Ode to a Suitcase

You would think that a suitcase isn’t much – its really just a reusable box to transport clothes and other items on journeys when it comes down to it.  Recently, while flying home from Alaska I had a layover in Nashville between MSP and ATL that was used to drive down the cost of the ticket by creating a fare break (creating pricing that was ECP-ATL-BNA and BNA-MSP-ANC and vice versa).  Long story short, once I deplaned in ATL and claimed my bag, I discovered that the handle was ripped off.  My suspicion is that it happened at BNA noticing that the ramp agents were moving rather quick (since our flight was delayed) and how I noticed a tag from my bag go flying across the ramp as I looked out the window.

Aftermath of Delta's Baggage Handlers

I got this suitcase back when I was in high school – Christmas 2004 as part of a set.  I had decided a few months prior to join the rest of my friends on a school trip for our Latin class to Italy over the Summer of 2005, and of course I needed my own gear.  Ultimately this bag didn’t go with me to Italy since I just couldn’t fit two weeks work of clothes into, but one of the others in the set did.  Aside from that first overseas trip, this suitcase has been with me to nearly everywhere that I’ve been to: Germany, France, UK, Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, Japan, Australia, countless US cities – pretty much everywhere that I have been to.  It’s racked up approximately 131,387 miles in the air from a quick look at my stats and who knows how many on the ground.  It’s been locked in lockers in train stations in Europe, wandered the streets of Sydney, inspected by Customs Agents, and according to my cat, a nice bed.

Cat Approved

Now it seems it will be relegated to the trash pile.  I filled out a claim with Delta and have a FedEx label to mail it off to their approved vendor for repairs.  Odds are they won’t be able to repair it and I do doubt that Delta will send me any reimbursement for it either.  Actually, I probably just won’t even bother to send it out.  I was already thinking of replacing it, and really with all the other damage it has from the past 7 years of travel just means that my odds are slim of getting anything in return.

Now I have the task of finding another bag that will last me the next 7 years and hopefully another 100,000-200,000 miles.  Luckily, I have at least a few weeks before any upcoming travel, so I have a little bit of time to scope out a good deal.