Travel Products - Tumi Arrive DeGaulle

I saw one of these at JFK the other day. It was gorgeous. So gorgeous that I went to Tumi's website and tracked it down based on the look of it alone.

http://tumius.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pTUMI1-7880456_alternate3_v400.jpg

I must have this bag. However, I will never pay $1,095 for a suitcase; even if I'm dying of thirst and there's a bottle of Evian in the outer pocket.

So: does anyone know the location of a Chinatown warehouse with a pallet of these in stock?

Or; are there similar bags that I can get my hands on at a fraction of the price?

Hahah I got mine as a gift. I LOVE that bag. It is worth every penny that my friend spent on it... :) I honestly spent a lot of money on cheap bags that would only last a few years. Its nice to have a substantial bag now. I think its well worth the splurge. It sounds like you travel enough to justify it!

I saw one of these at JFK the other day. It was gorgeous. So gorgeous that I went to Tumi's website and tracked it down based on the look of it alone.

http://tumius.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pTUMI1-7880456_alternate3_v400.jpg

So: does anyone know the location of a Chinatown warehouse with a pallet of these in stock?


Is there such place as a Chinatown Location that has cheap tumi bags? If so which city are you referring to?

Sorry, but what would justify the ridiculous price tag on that suitcase? It doesn't look special, the brand is premium but not luxe, it doesn't seem to have any special features or materials. Standard Tumi limited 5 year warranty, I suppose? So why?

The Victorinox Tourbach series was really well made and had a great warranty. yet it was only half the price of this.

For this kind of money I'd expect something to set the case apart other than the price tag or I'd feel completely cheated.

EDIT:
I looked at it in detail. Besides leather patches on the wheel caps there is nothing but nothing at all special on it. Any Andiamo Valoroso will annihilate that thing in build quality and looks. Probably the same for any Travelpro Plat starting with series 5. The Tumi costs more than a fancy Rimowa.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting and talking with a Tumi store manager who just came back from a Tumi conference for managers where the new strategy was laid out. She said Tumi wants to move upmarket towards Vuitton territory (good luck) and that they compete with brands like Apple and Bose, not with other luggage brands. So they want to go into a lifestyle direction. It seems this is it. But sadly this does not convince me one bit.

Till

Yep - the price tag has nothing to do with the utility of the product. The "high-end" stuff is the functional equivalent of a Dolce & Gabbana t shirt.

I recently had the pleasure of meeting and talking with a Tumi store manager who just came back from a Tumi conference for managers where the new strategy was laid out. She said Tumi wants to move upmarket towards Vuitton territory (good luck) and that they compete with brands like Apple and Bose, not with other luggage brands. So they want to go into a lifestyle direction. It seems this is it. But sadly this does not convince me one bit.

Nor me. Tumi used to have a reputation for solid build quality, which justified the prices they charged. Their "premium" brand status was build on the essential strength of the product line, and hard-won respect from real travellers. Having won it, they're now frittering it away with stuff that plays the price tag line a very different way; people buying their stuff to show they can afford it. Good taste and actual utility come second to the display of disposable wealth. What are they thinking?

Nor me. Tumi used to have a reputation for solid build quality, which justified the prices they charged. Their "premium" brand status was build on the essential strength of the product line, and hard-won respect from real travellers. Having won it, they're now frittering it away with stuff that plays the price tag line a very different way; people buying their stuff to show they can afford it. Good taste and actual utility come second to the display of disposable wealth. What are they thinking?

Exactly. Conspicuous consumption of the leisure class. :D

It seriously seems to be where they are headed. Personally, I don't think this is the right way. Perhaps they realize that Briggs & Riley is now what Tumi once was.

And also I think that they are putting up too many different product lines. I mean I can understand that they want something more feminine as there are more and more female professionals traveling. That's good. But the Arrive line plus two different hardside lines plus any number of other lines. The product roster just gets too unwieldy and it also seems to be a bit "unsophisticated" to have so many lines. I mean if they really want to go the LV direction they should take a lesson. LV has three basic lines, two variations of those lines and some special edition models within those lines from time to time as collabs with certain artists or designers.

So the products become recognizable both by their shape and by their material because there aren't a million shapes and materials.

Till

Not sure I agree about B&R being the new Tumi. Their designs still fall short in my opinion, a bit clunky and badly integrated, but they're trying, and they're certainly well-built. However, Tumi chasing after LV looks bound for a pratfall. LV have a century of top-end luggage heritage to draw on from those glory days of fashionable travel we still hanker after, not to mention all the French luxury and fashion association, and that halo still lingers even if much of their current stuff is frankly naff. Tumi appear unable to understand the strong heritage they once built for themselves, let alone being able to create a new one to match LV. Just look at their website. Any magic there, any romance of travel? Any pride in workmanship? Any soul? Nope. It's all just rows of product mugshots - could be a parade of white goods for all the passion there is on display. That speaks to me of a company that just doesn't know what its DNA is. And saying they want to compete with Apple or Bose is just desperate me-too marketing-speak, from people desperate to stretch a brand further than it will go..

Totally!

I propose Tumi hand over executive powers to Rob and I. It's the only way the brand has any future! :-::-::-:

I do agree on the rather bland design of the BR line. But they are making efforts there, too. Although they killed some of their most interesting bags, reason for which I am just the happier I still got some, notably the 235x and the BB107 from the Baseline series.

On the LV side I do think that if any brand had the potential to become the LV of nylon luggage it was Andiamo with the Valoroso line. The stuff looked good and original but still classic. Plenty of romance of travel and adventure to go around. Plus impeccable function and workmanship topped by a killer warranty. Those who got in on the sale a while back or who have known the brand for longer will know what I am talking about.

But they weren't good in the marketing department. Too bad they are gone.

Till

Yep - the price tag has nothing to do with the utility of the product. The "high-end" stuff is the functional equivalent of a Dolce & Gabbana t shirt.

I kinda like the Dolce and Gabbana douche bag stuff. ;) Kim Kardishian has a perfume too, you know. The last I heard, she actually sold a couple million of that stuff.

All kidding aside I have to give some love to Tumi's, how do I say this, "organization." For example, the inside accordian file whatchumacallit's in the wheeled compact brief is really really nice. it's shoe pockets were deep and most of all, the front organization pockets really stand out. it uses simple elastic pockets that are designed to hold a lot of things. (other bags have credit card slots and individual pen slots..... why???? who sticks in individual credit cards in their wheeled brief instead of stashing your wallet???? Briggs has really nice bags and I have a couple myself but their supposedly well thought front org. pockets always left scratching my head a bit because not everthing fit very well. I found that the pockets in there were made for people with small hands or perhaps ladies.

and what about the pop up handle bars on the Tumi wheeled brief? with other wheeld brief, you have to stick your finger between the fabric and the handle and "fish" it out. With Tumi you just press the top the handle and Presto! it pops right out.

I also have this 9 year old Tumi slim briefcase. It's only 3 inches deep but has a total of 6 deep elastic pockets that hold all my little stuff and 6 other zippered compartments to hold everything else. I'm not doing a good job explaining but I haven't found a better briefcase in terms of real business necessitated organization.

Two things I wish from Tumi products:

1. make things easily replaceable. e.g. you can simply order new wheel from Briggs yourself and replace it your self in about 5 mins. Can't do that with Tumi.

2. Make the T Tech and Alpha line and other less expensive line equal in quality to the more expensive stuff like Arrive and Bedford lines. (if they are indeed going upmarket they should do that with leather, shiny chrome, more luxurious interior lining but I don't care for it) But they should really leave the functional maximum right around the same price level at Briggs Baseline level.

my two cents.

"I propose Tumi hand over executive powers to Rob and I." :D Wouldn't that be fun. They could at the very least take us on as highly-paid international consultants...

I do see B&R going down the right route, but their basic design thinking still seems to be "let's make a box and just stick all the other bits on the outside somewhere". It works, but it's not very pretty.