frebay

As you are boarding the plane and walk down the aisle. Which brand carry-on would make you think "yeah, that person is a sophisticated traveler" or "they did their hw before purchasing that bag"

Baghoarder

I would be very unlikely to decide whether someone was a sophisticated traveller based purely on what brand of luggage they had. The phrase "all the gear, no idea" springs to mind .

trust77

i'd say something from the Rimowa, Tumi, Vuitton, or even Samsonite lines...

tfar

Not sure if one can easily attach that judgment to a brand. If by sophisticated you mean money, that's easy: an expensive bag.

If by sophisticated you mean stylish, I'd say Glaser Design, Tusting, Swaine Adeney, Madler (Zurich), Vuitton Epicuir, Hermes, Valextra or any of the Parisian brands.

If by sophisticated you mean hip, I'd say something by one of those hyped Japanese brands like Porter or some Selfedge collab.

As for the done homework, I'd probably say something like Redoxx, Tom Bihn, Andiamo, Opec bag, MEO and so on. Those are bags that are promoted by word of mouth and not usually available at ordinary retail stores.

But you can only know if someone has done their homework if you look at how appropriate the bag is for the task at hand, what did s/he pack and how.

For example, I'd proudly claim of myself to have done me homework regarding luggage and knowing how to pack. Well sometimes I travel with very common luggage like Tumi, Briggs Riley, Travelpro or Samsonite. And I maintain that the Plat5 22" roller is still one of the best out there.

I think BR trounces Tom Bihn just about every time and I haven't tried any Redoxx yet but use the similar Easygoing Carry-on bag (now discontinued) and the very simple A. Saks Expandable (that thing has stowage like a steamship).

However, I'd say you can recognize a traveler who has done the homework by how s/he passes through security and how they stow their stuff on board, how organized they are.

Sophistication comes from having learned the truth (sophia = Truth, knowledge) not from having bought the right brand. But yes, a little bit one would be able to deduct from the gear as outlined above.

Till

Ory

This.

Or this.

cordelli

None of them.

Just like everybody who drives a certain car isn't a race car driver, or eats in a certain restaurant a gourmet cook, it just means they bought an item.

sylvia hennesy

Hope you're not asking because you want to know what to buy. Because that would be sad.

raph

Rimowa, Tumi, Wenger, Samsonite and Travelpro suggest to me that the person either thought about what luggage to get... or simply has the dough and good taste.

LV certainly not... I always see those (or fakes) on snobby F Pax. LV just tells me that you have more money than taste (or are properly embarassing if it's a fake). Not my style, but of course one can't argue about taste, it's always personal.

MissJoeyDFW

+1

Uncle Dave

Only someones ease at which they go through the process and not only understand but demonstrate etiquette- speaks to a pro.

The nicest Rimowa, B&R, Tumi- shoved in a bin sideways screams "amateur."

Tfar nailed it.

Uncle Dave

NPF

What a depressing post . . .

Flahusky

+1^

kingalien

I look at bags all the time but never at the person using it. Could care less who it is.

raph

I can only agree to a certain point.

While not everybody who drives a certain car is a "race car driver", it does say something about you, as you and your car (or luggage) "represent".

For example: If you drive a new Dacia in Europe, chances are that you were only looking to get a "new" car (cheapest new cars in the market here, plenty of used cars would provide better value for less money, more safety, more fun, more practicality, efficiency, etc). You're probably a person who doesn't care much about driving and just want something cheap to get you from A to B.

You probably won't do a lot of business travel in it and it's unlikely to be a company car.

If you have a 320d however, you may have it for many good reasons that would make my post way too long, or of course just because it's your company policy, or because your neighbors have it and you liked the way it looked. However, it's a "sophisticated car" for a "sophisticated driver".

So you may have a Rimowa because you're German and you appreciate they're made here. Or just because you see them in every corner and like the way they look.

But it's probably more likely for a sophisticated traveller to use such "premium luggage", than $20 supermarket luggage that will fall apart after the first flight.

As usual, YMMV, it's all about personal preference and taste and there are exceptions to the rule.
(I actually still occasionally use luggage that I bought for $29 at Walmart when I just needed a bag. It's not quite sophisticated though. )

Other than that I am with Till. The most expensive luggage will only make you look like a d-bag if you stuff it sideways into the overhead, and the most sophisticated car will only be awkward if you can't drive properly.

Braindrain

I'd suggest a variation on the 'meat dress'. Find a hard-sided suitcase and make a plastic cover of all the business cards you've received. Bonus points if those business cards come from different countries and you get a cookie if you've covered all the major continets.