I’ve been wanting to expand our luggage reviews for awhile now. We first started out doing a lot of tech products (and well, we still do given my 20 years of experience in the tech world), but when you think of the kinds of products (and accessories) which can be transformative on the road, luggage is certainly high on the list for most of us. Truth be told, luggage never used to be important to me. In other words, it wasn’t a priority as long as it was big enough and didn’t have a hole in it.
I love luxurious products and am a fan of all things elegant and yet, with luggage, it was always purely functional for me for some reason. Purses…..well, that’s an entirely different story! Now that I’ve experienced and am using high end luggage lines on a regular basis, there’s no question that it matters….and, it matters a lot.
Older style wheels are pathetic and draining to say the least. Imagine walking the full length of Dallas, Paris or Chicago airports dragging two heavy pieces of luggage on small non-rotatable wheels. It’s not only laborious, but by the time you arrive at your gate, you’re exhausted and possibly even sweating from the effort. Travel needs to be seamless and the more airlines and product companies targeting the travek industry can do to make the traveler’s life seamless, the more likely we’ll be brand loyal.
Most of the top end luggage brands today have made major upgrades to their wheels. I discovered Briggs & Riley one day by accident well over a year ago now when I was doing some research online about something not pertaining to travel OR luggage. Elegantly designed colors jumped off the page and I fell in love with a red commuter bag in their Transcend line; it had four double swivel wheels for effortless 360° navigation too.
As I then started flipping through their luggage choices and other collections, it was the Transcend line that made the biggest impression, at least initially, because, hey, I’m a fan of glorious color. I had been wanting to test out a few carry on roller bags since my earlier reviews primarily focused on large and small accompanied checked bags. Alas, Transcend also had a carry-on wheeler bag in RED, but the carry-on didn’t have those easy-to-navigate swivel wheels. It’s a beauty regardless….
Then I came across the Rolling Cabin Bag from Briggs & Riley’s Baseline collection and they had an elegant soft olive green, perfect for a woman who loves clean streamlined design, sophisticated colors and functionality. Their rolling cabin bag has effortless 360° navigation of four double swivel wheels, all rolled into one. It’s perfect for carrying on board and laying flat under your seat or in the overhead compartment. And so, I opted for this one because of its state-of-the-art wheels and neutral but pretty color choice. If I had my druthers, I’d love to see them come out with the above design from Transcend in a rich Victorian Blue with the four double swivel wheels as a carry-on roller. Even as a fashionista luxury travel gal, I love having a side stretch pocket for a bottle of water or juice while running to my gate.
I opted for the more flexible blue color which can go with more outfits and match more bag combos — I have a few checked luggage in blue that I love! Be sure to check out some of the other great performing luggage brands I have reviewed: Heys, Samsonite, TravelPro and Kipling.
While we’re talking about “blues” and great colors for female travelers, I have to be honest – I LOVE the vivid blue of the new Briggs & Riley Sympatico shopping tote. It makes for a perfect personal piece when headed to your next destination and is ever so stylish. While it does coordinate perfectly with the same color Sympatico hard spinner, you could also mix and match and go with one blue and one burgundy piece and let’s be honest, either color goes really well with black as well.
The tote is made out of a lightweight Micro Nylon outer fabric which resists wear, water, dirt and abrasion, is 13.5 inches by 18.5 inches by 7.5 inches in size and is priced at $119.00. It only started shipping to the public in mid-July of this year, so it’s a newer line and oh so fun! I feel fortunate to have gotten one of the first ones on the market.
For the male travelers among us, the blue and black make great options for hard spinner options and Briggs & Riley has plenty of options with a variety of bold colors and if you’re not as courageous as us fashionistas, you can always get a more neutral or black color from nearly any collection they have.
Note: the folks at B&R sent me product to review but all opinions expressed are my own.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
