The negative reviewers either were unnecessarily rough with the suitcase, or they just had some bad luck. If you are worried about the zipper splitting, get yourself some of those luggage straps that buckle around the luggage - shouldn't HAVE to do this, but airport staff usually don't care too much about how they handle your checked luggage. Anyway, I like the suit cause - it's incredibly light for such a big and heavy-duty suitcase. Because it is so big, it will be easy to over pack and end up over the weight limit. It is worth picking up a $10 luggage scale. You already spent over $100, so it's a worthy investment to prevent yourself from paying overweight fees. Good luck!