by Shannon M.

Countless times in my years of customer consultation I’ve been asked, "Why is this brand of luggage so much more expensive than that brand?"

Or "What’s the difference between this brand and that brand?"

Indeed this is one of the most basic questions a customer should consider when selecting luggage.

And a customer should ask herself or himself, "How often do I travel?" What is the primary use of the luggage, business or pleasure?" "Am I more interested in function or fashion?" "Do I like lots of bells and whistles or a Spartan approach?"

With these questions in mind, allow me to guide you through the different styles and brands of luggage, as though you were walking through one of our stores.

It should be noted also that each of the brands discussed offers more than one line of luggage within the brand, for different tastes and different budgets.

The three top quality brands we carry are Tumi, Hartmann, and Andiamo. All three represent the best of the best, but each is distinctly its own style.

Hartmann Luggage (or Hartman, as it is sometimes misspelled) is one of the oldest luggage manufacturers in the U.S. having begun business in 1877. Hartmann features the finest in classic designs while offering today’s necessities in luggage such as lightweight frames and in-line skate wheels. Hartmann Belting Leather is recognized worldwide as one of the finest leathers available, and maintains its quality use in luggage, business cases, and personal accessories like wallets and card cases.

Tumi Luggage, by contrast, was founded in 1975 and grew quickly as a leader in innovation and modern design. Tumi is constantly achieving new breakthroughs in design and engineering and holds more than 25 patents for such achievements. Every part of a Tumi bag represents the highest quality available and the latest design.

Andiamo Luggage’s founder, Jay Myers, determined to design the absolute most rugged luggage possible and this quest continues today with the Andiamo Valoroso. While virtually all luggage we carry is constructed from ballistic nylon, Andiamo’s Armor Plate Ballistic features DuPont Cordura nylon woven in a much heavier pattern than any other ballistic. Decathlon zippers, unbreakable aluminum hardware, and industrial belting leather complete the package, yet without a significant weight penalty.

If you are a frequent traveler and/or business traveler, you should seriously consider one of these top three lines, because at this level of travel, your luggage is an investment, and the return is dependability and the knowledge that you carry the very best.

"Built for the long haul but at a more affordable price", is one way to describe the next few luggage lines.

Briggs & Riley Luggage features a lot of organization, a lot of durability, and a lot of practicality. They expect their luggage to be used well and often, and have built it for that purpose. To back that up, they offer one of the best warranties in the business, the Simple As That guarantee. And it is simple: if your luggage is ever damaged, no matter what the cause, Briggs & Riley will repair it at no charge. With a hugely diverse selection of styles, there is one (or two or three) that is right for you.

Victorinox is the creator of the Original Swiss Army Knife. With that heritage, they have diversified into a number of fields including the freshest lines of luggage to come out since the appearance of the wheeled upright. Distinctive is the unmistakable Swiss Army red that is available in all luggage lines, the monopole pull-up handle in the Werks Traveler collection, and the availability of travel accessories that compliment the luggage. It is quickly becoming as recognizable to say "Swiss Army Luggage" as it is "Swiss Army knife".

Travelpro Luggage carries a proud heritage as the first upright rolling luggage, as invented by Bob Plath, an airline pilot. Talk about turning the industry on its end!  Airline flight crews were quick to embrace this new technology and continue to favor Travelpro as their travel choice. Innovations such as padded tie-downs, handles on the bottom of the bag as well as the top, and micro-ballistic fabric have kept Travelpro among the leaders of the luggage industry. Travelpro features several lines to accomodate everyone from the occasional vacationer to the hardcore road warrior.


Sharon Luggage has carried Pathfinder Luggage by Paragon for a number of years and our customers have been consistently impressed with its great value. It is stylish and rich with features, durable and trouble-free to the extreme, yet relatively inexpensive. The difference is that Pathfinder controls the design, raw material sourcing & production process from start to finish in their own factories and passing along the savings to their customers. We carry the Revolution Series and the Avenger Series.

More to come…

This article may be copied and used on the internet free provided the user lists the source as Sharon Luggage & Gifts and links it to www.sharonluggage.com.