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Spring 2000 Webzine

In this issue: Baglady Boarding Pass | Gadget Review | ITLA 2000 | LL Bean TRAVELER | Summer Sneak Peek

ITLA 2000 (cont'd)

by Lani Teshima

Page 2 of 2 [Click here to go to page 1]

Click on these thumbnails for a larger view. Jansport's new line geared for the business traveler Timberland JEEP, making inroads into luggage Pyramid's niche market in children's luggage Travel Essentials with a booth full of accessories GustBuster demonstrates one of their patented umbrellas that don't invert Most of us are familiar with Jansport, the less expensive cousin to Eagle Creek, whose school backpacks are everywhere on college and high school campuses. In the recent past, Jansport seemed to have concentrated on creating hip designs for the Generation-X crowd, but no more (either that, or the Gen-Xers have arrived on Wall Street... or Silicon Valley). Jansport still had a booth displaying their book packs, but this year, they had a second booth that introduced buyers to Jansport luggage, soft-sided products in dark neutrals designed for the business traveler. [Note: Timberland, known to most folks for their hiking shoes, had a large display showcasing their backpacks and clothes, as well as their shoes. They get my nod for providing a little bit of the outdoors in the form of a little rock waterfall wall they erected next to their exhibit. While it may not be too much of a stretch for Timberland to sell backpacks, one big surprise came in the form of Jeep, which also had a booth. If you have a really good imagination, you can probably make a leap from cars to rolling uprights. Their Web site shows that Jeep Provisions include luggage, clothing, and electronics. You'd think they weren't making enough money from SUVs... A number of companies catered to niche markets. Pyramid, for example, had a display reminiscent of Barbie Corner at your local FAO Schwarz toy store. Yes, even your little children should have their own telescoping-handled rolling up right to take to grammy's. Barbie pink not quite right for your child? You might try Pokemon instead. Travel Essentials by Austin House (whose electrical adapters/converters information is available here) had a booth full of travel-related knick-knacks, including some security-related products. [I made sure to drop by to give my best wishes to Sidney Thompson, my contact there. Unfortunately she had not made this trip out from Texas.] The "most effective demo" award from me goes to Gustbuster for their 55-mile-per-hour wind machine, which was used to show how impossible it was to invert the Gustbuster umbrella. You'll find a review of the Gustbuster in this issue. The Baglady's general impressions: If you haven't noticed by now, telescoping-handled rolling uprights are in. 80% of the luggage I saw were handled-wheelies; even those that looked utterly ridiculous being wheeled around. In fact, looking out on the sea of telescoping handles at the show reminded me of 1950s America, with the cityscape littered with TV antennas on rooftops. With tighter carry-on sizing requirements mandated by the FAA, the luggage industry has responded! Even the more traditional luggage manufacturers now make convenient carry-ons that meet the new federal requirements, and many now also make baggage that easily meets the size requirements. If your travel plans include flying on very small commuter aircrafts, or you are a seasoned travelite packer, you can find some really nice packs sized just for you. Part of the show schedule included a fashion show on Saturday. On more than a few occasions, the graceful models tripped on their luggage straps, tipped the wheeled luggage on its side, or couldn't open the items quickly. These are not criticisms against the models, but serve as reminders that not all luggage that look fashionably good, are utilitarian and practical. Try out your bags before you buy them! Travel luggage people are luggage folks, but leather luggage people are leather folks. That is, vendors who specialized in leather merchandise were leather experts. I saw very little overlap, outside of the real expensive luggage merchandise. Speaking of expensive, yes -- indeed I witnessed rolling uprights priced at over $500. Yikes! No, these weren't nuclear bomb-proof; you mostly paid for the designer nametag... to match your diamond-encrusted Rolex. # # # # #

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