Lifestyle

3 Suitcase Buying Tips for Air Travel to U.S.A

I remember when I got my first two suitcase when I came to America in Bangalore, India. Since then, I have made several round trips and visited several other countries.

This article will give an general overview about what suitcase to buy and how much to spend.

These days we travel to India with 6 suitcases. It used to take weeks to pack them, but now it takes few hours to pack.

So, packing is become fun and have helped several friends and family members pack when they came to America.

  1. Types of Suitcase
  2. How Much to Spend
  3. How much will they weigh

Type of Suitcase 

Buy soft or semi hard suitcase.

I would prefer buying Samsonite, Carlton, American Tourister or VIP ( brand in India).

In general, you wouldn’t need hard cover suitcase at all.

I used to have One V.I.P, three Space and two Samsonite Soft Suitcase.

So, far they were used for some 8 Trips ( single way ) and still they are strong and will last for another five trips.

Space brand suitcase are cheaper and has the same quality as Samsonite and VIP brands. That’s the first two suitcase that I purchased. I wouldn’t recommend buying them now.

Why, they are really heavy. I mean, they take so much weight. It’s local brand from India. Each suitcase was like 4.5 Kgs.

Right now, it’s used for storage in the garage. Not for travel any loner.

Get a suitcase has wheels.

Don’t buy unknown brand. They don’t last over 3 round trips.

How Much to Spend on Suitcase

About $80 to $100 per suitcase will be good starting point.

You can pay like $200 to get 0.5 lbs less. If you can afford an light weight and expensive suitcase, then go for it. Else spending $100 for a suitcase should be good enough and it will last for 4 to 5 round trips ( even longer).

Carlton brand is expensive, but they are light weight when compared to other brands.

Weight of  the Suitcase

I have suitcase from 4.5 kgs to 2.4 kgs.

These days, when we buy suitcase, we are willing to spend more to get light wight.

Plus, play close attention to quality of the materials and how suitcase is made and feels when you lift it.

Carry on Bag

Most of the airline will allow to take 1 carry on and 1 personal item ( hand bag or a laptop bag ).

I didn’t have any problem carrying one laptop and 1 carry on bag from U.S. to India.

Check with the airline about the baggage policies.

I have a small suitcase with wheels and a light weight backpack ( CabinZero Brand).

Carry-on suitcase with wheels/pull out handle to roll will help when you have have to long transit times.

Backpacks will help when you have to make frequent local trips in your destination and you don’t have a check-in bag. This typically applies wehn you go on a backpacking trip. Read our Europe travel experience in the post below.

So, that’s about suitcase. I have video’s and demo of various suitcases, backpacks and live demo on how to pack them inside Pre-Departure Orientation Course ( for students flying for first time).

See Also : How to Pack Your Suitcase for U.S. Flight Travel

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2 Comments

    1. aluminium is fine. As long as it is flat at the bottom becoz stove in USA can be electric as well as gas based. try to keep extra valve and gasket .and buy a pressure cooker with good height.

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