by Larry Olmsted

It’s not too often that luggage breakthroughs come along. I’ve been traveling long enough to remember life before roll-aboard bags and in-line skate wheels. That was a game changer, followed by the upgrade to the four wheel spinner bag, which can be pushed or walked side by side as easily as pulled. Semi-hard sided polycarbonate was another huge improvement, keeping luggage ultra-light and easy to move while better protecting contents and clothes from wrinkling. But because I’ve written on luggage over the years, I get a lot of press releases touting “innovations” and “breakthroughs,” mostly non-events like new colors or ergonomic handles.