Is Samsonite’s repairable rolling bag the answer to my luggage dreams? | Canada Voices

The best part of rolling luggage is the wheels. The worst part of rolling luggage is the wheels. If I can’t effortlessly nudge my bag along while snaking through long airport lines or if it won’t turn on a dime to dash to the next gate, then why am I using it?

I end up rolling my luggage through all sorts of weather as a devoted user of public transit-to-airport: rain, snow, ice and the salt or sand used to clear it. This always gums up the glide.

Of course, luggage that doesn’t roll right is maddening, so is the lack of ability to replace its damaged wheels (Amazon offerings are rife with “waste of money” reviews). Since I am unlikely to buy a phenomenally expensive brand that offers a lifetime guarantee with repair shops around the world, I was intrigued by Samsonite’s new, more reasonably priced Paralux hardside line. Replacement parts – wheels and the extension handles – are sold through the brand’s repair centres.

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While the wheels on my expandable hardside still spin smoothly and have survived a few flights, I wanted to see how to replace them before the inevitable happened. I unzipped the main compartment lining and used a Phillips to loosen two screws, easily removing a wheel box. Putting it back together was a bit trickier but doable – at least on one side of the bag.

On the other side of my Paralux, there is a useful front-access compartment door, which is a real bonus for organizing your stuff and getting inside without opening the main zipper. But it’s not so great for wheel replacement. If wheels on the compartment-door half need replacing, I’d have to slice open the interior lining. There’s no other way to reach those screws.

So while there are many great features in this bag – an AirTag holder, zipped mesh compartments, matching packing cubes and a storage area for wet things – it’s not quite the answer to my reasonably priced, repairable luggage dreams.

Paralux comes in carry-on and checked sizes, starting at $310 on samsonite.ca