A truly new approach to hard-sided luggage
Written: Sep 01 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Strong, light, and they conveniently nest together for storage.
Cons: Textured surface is hard to clean. Plastic logo may not survive in the long run.
The Bottom Line: Great innovation in design, quality construction, and value price make this a five-star purchase in my book.
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| sduncanae's Full Review: International Traveller Equator 4 Piece Hardside R... |
This set has also been sold under the International Traveler name. It is now found branded as Equator.
I don’t know about you, but I prefer hard-sided luggage. The rigid construction and locking clasps always gave me a more secure feeling about my possessions as they made their way through airports and baggage carousels. So the idea of a “hybrid” case – one with hard sides but zippered closures took some getting used to. Now that I have traveled with these bags, I feel qualified to write this review.
The Equator hard-side 4-piece luggage set is unique in several ways…
They are constructed of polycarbonate (the same material used to make those “unbreakable” plastic water bottles). My bags took several hard impacts. Some simply left scuff marks. Because of the diamond texture, these scuffs were hard to remove. One corner looked like it bounced off rough pavement. In this case, it simply looked like the texture was rubbed away, but the case was not compromised.
They are amazingly light. The 30” bag is huge – and the largest allowed by most airlines. With a 50 lb weight limit being common, it is easy to over-pack a bag of this size. Being light improves this situation, but it is still quite possible to exceed the weight limit. Ours (we nicknamed “Bertha”) weighed in at 51.5 lbs on the way home - which they let pass.
They are hinged at the short end instead of the long side and open like a clamshell. This makes them easier to open up because long skinny spaces are found more often in hotel rooms than big square places.
They use a double-zipper for a closure instead of latches. You might think this is cumbersome, but they zip so smoothly and evenly that it is not an issue. They do not have a built-in lock, but you can put a tiny lock through the zipper loops, or even better, just use a tie-wrap. Because of increased security, bags are now routinely inspected by the NTSB, so locking your bags is not advised anyway. We had two bags inspected on this trip, and they just cut off the tie wraps.
They all expand by 1-4 inches! Yes, a second zipper allows the bags to expand via a nylon fabric insert. I’m not sure I would check them this way, but on a car trip you could safely bring home an extra several inches of stuff. One downside was confusing the opening zippers with the expansion zipper.
Inside, one side has the familiar elastic straps that hook in the middle. But the other side has a unique, zippered fabric cover that completely isolates it’s contents. The cover also has a zippered mesh compartment for magazines, neckties, or what have you. It also has elastic trimmed pockets.
They have a curved (caved-in) back and handle, which gives them an excellent center of gravity. The handle is strong and secure, although in at least one case I had to extend it twice to make it latch in place. The handle itself is made of transparent plastic, which looks smart and stylish. The wheels operate smoothly, and after one trip are unscathed, although I don’t know about their long-term durability.
These bags look unique. We got several compliments from bag handlers and airline personnel. They also stayed together. It was obvious they were a set, and more often than not when we went to claim them, we found them together. We selected the red, which although bright and a bit garish, was impossible to miss.
Lastly, they nest. I know soft-side bags often nest, but this space-saving feature is far less common on hard-sided bags. I can store an entire set in the space of the 30” bag.
My only criticism is the fragile plastic Equator logo. The one on the large bag broke loose at one end. I’ve glued it in place but don’t hold much hope it will stay fixed, or another one wont suffer the same fate.
I plan to have these bags for years, and they were well worth the $242 I paid with free shipping from Ebags.com.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sduncanae
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Member: Steve Duncan
Location: Washington County, OR, USA
Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 0 members
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