The Luggage Blog

This article, printed in the Lansing State Journal, talks about making the switch from briefcase to backpack for business or day to day travels. Writer Jason Sheeler makes a good point- it’ll leave you hands free for texting, emailing and holding a morning dose of ‘joe. No matter how annoying the tech-ing on the go may seem, the truth is a commute to work or even a ride on the elevator is precious time. Nowadays, you can work from anywhere and having your hands free is key.

So, in keeping with this idea, we present a few backpack options for men (and ladies too!). And with back to school season kicking off this month, even if you’re not heading back into the classroom, you’ll still find plenty of deals on all of our backpacks!

The Big Ben Laptop Back with Fast Pass from Victorinox gives you all the features of a briefcase, as well TSA friendly design. The laptop compartment’s book-style opening allows you to simply unzip and leave your notebook attached to the bag during TSA screening.

The Big Ben Laptop Back with Fast Pass $279

The David King Leather Jumbo Backpack boasts a classic look, soft leather and total function at a great price. Available in three colors, it’s the kind of bag that gets better looking with age….and who doesn’t love that notion?

David King Leather Jumbo Backpack $114.95

The dash of color on the outside and pop-out-at-you lining sets the Briggs & Riley Glide Backpack apart from other basic black business backpacks. With tons of organization, including a compartment that will hold a 15 inch laptop, this pack offers style and the excellent performance Briggs & Riley is known for.

Briggs & Riley Verb Collection ‘Glide’ Backpack $177

The Tumi T-Tech Adventure Covertible Computer Messenger Backpack has two easy carrying options. Wear it on the back or across the body for hands-free traveling with briefcase function. A younger, more stylized offering from Tumi, it will hold a laptop, but will also serve as a day bag for your well-deserved free time.

Tumi T-Tech Adventure Convertible Computer Messenger Backpack $225

The Rough and Tumbler test, which entailed filling carry-on suitcases until they weighed 20-25 lbs and tumbling them up to 1,000 times, is among one of the tests done by Consumer Reports. The tests determined which of 12 brand suitcases were the toughest of travelers.  The report was quite interesting and you can see the chart to the left of what was found in terms of durability, capacity and convenience. 

The bottom line is, Tumi was rated best overall with more room than most brands! Highest in quality and price, the Tumi Alpha 22″ Carry-On costs $595.  It was also determined that there are other brands that cost less and are still good quality but didn’t perform as well in every test category.  It comes down to your preference and price range as to what bag is perfect for your needs. So don’t overlook the Victorinox NXT, Hartmann Stratum and Briggs & Riley Baseline or any of the other top carry-ons!

Briggs & Riley appeals to me because of it’s clean lines and understated appearance. I chose the olive because it is much more attractive than your everyday black case. The external handle system is what really sold me on this bag because you gain much more packing space and we all know how important that is!

Perfect For

This Briggs & Riley carry-on is my one and only suitcase. It is great for weekend trips and it even allows me enough room to pack for full week trips. The internal pockets and compartments make organizing for your trip a breeze. With the internal suiter you can bring along your best attire for a night out on the town. This bag is great for a business man or a beach bum.

Favorite Feature

The best feature of this bag is Briggs’ ingenious idea to have the telescoping handle on the outside.  It may not sound like much but every bit of space counts, when your like me and need all the room that you can get. I don’t like to check my luggage because I don’t like the extra time involved. This feature, with the handle on the outside of the case, allows me to take much more along for my trips.   [Read more →]

With all the fees that airlines are charging and beginning to charge today.  Why pay for overweight fees too?  This article has some good advice on why you might just want to purchase lighter weight luggage to begin with.  You might agree once you see how much overweight fees can be!  There are many brands that are meeting the needs of travelers and going to lightweight, lightweight, lightweight! The article mentions a few, such as Eagle Creek, Victorinox and Briggs & Riley.  Don’t worry these lightweight bags are just as great quality as those heavy bags that you’re carrying now.  Good Housekeeping Research Institute tested the bags and you can read more about their findings by reading the full article.

You might even want to get your own travel luggage scale.  I use mine before I go on every trip and I even bring it with me in my carry-on, because I always tend to bring back extra things on the trip home.  If you use a scale when you’re done packing, you will know whether or not your bag is overweight and you can take things out or rearrange your bag.  This way you won’t be surprised with any extra fees when you get to the airport and we all know that we don’t want any more fees than need be!!!

See here an example of a luggage scale for purchase at luggageonline.com: 

Travelon Luggage Scale