$30,000 Carry-On, Anyone?
Meg Butler August 19, 2019
I’m an Away girl myself, but, when I’m not flying and functionality is no object, and my carry-on is coming with me on a cruise or a weekend road trip, I like to switch it up with something more whimsical. This year I’ve been really into the Smart Birdy and the vintage doctor’s bag I got for my birthday last year. I’m always on the lookout for something new, but I can’t say that I’ve ever found anything like the $29,850 carry-on roller bag by the Canadian luggage studio Charles Simon.
Image Source: Charles Simon
Just what makes it so eye-wateringly expensive? Well, the Bonaventure is made out of maple or cherry wood with a coat of young bull leather which is certainly a fancy way to say calfskin. It’s around 12 pounds which is significantly heavier than most carry-ons made of more modern material but the retro construction is meant to evoke the feeling of 19th-century trunk travel.
Image Source: Charles Simon
Unfortunately, it won’t be traveling by steamship. It will be crammed into overhead compartments, or make you feel like you might lose consciousness when the gate agent asks you to please check it because there’s no more space in the cabin. But, even if I were flying private or on a yacht, I don’t think that I could ever feel comfortable with a carry-on the cost of a used Benz C-Class.
But, if you’re interested, or just want to ogle it like I did, you can head to the Charles Simon website for more details.
Do you ever get the impression they're screwing with us? A couple of designers saying "Hey Jimmy - let's make a really FUGLY carry on, and then we'll charge a STUPID price for it and tell people it's artisan." "Good idea, Bob. I have some old pieces of wood I can slap together and we'll cover it with something fancy. How much can we charge?" "I don't know... $1,000?" "No way, Bob. I say we go for broke. $5,000." "Come on Jimmy... if you're going to be stupid, be REALLY stupid. $30,000! If anyone buys it, I'll buy you a bottle of Scotch." "Challenge accepted..."
A Stradivarius makes a more impressive $3M carry-on.
This is the kind of thing that people who can afford to buy it, and are thinking of buying it, should just give the $30k to charity and go back to watching the Kardashians.