Hello Gate8'ers,
Fellow Brit here based in Vancouver. Nice to see a UK company entering the ultra-competitive luggage industry. I travel 100k+ business miles a year, on all sizes of aircraft, within North America and transatlantic to Europe. I am also somewhat luggage obsessed!
I've read Arjunrc's in-depth review of your product and watched his insightful videos. I think your product is certainly innovative - a compact wheeled garment bag is a good idea where the traveler has to wear suits. On occasion, I do have to wear a suit, but most of the time I am traveling to attend internal meetings where 'business casual' is the rule. I am not sold on the detachable laptop case. Asides the limited capacity of the laptop bag (Arjunrc has some creative suggestions on how to overcome this challenge), I just don't think it is really all that useful...but I understand the desire to be able to market a 'one bag' solution.
I've bought and tried all different types of luggage from different manufacturers, and have concluded that (for me anyway) Briggs & Riley is the benchmark that a company like yours would have to aspire to. Reasons for this conclusion include:
- Outstanding warranty with an extensive network of repair outlets. For me, this is really important as my luggage is put through a lot of abuse and inevitably the odd repair is needed. I pay a premium for B&R product knowing if anything goes wrong I can drive to a local repair centre and have it repaired....no need to ship the product and wait weeks for it to come back (if indeed it is covered by a warranty).
- Bullet-proof material quality. "Tumi for Show, Briggs for the Pro" is my personal motto. I own a few small Tumi pieces, and I admire the look and design of Tumi products, but for a true road warrior, B&R is the brand for me - build quality is superior to Tumi.
- Simple (B&R looks somewhat 'no frills' compared to Tumi) but very effective design, especially when it comes to pocket configurations.
I tend to stick to two pieces of luggage when I travel:
1. B&R 231X Double-Expandable Cabin Bag
http://www.briggs-riley.com/category...31X&cat=travel)
2. B&R KR251 Medium Slim Rolling Brief
http://www.briggs-riley.com/category...1&sec=business
After a lot of trial and error I have determined that this combination is optimal for me. I'd love to think I could walk into a meeting with nothing more than a tablet, but that is a dream for me sadly. My reality involves a clunky work laptop, an inch or two of financial reports, phone, chargers/cables, pens etc. etc. All that gear is heavy to cart around on my shoulder, so I put it all in the KR251, which also acts as my daily home-to-office piece. I put all my clothes, toiletries etc. in the 231X that rides on top of the KR251. The 231X neatly fits an Eagle Creek 15" shirt folder, which is a nice touch.
Why is this optimal for me?
- I have enough room in the KR251 for all my business needs and bring this bag to my meetings...no need to try and squeeze too much into a small laptop bag (such as the one that comes with the Gate8....just too small for either my meetings or what I'd like access to when flying).
- The KR251 is small enough to go under the seat and thus allow easy access to laptop, headphones etc...no need to pull such items out of a larger bag before I sit down.
- Both pieces fit in the overhead bin of a CRJ900 aircraft. If I know I am flying in the smaller CRJ700, or dare I say it a Dash-8, I just take the 231X, that fits under my seat.
- The 231X is expandable in two increments of 2" each...a 4" expansion capability is such a nice touch. If I ever want to bring anything back from a trip or don't want to wear a jacket etc. I have the extra room. The double expansion capability is a good example of where good design doesn't have to be overly complicated.
- Aesthetically, the two matching pieces look pleasing on the eye, are relatively compact, and add a touch of sophistication (well, that's what I am telling myself)!
Hope that is helpful!
Cheers.
PS: GPS, integrated charging units, detachable wheels etc. are of no interest to me...just more potential for something to go wrong!