German luxury luggage manufacturer Floyd looks to Venice beach in the 70s to inject a much-needed sense of style into the drab world of baggage.

Nowadays, it is fair to say that travelling in style is dead. Go to any airport, anywhere you bear witness to the vast throngs of humanity shuffling about in onesies. Heard animals with polyamide hide hauling their carts of polyurethane plastic. You hear them long before you see them. That “taka taka taka taka” of cheap plastic wheels on tiled floors. But as I look on in dismay. I also look on in envy. They are infinitely more comfortable than I am. And infinity more prepared for the realities of modern travel.

No compromises

While fully grown men are choosing athleisure and Uggs, I choose raw denim and Trickers. Yip, 6 hours into that 14-hour flight I am regretting it. But it’s something I am not willing to budge on. What I might give a little ground to is a cabin trolley.

Not a lot of viable options

There is a myriad of options out there when it comes to trundle trolleys. Trouble is, 99.9% of them are made for our onesie wearing, ugg sporting throngs we mentioned earlier. In other words, we wouldn’t poke them with a stick.

Someone else’s exactly the same bag

What’s left for the rest of us then? Filson. Definitely. We LOVE Filson, and as soon as I can afford my own Sherpa I will get the full set. We can also join the RIMOWA crowd. No one can argue with a RIMOWA. They are a classic. You see someone with an old beaten up RIMOWA, you know he knows. These days though, organ harvesting is needed to make such a purchase. Then there are the Samsonites at their ilk. Yeah… Ok, pat yourself on the back for your sensible consumer choice. And prepare yourself to go home with someone else’s… exactly the same bag… well, your bag that’s their bag containing totally different sensible consumer choices.

Counterculture, in cabin culture

But wait, there is another choice! Dragging a little counterculture into cabin culture is the German luggage brand Floyd. What Floyd do is so intuitive that it boggles the mind that it’s not been done before. They put skateboard wheels on suitcases. Well, they are not exactly skateboard wheels, but they look a lot like them, are made from the same stuff and roll just so damn smooth.

But these super modern-looking cabin bags can actually trace their roots back to 70s California. You’ve seen Lord’s of Dogtown*, that’s the vibe we’re channelling here. The rebellious youth of downtown LA swapped their surfboards for skateboards. They took to the concrete basins of drainage ditches and empty swimming pools and catapulted skateboarding to the epitome of cool.

The concrete wave was felt all the way to the Bavarian countryside. As teenagers, Bernd Georgi and Horst Kern skated around their village and soaking up all they could get their hands on about the casual California Way of Life. Bernd and Horst grew up and would find their way into the lifestyle fashion industry where they would produce high-quality luggage and accessories for major brands around the globe.

A much-needed sense of style and cool

With Floyd, Bernd and Horst are looking back to their roots. To the heady days of 70s skate culture. Floyd looks to inject a much-needed sense of style, of cool, of Venice beach bohemia. The bright polyurethane skate-inspired wheels are not just a practical solution, they are an ode to the skateboards, surfboards, streetwear, motorbikes and custom cars all created during Los Angeles’ most vibrant decade. The bright case colours bring a little sexy back in the face of the run of the mill, drab greys and blacks.

They are also just bloody good luggage! It’s clear that these guys know what they are doing in designing and executing a quality piece of design.

• Hardshell polycarbonate Makrolon case
• Rubber trim
• Retractable top handle
• Side carry handle
• Combination TSA lock
• Four replaceable multi-directional dual-wheels on base, tool included
• Fully lined
• Two zipped compartments, three zipped pockets
• 42 and 61-litre capacity

Right now there are two sizes. One you can take into the cabin and a larger on you would need to check-in. There is an array of colour variations, a whole host of wheelsets and if you really want to channel your inner skate kid, sticker sets to really customize your case. Head over to the Floyd website to see the full range. Happy rollin!

If you have not seen Lords of Dogtown, go off and watch it now. NOW, like right now. You’ll thank us.