Hasta La Ideas

Style editors and a luggage giant unite in this utilitarian collaboration

When our friends at Selectism got the chance to design a new bag with Tumi, they created a bag suited for their constantly-on-the-move lifestyle. “We travel a lot for our jobs and most of the time it’s short trips,” explain Selectism editors David Fischer and Jeff Carvalho. “Events here, exhibitions there, meetings somewhere else. Packing for those short two day trips is always the trickiest part, because you do not want to check in anything, yet want to be flexible on arrival.” Noting that most bags are designed with a single function in mind, they came up with a design that was sensitive to varied needs.

The all-in-one bag design looks a lot like Tumi’s Alpha Sport Duffel and serves a similar function when flying. It gives the traveler a compact bag for short business trips that has room for a change of clothes and a section with an organizer for a laptop and accessories. Where the Selectism collaboration differs is in the detachable front and side pockets which can be converted into separate bags. While the main clothing compartment stays in the hotel, you can take a slim business brief and a tote along with you to carry the day’s necessities. The two spacious totes allow you to carry back more items than you brought, an added bonus for shoppers and convention-goers alike.

Functionality is everything when you’re on the road. Unobtrusive and compact, the bag does exactly what a good bag should: It puts the needs of the user first. Fischer added “Rather than getting inspired by other bags, we looked closely at what the bag needs to be able to do, what it needs to carry, how it should function. We analyzed our personal travel needs, which we believe are the same for many others out there, with only very few bags matching those needs.”

When asked about how he approached working with Tumi, Carvalho replied, “We tried to stay true to the brand, while offering something new to the Tumi client. Something a little younger, more refreshing, while being classic and timeless. We really wanted to make sure that a long time Tumi client can get excited, just as much as somebody who might be new to the brand.” Selectism’s sharp details include red leather accents, a chestnut-and-black striped interior, subtle Selectism logo badges and gunmetal zipper tags. The navy body and brown leather handle with bronze straps are subtle sartorial twists on the Tumi tradition.

Starting today the Tumi + Selectism travel bag is available exclusively at Park and Bond for $495.

A true fanny pack from the makers of Cap-Sacs

The clever brains behind the Cap-sac, the fanny pack for your head, introduce a natural extension to the line with their Pac-Sac. This time, they went back to basics with a pack actually made for fannies. Made of soft, neon-hued nylon with a slimmed-down profile, the bright bag is roomy enough to stash all your goodies, including a pocket specifically for iPods.

Customers can choose from six shades that mix and match with belt colors for a totally customizable Pac-Sac. Pacs sell through Cap-sac online for $17 each.

Also on Cool Hunting: Cap-Sac Kids

Ollie around the world with Burton’s redesigned roller bag

Having fallen in love with the way Burton’s Wheelie Cargo spins 360 degrees on its skateboard wheels, I was eager to check out the recently redesigned version after years of abuse left mine with busted zippers. A two-week trek around Europe presented the perfect opportunity for a real road test—rolling it over cobblestone streets, squeezing it into tiny elevators and shoving it onto planes, trains and automobiles—and the small tweaks resulted in big improvements.

Even before hitting the road, the bag’s re-imagined zipper placement added extra packing functionality. While the earlier model also boasted two main compartments that zip together, a new straight zipper down the top section’s middle replaces the old, more traditional zipper design. The reconfiguration makes a wide opening for easy stacking and packing, and another zipper below gives quick access to bottom layers. When you’re ready to close it up, clasps clip the extra material down flat, minimizing the bag’s size.

Other features preserve elements of the original, like the bottom compartment’s stretchy fabric lining. It’s perfect for cramming in bulky items like shoes or oddly shaped souvenirs, which an ultra-durable EVA/TPU plastic backing keeps safe. With easily accessible side pockets and internal mesh pockets for laundry, the Wheelie Cargo is like a home away from home.

Still set on Ixion skate wheels, the bag maneuvers the trickiest of streets and lends to easy wheel replacement. While the bag itself supports overpacking (an attribute I can personally attest to), if it’s filled to the max, the Wheelie does have a tendency to wobble over as you pull it off a curb onto the road.

The bag sells online or from Burton shops worldwide for $260, and is available in Grunge Plaid (pictured here), as well as Black and other colorful patterns.

Belgian design brand Quinze & Milan will present a sofa covered in pockets for backpack company Eastpak at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan next month. (more…)

Combining two useful travel accessories, a luggage tag with a hand-held digital scale, Weigh To Go is a no-brainer gadget for jetsetters. The compact device works by simply pushing the power button and lifting the suitcase off the floor for about five seconds. A steel carabiner lock keeps the scale in place and safely secures it to the luggage.

Developed by online community Quirky, the design is a sleeker improvement on other digital hand-helds, and reflects the ever expanding and complex needs of the modern traveler. Pre-order the battery-operated Weight To Go from the Quirky site for $33.