Get Them Going With Luggage and Leather Goods
By Emily Tipping
Rolling Right Along
If making it easy to move through the airport is a goal, then the means employed for getting from one place to another is crucial. Gone are the days of luggage without any wheels at all. At this point, even two-wheeled luggage has earned the "Stone Age" epithet.
In fact, according to Suitcase.com's survey, wheels are the most important luggage feature, named by 96 percent of respondents. For this reason, you'll find a lot of pieces getting away from the harder-to-navigate two-wheeled and toward the easy-peasy four-wheeled pieces.
"There is a migration going on between two-wheeled and four-wheeled product," Mitchell said. As an example, Mitchell cited Samsonite's Xspace collection (to be replaced in January by the Hyperspace collection). Now the company's most popular collection, Xspace is only available in spinner, or four-wheeled, configurations.
"That's telling us that the consumer is not only gravitating to four wheels, but they're doing it in droves," Mitchell said. "Once you've used a four-wheeled product, you can't go back. It's so simple to move around. Two wheels is like the Stone Age."
For Ricardo Beverly Hills' new Roxbury Collection, available through Earth Gear, a double spinner wheel system enables the pieces to glide effortlessly in any direction. The collection features a 100 percent virgin polycarbonate case with corner armor added for lasting durability. Each sleek piece has a split book-style opening with two full compartments. The set includes a 21-inch Carry-on, and 25-inch and 29-inch Spinner Uprights in lustrous Brushed Black Cherry or Brushed Silver.
Even business cases are not immune to the four-wheeled migration. Samsonite introduced a backpack with spinner wheels. This ripstop nylon case features four spinner wheels for ease of mobility, a monotube handle and the exclusive "Quick Change" shoulder strap system that instantly converts from an over-the-shoulder bag to a wheeled spinner. It also includes numerous organizational pockets, a padded laptop sleeve and a velour-lined valuables pocket. The unique gusseted front pocket further improves function and appearance.
| 
