A few month ago while I was excitingly preparing for my trip to Hawaii and Japan (oh gosh! I can’t believe that trip went so quick!) I posted a photo of my luggage set on Instagram:

Friends and readers have been asking me about my pink luggage, so I thought I should do a review for my luggage.

Firstly, brand of my luggage:
DIPLOMAT.

According to the nice and honest storekeeper I had spoke to and became friends with, he mentioned that the Diplomat brand was born as a result of a dispute between siblings who own the famous expensive Rim*wa brand luggage. I’ll call it the R brand from now.
I am not going to elaborate more on their dispute, but nevertheless, their tragedy is our benefit (in some ways).

The luggage is a four-wheeler, clam shell style luggage. It has a TSA-approved number lock embedded onto the luggage so I don’t have to think about extra locks to carry around and the biggest 28″ luggage (the one with the flowers) weighs less than a kilo (kg) when it is empty.

The technology of these luggage is similar to the R brand, using a very strong type of poly-carbonate material. Besides the look and feel of the luggage, there seems to be not much of different compared to the R brand luggages in terms of technology wise.

You may find more information about the brand here.

Where I bought it:
Seasons Traveller Shop

Address:
People’s Park Centre, 101 Upper Cross Street, Singapore 058357. Tel: 6533-2850
Seasons Traveller Store has moved to Far East Plaza #01-66.
*Important Note: Please scroll down to the end for more details about the location of the new shop.*

How to get there:
NorthEast Line Chinatown Station, EXIT D.
Go up the escalator which will bring you right in front of the entrance of People’s Park Centre.
Walk straight down along the shops on the left. It is along the same row of shops as the Singapore Pools and right in front of the shop is Ya Kun Kaya Toast Store.

View of Old Shop Front (The shop has since moved)

Storekeepers name:
Robert and Richard

I was initially recommended by a friend to that store as she felt the storekeeper were very nice and honest. Robert, whom I always been buying my luggage from, is very knowledgeable about the luggages he sells and he can recommend the most accurate luggage you need.

Unlike many retail stores I have been whom I always been served by retail assistant, Robert is a almost like a walking encyclopaedia about the luggage he sells. He is very knowledgeable about the luggage material and can advise expertly. I felt he’s like a luggage pro.

While he was introducing the Diplomat luggage to me, Robert had asked my permission to help him in an experiment, because I am a heavy girl.

The experiment Robert had asked me to do was to stand on top of two luggages, which where stack flat on top of one another.  He immediately placed the luggage on the floor and invited me to step up onto them.

I was shocked. My mind ran wild. What happened if I broke the luggage?!?!
But his conviction and believe in his products gave me the needed courage.
The experiment was scary but I climb on top of it anyway.

Surprisingly, the luggage shell no only was strong enough to withstand my weight, I was able to bob up and down slightly as if standing on a trampoline! It was an amazing experience.
Nevertheless, I was pretty blown away!

The biggest luggage hold (the heaviest it had weigh at the airport) about 30 kg (around 66 pounds) of stuff in the luggage. I was so afraid that is seems like it was bursting the zip, as I had to sit onto the luggage to zip it up, but it held on very very well.

My luggages in 2014.

As of durability, the 28″ luggage (the one with flowers) has been travelling with me, my relatives and friends who borrowed it from me since 2008. It is now 7 years old (as of 2014).
It is still going very very strong.
In fact, this luggage travelled more than I did!!!
It even went to Europe when I have not! Hahahaha!

The biggest luggage has went for a total of 9 trips, including:
– 5 USA Trips
– 2 Taiwan Trips
– 1 Japan Trip
– 1 Europe Trip
– 1 Australia Trip (end 2013)
– 1 Hongkong Trip (mid 2014)

An average amount of throwing and handling this filled, 30kg – 28″ luggage has went through:
– About 54 times (& counting) just by airlines and checkpoints, excluding the times I had to handle it myself through roads, stairs, streets, and in the hotel room/rented apartment.

All three luggage from Seasons Traveller Shop

My cabin size Diplomat luggage

One really huge advantage is that the soft pink colour is so eye-catching that the moment it is on the belt, you definitely will NOT miss it. Don’t need extra ribbons/belts to mark the bag.

The disadvantage is also the colour, due to the light colour, the stains and scratch marks left behind by the conveyor belt and luggage handling can be seen up close. However, I did manage to solve the stain problem with a product I have discovered from reading online forums. Read more here. 

Overall, I think this is one of the best luggage I ever had.

How much does it cost?

The cabin size luggage I bought was $180 in 2008.
The 28″ luggage I bought was at $350 in 2008.
The 26″ I bought was at $280 in 2013.

Prices are just a reference on the price range but is not accurate as these luggage are imported and the prices does increase every year.
*Diplomat value has increased due to its durability and quality. Now each luggage is around twice the price I bought nine years ago (as of 2017).

I find the prices pretty reasonable. It has a lifetime warranty and Robert himself knows how to repair luggage, so I can just go back to Robert for any troubleshooting matters.
I also happen to know that brands like Sam*****te only gives you a minimal amount doing a trade-in for their luggage, and usually it doesn’t add up much.

According to Robert, this particular brand of luggage was selling like hotcakes and the wealthy from the nearby region (Brunei especially) does pop into his store and buy a few at once, and Robert did have trouble replenishing at one time.

I used to have a black Grand Polo International brand 26″ luggage with expandable zip, but it has retired in 2014 because the trolley handle has broken and since the product has phased out, there are no more parts to repair. That black luggage lasted me 8 years since 2006.

Robert and I usually joked about is that it’s hard to earn my money any further after all I now have a full set of luggage. However, it’s not because he has sold me a luggage, but the luggage from his store are very durable.

It is always very interesting how the storekeeper can remember you after a long time when you visit the store again.

Side story:
The shop space itself has shrank significantly due to the Economic depression in the recent years and such local stores are struggling to keep afloat. While I love shopping international brands, such local store also deserves its fair share of our support!
It is my favourite store to shop for luggage and some travel accessories, but there is also a limit to how much I can spend in there actually, since the products he recommends are very durable.

So if you or your friend is looking to buy a good, durable companion luggage to travel, do share and recommend his luggage store. You will not regret it!!

If you are intending to drop by this store, do tell Robert that I had recommended you there.
He will definitely give you some really good deals.

He remembered me by my face and luggage, so just tell him
‘the girl who always travel to USA and has that pink diplomat luggage that she had drawn black flowers on.’ Or simply show him this blog post.

He’ll know.

Hope you find this review and sharing useful!
Let me know what do you think? Have you have any luggage that is also this durable?
Or if you had bought a luggage at Seasons Traveller Shop after reading this, let me know too!

This is not a sponsored post and the reviews and sharing on this blog are genuinely based on my own experiences.

Who came here to look for the new address for this shop??
Comment “hola!” in the comment section below to let me know!

*NEW ADDRESS*

SEASONS TRAVELLER SHOP

Far East Plaza
14 Scotts Rd, #01-66, Singapore, 228213
Contact Number: 6333 2850
Opening Hours: 9am to 9pm

HOW TO GET THERE:
NS22 Orchard Road Station

1. Once you alight at Orchard Road Station, exit the gantry that is not facing a row of shops (you want to exit the gantries that is headed towards Wisma Atria).
2. You want to head towards Marriott Hotel.
3. Walk pass Citibank and towards a long corridor up with shops lined on both side , then take the escalators at the far end.
4. You will see Tangs Shopping Centre basement on your right. Proceed to walk straight where there is an escalator next to the entrance of the store that leads up to Marriott hotel.
5. Once you reach ground level, turn right and walk down Scotts Road towards Far East Shopping Mall.
6. Once you reach Far East Shopping Mall, take the staircase DOWN.
   
7. The shop is on the left, hidden out of view behind the escalators.
   

More Stories soon!