Product review – ZUCA Pro rolling luggage

by Scott Carmichael on

Before I introduce you to the ZÜCA Pro, let me open with an admission – I am a luggage junkie. I have a closet completely devoted to all the various bags I have collected over my many years of traveling.

Now that is out of the way, let me introduce you to something I can only describe as the coolest bag I’ve ever come across – and this is coming from someone who has often spent over $1000 on a set of matching bags.

The ZÜCA Pro is a rolling bag with a twist (several in fact). The bag is built around an aircraft grade aluminum frame, with rollerblade style shock absorbing wheels and a sturdy aluminum retracting handle.

What makes the bag different, is how the frame has been made into an integral part of the design – many bags feature some kind of metal or plastic inner frame, but the ZÜCA Pro has been designed with enough strength that you can actually use the bag as a seat. No longer will you have to battle with your fellow passengers in the departure lounge, you simply roll your bag into a nice corner, and take a seat on it.
The inside of the bag is where the design gets even better – instead of your usual empty cavernous space, the ZÜCA Pro comes complete with 5 color coded packing cubes and a TSA compliant toiletries pouch.

These packing cubes force you to pack wisely. ZÜCA even includes a helpful “how to pack” guide, recommending which garments to pack in each cube. In real life, this works amazingly well.

The largest packing cube is 9.5″x10.5″x5″, making it large enough for 3 pairs of pants or a couple of bulky sweaters. Each pouch is made of durable and nylon mesh and has a handle on the front, making it easy to pull out of the case. To put the space to a real test, I first packed what I normally would inside my usual 22″ rolling suitcase, then I repacked all the items in the ZÜCA Pro.

All my garments and toiletries fit without a hitch, though the bag did not have much space left, and adding an extra pair of shoes would have been tricky. Because of the metal frame, there is not much room for expansion. The toiletries bag fits in an elastic pouch in the top, so once you reach the checkpoint you can pull it out for inspection in a matter of seconds.

Hidden away in the front of the bag is an expandable wet garment storage pocket, which is great if you end up with a lap full of orange juice on your flight and have to make a quick change mid-trip. On the outside of the bag are several zippered pockets, and on the rear are 2 more pockets, and a name tag/business card holder, covered with a Velcro flap, to keep prying eyes off your personal information.

There is one other feature you won’t find on most other rolling cases – the entire bag can be detached from the frame, and washed. Of course, if you are like me, you want your bag to be grimy and dirty, it’s how people can tell you’ve seen some real roadwarrior action.

The bag weighs just 8.75lbs, which means it is the same weight as many other premium rolling cases. The wheels are recessed, making it easy to slide in the overhead compartment without the poor flight attendant having to use all her weight to get the bin door to lock. On the top of the case is a large handle. If the boring black wheels don’t impress you much, you can pick up a set of blinking LED wheels for just $10.

I know luggage is a really personal thing, so I’m not going to try and convince you to go out and order one of these bags, but I feel safe saying that the ZÜCA Pro is the best damn piece of luggage I have ever reviewed.

When put up against my trusty $700 Tumi rolling suitcase, the poor Tumi loses in every battle, and that is a piece of luggage that has traveled close to a million miles with me.

The ZÜCA Pro costs $285, which includes the bag, the 5 packing cubes, the toiletries bag and a nice ballistic nylon cover, which is perfect if you are forced to check the bag and want to give the poor thing a little extra protection. The ZÜCA Pro comes with a lifetime warranty.

You’ll find the ZÜCA Pro at their web site, where you can also learn more about the design. Of course, this is also where you’ll find their online store.

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Product review – The Cruising Caddy

by Scott Carmichael on

By now, I’m sure most of you are used to my product reviews involving items with buttons and lights. Still, every now and then I’ll run into a product that is not battery operated, but interesting enough to warrant a closer look.

The BVT Products Cruising Caddy is a travel tote and water bottle holder. The product is roomy enough to hold a 1.5 liter bottle and has 2 pockets on the outside for the random stuff you carry around with you.

Inside the main bottle pouch is a removable insulated sleeve. The front pocket is an expandable Velcro pouch with a “hidden” secondary pocket, and the back pocket is an open top elastic pouch. These 2 pockets offer enough space for your phone, digital camera, paperwork and anything else you need to drag along with you.

On the side of the Cruise Caddy is a metal D-Ring and a clip, for attaching keys.

Of course – bags, pouches and other accessories are a pretty personal thing, but I really do find the Cruise Caddy quite “cool”, and it is most certainly cooler than walking around with a bright green fanny pack (and yes, sadly I do speak from experience here).

The Cruise Caddy is available in black, red and khaki. The black version costs $24.99, and the other 2 colors sell for just $19.99. The product is available directly from BVT products, or from retailers nationwide.

Stay tuned later this week for the Gadling Valentines day giveaway, where you’ll have the chance to win a “his and hers” Cruising Caddy.

Daily deal – Tumi yearly clearance sale – up to 50% off

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is for the yearly clearance sale in the Tumi luggage store. Tumi makes some pretty classy (and usually quite expensive) luggage, but it is the kind of stuff that can survive almost any kind of abuse you throw at it.

I’ve been pulling the same Tumi rolling suitcase around the airport since 2000, and while it may look like it’s been to hell and back, it’s still solid as a rock.

Of course, solid as a rock means it comes with a pretty hefty price tag. A “normal” Tumi rolling case will cost between $400 and $750, but the yearly sale event is the one time a year you can pick up some very nice pieces of luggage for as little as $100. Some of the highlights in the sale are the expandable rolling suiter pictured above, or this fantastic hard shell rolling case for just $175.

Expensive luggage is not for everyone, but if you are like me, and you are not very nice to your bags, then it is a great investment in something that will last for many years. The sale lasts till January 31st, but items may start selling out pretty soon.

Daily deal – Swiss Gear Montreaux backpack for $8.54

by Scott Carmichael on

My daily deal for today is for the Swiss Gear Montreaux technical daypack.

This high quality bag has 2 side pockets, one large main compartment and an iPod/mp3 player pocket with a headphone pass-through jack.

The bag is available in several colors, but to get the low price of $8.54, you’ll have to select pink, red, black or gray, if you select any of the other colors, the price will shoot up to just under $19. The normal retail price of the bag is over $30!

As always, you’ll need to order more than $25 from Amazon to be eligible for their free shipping, or you can use your Amazon Prime account if you have one.

There are no reviews of this bag, but to be honest, at eight and a half bucks, there is very little that can go wrong, so I’ve ordered one for myself (just not in pink).

Is the TSA too rough with your stuff?

by Meg Massie on

While waiting in line, just about everyone bitches and moans about the airport security screening process. But of the over 500 million fliers this year, only 12,000 have filed official complaints with the Transportation Security Administration. The rest of us just air our grievances on our blogs.

The number one complaint this year is that the TSA screeners mishandle personal property. This includes when items get damaged in the screening process, as well as lost and stolen. A TSA spokeswoman insists that the agency takes theft very seriously, and that the “TSA has let officers go who’ve taken 50 cents out of a bowl.” It’s good to know they care — but we’re not impressed with how long it took them to catch one agent who had stolen over $200,000 worth of travelers’ property.

The second largest complaint the agency gets is reports of rude treatment. Most TSA agents I’ve crossed paths with recently have been perfectly friendly, but it just takes one meanie to leave a long lasting bad taste in a traveler’s mouth — and most security lines have at least one meanie, I’ve noticed.

If you have complaints for the TSA, they urge you to share your comments on their official website, www.tsa.gov. You can also call with complaints or fill out comment cards at the airport.