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Smart Luggage

By Domini Clark

Welcome to the world of high-tech travel: You check in on your BlackBerry and watch what you want on your inflight seatback screen. So what’s with the low-tech luggage? The savvy traveller knows today’s suitcases do more than just hold your clothes.

It’s in the Bag

Sometimes you really must live out of your suitcase. Never mind room service – on whirlwind business trips, unpacking is the ultimate luxury, and by the end of a week, it’s all in the bag (including dirty socks). If this image brings out the germaphobe in you, next time pack clean with the Viewer Trolley from Japanese designer Hideo Wakamatsu. Underneath its sleek polycarbonate exterior it boasts an interior lining with an antibacterial and anti-odour finish. Beauty inside and out.
Starting at US$229, hideostore.com

Travellin’ Light

Yes, it’s likely that more attractive luggage will come tumbling down the chute. But you’ll be the one drawing stares when you handily lift your bag off the carousel without keeling backward under its weight. Heys claims its FlyLite line is the world’s lightest “hybrid” luggage. Weighing less than five pounds (for the 20-inch size), it combines the strength of hard luggage (an ABS exoskeleton frame) with the convenience of soft luggage (front pockets on its 400D nylon exterior). Who says you can’t have it both ways?
$319.97, heys.ca

Pop a Wheelie

Forget hauling around an awkward carry-on bag. The 360 Four collection from Titan of Germany has wheels that work in any direction, meaning you can turn it sideways for a quick (and graceful) trip up the aisle. (Low-profile “anti-snag” handles add to its streamlining abilities.) There, that wasn’t so hard.
Starting at US$490, titanluggageusa.com

Go Eco Chic

Feeling green? Along with participating in Air Canada’s carbon offset program, you can also pack smarter. X’Lite luggage, part of Samsonite’s sexy Black Label collection, is the brand’s lightest line ever. And we know that a lighter load means less fuel used. What’s more, the case is made of Curv, a composite polypropylene material that is non-toxic and recyclable. And if that’s not enough incentive for you, it’s a favourite of Eva Longoria. Smart and sexy – just the way we like it.
Starting at US$245, samsoniteblacklabel.com

Luxe It Up

If money is no object, then a Henk Travelfriend is your object. Crafted in the Netherlands, a Henk suitcase is the ultimate expression of smart new technologies and old-fashioned flair. Materials used include carbon fibre (for the exterior), horsehair (locker tops) and leather – calf leather, of course. Its features include 500 separate parts, wheels that deploy at the touch of a Madagascar ebony button and a retractable leash to help prevent theft. Cases come ready-to-ship or fully customizable. But they don’t come cheap: The price starts at about 19,000 euros.
For more information visit henk.com

(Domini Clark is deputy editor of The Globe and Mail Style section and a regular contributor to StyleCounsel, the Globe’s free daily style e-newsletter.)