Travel Tips

Office on Wheels: New Rolling Briefcases for Business Travelers (Part 2)

Peter Greenberg Worldwide

Business travel luggageIn a follow up to his review of rolling briefcases for business travelers, gadget and gear guy Phil Baker road-tested a few more options for gadget-heavy business travelers.

Find out which ones make the cut, and which ones are better left at home.

Tumi Wheeled Deluxe Expandable Briefcase with Computer Insert

This large ballistic nylon bag on wheels is a classic Tumi design, measuring 13.5 x 17.5 x 8.5 inches and costing $550. It has the familiar double-inverted U-pockets in the front, convenient for holding loose items, pens business cards, a phone, and small camera. Those pockets allow quick retrieval of small items, since they’re accessed from the front.

There’s also a full-width open pocket behind the U-pockets, handy for newspapers and papers. The bag has large front and rear compartments with dividers and a removable computer sleeve in the latter. The case offers a few additional interior and exterior organizer pockets, mostly elasticized.

Read Phil’s previous review of Rolling Briefcases for Business Travelers.

Tumi Wheeled Deluxe Expandable Briefcase with Computer InsertDespite all that, the case has far fewer pockets to store many of the gadgets and accessories than do the Briggs, Swiss Army and Hartmann, offering a design similar to what they had a decade ago before we traveled with so many gadgets. Many of the pockets have limited depth and are not big enough to hold larger items such as rechargers.

However, Tumi does provide a removable bag for holding more items and wires, as well as an inside umbrella pocket. One of the U-pockets is lined and is waterproofed for carrying a water bottle.

The Tumi is well made, similar in quality and materials to the Swiss Army and Briggs. If you don’t require the multitude of pockets it does an OK job, but at a premium price. A leather version with a slim case instead of the sleeve is available for $900.

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Victorinox Swiss Army Rolling Parliament

There are lots of clever features built into this large rolling brief. It measures 17 x 14.5 x 9 inches, similar in volume to the Tumi, and expands to 11.5 inches deep.  It can hold a notebook with up to a 17-inch screen. Of all the bags I’ve looked at, this model holds the most and does it in an organized way with its huge array of pockets of all sizes and shapes.

Victorinox Swiss Army Rolling ParliamentThe bag is also flexible and less structured than the Briggs & Riley and the Hartmann, allowing it to flex and expand when stuffed. It makes good use of every bit of space with two deep narrow compartments on either side of the handle, each with a pull out storage sleeve. There’s also a zip out pocket to hold a water bottle on the side.

This model, available in ballistic nylon ($449) and leather ($649), is the only case with retractable wheels that move into the corner wells of the bag as the handle is closed and then pop out as the handle is raised. It prevents the wheels from dirtying your clothes and makes the bag a tad smaller when storing. But one major drawback is it causes the bag to tilt forward and occasionally tip over when the wheels are extended.

The bag has a front section with a huge array of pockets and compartments along four walls for storing items of all sizes. There’s a large useful pocket on the outside front with a magnetic enclosure for tickets and receipts, but it doesn’t always stay closed. The middle compartment is fitted with a removable sleeve. There are three deep pockets, perfect for storing the computer’s power supply and cables. I rearranged the bag and used the rear compartment to store my 15-inch MacBook Pro computer to improve balance. The bag fits under an airline seat (in the unexpanded mode).

Check out Great Gadgets for Business Travelers and find out if new checkpoint-friendly cases are worth buying in Travel-Testing TSA-Friendly Laptop Computer Bags.

Hartmann Aviator Leather Large Wheeled Expandable Brief

This is similar in design to the Briggs & Riley cases, but it’s constructed out of a rich-looking chocolate brown leather (softly milled full grain Brazilian leather) with a matte finish that appears to be quite durable.  It’s 15.75 x 12.5 x 8 inches and expands an additional 2 inches.

Hartmann Aviator Leather Large Wheeled Expandable BriefHartmann added a number of clever ideas of its own: While the Briggs has its handle on the outside, Hartmann’s is on the inside, but adds two vertical zipper pouches that attach with Velcro to either side for storing cables, adapters and small accessories. On the front of the bag under the handle is a deep, narrow chute pocket with a magnetic closure. This can be used for tickets and boarding passes, but it’s also handy for quickly dropping in cell phones, wallet and change at airport security. There is also an elasticized pocket within that fits an iPhone perfectly. A wide front pocket with a concealed zipper is handy for receipts and papers needed for quick access. The case has a rear elasticized panel to slip over another bag’s handle.

While it has fewer pockets than the Briggs, there are a lot of them (11), most with the ability to expand and hold items firmly. The main compartments are generous and flexible. The computer is positioned in its removable sleeve directly under the opening, so it’s easy to remove without searching. It’s the best looking of all of the cases, yet it’s equal in utility to the Briggs and Riley. With price not considered it’s the best of group.

Bottom Line:
Best at any price: Hartmann
Best combo of features and value: Briggs & Riley

Read the review of the Briggs & Riley case here.

By Phil Baker for PeterGreenberg.com. Phil Baker has more than three decades of experience in consumer and computer technology product development and program management. Read his blog at blog.philipgbaker.com, and check out his new book, From Concept to Consumer: How to Turn Ideas into Money.

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