COLOGNE (dpa) – Wheeled suitcases are the enemy of baggage porters and hotel pages. Travellers do not need to be assisted. Which means they do not have to pay tips. The suitcases can be wheeled comfortably along long airport corridors, drawn by a leash or a telescopic handle.
Even briefcases and backpacks are now available on wheels.
The most simple idea of the mobile beginnings is long past: small wheels fastened to the bottom with thin screws that snapped off at the first bend. Modern rollers are positioned in stable, shock- protected roller-cases and do not yield so quickly, even on stairs.
Larger rollers provide increasing stability. The sector has copied from trend sports and has screwed rubber-coated duroplastic rollers under their products. “This means smooth running even on uneven terrain, assures Marcus Thiemann, from one specialist shop, Leder Israel, in Hamburg. “You can even easily get over a curb with a roller diameter of six centimetres.”
Thiemann advises trying out the suitcase in the shop and, in particular, seeing how it behaves on the curves.
Even the irritating squeaking of the rollers does not have to be put up with. Many suitcases now have rollers with ball-bearings – another feature borrowed from leisure sports.
One maker, Samsonite, offers oil-bearing rollers that lubricate themselves, spokeswoman Ursula Kosseda says. Alternatively, an occasional drop of machine- or silicone oil helps, Thiemann advises. If the suitcase still makes creaking noises, the axle could have slipped out of place. This is a case for the specialised dealer, Thiemann adds.
Samsonite brought its first suitcase on wheels onto the market in 1974. Travellers pulled the hard-frame suitcase behind them by a handle. However, the slightly bent back posture needed was uncomfortable.
For this reason so-called trolleys or uprights as used by airline pilots are popular today: bags on two rollers pulled upright with a telescope handle. Modern trolleys have a capacity of up to 110 litres. This is almost half a small car’s boot and is generally enough for a three-week holiday.
People taking so much baggage with them should think about another option – the suitcase “on all fours”. While the two-wheeled trolleys distinguish themselves by their manoeuvrability, a suitcase on four wheels eases the burden on the arm almost completely. “You can pull it behind you with your little finger, says Gerda Holz, spokeswoman for Rimowa, another maker. Up to 70 kilograms can be transported easily in a “Jumbo” suitcase. The worst that can happen is being charged by the airline for excess baggage.
Usually, the more refined the technology, the lighter the suitcase. “Superlight trolleys weigh three kilograms nowadays,” Thiemann says. He cites five to eight kilograms as average, depending on size. Naturally, technology and fittings have their price. As no- name products, trolleys in department stores can be had from 65 euros upwards on average. Name-brands cost from 100 euros.
Quality has risen over the years, Thiemann says. But so has the strain they have to take because people travel more, especially by plane. Air travel tends to be rough on cases. If rollers are broken in transit, this is usually a case not for the manufacturer but for the airline.
