Here are some tips on which luggage material to buy.

Leather - Leather looks great and is always in style. It’s also very durable. It does a good job of protecting your belongings also. Unfortunately, it’s also heavy. Unless you like hauling heavy luggage, you may want to consider a lighter material, at least for your larger bags.

Nylon - There are two types of nylon used in most luggage, ballistic nylon and cordura nylon. Of the two, ballistic is better, but also more expensive. The durability of nylon is measured in dernier, and the higher the better. Start off looking at 400 dernier or higher when choosing nylon luggage.

Vinyl - Vinyl is pretty durable and moderately priced. It’s main advantage is that it is very easy to clean.