SkyMall Monday: Is the tugo rolling luggage drink holder clever or idiotic?

by Mike Barish on

I typically have very firm feelings about a SkyMall product. I either love it with all of my heart or hate it with a fiery passion. We’re not shy with our opinions here at SkyMall Monday headquarters. So, you can imagine how I feel this week when, well, I’m not sure what to think about the featured product. My gut tells me that it’s horrible. Heck, my mind tells me that, too. But, some other part of me, as small as it might be (please save your penis jokes for the comments), feels like some people my like it. Or even love it. As much as I want to despise it and question its existence, I’m actually shocked that I’ve never seen it being used before. It strikes me as the kind of thing that hordes of people might actually enjoy. And that’s why I need you, dear readers. Help me decide whether to believe my gut or that other little part of me. What do you think of the tugo rolling luggage drink holder?Meandering around the airport is no easy task. You have to keep track of your boarding pass, ID, luggage, kids, Cinnabon, etc. Your luggage will take up at least one hand (unless you’re towing it behind you with a body harness). That leaves you with one free hand for all of those other necessities. In theory, any device that helps you free up your hands is a good thing (except for Bluetooth headsets, which make you look like a massive douchebag). And yet, the tugo seems so wrong.

Perhaps the product description will help us decide:

No more fumbling with your drink when pulling your rolling luggage. Tugo securely nestles coffee cups, water bottles, baby bottles and more, keeping them stable and level.

Provides a handy and secure place for your drink while walking the concourse or sitting at the gate.

Would you rather fumble with your drink while you’re walking (presuming that you’ve yet to master drinking, in which case, perhaps you should consider using a sippy cup) or have your beverage perched precariously above your moving luggage? Are those the only two choices? In this scenario, it would appear so.

Well, what say you, SkyMall Monday readers? Is the tugo rolling luggage drink holder brilliant or moronic? Vote below and share your thoughts in the comments. Oh, and if you need some help deciding how to cast your vote, there’s a video of the tugo for you below, as well.

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Check out all of the previous SkyMall Monday posts HERE.

Luggage: A brief history

by McLean Robbins on

Luggage, often referred to as “baggage” or “suitcases” is a term coined in 1596, from lug (v.) “to drag;” so, lit. “what has to be lugged about” (or, in Johnson’s definition, “any thing of more bulk than value”). In 20c., the usual word for “baggage belonging to passengers.”

For more than six hundred years, people have used traveling cases, steamer trunks valises, portmanteaus, briefcases, weekenders and the now ubiquitous rolling case to get their goods from point A to point B.

As lover of history, I’ve always been fascinated by luggage – many homes in my native DC have strange small “bedrooms,” (which can’t be referred to as such because they lack windows and closets) that were once housing for the owner’s trunks. I took a steamer trunk to college, only to find that it didn’t even come close to fitting in my shoebox of a dorm room. My greatest desire? A vintage Louis Vuitton case – and an appropriate wardrobe (and private jet ) to carry it.

So for this edition of “The Way We Traveled,” check out this brief timeline of luggage factoids:

1153 – The first wheeled luggage appears in Palestine and was used to carry weaponry and equipment.

1851 – Queen Victoria awards Prince Albert three gold medals for his Travelling Carry-All Omni-Conveyance, Bewheele.

1854 – Louis Vuitton as we know it was born, initially specializing in luggage.

1910 – Samsonite launches.

1970 – Briggs & Riley introduces modern “wheeled” luggage, offering four wheels and a rope tow.

1972 – U.S. Luggage patents wheeled luggage.

1989 – A Northwest Airlines pilot becomes the first person to carry wheeled luggage

1994 – Don Ku was granted a patent for wheeled suitcase with a collapsible towing handle.

2006 – A ban on liquids over 3 oz. in carry-on luggage is announced.

Late 2000s – Airlines begin charging bag fees for checked luggage on domestic flights.

2013 – The date when the proposed ban on liquids in carry on luggage will be reversed in the EU.

*This article was updated to reflect additional information about wheeled luggage on March 2, 2011.

Briggs And Riley celebrate forty years of their most famous invention – rolling luggage

by Scott Carmichael on

October 1970 was a special month for the luggage industry, and for the parent company of Briggs And Riley – it was the month they released the world’s first rolling suitcase.

The original design (pictured above) featured four wheels and a piece of rope to pull it along, but for the first time, it meant not having to carry your heave cases through the airport.

The bag was designed by U.S. Luggage president Bernard Sadow, who got his inspiration when he returned from a vacation in Aruba with a bunch of heavy bags. Of course, the four wheeled rope pulled bags of the past are relics of air travel history, and the current generation wheeled bags from Briggs And Riley don’t look anything like the old ones.

Like many innovative products, the road from idea to store shelves was not an easy one – when Sadow took his new bag to buyers at the major department stores, none of them were interested. Macy’s and Gimbels both showed him the door.

Thankfully, a vice president at Macy’s wasn’t so short sighted, and instructed his buyers to place orders – making Macy’s the first store in the world to sell the first rolling luggage in the world. And the rest is history.

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Trip by TravelTeq is a (very expensive) rolling suitcase, chair and speaker

by Scott Carmichael on

Innovations in luggage don’t happen often, and when they do happen, it is usually for a new color or pattern. So, the new Trip by TravelTeq is clearly getting the attention it deserves on the Internet. This $850 aluminum and ABS honeycomb suitcase features everything you’d expect from a good piece of luggage, with a couple of surprises.

Sure, you get a laptop compartment and enough storage space for some clothes, but unfold the rear stand, and it turns into a chair. Plug your iPod in, and you have a rechargeable stereo system. The design may not suit everyone, but then again, not everyone is in the market for an $850 piece of luggage.

It isn’t even the first aluminum suitcase/chair on the market, that honor goes to the ZÜCA pro which we reviewed back in 2009. Still, the Trip looks like a snazzy piece of luggage, and I’m a fan of anything that looks different. I’d just get a little upset if some overzealous gate agent told me I’d need to check it – because you just know that the airline will try and see how sturdy the bag is when they try and run over it with the luggage truck.

You’ll find more about this bag, and how you can order your own, at TravelTeq.com.

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[Via: Engadget]

Lightweight security friendly rolling case – Gadling reviews the Case Logic 22″ upright roller

by Scott Carmichael on

Innovations in rolling luggage are pretty rare – mainly because there is very little left to innovate with. Thankfully, something new does pop up every now and then, like in the new Case Logic 22″ Upright Lightweight rolling case.

This good looking piece of luggage is two things in one – a lightweight rolling case and a TSA checkpoint friendly laptop bag.

The model I am reviewing is in the gold color version – which is a very striking color, and something that is bound to help make finding your bag much easier.

The checkpoint friendly part of this bag consists of a laptop sleeve that slides into the front pocket. The sleeve will hold laptops up to 16″, and when inserted into the bag, it provides a decent amount of padding for your computer. Because the sleeve has nothing obstructing the images of an X-Ray machine, you won’t have to remove your laptop for inspection (unless requested to do so). The top of the sleeve has 2 handles making it easier to pull out of your bag.

The inside of the bag is nothing special – there are several zippered pockets and the usual compression straps. The frame of the bag is made of lightweight EVA molded plastic, which helps keep the weight down to 7 lbs 13 oz. The wheels are positioned on the outer corners, reducing the space they take up inside the main compartment.

The zippered expansion system adds two inches of additional storage space, just keep in mind that a fully expanded and packed bag may not fit in the overhead, forcing you to check it.

A zippered water bottle pocket lets you pull your bag around, giving you a spare hand for making the obligatory loud phone call when strolling through the airport.

All in all a very well designed piece of luggage – the build quality feels good, the wheels are nice and smooth, and the retracting handle doesn’t feel like it’ll break after your first trip.

I’m especially enamored with the color and the laptop sleeve. Being able to store your laptop in a checkpoint friendly pouch, leave you with more room in your second carry-on item. Of course, the laptop sleeve will take up some space in the main compartment of the bag, but that is a trade-off you’ll have to make. Best of all – it’ll reduce the weight of your second bag, something your shoulders will thank you for.

PROS: Integrated laptop carrying sleeve, bright color, expandable, ten year warranty

CONS: Zippered expansion system instead of locking mechanism

The Case Logic 22″ Lightweight Expandable Upright Roller retails for $179.99 and is available in black, grey and gold. The bag is available directly from Case Logic or from your favorite luggage retailer (where you may find it for around $150). The bag comes with a ten year warranty.