Suitcases on wheels ranked among 20th century's top inventions

By Bruce Horovitz
USA Today

Think of the icons of American culture that were utterly unknown three decades ago: The cell phone. The CD. Britney Spears.

Add another to the list: the rollerboard.

The what? That's luggage-industry jargon for the carry-on black-bag-on-wheels that has taken over our airports — if not our planet.

"It's as big an invention as the home delivery of pizza," says Joanne Hayes-Rines, editor of Inventors' Digest.

But the familiar, 22-inch rolling black bag wasn't the brainstorm of a big luggage maker. It was concocted just 15 years ago by then-Northwest Airlines pilot Robert Plath for himself.

He called it a Rollaboard and trademarked the name. But the luggage industry re-christened it the rollerboard and quickly copied it. Since then, the rollerboard has:

• Changed the way people travel. Millions now get from place to place by rolling a compact bag behind them instead of slogging a garment bag over the shoulder.

"Even macho executives have somehow gotten used to rolling their bags through airports," says Laurence Franklin, CEO of Tumi luggage.

• Turned the airline industry on its head. American Airlines alone has spent upward of $50 million to enlarge or replace overhead bins on most of its fleet to hold them. United has reconfigured more than 200 airplanes to accommodate them. Continental was first to make way, spending upward of $15 million in 1988 to alter 187 planes.

• Saved the luggage industry. For luggage makers, this bag is, without question, the biggest new product ever. Many credit it with saving the $3.5 billion industry, which has been hit hard during the economic downturn of the past three years. Even during this time, many people have been buying luggage not because they need it but because they want it. Rollerboards account for nearly one-third of all luggage sold on the eBags Web site, says eBags co-founder Peter Cobb.

"We should have invented the rollerboard ourselves, but we didn't," says Tom Sandler, president of Samsonite, the world's largest luggage company — and the largest maker and seller of rollerboards. They account for 18 percent of the company's sales, Sandler estimates.

• Changed a generation's packing habits. Everything has to fit folded in one small bag, whether you're traveling for one day or three.

• Changed the way airports are designed. Walkways and security checks have made many accommodations for them. And after years of confusion, airport security checkpoints have all been standardized to fit the 22-inch bags, says Brian Doyle, spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration. Some "expandable" 22-inch bags, however, may not squeeze through those checkpoints.
• Been embraced by every class of traveler. Wal-Mart sells no-name brands for $10, while luxury luggage maker Hartmann sells snootier versions for up to $855. "Wheels have been around since the early time of man," says Dave Herman, president of Hartmann. "It's hard to believe it took the world until so long to combine them with compact bags."
• Forced a reinvention of the wheel. Since wheels are often the first things to go on rollerboards, luggage makers are eager to improve them. Samsonite tests its wheels to 20 miles. Hartmann guarantees its for 100 miles. The company Plath founded, Travelpro, which patented the Rollaboard in 1988, will replace busted wheels for $3 each.
• Cost skycaps lots of dough. Many travelers who once needed help with luggage don't anymore. Lynnette Asselin, a financial management specialist from Washington, D.C., used to use skycaps all the time. Now, she says, she only does so when she travels overseas.

Rollerboards grow up

Now, after changing society, the rollerboard is changing, too.

As with the Model T, black is being replaced by the once unthinkable: color.

Interiors are being fit with see-through compartments for easier inspections by tighter security.

Handles are being toughened. Hartmann is installing fiberglass handles on some bags that can withstand up to 974 pounds of pressure. Tumi makes handles from aircraft-grade aluminum.

Samsonite is adding more wheels, so rollerboards can roll sideways down jet aisles. Ciao is adding a third wheel that allows rollerboards to be rolled up steps.

Travelpro has put a new, ergonomic handle and grip on many of its rollerboards that adjusts to the height and weight of travelers.

Then there's the children's market. Characters from Winnie the Pooh to Barbie have shown up on rollerboards targeted at kids. Some school districts have outlawed the use of rollerboards.

Even as rollerboards themselves are changing, experts say the upright suitcases on wheels may emerge as one of the most significant and consumer-friendly inventions of the 20th century.

"I'd put them right up there with Saran Wrap," says Dr. Joyce Brothers, the syndicated psychologist.

The bags have opened the world of travel to just about everyone — regardless of muscle tone.

"No single product, not even the duffel bag, comes close to doing for the travel industry what this has done," says Michele Marini Pittenger, vice president of the Travel Goods Association.

Folks love 'em — or hate 'em.

"The (carry-on) black bag has changed the emotional happiness of people who travel," says Brothers. "It's empowering to know that your bag will get there when you do." Tommy Teepell loves his rollerboard so much that he has given it a name — Billy Jack.

"The security of having Billy Jack with me makes all the difference in the world," says the advertising executive from Baton Rouge, La., who travels about 120 days a year. "It is good to have Billy Jack covering your back."

But cultural guru and psychologist Robert Butterworth can barely stand the thing, even though he uses one when he travels.

"These bags are all about aggravation," he says. "They force you to severely limit what you take when you travel."

Is that my bag?

When checked, they also can be tough to identify on the luggage carousel.

Several years ago, Diana Gregory thought she had that solved. The human resource director from Danville, Calif., tied a red ribbon around a rollerboard she was forced to check before flying.

What a surprise when she got to her hotel and found she had snatched someone else's bag — also tied with red ribbon. Because it was her error, she had to pay the airline $40 to get hers back.