Hi All,

We may be vaccating Switzerland in another 2 or 3 months. So, just getting prepared for that. The first thing we need is to buy suitcases. Previously I used "Samsonite" and "American Tourister" brands and they were really worthy. But I couldn't able to find those brands here (in Basel).

Any ideas where I can find those brands?

or could you advice which brands (found in migros/coop) are best to buy?

and which places/shops I can get good stuff?

Would prefer Basel / Zurich area for shopping.

Thanks in advance.

have bought samsonite , years ago in globus i believe. still going strong.

I do not live in Basel, but here in Zurich every single department store has Samsonite: Globus, Jelmoli, Coop City. Where exactly did you not find them?

If you happen to be in ZH by car, there is a "bag outlet" next to the Glattzentrum that usually has them on fairly reduced prices.

Depends on the quality you are going to buy and how much you are going to spend. If you are buying high-quality bags with lifetime guarantees (eg, Tumi, Briggs & Riley, Travelpro Platinum, etc) it is worth checking out whether there is a local service centre near your new location.

If you're buying less expensive bags which you intend to use until they wear out, then throw away, this is probably less of a consideration.

What type of bags are you looking for? Hard-sided, soft-sided? Large or small?

You find Samsonite all over the place, Manor, Globus, Jelmoli, specialist shops, the airports (certainly GVA & ZRH) any large shopping center. Samsonite is a premium brand, Coop & Migro prefer to sell their own brands as the mark-up is very good....

I quite like those all-aluminium Rimowa cases, very expensive though

They do look good, but I always have the feeling that they have a big sign with "steal me" on it. I would not want to have a 1000 CHF suitcase when waiting for the luggage at an airport. Of course I want a rugged and good quality case, but this one time I do not want to stick out

Dont know about Basel but the rest on here are right - you can find Samsonite in Jelmoli, Manor and I remember seeing some in the Coop on Rennweg.

I seem to go through suitcases like crazy I've gone through 2 Samsonites in the past 4 years due to heavy travelling for work so I am a little apprehensive of their quality now.

Do consider Tumi and Victorinox.

I like Briggs & Riley. Very durable and lightweight suitcases that come with a lifetime guarantee. I don't know if they are available in the stores here. I got mine in the States.

Our attic looks like a luggage store. We have acquired a lot of luggage over the years due to lots of travel and we bought all known names, mostly Samsonite and Delsey. They have been used and are still in good condition. The advantage in buying luggage that is sold around the globe is when the airline damages it, they react differently when it is a bag with a name they know.

As someone suggested, you need to decide what kind of bags you want and for what kind of travel. If you are just buying suitcases to get stuff home look for the biggest and lightest bag. You might even consider duffels as they hold a lot and are light.

We have a mixture of hard shell suitcases from Samsonite, a number of suitcases from Delsey which are soft sided by really solid, and then an enormous collection of duffels by Delsey, Samsonite and American Tourister.

There is a Delsey outlet near Media Markt in Dietikon. Samsonites I have seen at Manor.

I've bought the last few Samsonite suitcases online at www.mbl-shop.ch. The Web site is German only and looks like from a Web museum, however, the pricing is great and the shop owner very helpful. The suitcases models I was looking for were usually not listed in the shop but on request by e-mail, they were added and I could order them.

Samsonite suitcases as well as products from other brands are listed under Reiseartikel (left sidebar).

Martin

If you are going to be travelling by train or tram, which is pretty likely, it is a good idea to get a narrow case that can be wheeled along the aisles easily. If is is a soft case, it it best to get one with a rigid handle as they are easier to manoeuvre.

Samsonite would be my choice too. There is an outlet store just next to the Glattzentrum shopping centre, here's the link

http://www.bagoutlet.ch/docs/Frameset.html

(not in english, I'm afraid)

I also recommend samsonite but be careful, sometimes they can be too heavy so a light one or even one of those samsonite sports bags with wheels would be good. They come with good warranty. I would also recommend that is you are near the border, go shopping there, I got a shopping cart at coop city for 113 CHF when across the border the price was 13 Euro...
Good luck
Oh Kipling has also some good luggage
A

I always use Samsonite. Usually got them from an outlet store in the US or that place near glattzentrum.

I only had a problem witn one though - I bought one hardcase in Australia. When I got back to the hotel I noticed that it had a funny smell, but as I needed to jump on the plane home I had no time to take it back to the shop, and I thought maybe it is just a "new bag smell".

Back in Zurich, the smell won't go away. Contacted Samsonite and they can't replace it because bad smell is not covered under warranty. I've tried everything I can think of, but the smell won't go away. I don't know how to describe it... like it is damp. When I put my clothes in it, they come out smelling like I've left wet clothes in there for a week. So the bag is now sitting in my cellar being useless...

Thanks all for your response. I live in Basel and I didn't find anything worth in coop and migros. Will look in the other places you all mentioned, this weekend.

Airlines allow us to carry 30kg per suitcase (and few airlines 40kg)... So, we are planning to buy suitcases of check in type, which won't tear out if we pack 40kg... Also we may need to travel often... So planning to buy suitcases which can be used atleast for another 5 years.

A friend of mine swears by Tumi luggage.

You can get Samsonite in the Manor department store in Basel (Claraplatz or Sankt Jakob).

The Claraplatz outlet sells Samsonite on the 4th/5th floor. Check out the other brands also as Samsonite is displayed quite prominently. Obviously this is because of the huge markup that the store (and Samsonite) earns.

If you are not in a hurry, I would recommend that you wait till the 1st week of Jan 2010. The annual sale in Basel (in all the department stores or atleast in Manor) starts then and goes on all the way till Jan 31st. I've seen Samsonite suitcases knocked down by atleast 50-60% from their MRP.

Sagar_KD, this is really a great message... We will be leaving either in Feb or march... so Jan is going to be a lucky month to us

these are awesome! I have one as well.