80L Check In Travel Case – Full Aluminum Luggage, Italian Leather Handles

Fantastic case - well designed, classic look, and can take a beating. Aluminum on it is much more sturdy than Rimowa and other similarly priced luggage. Love the top open design, makes it easy to open in a small hotel room. Handles are really plush. Wheels super solid, dropped them down stairs and they're still spinning like new. Yes it's expensive, but you get what you pay for with this one. Makes me question why other suitcases charge this much for half the product Sterling Pacific is selling...

Update: The manufacturer reached out after my last review and invited me to reconsider my conclusions and evaluate the luggage more comprehensively. Please see my detailed 4-Star review on the 35L (if it is accepted and published). As noted below, I had returned this luggage and purchased a set of the Geo series from Zero Halliburton.One of my first jobs (at 16-years-old) was in a luggage store during the 1980s. There, I was exposed to Hartman, Tumi, and Zero Halliburton. I do not have any experience with Rimowa or Aleon luggage —also competitors in the aluminum travel case sphere— but have purchased Level 8 luggage from Amazon.Zero Halliburton (“ZH”), an American company, started out in the late 1930s, and has been iconic and featured in hundreds of movies in the time since. In 2006, it was acquired by a Japanese company. Online rumors claim they are now manufactured in China, whereas others claim they are manufactured in the United States. Compared to my vintage ZH cases, I would not be surprised if the Geo series is made in China. They’re not nearly as robust, and after only one round trip, the 95L ZH check-in luggage already has numerous dents (even when protected by an included neoprene cover).Some clarification may be necessary regarding the provenance marketing that Sterling Pacific has adopted. Whereas ZH has been around since the late 1930s (making travel cases), Sterling Pacific purports to have been in business since 1907. In fact, while there may be some paper lineage back to the Herz family’s jewelry and watch business, the current firm has only been in the business of making travel cases since 2021.I have not yet travelled with the Sterling Pacific 80L case, but am prepared to make a few comments about it. First, I would say that the thickness of the aluminum appears to be about the same as the Zero Halliburton 95L case, and I would therefore expect it to be similarly easily dented from baggage handlers. Notably, it seems that the Sterling Pacific 35L carry-on bag uses a thicker aluminum. Likewise, the wheels of the 80L appear to be plastic, whereas the wheels on the Sterling Pacific 35L appear identical, but are made from die-cast metal. The fabric lining of the Sterling Pacific 80L seems to be much thinner or less thread count than that of the ZH. The ZH locking mechanism is a multi-piece that latches, pulls the two halves tightly together, and then locks. The Level 8 latch-and-lock mechanism is identical, except that it has a plastic rather than metal cover. Both the ZH and Level 8 latch-and-lock mechanisms are somewhat recessed. Sterling Pacific, on the other hand, uses a “vintage” spring-loaded trunk lock mechanism, commonly found on briefcases from the 1970s and 80s. They do not have any tightening or clamping effect and are not recessed. They appear to be made of chrome-plated die-cast metal. There is enough play in the Sterling Pacific mechanisms that one might question whether they are inferior to the mechanisms used on the ZH and Level 8, or they were chosen to complement the “vintage” appearance of the Sterling Pacific line and may actually hold up well over time due to their simplicity. Only time will tell whether the chrome plating holds up.One feature I like about the Sterling Pacific is that it is not a clamshell design. As a trunk design, less space on the bed or floor is needed to open it up.All three travel cases feature a dust-proof and water resistant (almost water proof) rubber seal. These aren’t Pelican cases, and I’d expect water to get in through the rivets, hinges, and lock mechanisms, but it would probably float for awhile.The pull-behind-you recessed wheels of the Sterling Pacific versus the spinner wheels of RIMOWA, Level 8, and Zero Halliburton is purely a matter of taste. I suspect that the spinner wheels of the other cases are much more susceptible to breaking off from rough handling, and they won’t hold up well over time on asphalt and concrete sidewalks, compared to the Sterling Pacific’s wheels. However, one can easily use a luggage cart with its own larger wheels to protect bags with spinners (`though that’s another thing that a traveller must bring).As others have pointed out, the Sterling Pacific is elegant, perhaps slightly more so than Aleon, Level 8, current Zero Halliburton, and RIMOWA cases, for several reasons: (1) the material appears to be clear-anodized or lacquered (whereas the others are anodized with an opaque metallic finish) giving the Sterling Pacific a more reflective surface, similar to an unpainted aircraft; and (2) the leather wrapped handles are more luxurious than the plastic handles featured on the ZH and Level 8 cases, and feel very good in the hand.At this time, I’m raising the review of the 80L up to 3-stars. My previous review failed to concede that no luggage should reasonably be expected to be unscathed given the abuse at the hands of the shipper, and my experience with the current Zero Halliburton Geo series demonstrates that it is not superior to Sterling Pacific in most respects. The 3-star rating is based on two several factors: (1) The Sterling Pacific appears to be at least as good in build quality as the Zero Halliburton and Level 8. Arguably, it is superior with regard to the integration of leather and —again, arguably— it may be inferior in a few respects, perhaps due to the choice of latching mechanism and the thin cloth liner. (2) the Sterling Pacific is currently $2,450, occasionally subject to a $300-off sale. The Zero Halliburton 90L is currently on sale for $1,007.50 (regular price is purportedly $1,550). Based on the MSRP for both cases, the question a buyer might have is whether to spend $900 more for the 15L smaller Sterling Pacific with the only apparent benefit being the leather integrated handles.I may revise the rating higher after using it on a couple of trips and will report back here my findings._________________________Original Review: The manufacturer boasts about the durability of their luggage series, and claims, “The body of the Sterling Pacific travel cases is constructed from 5052 aluminum. Substantial hydraulic pressure is used to bend and shape the 1.2mm aluminum sheets to form the body. 5052 aluminum is used in the aviation industry due to its high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance and formability.“ Yet, this is what happened to the case on its first very journey to me, double boxed with protective bubble wrap and a cloth protective cover. I returned it immediately, and bought Zero Halliburton cases.

I have both the 35L and 80L - they are beautiful. If you love design and aviation this is the bag for you. The quality of the construction is second to none. I had the 35L bag next to a hotel bar and the bag looks like a piece of artwork. 100% satisfied.