Briggs & Riley TORQ Giveaway! Win A Suitcase You’ll Never Have To Replace And Some Cash To Fill It.

I think a lot of travelers view their suitcase like an appliance.  They want the color of the toaster to match the rest of their kitchen but they don’t really invest any time in figuring out what the warranty is or how well it toasts.  Or, they don’t care what the outside looks like at all and they go buy the cheapest toaster that will, well, make toast.

I was lucky to learn this isn’t the case fairly early in my travels.  A number of years ago I started researching what my next suitcase would be.  I started a thread on FlyerTalk and read dozens and dozens of reviews.  I finally arrived at Briggs & Riley for a few reasons.

First, they build a really good suitcase.  Second, they have a real lifetime warranty.  I’m pretty sure I bought my first Briggs & Riley piece back in 2008, making it 6 years old now.  It’s logged about a million miles of air travel in that time along with a fair number of trips by car.  I’ve had two opportunities to use the repair service and both times it was handled perfectly.  One of those times was an actual issue with the bag, I was having a bit of trouble with the handle.  They repaired the suitcase while I waited.

The second time wasn’t a bag defect issue.  A United Airlines flight attendant decided she wanted to move my bag around in the overhead bin and got it stuck on part of the overhead bin and kept yanking on it until I got up to help her.  At that point, she had ripped the net on the front of the bag a bit.  No problem, the local repair shop replaced it in in a jiffy.  6 years later, all the wheels still roll fine, bag is still in great shape.

The Briggs & Riley folks reached out to me recently to see if I wanted to test any of the new items they had released.  Stay tuned for my review on 3 new bags they’re getting ready to roll out.

They also expressed interest in doing another suitcase giveaway, which certainly perked up my ears.

I did a giveaway last year of their brand new (at the time) Torq lineup, a polycarbonate hard side bag that looks way cool.  Last year’s winner, Ryan, has been very happy with the bag.  Here’s the bag he replaced last year and the one he received (being demo’d by his son).

 

 

I had toyed with getting one, since I like the look quite a bit.  But, I prefer a two-wheel bag as opposed to a spinner, though most folks prefer spinners.

I usually pull a heavy backpack behind it, and that works better on a two-wheel suitcase.  I’ve also tested the outer limits of the warranty on my bag by doing this with my existing two-wheel bag on  every family trip for the last 6 years.

 

It started when my daughter was about 3 years old and has never stopped.  They fight for a place on my suitcase riding through the airport.  It can be a bit tough to pull, but the suitcase (a Briggs & Riley Transcend) has stood up just fine to the beating.

Anyway, enough with filler.  On to the giveaway! 

The giveaway will be a Torq Red International Carry-on Spinner.  The suitcase retails for a bit shy of $500.  And, to make it just a bit more special, I’m throwing in a $100 Amazon gift card to help you get prepared for your next trip.  This is the original model with the front compartment.

There’s also a model that doesn’t have the front compartment if that’s not your style, but the giveaway is for the version with the front compartment.

WIth the warranty and durability, you’ll never have to replace this suitcase unless you decide you want a different color.

Similar to last year, I’m going to ask folks to submit pictures of the bag they’d like to get rid of.  I’ll pick my favorites as finalists (funny stories about suitcase issues WILL help your cause) and let my readers vote on the winner.  And, even if your picture isn’t picked as a finalist you can win a $50 gift card if you’re selected as a lucky voter.  What do you need to do?

1.  Submit a picture of the suitcase you want to replace.  I want your tired, your beaten, your real life, over-packing been with you around the world suitcase.  You don’t have to rough it up just for this contest, but I’m always up for a good laugh.  Feel free to include an anecdote about your suitcase, where it’s been, why you like it/hate it, etc.  Send your suitcase picture to me at ed -at– mile point dot com no later than Friday, May 30th.  I’ll sift through and select the finalists.  Then, recruit all your friends to vote for you.

2.  Once I have the finalists up, come by and cast your vote for your favorite.  I’ll select one lucky voter to win a $50 Amazon gift card.

 

That’s it.  Pretty straightforward.  A free suitcase and some traveling cash for the taking.  Good luck!