But gone are the days of anxiously wondering if a stranger’s left with your luggage, or if you’ve accidentally stolen someone else’s. And you can also forget all about tying a tacky ribbon to your case’s handle to make it more recognizable. American luggage company Roam lets you design your own suitcase so it’s as unique as you – and therefore easily distinguishable from the pack.
Photo: Morgane Croissant
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Because I’m a person who likes colors and motifs, worn all at once with no shame about looking like a 1970s living room, Roam’s luggage is right up my alley. I was able to choose the color of the front and back of my suitcase, its zipper, its handles, its binding, its wheels, and its lining. My favorite color is green, so I chose the tonal “Venetian Green” as my base for the front and the back, and then I went berserk with the rest.
The zippers are “Bermuda Pink”, along with the wheels and binding; the handles and the built-in address tag are “Carolina Lilac”; and the lining is a bright shade of “Pink Sand”. My suitcase is one of a kind and it suits my tastes and my style. If, by some sort of sick twist of fate, someone ordered the exact same case as me and flew in the same airplane, I’d still be able to differentiate mine on the carrousel thanks to my initials being carved in the leather address tag — a lovely personalized touch which is free of charge. But that’s highly unlikely as there are millions of color and style combinations possible.
While I found it exhilarating to customize my own suitcase, regrets about my choices arose right after I took my first trip with it – three flights to go from Western Canada to Rome, Italy. Upon picking up my brand-new luggage at the carousel in Rome, I saw the extent of the ill-treatment my case was subjected to on its way across the world: It was covered in black scuff marks.
If, like me, you’re keen to design and order your own Roam luggage, keep in mind that light colors, like the “Venetian Green” I opted for, will show every little scrape made by the conveyor belts, trays, and pushers operating behind the scenes in airports. If you decide to go for a light color for the shell, be sure to order one of the brand’s transparent luggage covers to protect it from scratches. It’ll save you an hour of intense scrubbing.
While the customization element is, to me, the most attractive of all of Roam’s offerings, the brand’s second-best quality is the fact that its products are made in the US. More precisely, they are assembled by hand in Vidalia, Georgia. By buying a piece of Roam luggage you support American entrepreneurs and factory workers, but you also keep your carbon footprint in check. Two of the most important things to consider when making any purchase.
Roam has a large variety of cases on offer to match every travel style, from the simple Carry-On ($550) to the Large Expandable Check-In ($695), with multiple variations, including front pockets. All of Roam’s luggage, no matter the size, is customizable.
Photo: Morgane Croissant
