REVIEWED: Porsche Design Roadster Hardcase trolley
K Fair, Düsseldorf: behind every good piece of tough travel luggage is a thoroughly advanced slab of polycarbonate, this time from Covestro
What kind of bag you take on your travels says a lot about you, but what does it say about the manufacturer? With the arrival of trolley-style products and four-wheelers, ballistic plastics and polycarbonates are now so commonly used – and so core to the creation of protective bags – that luggage companies are becoming de facto chemical and plastics companies. Well, almost.
Poly-filler
Take this one from Porsche Design, spotted on the stand of plastics and chemicals giant Covestro at Düsseldorf’s annual K Fair. Made largely from hard polycarbonate, Covestro’s Roadster Hardcase is said to be impact resistant, ultra-lightweight, and with a long-lasting dimension stability.
Cabin fever
The smallest version – always the favoured choice by TravGear – is ‘cabin size’ and measures 55x38x22cm, weighing 3.9 kg, and taking 42 litres. Available in the arresting black and white model pictured here as well as in the two original Porsche 911 exterior colours – dark blue metallic and grey metallic – the Roadster Hardcase has a fitted frame for additional stability and corner protection, and a brushed aluminium handle.
Men only
Its four ball bearing twin-wheels are as smooth as they are string, and the two large main compartments with zipped mesh dividers add some flexibility inside.However, beyond all that tech, it’s just nice to see a four-wheeler aimed at men that doesn’t come with the dreaded laptop sleeve.