Briggs & Riley Warranty does not require that you return the bag to them. We are a local repair facility in Aurora, CO , and repair Briggs & Riley bags as well as the bags for most other major manufacturers. In fact, many of the reputable luggage manufacturers have authorized repair facilities located all over the country, which you can locate by contacting the manufacturer or going to their website. Your closest facility might be located in your town. Some centers are assigned regionally for quality control purposes and you may still have to ship you bag out, but to a location one or two states away instead of halfway across the country.

It is important to note that even among reputable name brands, not all warranties are the same. A Briggs and Riley bag costs between $270 and $395 for a carry-on (not including their leather bags) and they will fix anything that goes wrong with it, no questions asked. Your only out of pocket expense is what it costs you to get it to the closest repair facility, or if they cannot repair it there, to the factory in California.

A Tumi can cost twice that, but their warranty will not cover tears or damage of any kind. If the airlines destroy your Tumi, and I've seen them do it, better be prepared to fight with the airlines for a new bag, because Tumi is neither fixing it nor replacing it for free.

So why spend the money for a Tumi? I wouldn't.