Gene Sloan
Province
Just when you thought luggage couldn’t get any better, here comes this clever innovation: a bag with a built-in digital scale that tells you the exact weight of what you’ve packed.
The Solutions Luggage Collection from Ricardo Beverly Hills is designed for travellers who get dinged with the $25 US fees many U.S. airlines have begun charging for bags over 50 pounds (about 23 kg).
“It’s a stunningly simple solution to a very real problem,” says Michele Marini Pittenger, president of Travel Goods Association.
Though flyers can weigh their bags at home before departing, “it’s more difficult on the return trip after you’ve accumulated souvenirs.”
Made of high-strength nylon, the Solutions line is the first-place winner of the Travel Goods Association Product Innovation Award.
The luggage comes in two sizes, 63.5 and 71 cm, and three colours — black, teal and berry. Both sizes cost about $200 US (information: ricardobeverlyhills.com).
It rolls out this month at Macy’s stores and will be at macys.com and ebags.com by month’s end. Check with luggage retail outlets in your area.
AWARD RUNNERS-UP
– The Cartdesk: This nifty carry-on bag has a built-in desktop that flips out in seconds, offering a solid work surface. Big enough for a laptop, it holds up to 14 kg. The bag arrives in luggage stores in July and will cost $129 US. Information: cartdesk.com.
Inventor Kenny Johnson, who has launched a start-up company called Cartdesk to make the bag, says he got the idea from his wife, an expert witness who spends hours sitting outside courtrooms and asked him to design a portable desk.
“To my surprise, no mobile portable desks existed,” he says.
– Landor & Hawa’s Frameless Molded Luggage: The latest line, launched in September, is built with a moulded shell that makes it tougher than many framed rollerboards. A three-piece set costs $250. It’s available at luggage-specialty stores and websites such as bagsbuy.com.
© The Vancouver Province 2006