Tops in Innovative Travel Goods

The 2012, winners were announced at The Travel Goods Association's Travel Goods Show in Las Vegas this week.

 
 PRODUCT INNOVATION AWARDS
 First place went to Trunk & Trolley's Road Warrior M Series. Targeted at professional travelers, the series features the signature Micro Pop technology, which allows the upright and wheeled duffel to collapse quickly and easily. To collapse the bags, users simply open the bag and pull the molded red ripcords. With one quick pull from the outside handles, it automatically locks back into the extended position. Even collapsed, the product is clean in appearance. The sides and handles smartly fold inward. The Road Warrior collection retails from $200 to $600.

This year, second place was a tie between two compressible suitcases: Briggs & Riley's Domestic Carry-On Expandable Upright featuring CX Expansion System and Samsonite's Compressor.

 Briggs & Riley's Domestic Carry-On Expandable Upright featuring the revolutionary CX expansion system is fully adjustable, allowing travelers to customize each individual trip to meet different needs. With a simple ergonomic operation, the bag expands up to 24% of its original size, allowing room for more contents and extending trip duration. Once the bag is closed, users press down lightly on the lid to make the bag compress back to its original size, ensuring easy overhead storage on flights and no checked baggage fees. The bag will retail for $449.

Samsonite's Compressor has an internal ratchet system that allows users to incrementally compress a fully-expanded case after it's packed and the lid is closed. They may then compress packed clothing to make the case as small as possible. The ratchets are ergonomically placed on the ends of the case instead of the sides, so they are more comfortable to operate. The Compressor retails for $299.

Third place was awarded to the new Travelpro Crew 9 21" Expandable Spinner and its two innovative patent-pending features that solve longstanding problems that consumers have with rolling luggage. The Contour Grip was designed specifically for 4-wheel spinner luggage, and allows more comfort and better control when pushing 4-wheel spinner luggage through busy airports. The handle grip also minimizes fatigue on shoulders, arms, hands and wrists. The ergonomic soft pad rests comfortably in the users palm when pushing. The new patent-pending PowerScope Extension Handle minimizes wobble when the handle is fully extended. Travelpro's winner costs $199.

THE BUZZ AWARD
 The Buzz Award — voted on by retailers and media — was captured by exhibitor Psi Bands. The Buzz Award is awarded every year to the product that has created the most "buzz" in the Travel Goods Show's New Products Pavilion.

Psi Bands (pronounced "Sigh Bands") are acupressure wrist bands for the relief of nausea due to morning sickness (pregnancy), motion sickness and travel, chemotherapy, and anesthesia. Unlike any product on the market, Psi Bands are drug-free, adjustable, comfortable, fashionable, waterproof, reusable, and affordable. To learn more, visit www.psibands.com.