Budget friendly bags for lightweight speed and travel are hard to come by without a little know-how and a lot of research, after all sometimes ‘budget friendly’ solutions can end up leaving you with half-life suitcases. Lucas Luggage and IT Luggage are two of the top brands for affordable lightweight luggage made from durable long-lasting materials. For the most part we’ll let you decide which is better for yourself, after all the traveler usually knows what bag will suit their needs. However, there are clearly pros and cons with either brand; in our review we’ve considered all elements which count in weighing Lucas Luggage against IT Luggage.
A Brief Review of Caribbean Joe Luggage
Though this is an early realized brand with a limited catalogue, it’s clear from their luggage sense and the style’s and materials incorporated into the bags they make that they’ll soon be one of the top brands to beat. Caribbean suitcases have storage-forward designs which offer tons of packing space for any trip along with a business-worthy look that is classy and can be used on any one of your next adventures.
A Brief Review of London Fog Luggage
A much older brand, established 1923, this company has a massive travel catalogue and offers plenty of luggage choices which made our research all that more interesting and the comparison between a newer brand and older brand very telling of how tradition will forge certain bags where innovation will make others. London Fog, for instance, has a long tradition of making stylish luggage which is durable enough to handle all the hardships of travel. You can expect a London fog bag to be sleek and business worthy and made with great materials, although these bags do seem to have a more limited amount of storage space.
How we Organized our Research
The following review is organized into categories which compare both brands (and their luggage) side by side in a way that lists nothing but the facts. For the most part we’ll let you decide which company has your next bag, and for your convenience all the following compared options should make it perfectly just who that is.
Best Carry-On Luggage
Where the best carry-on options are concerned, don’t choose a bag until you’ve looked at its materials and storage capacity. These bags should fit comfortably into an overhead compartment and protect your valuable at all times during travel.
Caribbean Joe 20” 8 Wheel Carry-On Spinner
Suitcase Storage
Typically, you don’t see many expandable carry-on options, however Caribbean’s bag not only has a zippered expansion but offers a fully lined waterproof interior with cross straps and the promise of 20% more packing space than the average carry-on.
Materials/Durability
This bag is constructed from polyester materials but with a stronger cross weave pattern and a scratch resistant accent trim. It’s best used only as a carry-on bag and rarely checked.
Additional Features
This bag includes a liquid-tight interior kit for makeup/etcetera and a mesh ceiling pocket. All 8 wheels are screwed into the luggage frame rather than weakly riveted, and the telescopic handle retracts with the push of a button.
Size Options
For an even smaller choice consider the 16-inch matching gadget bag; in larger sizes this suitcase comes as a medium 24-inch and large 28-inch. The carry-on under review also comes in light blue and royal blue colors as well as the set’s business-style chocolate brown.
London Fog 21” Kensington Expandable Spinner Carry-On
Suitcase Storage
With semi-expandable capability this carry-on piece comes close to the total capacity of the Caribbean Joe option. Its zippered expansion can let out to a total of 2-extra inches (though watch out because overstuffing will limit your ability to fit the bag into the overhead), and additionally this suitcase offers interior shoe pockets and a mesh zippered organizer.
Materials/Durability
Made from unique woven material this would have only a semi-durable design if not given added reinforcement from interior aluminum channel tubes. However, for standard travel and carry-on needs this bag should be fine against any of the common bumps and bruises of moving around. Most durable components from this bag include nylon self-repairing zippers and a machined aluminum telescopic handle.
Additional Features
Signature zipper pulls make these zippers nearly impossible to break, there is a rear pocket space for your ID and for traveling papers.
Size Options
Part of the Kensington set, this suitcase can be purchase as a 25-inch medium checked size and a 29-inch expandable.
Best Soft-side Luggage
The best softside luggage should offer a mixture of things, the first and foremost of those being an extended packing space which is also lightweight. Lightweight travel is especially essential to keeping those added costs down, but it’s not worth it if your softside bag is made from shoddy materials; the most durable soft luggage will use ballistic nylon. Next in durability are bags which use cotton canvas, and finally polyester bags have the lowest durability (though these are typically the most stylish and also the lightest).
Caribbean Joe 24-inch Softside 8-Wheel Spinner
Suitcase Storage
Caribbean Joe offers a great set of deep suitcases and from them this 24-inch medium checked size has an exceptional interior with organized pockets, two tie-down straps, and a mesh zippered pocket for all those little extras; that’s around 60 liters of packing space (or around 2-weeks of packing). Additionally, this bag has two exterior zippered pockets, one which is deep enough for extra clothing and the other top shallow pocket which is great for instant access to travel documents.
Materials/Durability
In their bags Caribbean has employed mixed materials for a rather lightweight design; 95% polyester with 5% polyvinyl chloride. Though polyester is typically weaker, this brand utilizes its materials in a cross-weave fabric design which is easy to identify and highly waterproof as well as semi-abrasion-resistant.
Additional Features
Included with this bag is a highly durable telescopic aluminum handle with a push button control, 8 non-riveted strong wheels, and an easy-pull integrated side haul handle.
Size Options
This bag comes as part of a set or in a large 28-inch size and 20-inch carry-on size.
London Fog Cambridge 25 Inch Expandable Spinner
Suitcase Storage
At 25-inches and with a zippered expander, this bag has around 65 liters of possible packing space (around a little more than 2-weeks of packed clothing). Inside it has shoe pockets but not much other organizational storage except an included removeable accessory bag. Exteriors include one deep zippered pocket which can fit extra clothing without getting too overstuffed.
Materials/Durability
Woven with a honeycomb structure and using durable woven houndstooth material, this semi-durable bag is very waterproof and protects your belongings with the added addition of EVA foam padding in its design.
Additional Features
This is an exceptional lightweight choice at only 8.5 pounds unpacked, it wheels on 8 durable wheels with a telescopic pull handle. Additional to this purchase you also get a removable clip-inside-suitcase accessory bag.
Size Options
Part of the stylish Cambridge collection, this luggage choice can be purchased as a 22-inch weekend bag/carry-on and large 29-inch expandable. It also comes in Olive or Black & White.
Best Luggage Sets
Since a set is more than a solitary piece of luggage to consider, the best sets actually include a mix of three factors: purpose, durability, and space. The last two are pretty obvious, but ‘purpose’ means that no part of the set should seem worthless or useless. The best sets offer you several bags and you should be able to use all of those bags without any one of them seeming non-essential. The following are softside sets.
Lucas Ultra Lightweight 3-Piece Softside Set
Suitcase Storage
One of Caribbean Joe’s only available brand sets, it’s impressive that this company has shown to keep up with London Fog in so many ways. The bags in this set offer expandable zippers for added packing space and great organizational pockets on the outside with limited interior pockets.
Materials/Durability
The bags in this set are weaved together in a strong cross stitch from 1680 denier polyester which is right on the same density level as many cotton fabric designs.
Additional Features
All wheels are screwed into the frame of the suitcase (which is stronger than riveting) and pulled along with a strong aluminum handle.
Size Options
The bags in this set come with a 20-inch carry-on, 24-inch medium checked bag, and 28-inch large checked bag. Colors available are chocolate, light blue, olive, and royal blue.
London Fog 4-Piece Knightsbridge Set
Suitcase Storage
Suitcase’s from the Knightsbridge set feature a deep outer zipper for extra packing space and main storage with an expandable zipper from up to 2-inches of extra space. Inside are included shoe pockets and a zippered mesh pocket.
Materials/Durability
The lightweight design of these bags is made from woven plaid and micro-ballistic polyester which is durable enough for extended travel and minor to medium abrasions.
Additional Features
Additionally, this set uses skid guards to further protect the fabric, nylon self-repairing zippers, and trolley tubes to keep the body rigid.
Size Options
Bags in this set come in grey plaid, navy blue, and brown glen plaid. Sizes in the set include a 21-inch carry-on, 25-inch medium checked bag, and 29-inch large.
Caribbean Joe vs. London Fog Luggage – Which is the best pick?
Based on our research and bags reviewed and the fact that there are more suitcases in the London Fog catalogue than the current Caribbean Joe catalogue, it’s hard to make a distinct brand choice as to which is definitively better. However, it’s clear from their limited selection and the quality of those bags that Caribbean Joe uses materials with mid-range durability’s for a lightweight travel dream with a fair amount of space. In comparison, London fog typically employs somewhat weaker materials but with added space for longer stays away from home.
Summary
Caribbean Joe and London Fog are both brands known for their fantastic sets and single pieces which are ideal for extended stays out of town. These bags include options for short trips for work and longer trips for vacation with the only major difference between both brands being their catalogue size. However, between Caribbean’s limited selection and the wider range of London Fog bags there are clear differences between storage capacity and the materials used.
I love my LONDON FOG HUNTINGTON HARDSIDE, but I cant find the telescopic replacement handle for it. I have googled similar pics. Google contact numbers that weren’t right. I’m trying to replace the handle to my middle suitcase. Thank you