there was free monogramming, but that was just icing on the cake. They hold a ton, still look as good as they did a decade ago, and roll easily. I recommend them all the time. More gushing recommendation available on request.
I know the Patagonia Black Hole rolling duffel is great, but expensive. The LL bean bag seems to be a more affordable dupe though!
+1 for LL Bean Rolling Duffels. Several sizes and colors and they do just what you’re describing – hold a bunch when in use, then smush down nearly flat (the only part that’s rigid is the base that contains the wheels and handle part)
I was coming here to recommend the same bags. Rolling duffle bags are awesome and ll bean has good quality. https://www.llbean.com/llb/search/904?page=duffles-and-gear-bags&csp=f&bc=50-516673&gnrefine=1*FTRS*Rolling&sort_field=Relevance&start=1&viewCount=48&freeText=duffle&nav=ln-516673&newPla=1
I don’t have much actual-product advice, but my experience of travelling (I don’t drive or own a car, so travel is always public transport, trains, coaches, planes…) tells me that solid things with wheels (like suitcases) are very practical if there aren’t steps to negotiate. Squishy things you can put on your back/over a shoulder are better when there are steps (but I’m a wimp and they hurt my back/shoulder very quickly, so I still avoid them). My main advice would be to travel light – I can take everything I need for 10 days in Scotland in a cabin-size wheely suitcase (kind of squishy, from Ikea) and a smallish bag (like a shopping bag size). The duffel bag with wheels seems to me like it would be a perfect combination of both, though I admit I’ve never actually used one.
Our college student has a collection of multifunction duffels that have wheels, single shoulder strap, and backpack-ability.
I was trying to find them for you online, but it looks as though the Eagle Creek no longer makes theirs. I don’t see one on Patagonia’s site, either, and what they have is 10x as expensive as the one you linked at Amazon. I can’t remember the brand of the third, and of course they’re all at college RN.
The non-Patagonia ones came from Sierra Trading Post, so I assume Marshall’s would have them if you want to look locally?
Maybe this is an excuse to text my kid? I don’t think he has an actual preference, but he’s not a complainer and probably wouldn’t want to hurt my feelings by telling me I bought him a bad piece of luggage. I will add, based on my experience taking him to the airport for initial move-in, that it’s important to pack the heavy stuff on the side by the wheels. Maybe this is obvious advice, but when that sucker was flipping over, I was hating physics a lot.
Ooh! Third one was Granite Gear. Not sure this is it, but this is the general idea:
https://www.granitegear.com/36-packable-wheeled-duffel.html
My housemate has a Perry Ellis brand rolling duffel bag that is huge, sturdy, and has survived many trips including international. It’s a great thing to have and is on my long-term personal wishlist.
I have a Perry Ellis brand rolling duffel bag that I got at TJ Maxx probably 10 years ago. I originally bought it because it just fits inside the specs for airline carry-on luggage, so we’ve avoided the checked bag fee on many flights. I’ve used it for week-long vacations and it flattens down well for storage.
P.S. The Perry Ellis bag looks very similar to the red & black one on your Amazon link above, and I paid about $50 for it.
I was coming here to recommend this Granite Gear Packable Wheeled Duffel. There are some negative reviews out there about its sturdiness, but I am a Granite Gear dealer and I disagree with that assessment. (I mean, of course I do. I sell them. But we are a high-end outdoor recreation store and don’t keep brands around that can’t live up to abuse.)
It also has a 5-year warranty and you will find that outdoor brands are usually very good about warranties. Keeping a customer happy with their brand is important to them.
If you want to look at a backpack/duffel combo, I definitely recommend the Farpoint series from Osprey Packs. The backpack straps zip up into a compartment and it has two nice short handles to carry it like a bag/suitcase. The Farpoint 40L pack will fit the criteria for most domestic carry-on luggage as well. Osprey Packs is known for their “Almighty Guarantee” – they warranty all their products (except baby carriers which are subject to the expiration laws) forever. FOREVER. I have used that warranty, as has my husband and several customers.
I would check the REI website for a backpacking backpack. It’s useful for all kinds of travel. We’re going on a train trip over spring break and I’m having all my kids pack in one for the week. Easy to carry, stores pretty flat. Hip belts make it much better than a duffle bag for distributing weight and it can be removed when you’re on a crowded bus or train.
Seconding the REI suggestion, but they do have rolling duffels. My husband has one that is decades old, has been all over the world, he stuffs it ridiculously full on every trip, and it still has zero rips or tears.
I’d also go for a backpack instead. Wheeled things are heavier, more prone to breakage, and don’t work well on sidewalks in my opinion.
I second the backpacking backpack suggestion. They may not be ideal for packing a semester’s worth of stuff but they are ideal for taking 1-2 weeks worth of stuff on the subway. It’s much easier to go up and down stairs with a backpack than with a suitcase or duffel bag.
I have a set of rolling duffles from Pathfinder that I have used for about 18 years now. I had to get the wheels refurbished once, recently. I’m sure they were expensive (parents got them for my college) but they have really stood up to time and world-wide travel.
LL Bean rolling duffle! We are an American/Australian family and frequently travel back and forth for long vacations and use them. We have 2 large and 2 medium and collectively could transport TONS of stuff but they collapse down flat to store. And they’re guaranteed for ever. Ours have lasted 12+ years and still going strong.
Wish I could help. I like the sound of the wheeled luggage cart because it can ve used with his current luggage and therefore sounds the most practical.
This is the one my husband and I have had for 8 years https://www.amazon.com/Timberland-Wheeled-Duffle-Bag-Lightweight/dp/B007ROSNUQ/ref=sr_1_13?crid=17J5OJB4BV0SW&dchild=1&keywords=duffle%2Bbag%2Bwith%2Brollers&qid=1582898991&sprefix=duffle%2Bbag%2B%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-13&th=1&psc=1. It is the second of its kind. The first traveled all over the world with my husband and me as we did our research, the second has also traveled widely, but more with kids and all kinds of kid crap.
I also agree that looking at REI or lands end which provide good quality stuff would be a good choice.
We have an LL Bean one and it is great.
LL Bean rolling duffle! My mom got me one as a high school graduation gift and it’s still going strong almost 20 years later. She has since bought them for a couple cousins when they graduated, and for herself :)
We travel internationally as a family and use rolling duffles! I love them because they hold a ton but are easier to fit in a car than a giant suitcase.
My favorite is this ugly as sin Samsonite:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007AUIS0M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_7IswEbE748Z7Z
Not sure if that link will work—it’s a blue check pattern and it’s great. We also use LL Bean rolling duffles which have worked well too.
I would actually put it on him to figure out what he wants and ask for his input. I wouldn’t have wanted a rolling duffel or a folding luggage cart–I wouldn’t have used them and would have been annoyed at my mother for getting them for me. (My poor mother scoured the sales for things she thought I needed when I was in college and in my first apartment and almost all of it annoyed me. I would’ve lived happily without any of it until I could afford to pick out my own. I’m glad that I was too far away for her to know how irritating her well-meaning gestures were–they were expressions of love, but I was reacting to them as interference and control. The late teens and early 20s weren’t my most mature ages.)
We have an Eastpak TRANVERZ and love it – the large size is big enough for my husband, toddler and I to share when we go away. We’ve had it for 4 years and it’s still going strong.
1. I don’t have a rolling duffle, but I received a toiletry bag from LL Bean when I started my first job, and ten years later I still use it all the time.
2. Sierra Trading Post is like TJ Maxx for outdoorsy stuff and has online ordering.
My skinny 11yo 5th grader decided to play the tuba this year, and walks home from school. There was no way he could carry that thing the quarter mile home, so we got him this little dolly cart, and we use bungee cords to strap it in.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HVVSDU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It’s nice because it folds flat, and we’ve used it for a bunch of other stuff around the house, it’s pretty handy. And the wheels are a little more heavy duty, so they stand up to the sidewalks and street and snow and whatever he sometimes is walking in. Obviously that wouldn’t work for real travel, but if he’s just hauling stuff on the subway, might be a good option. Also, pretty low cost in comparison to really nice luggage.
I got an old-lady grocery cart to carry my bass clarinet when I was 11 and had to walk it two hilly miles home. It was so embarrassing that I went back to regular clarinet.
This is good to know. My 6th grade son plays baritone and that is a hassle to bring home for practice. 5th grade was worse because he had to bring it back and forth each week. This year it can just stay at school. The kids in our school who play tuba have one at home and one at school, so they don’t have to travel with it.
If the Rockland one is your price point, I have purchased THAT one for my daughter to travel back and forth between my house and her dad’s. The frame was fairly flimsy and it ripped in a spectacularly annoying fashion one rainy day. I’m sure all the others people are recommending are stellar, but they are a different level of quality/price altogether. (Was this helpful? Perhaps no.)
I would check with him first if he wants it. My daughter has done something similar (I dropped her on a train to Chicago, she walked a few blocks to the bus pickup, and took the bus to college), I offered her a rolling bag and she DID NOT want it. She used a large duffle bag and her backpack.
I think the answer is a rolling duffel at a price point that is outside what you would normally to spend on such a things. I’ve heard good things about the LL Bean ones.
I have a regular old LL Bean duffle (medium, I think?) that I bought 15(??) years ago to take down the grand canyon. I used it for everything. it’s not worn AT ALL. All the original parts. I use it for weekend trips, I use it for longer trips. It’s been through the GRAND CANYON (in a dry bag). I take that stupid bag everywhere. It’s also an orange hibiscus print (discontinued) so I can spot it a mile off.
My children have the rolling ones. I think they have medium too? and I will say, because of the wheels, the storage capacity is not as large as my bag. And, while they have handles and straps, it can be annoying to carry them by the strap because of the wheels/telescoping handle (they’re hard and bang against you). But, they, too, are great bags.
The fabric they are made from and the zippers are excellent. While in New Orleans for Mardi Gras we bought a cheap bag to transport beads home, and the fabric seemed similar but the zippers were def. sub par. Zippers are important.
In college I had a HUGE suitcase and rolling wheels (separate) and it worked for what I needed (flying to/from NOLA with loads of crap) but wasnt’ terribly convenient otherwise. The suitcase was way too heavy to carry and didn’t have wheels, which is where this solution came from. I’m not sure it would work great on the subway though. And sometimes boys are extra picky.
If Bean still had their lifetime guarantee, I would say go with them for sure, in a millisecond and twice on Sundays. But they don’t. REI might? IDK. But if no one has a better guarantee, then Bean. If someone does – see if it’s easy to redeem – and go with them if it is.
I will also say I took this bag (and my children and their bags) to Chicago and used the EL to get to/from Midway. I just throw the long carry strap across my chest, put the backpack on and go. I’m extra wide carrying this load, but stairs, escalators, etc don’t bother me. The children roll theirs (or, I, magically having free hands now, roll theirs for them)
LLBean rolling duffle has survived 5 years being drug along dirt paths at camp, as well as getting beat up in air cargo and has held up wonderfully. At camp my kid stores it under a bed. It doesn’t fold down tiny but it is flat.
I have this bag:
https://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/mother-lode-tls-weekender-convertible/143101?productid=10362789
which does not roll, but I adore. There is also a rolling version, which I imagine is good based on my experience with my bag, but I only wanted to personally endorse what I actually have.
I have seen the rolling Ebags one in person on my last trip and it is so so awesome and I want one. A backpack! And a duffle bag! And it rolls!!! I love it.
Ixnay on the rolling luggage cart. I used to have a job where I had to haul all sorts of stuff to meetings all the time. The folding luggage carts were a giant pain in the neck. They were too narrow and tipped over easily, the bungee cords broke on a regular basis, the parts meant to fold or slide would get stuck. Just overall not at all worth it.
agreed. completely
I don’t have specific product recs, but I just wanted to share some thoughts as a person who lives car-free in a city and consequently ends up lugging heavy stuff via public transit: I think a luggage cart would be difficult to use. My city’s system is pretty good in terms of accessibility (lots of escalators and elevators that are mostly functional), but I would worry about the maneuverability of a folding luggage cart/dolly. I think something that’s small enough for dorm-room storage might not be wide enough to fit the Ikea duffels — and even if they do technically fit on there, it might be precarious in practice on an escalator or a crowded train or platform. And if he’s in a city with an older transit system that has a lot of stairs, the cart would be pretty much impossible. I don’t have a wheeled duffel myself, but it seems like a flexible option for a college student who is basically dragging their whole house around with them like a turtle!
I hate to disagree with Lisak immediately above me, but folding luggage carts with generous bungee-ing have previously worked great for me (maybe the type & weight of what’s being carried, though? plus “my” luggage cart was old and all its parts moved smoothly). Too narrow for perfection, though, I will grant – it takes some degree of awareness to keep it upright while dragging, vs. the good kind of wheely luggage that you can just drag behind you without paying any attention to it at all.
I would also note that we attached extra bungees to ours; I don’t think it came with any, but then again it existed before I was born, so maybe it had.
This isn’t in the same price point but Kipling luggage is the best. I’ve had a rolling duffel from there for 20+ years and it is indestructible but also soft sided and lays pretty flat when empty (not this exact one but similar: https://www.kipling-usa.com/devin-on-wheels-rolling-duffle/KI7063.html?dwvar_KI7063_color=405#uuid=13ba03e55168f1b9adf269fdc5)
Sometimes you can find Kipling on ThredUp or Ebay and that can be a great option for a kid who doesn’t care about having new tags on something.
So everything you described as needing led me to thinking that that is exactly what my son’s hockey bag is like. Handle, wheels, also has a strap which allows it to be used as a backpack! Some are HUGE in terms of capacity and very durable as they get horribly abused generally. Not sure how they compare price-wise, but worth checking out if he doesn’t mind hockey-type Logo-ing on it.
So there’s lots of good advice on which one to buy if you buy one – you know your son best, so you can probably tell if he’d use one. It reads to me like something I would buy for Angus as a Very Useful Surprise gift and he would probably never use, whereas if someone had bought one for me I would have thought it was the best thing ever. I still have nightmare flashbacks to the time we went to my residence friend’s place from university – the endless train/bus/walking nightmare while carrying a suitcase and getting progressively sweatier and more in pain.
I don’t have current advice but a story/memory this brought up for me related to college students relationships with mothers. I studied abroad starting in September 2001 and my mom was freaking out a bit (now that I am a mom I understand!) She insisted on buying me this enormous rolling duffel bag and for some reason I was snitty about it because I thought it was dorky to have a rolling duffel. I guess I thought I should be able to live out of a backpack or something. Anyway, I named it the “Big-Ass Dorky Duffel” (or B.A.D.D. for short) and it was obviously extremely useful and remains so TO THIS DAY almost 20 years later. I always call her to thank her for it as I am packing for a trip when I need to haul some bulky stuff!
LL Bean but get size large. Don’t get XL. We have those and they’re huge, which is nice except they get flagged as oversized if you fly with them. Otherwise they’re awesome.
As a commuter for many years via crowded ferry, bus, etc the rolling carts or luggage were not good. I would get annoyed at people who used them because they would trip me and others up, take up extra space or stick out in the aisles. Also they are difficult to get up and down the stairs etc. I used a backpack strictly. But for travel in airports etc the rolling duffels might work well.
I don’t have any useful info about rolling duffle bags, but I do have an anedote. My mom sent me off to college in the early nineties with a trunk. Not, you know, like an elephant trunk, but a TRUNK trunk. She was extremely insistent about it. I’m guessing she brought a trunk of stuff with her to college in the early sixties, when trunks were a thing? Were they ever a thing? I hated that thing. I’m pretty sure I left it by the side of the road somewhere on my journey back home after freshman year.
I used to travel for work all the time – seriously over 40 weeks a year – and I spent a boatload on luggage. My favorite luggage was Eddie Bauer. It was designed perfectly with internal compartments (like built in packing cubes), great wheels, strong exterior, and works for me whether I am going overnight or for a week. I don’t see my piece here, but I see their site has some rolling dufflebags I thought you might want to check out.
https://www.eddiebauer.com/view/gear/luggage/features-rolling/
We have two Timberland rolling duffles that are over 5 years old, have gone all over the world multiple times a year (we live overseas) and are still in great shape. I bought the first one at Marshal’s or TJ Maxx and I think we bought the second one on Amazon.
Do you shop at Costco or have one near you? They usually have a section with luggage and are very good about only stocking good quality products. You may be able to find one there. They also have an amazing return policy so if William doesn’t like it, or it damages easily they will ALWAYS take it back, no questions asked.
Does he seem at all like someone who would like backpacking? Or would get dragged reluctantly on a backpacking trip by his friends? Because he seems like he’s a good age to get a backpacking backpack. But that might be more money than you want to spend/not as much room as he needs/maybe not the look he’s going for on public transportation.
If he really wants a rolling duffel or suitcase, we have loved our Eagle Creek rollign duffel-y bags. We have one that is two layers, and the bottom is plastic lined, which is super helpful for wet, dirty, sandy etc. I’d also recommend checking out REI.
If he isn’t 100% set on a rolling bag, I’d suggest a large hiking type backpack. Back when I could fit everything I needed in one (hello children and their stuff) I really liked having one of those. It was so much easier to heft it onto my back to travel. They have some where the top comes off as a (cool) fanny-pack thingy, so basically a purse, and that is helpful.
Secondly, gift him an REI or LLBean or Eagle Creek or etc toiletry kit and a gift card or “coupon” for the actual bag–that way he can choose.
I used to have a duffel bag/sports bag with wheels kind of thing when I was at university, and while the concept seems nice at first glance, in use it was extremely annoying.
The thing with those bags is that the wheels are small and fairly close together, so when you pull it behind you, it starts swinging left-to-right, sometimes to the point of toppling over sideways. It gets worse the faster you walk, and you have to almost completely stop for it to calm down and just go straight again.
I’d probably go for this instead, and add two or three elastic straps: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0020ND4QM
Or this one, similar, possibly a bit higher quality: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0020MMCM0
These two could also work well:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016IFU68G
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DTM19JZ
The latter looks a bit plastic-y, but apparently holds up to 80 pounds and folds really nice and flat, and has the added bonus that he could toss a pair of trainers or some other loose things in, with a bag tied on top, or stuck in upright.
I can vouch for this wheeled duffle from Target: https://www.target.com/p/swissgear-zurich-22-wheeled-duffel-bag-black/-/A-10882183 Our eldest ha had one for about 5 years and it’s like new. It’s been on countless school trips and a three-week trek around Europe. And he is not easy on things.
LLBean duffle, the Large size is plenty large. Rolls well, has a shoulder strap to carry down stairs, fits a ton, stores flat.
I keep getting IG ads for Biaggi Luggage that looks like a foldable rolling full size suitcase. I don’t know if it’s expensive or any good but the ads intrigue me and it’s the first thing I thought of when I read this post. I think it’s even available on Amazon.
in my opinion, definitely a rolling duffle bag. A nice one, like LL Bean. They have good a good return policy. Not a luggage cart.
Hello! My husband and I both use the carryon size of this bag for nearly all travel and have for nearly 8 years. We bought them in an outlet store. We bought our older son the large size for a 6-week trip abroad and it is still in great shape and used regularly 6 years later.
The top is soft, durable fabric that collapses for storage, but the back is rigid and sturdy for travel. I’ve linked the medium size here and it appears they are on sale. https://www.eddiebauer.com/p/82302254/expedition-drop-bottom-rolling-duffel-medium?sp=1&color=Black&size=ONESZE
My mom bought my children rolling duffle bags from LL Bean a few years ago. There are a ton of size options depending on what you think you might need. https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/904?page=duffles-and-gear-bags&csp=f&bc=50-516673&sort_field=Relevance&start=1&viewCount=48&nav=ln-516673&newPla=1
My children are only now 8 & 10 and have used these for a few years. If we are going on a big trip, they can pull them but not lift them. If we’re going on a short trip, they can pull and lift. There are about 4 million pockets and zippers so they can be stuffed really full! I think they are also quite durable. My husband is a commercial airline pilot so we have the opportunity to travel a lot and this is what the kids always take.
I should add, my kids have even pulled them down busy sidewalks in NYC and on and off the subway so I know they will work just like you described your son needing.