It was bright red, the size of an albatross, and it weighed a ton. The surface was ever so slightly bumpy, and it had a few scuffs that bore witness to its escapades. I’m not referring to my Great Grandmother’s prize winning heritage tomato -- I’m talking about the prized Samsonite suitcase that accompanied us on every family trip from before I can remember to when I left for college.

That suitcase went everywhere with us. Filled to the brim with bathing suits and flip flops for Florida, St.Lucia, and Dominican Republic. Stuffed with sweaters and ski goggles (to the point that we had to sit on it to close it) when we went to a lodge over Christmas. I can’t remember a trip we didn’t take it on. At the age of 18, when I was packing for college, I asked my mother if I could take the red suitcase with me. It was then that she broke it to me that the suitcase had met its demise at the hands of my brother. I was disappointed, to say the least, and every piece of luggage I’ve ever had in my life has been compared to it -- and failed miserably.

The problem was that I always purchased mediocre luggage. I never wanted to spend the money to buy myself the top of the line. So instead, I bought several pieces of so-so luggage that all ended up failing me, be it cracks in the interior plastic, busted zippers, or broken wheels. The shame here is that it took me until today to come to my senses. All of this time I had been trying to replace that red Samsonite suitcase that was tied into all my childhood travel memories. As I stood in the luggage store, comparing prices and wincing when I heard how much the Samsonite I had my eye on was going to cost me, I decided to bite the bullet.

While it isn’t red (I selected the black model), it is sturdy and hard-sided. Its wheels spin in all directions, and it has a 10-year warranty. It will get its first scuffs later this week when I head to San Antonio for a girls' weekend away. Hopefully it’s not so hot in Texas that my suitcase melts! I’m guessing that my Samsonite will be just fine. I look forward to making many travel memories with it.