Back in October 2005, Ed and I took a 3 week tour of China that included stays in Beijing, Shanghai, Guilin (the mammary mountain region), Xian (to see the terra-cotta warriors) and Hong Kong (to buy fake Rolexes… what else?). 🙂 We also took a four-day cruise up the Yangtze River… or maybe it was ‘down’ the Yangtze River. I’m not really sure.
The biggest stumbling block in planning this trip was in finding a decent suitcase. I’ve taken to travelling light in recent years (because weight-lifting wrecks shoulders), but I needed a slightly larger suitcase in which to pack 3 weeks worth of duds.
I’d seen those Samsonite “Spinners” advertised on TV, and thought they looked pretty cool.
Instead of 2 wheels, they have four, which means you don’t have to tilt the bag before moving it. Just push and go. Or kick and go… your choice.
I tested a pretty red one out at a shop in Toronto and loved it, but it was too much to take home with me, and the store wouldn’t ship to British Columbia. So, when I got back to B.C., I checked eBags.com, but the model I wanted wasn’t available for shipping to Canada.
I then called the local luggage retailer to see whether they could bring one in from Samsonite for me.
Two days later I found out they could have one shipped in, but that the model was only available in black. That just wouldn’t do. Everyone and his brother has a black suitcase. I NEEDED a red one.
So, I called Ed (he was still living in Toronto at the time) and asked him to check whether another store close to his home in Toronto would ship to B.C. They wouldn’t, BUT, they did have a brilliant suggestion. Order it online.
Sure enough… Bentley, the major distributor of luggage in Canada has a site, AND exactly the bag and color I wanted…. um, I mean, needed.
I was so excited by that discovery that I forgot to check and see whether they had an affiliate program before I ordered the darned thing! (Turns out they don’t… and what’s up with THAT?) Anyway, my pretty red suitcase arrived with just 2 days to spare.
It has now been on many trips, and other than a zipper problem that was quickly rectified by Samsonite’s rep in Vancouver, it is the best suitcase I’ve ever had… and I’ve had a few.
I LOVE this bag! It is super light and so much easier to push a bag that has 4 wheels than to drag a 2-wheeler around. HIGHLY Recommended!