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Suitcases Tips
Suitcases for Women
For some women, style is everything, and whether it's a pink suitcase with jeweled luggage tags or a shimmering gold backpack suitcase for the plane, only you can choose the style that's right for you.
Some women who travel frequently on business, however, have found that men's stores offer better choices for rugged, sensible, business-friendly suitcases. If you take several work-related trips a year, it may be worth sacrificing feminine style for the kind of quality that transcends gender.
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A Suitcase, By Any Other Name
eBags.com Tip: Whatever happened to the word "suitcase?" Today, shoppers choose among trolleys, suiters, garment bags, luggage sets, travel totes and more.
Most often, a wheeled upright suitcase is the way to go. Would you prefer a carry-on suitcase that can be rolled on-board and will avoid checking a bag? Also keep an eye on the weight of the bag itself. Since each piece of checked luggage can weigh no more than 50 pounds on many flights, every ounce counts.
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Suitcases for Men
Leather suitcases offer a particularly masculine look, and many men prefer to carry their bags over their shoulders instead of using wheeled suitcases. As long as your spine can take it, that's fine.
Beyond leather, many men favor an athletic look to their luggage, preferring duffel bags to traditional suitcases. When they can be persuaded away from traditional black, many men also favor bright colors, associated with sports.
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Suitcases for Business
eBags.com Tip: When you travel on business, your luggage is part of your professional presentation, and its style communicates a message about you and your organization.
At the same time, those who travel a great deal on business require durability and flexibility from their luggage.
Leather suitcases offer classic luxury looks, but may be heavier than modern materials. Look out for features like trifold suiters, which can help to keep your professional clothing looking sharp while on the road.
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Suitcases for Fun
For some people, luggage mean serious business, but for most of us they spell one thing: vacation! You've been looking forward to this trip all year -- so why bring a boring bag?
Going to Hawaii? Choose a bag decorated with dots in tropical colors. Off to Florida? Why not a hard-sided suitcase in brilliant green? Headed to the Serengeti? Take a leopard-print tote and get a chance to compare it to the real live leopards!
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How Suitcases Have Changed
eBags.com Tip: In the mid-19th century, rail travel became possible, and the tourism industry was born. Travelers in those days were usually well-to-do people with heavy luggage, which was transported by servants. The traveling trunk of the early rail days was soon replaced by the "steamer trunk," which went aboard the new ocean liners that began to flourish as 1900 came and went. In these days, a "suitcase" was a male accessory, used for short journeys or by business travelers.
Duffel bags first came into common use in World War I, when they were issued to U.S. soldiers to carry their belongings. In the 1920s and 1930s, manufacturers found cheaper ways to make luggage, including cardboard suitcases. Reductions in the size of women's clothing over the first few decades of the 20th century made it possible for women as well as men to travel with a standard-sized suitcase -- if they wanted to.
After World War II, luggage makers benefited from innovations such as nylon, zippers, plastics and aluminum. Luggage with a modern look became all the rage for the new air travel industry. Manufacturers learned to design products suitable for plane travel, which required a lightweight yet durable suitcase style.
In the last few decades, luggage has become increasingly lightweight, affordable and varied, with a huge range of colors, fabrics and features.
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Vintage Suitcases
In the early part of the 20th century, people spent a lot on luggage, and expected it to last them a lifetime. A lot of that luggage is still with us, and with a little care, that luggage can become a valuable part of an antiques collection or theatrical prop box.
If you run across an old suitcase in an attic or at a yard sale, chances are it will need cleaning. Except for leather, most luggage can be cleaned with a soft cloth, dampened and treated with mild soap. Air-dry it -- outside if weather permits -- to dispel any odors. For leather, use a cream leather cleaner (available at most shoe stores) and then follow up with a leather conditioner to restore natural oils.
Vintage luggage is fun to look at, but makes an impractical choice for modern travel. For one thing, it is usually so heavy that it is impractical to use it, given today's airline weight restrictions. Also, vintage luggage was not designed to fit under today's airline seats or in overhead bins. Finally, it doesn't include the convenient features like wheels and telescoping handles that make it so much more convenient to take your belongings along. Besides, you've got a piece of history there -- particularly if it's a family piece. Why subject it to the uncertain treatment of TSA inspectors and airline baggage handlers?
Instead, save a restored vintage luggage piece for show, for occasional car trips, or for a funky accent as part of your home decor.
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Suitcases of the Future
A century ago, a woman who owned 20 outfits and 10 pairs of shoes was wealthy indeed. Today, she's probably standing in front of her closet saying, "I have nothing to wear!"
One fact of today's economy is that clothing and many other manufactured products are very cheap, comparatively speaking, and are widely available, even in Third World countries. This, combined with pressure from airlines to minimize fuel use and carry less luggage, means we may soon be carrying relatively little luggage on each trip.
Another item in the future traveler's bag may be one or more radio frequency identification (RFID) chips, which can help automate and speed up the process of getting travelers and their suitcases to the right destination at the same time.
Finally, security systems may identify passengers by their biometrics -- for instance, scanning a thumbprint.
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Suitcases of the Stars
Famous people carry the same things in their suitcases as the rest of us -- a little money, a change of clothes, maybe some medication:
In 2004, Princess Martha Louise of Denmark and her husband, author Ari Behn, went on their honeymoon with a suitcase full of cash to avoid being tracked by tabloid reporters.
Hotel heiress Paris Hilton is known for traveling with a mountain of mismatched luggage. Some savvy luggage maker should create an 11-piece luggage set just for her.
For decades, celebrities have been busted with illegal drugs in their luggage, yet it still keeps happening. Most recently, singer Jimmy Buffett's luggage was found to contain more than 100 tabs of the club drug Ecstasy, while Sylvester Stallone was charged with importing illegal muscle-building steroids into Australia.
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Death By Suitcase
Luggage, of course, is not usually malevolent on its own, and these days TSA screeners remove anything remotely deadly (including hand lotion, but never mind that). However, there are cases where suitcases have been implicated in unfortunate deaths.
The pop singer Aaliyah, flying from the Bahamas to Miami in 2001, died along with eight others when the plane crashed about 200 feet from the runway. Investigators said the pilot had been asked to leave some luggage behind, and blamed the weight of the plane for the crash.
In 1940, radio star Tom Mix also died thanks to a suitcase that bounced onto his head while he was driving his beloved roadster. Investigators said Mix had ignored warnings about a bridge that was out due to road work. The Arizona gully where he died was named after him, and the suitcase can be seen at the Tom Mix Museum in Dewey, Oklahoma.
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Samsonite Suitcases
Samsonite has traveled with the weary traveler for years. The well-known luggage company prides itself on fitting form and fashion into luggage that fits every traveler's need.
Their hardside jumbo suiter offers a retractable pull strap, four rolling wheels for easy maneuvering, removable tri-fold suiter (great for professional suits and fancy clothing), and an interior divider panel and cross-straps to hold your stuff in place. An ideal Commuter Tote to accompany it fits laptops and files and makeup. The Transport Tote is perfect to carry on board and the Ultravalet Garment Bag makes transporting suits easy.
Samsonite suitcases are marketed to fit the length of your trip: one to two days, two to four days, one week, or more than one week.
