Improve

Zipperless luggage that can charge your phone and weigh itself

By Lucy Cohen Blatter  | December 19, 2014 - 1:59PM
image

We typically write about strategies to smooth the hassles of apartment living, but if, like many New Yorkers, you're hours away from boarding a plane out of the city, you're probably bracing yourself for some serious travel headaches. Thus, one local luggage maker is developing a product with a lofty goal: "To make travel pleasant again." Trunkster is a new kind of suitcase, still in the prototype stage, that promises to make the old wheelie bag more useful.

With a waterproof "rolltop door," the suitcase makes do without zippers and is designed to roll next to you, rather than behind. Both the 7.9-pound carry-on or 9.9-pound checked versions come with built-in digital scales to help you avoid last-minute charges at airport check-in, and the smaller model also has a USB charger to boot up your electronics on the go. 

So far, the makers of Trunskter have raised more than half a million dollars through Kickstarter--about 10 times their goal--and are knocking about $200 off the retail price for contributors. You can get the carry-on model for a contribution of $285 or the checked version for $10 more. (For an extra $40, you can add a GPS feature that tracks your Trunkster, apparently with the same technology as Apple's "Find My Mac" feature.)

This year, however, we're afraid you'll have to make do with your beat-up old suitcase, since the Trunksters are scheduled to arrive sometime next summer.

Related:

Earplugs to silence your roommate (but not your alarm)

Need extra closet space? To the rescue, this minimalist clothes rail

Brick Underground articles occasionally include the expertise of, or information about, advertising partners when relevant to the story. We will never promote an advertiser's product without making the relationship clear to our readers.

topics: