Aloha!
J.W. Hulme luggage is very pricey, but the quality is the very finest you can imagine. I bought my Hulme luggage in about 2005. Since then, the prices on the pieces I bought have doubled, and in a few cases, tripled. I'm glad I bought them when I did. They are absolutley exquisite pieces of workmanship. Every stitch, every piece of leather, and every yard of canvas is simply perfection. And, they are guaranteed for life, no questions asked.
Hulme used to supply luggage to Orvis for the Battenkill line of sportsman's luggage, but Orvis decided to save money and went with a Chinese company Knock-Off of Hulme luggage in about 1995. The quality of Orvis Battenkill shrunk considerably, and that's when I switched and went with J.W. Hulme luggage. I still own a few pieces of Orvis Battenkill PRE-Chinese that was made by Hulme. I used to be an avid Fly Fisherman, so that's how I discovered the Battenkill line of luggage at Orvis and fell in love with the design.
All this aside, I love my J.W. Hulme luggage. I'd NEVER EVER check it as general baggage. Everything I own in their luggage line can be carried on the plane. It is truly heirloom quality, and I will be handing it down to my Niece and Nephew (I have no children of my own). Mine is engraved with my initials but via brass plates attached to the luggage, not directly etched on the leather, so they can remove the plates when they use the luggage 25 years from now and put their own initials on it.
Mahalo!
-ZipZop