...I worked in the luggage department at Joske's of Texas, North Star Mall, San Antonio. I sold a lot of luggage for that store. We carried everything--Samsonite, Tourister, Skyway---but I always loved Hartmann.

In fact, I loved Hartmann so much that for a couple of years straight, I was the #1 Hartmann retail sales person in their Southwest region (Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana). They sent a rep from the company to see why I sold so much of it (so they could replicate it).

I had a couple of demo pieces (returns that we'd written out of stock) that I used. One of my favorite demos was to take a standard Bic pen (the clear plastic kind) and drive it straight into the side of the tweed bag. The customer would always gasp. I'd pull the pen out, smooth out the tweed---and you couldn't tell where the pen had gone in. The stuff's practically indestructible. Yes, I suppose the airlines could rip it if they tried hard enough, but it's tough stuff. Cleaning would be the biggest headache, but there are commercial cleaners available (use upholstery cleaner) and you can get most everything out.

The wooden frame was put together with resilient plastic corners, to resist dropping. I'd throw the demo bag as hard as I could against a wall, then the floor---no damage.

The brass closures close with a reassuring, solid "click". The pieces fit together perfectly. All the fittings (on the vintage stuff) are solid brass, including the locks.

My favorite demo was to stand on it. I was slim then, but I could stand on the bag anywhere the customer wanted me to stand on it---flat on the fabric, perched on the top, whatever. I'd get them to tell me where to stand, then I'd stand on it. Worked every time.

I've had a lot of luggage since then, and now I use the Samsonite on wheels for air travel (just too much slogging through airports to carry bags), but I still use my 30 year old Hartmann for any/all car trips. I have a train case (I am male) that holds all my stuff--electric toothbrush, water pik portable, regular can shaving cream, hair dryer, gel, all the drugs I now have to take (I'm 53 and no longer slim....). The thing about the Hartmann train case is, it's literally a box with a handle---so it STACKS (as do the luggage pieces) EASILY in the car. Also, you can find stuff easily in its plastic-lined interior--no digging in a bag.

I still think it's the best quality luggage I've ever had, though as I said, these days I want something with big wheels on ball bearings for me to haul through the airport. Still, I love using it in the car--something about it still makes me feel "well dressed" as it were; just a bit old-fashioned and elegant.