The Future is Bright: - Travel Goods Association

THE 2011 TRAVEL GOODS SHOW
of the more successful design formulas.
Antler’s Liquis 4-Wheel Roller Case
sports a virgin polycarbonate A-Plus
shell for a slick, tough-stuff persona at
a svelte 8.4 lbs. ($399); the very smart
INTUS business case with integrated
handle scale shows off light weight in a
flexible and impact-absorbing hardshell
that helps travelers dodge baggage fees,
from INTUS’ Sirus Collection (starting
at $130); and Delsey’s Helium Breeze
3.0 Carry-On Trolley with EZ Glide
4-Wheel Spinner System, a softside with
fiberglass frame, is light on the scales
but heavy on durability ($149.99).
In softsides, Ricardo Beverly
Hills’ Expandable WheelAboard
Carry-on from its Superlight Sausalito
Collection garnered retailer attention
with its sleek 7.1-pound frame and
four-wheel Glide-Lite system, reflecting
the new norm for 20” cases ($240).
International Traveller, already known
for its “World’s Lightest Collection,”
shed some ounces with its IT-0-1 2nd
Generation 4-Wheel, dubbed the
“world’s lightest spinner” ($123 to
$160). American Flyer’s McCool E2
[Extreme Exploration] bags, backpacks
and messengers appeal to your
inner James Bond with its rugged,
ready-for-adventure-regardless-of-peril
aesthetic ($70-$450).
And Delsey’s Helium Breeze 3.0
Carry-On Trolley with EZ-Glide
4-Wheel Spinner System blurs the line
between softsides and hard cases, with
softside construction and a fiberglass
frame that’s an appealing dichotomy of
light-on-the-scales and heavy-on-durability
($149.99).
“Carry-ons continue to be strong,
thanks to travelers wanting to avoid
checked bag fees,” noted Marini
Pittenger, “This means travel clothing,
organizers and other ways to reduce
bulk are hot items as well.” One such
marvel to debut at The Show was
Shelves-To-GO ® , a collapsible hanging
shelf unit designed to fit carry-on
luggage (see Awards story, page 55 for
more). You simply stow your clothes
in Shelves-To-GO ® , arrive at your hotel,
unzip, hang the entire unit in the closet
and you’re already unpacked.
With checked bag weight and carryon
space at a premium, space-saving
design is BIG. Max Mirani’s Crush
lives up to its name by squeezing into
a dresser drawer ($395/$22”), and its
MOVE showed stylish dexterity: at your
destination just hang, unzip and —
voila! — instant “closet” with neatly
organized shelves ($495). Balanzza’s
TRUCO, billed as the industry’s first
modular carry-on, reshapes itself to
fit allotted space via a click-on system
($199). And Lipault’s twill nylon
Foldable 0% cases ($180-$225 U.S.)
impressed by collapsing to fit inside a
space-saving pouch — in “Wake-up!”
colors.
UNWANTED
HITCHHIKERS
Whether the bed bug threat is real
or imagined, the creepy crawlies have
been in the news and several companies
were all over it. RMB Group’s Rest
Easy is an all-natural spray made from
cinnamon, lemongrass, clove and mint
essential oils that is both people-safe
and earth-friendly and can be sprayed
around the hotel room on arrival and
on your luggage — bed bugs’ ticket
to your house ($6.99-$7.99/2-oz. twopack).
Its reusable bed bug bags offer
even more protection ($7.99/six).
“By placing and locking your clothing
in these bags before your trip — and
not putting them in the hotel dresser
Left to Right: The compact and lightweight Slide Tech Bag by Briggs & Riley; GOAL ZERO ® ’s the Guide 10
Adventure Kit lets you be electronically portable, even off the grid; Roncato’s UNO Collection; Ricardo Beverly Hills’
Sausalito 20” carry-on exemplifies the new norm — bold colors with more compact size.
— you avoid one of the simplest means
of transferring the pest to your home,”
says Brian Nachsin of the RMB Group.
“Most importantly, all of your worn
clothing should be packed into these
travel bags as a way of quarantining it.”
Also rolling out preventative bed
bug sprays: the patented Stop Bugging
Me!, with enough naturally-derived
spray to treat two queen-size mattresses
($7.99/3-oz. travel size); and Bed Bug
Patrol ® , which offers Bed Bug Travel &
Luggage Spray ($11.85), chemical-free
and non-toxic Bed Bug Traps ($19.95/8-
pack) and Premium Bed Bug Luggage
Protection Covers ($24) that are impermeable
to the little buggers.
ALL TECHED-UP
“We’re seeing more emphasis on multifunctional
everyday bags. They’re items
you’d use between work and home, but
help simplify travel with features like
ticket pockets and water bottle holsters.
These can be business cases, laptop
carriers, even oversize purses — they’re
stylish, fashion-forward, and supremely
functional,” noted Marini Pittenger.
And two words sum up almost
everything happening in the high-tech/
everyday bag segment — iPad Case.
Scads of manufacturers are catering to
the perpetually plugged-in, with options
for protecting and toting iPads, tablets
and eReaders, further blurring the
line between travel goods and everyday
essentials.
“There appears to be no end to the
innovation as manufacturers continue
to create products specifically designed
to make travel less stressful and a lot
more fun,” said Marini Pittenger.
Upping the fun factor: the graphically
dynamic e-Book Wraps and iPad
Wraps from Hadaki by Kalencom ($30
and $50); Piel’s exquisitely designed
iPad Flip Case that turns your iPad into
a folio, with multiple pockets for business
cards or papers, and transforms
into a horizontal or vertical hands-free
stand ($97); KIVA Designs’ Microtech
Shoulder Bag in graphite, surf and glorious
sunfire orange, whose main compartment
has a tablet-size padded pocket
($39.95); and Clava, whose Carina
iPad Cover epitomizes this segment’s
esthetic of modern design simplicity
and multifunctional versatility ($67.50).
“At the very core of the entire collection
are clean minimalist lines infused to
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF BRIGGS & RILEY, GOAL ZERO, RONCATO, RICARDO BEVERLY HILLS
24 May 2011 Travel Goods SHOWCASE