No. of Recommendations: 1
Quite a while ago I bought a wheeled carry on bag and I was looking for the lightest one I could find and be fairly inexpensive. I ended up with a bag from eBags (I think samsonite bought them a while ago). That bag is still going strong probably a decade later and it was pretty cheap. I don't think it is smart to pay a lot for a bag since almost any bag can be damaged.
I do have a briggs/riley bag with a lifetime warranty but it is big and except for moves it isn't something I use for travel. Also the premium you pay for the lifetime warranty isn't worth it in my case.
I reluctantly switched backpacks after my old one developed a tear. It might not spread especially with some duct tape on it but I don't want to be traveling and have it break and have a big mess. The only negative with a new bag is getting used to where things are located. After years of using one backpack where you knew where you put everything and now having a different pocket/zipper arrangement, it takes a while to figure things out.
Rich
P.S. Whatever you buy, learn to travel lightly, wear clothes multiple times, don't bring a bunch of shoes, etc. It is sad or sometimes just laughable at the crap people, especially people w/o children, carry on trips. We saw this one older couple, maybe 70s, and they were telling us how often they travel. Then we saw the husband carrying a bunch of bags into a taxi and my wife and I looked at each other and thought "geez, haven't they learned to pack lightly by now?"
