Bryan R.

This is the nearly-perfect carry-on piece. When I have the luxury, I very much prefer buy-it-for-life investments in something I'll use indefinitely rather than contributing to a disposable culture. Yes, it is remarkably expensive. But I should need to buy one except this once.

I travel extensively for work - one to two flights per week. Nearly all of these are regional flights on small aircraft. I used to be sold on the virtual of one-bag travel. Now I'm becoming convinced that two bags is the way to go. All clothing, shoes, etc. go into the suitcase. On small aircraft, it's going to get gate/valet checked. That's where the bombproof nature of the luggage comes in.

The second bag is my personal item, which is a tote. That leads to the one improvement I'd like to see added to this case: a J-hook. Many other top-tier manufacturers build on in for piggy-backing another bag, and it would be a great addition here. I bought one that attached to the handle and confirmed with the good folks at Sterling Pacific that such weight would not damage the handle. It won't.

My office goes in my tote, backpack, whatever and hangs from the J-hook. The lower center of gravity creates incredible balance, and I can roll the pair with a single finger. Placing the other item on top, as some do, distributes the weight incorrectly, in my view.

This is why a two-wheeled design is better than a spinner with four.

This is the only suitcase I could find with an aluminum wheel housing and trolley handle garage. It didn't make sense to me to make the investment and then still have plastic parts external and waiting to be broken or fail. The craftsmanship is stunning. The fit and finish are the best I've seen. The seal is complete. It's a joy to use and has become my trusted travel companion. It will be scratched and dented with time, and those are the elements of patina that I enjoy. It is carefully crafted, well-maintained, and used as intended.