A fitted mens dressing case. The toilet requisites lift out on a sliding panel. From 6 gns. Courtesy of Austin Reed Ltd.
A canvas and leather Lightning Fastener hag (62/6) and a fitted hat box 10/6 to 35/-).
The development of modern luggage has of course arisen as a result of the development of modern transport. If a portly member of the Stock Exchange or the banking community had to set out on his summer holidays with wife and family on foot, there would be quite certainly a violent decrease in the national volume of traffic. To-day it is an accepted convention that when a family reaches a station in life where it can afford to travel by train, motor-car, aeroplane or ship it never travels without a considerable number of alternative forms of personal exterior decoration.
Let us consider the essential qualities of modern luggage. Here they are:
There are a great many forms of luggage that have one or two of these qualities, but none comes anywhere near 100 per cent. A wardrobe trunk, for example, which holds about as much as an ordinary wardrobe (without being so handy), has made wonderful progress during the past few years, largely due to the initiative of the American designers; but from the point of view of weight and cost there is still room for improvement.
SECTIONAL LUGGAGE
If we deal first with the question of ocean travel, the ideal form of baggage might in the first place be a trunk made up of standard sections in such a way that its size could be varied according to the length of the trip and so that, if one’s luggage overflowed, another section could be taken as a self-contained unit without involving a complete new trunk. Each of these sections should be exactly the right shape for keeping in a ship’s cabin.
In the case of the smaller suitcases or portmanteaux, something on the principle of the “Revelation” suitcase would appear to be the most hopeful development in design. Some alterations in the appearance and the simplification of the exterior fittings would be a great improvement. There is a new type of suitcase that has been very popular for a year or two with ladies, in which the top is made of strong but quite flexible fabric which allows delicate clothes to be packed on top without being severely crushed. This idea might well be developed with some elastic fabric. There is also a lot of lightening to be done. There are
A wardrobe trunk for cruises (20 gns.) and a Pullman trunk (63/-). Courtesy of Austin Reed Ltd.
Top. A parchment hide aeroplane lightweight suitcase and a striped canvas trunk for easy identification. Courtesy of Austin Reed Ltd.
A “Revelation” case and its contents
many suitcases in the world to-day which generally weigh more than their contents. With the wealth of material available this should no longer be necessary. For the small handy bag something between a rucksack and a tennis bag, complete with zipp fastener, should develop into an extremely cheap and satisfactory type of container.
The problem of rapid identification is, of course, of paramount importance on board ship and a great deal has already been done by means of coloured bands. This is all to the good, and there seems to be no reason why it should not be carried further. Suitcases and trunks could be produced in all kinds of attractive colours, and the technique of special identification by means of coloured bands, crests, initials, etc., could be developed in pleasant colour schemes.
BY TRAIN
As regards train travel, almost the same conditions exist, only in this case it is generally an advantage to have one’s luggage in a form that can be carried with a reasonable degree of comfort should porters not be available. This may explain the development of the wardrobe suitcase, which is a sort of baby wardrobe trunk. It is rapidly becoming more popular and is undoubtedly the most neat modern form of baggage.
BY AIR
In the air the one problem that stands out above others is, of course, lightness. It is possible to get suitcases to-day extraordinarily cheaply that give very good service and weigh practically nothing compared with leather. It is interesting to note that the average aeroplane can handle parcels and goods with sufficient care to make it possible to send goods in light parcels. A lot of clothes travel from London to Paris in large paper bags. This idea might well be developed. There is no reason why a paper bag should not be quick to pack, easy to handle, smart to look at, and cheap to buy.
It is in connection with the motor-car that the most interesting developments are taking place, because more and more people are travelling by
A “Sirram” travelling picnic outfit (from 3 gns)
A “Brooks” model E motor trunk with suitcases and dropping front (from 13 gns.)
A Smith “Corona” portable typewriter.
car nowadays and generally speaking they are finding that their old trunks and suitcases are quite unsuitable. Far and away the most satisfactory solution is a trunk of the Brooks type, fitted on to the back of the car. This holds a number of suitcases—each in their own special slot in the back— and is completely waterproof. The luxury and comfort of this sort of luggage must be experienced to be believed. Most people continue to jam a pile of assorted suitcases into the back of the car, wasting a lot of space and spoiling a lot of upholstery. For people who travel a good deal by car it is worth having cases with soft covers to carry about inside the car, but in the case of baby cars it should be well worth producing a special container to take up all the room at the back, which could be slipped in instead of the upholstery when the car is used for touring. It would be very easy for the makers to produce a container in sections that would give a big capacity at the back of even a small baby car, which at the present time can only take one little suitcase with considerable difficulty. An idea of this sort would be particularly welcome in the case of the little fast sports four-seaters that are so popular to-day. Their only real shortcoming is accommodation for luggage; and suitably designed containers with one or two sections that could be slipped into the back instead of the upholstery, that would use up every inch of space for luggage and would not damage the existing fittings, would be an absolute blessing.
There are lots of good ideas available and lots of people who want to use them, and there should be good business waiting for the manufacturers who design for to-morrow. Where is the food case for one? Where is the week-end case with one compartment for business papers and one for clothes?
