My LW is 5+ years old, several broken zippers from CRJ 200 overhead bins, and one side rail massively bent in from being thrown out of a cargo bin. But it still works great, no end in sight. If you're commuter, you gotta have one. If you don't commute you might get away with lesser luggage. Maybe.

Well I do have one issue...somebody mentioned that it is weighted to carry a flight bag...true dat, it balances perfectly, almost standing up by itself at "towing angle". You can tow it with one finger.

But we just went to shipsets, so it's now unbalanced. I may have to hang something on the j-hook just for balance. Haven't decided what yet...

A case of beer?
Dumbbells to workout on the road?
A small fridge?
Porn Library?

Go ahead and spend the money. It will make it easier for you in the near and distant future.

I have the usual assortment of bags; Luggage Works, Strong Bags, and a few other bags not designed for continuous duty.

The LW is the bag I keep grabbing for the 30 to 56 days in Africa. It's FAR from perfect; most of the zippers are toast, it's WAY too heavy, and the little wheels won't go through carpet / contaminated walkways.

My comparison to a SB won't be fair, because they've redesigned it with better zippers (all mine broke, just like LW), improved wheel holders (mine broke), better rivets to hold it together (yes, mine literally sheared off), and it is WAY lighter than LW. The single issue that I would probably have is the "off-the-shelf" pull handle. As flimsy as the cheapest luggage you'd buy at Walmart / Target / 99 Cent Store. I don't know if that's been improved.

I can't honestly say that either is ideal for the job, but I find that between the two, I keep gravitating to the LW.