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Tumi ProductsTumi is a well-known maker of travel gear, having gotten their start in suitcases and luggage and having since moved on to backpacks, athletic gear, messenger bags, briefcases, women's handbags, wallets, and more. Tumi got its start back in the mid 1970s, named after a Peruvian god or knife, depending on whose story you believe. But our first memories of Tumi gear was their tough, black, ballisitic nylon bags that stood up better than most luggage. They're known for combining cool designs with rock-solid materials for longlasting, good-looking products. If you've ever seen their Ducati (T3 DucatiTurn Transporter 22") wheeled carry-ons, you'll know what I'm talking about - very high-tech looking, nice big rugged wheels, combination of hard and soft materials, it looks more like a piece of art than carryon bag. In this guide we will take a look at the most popular Tumi products - what they cost, where to get them, what's hot.
Best Tumi Bags, Suitcases, and LuggageSome of the best Tumi products are their travel and luggage gear, but they offer a broad spectrum of goodies to choose from. One word of warning -- they are NOT known for their cheap products. You will pay a pretty penny to get the latest in style and function from Tumi. Their main product categories are: travel and luggage, business and laptop cases, backpacks and messenger bags, women's collections, and wallets and accessories. In the travel and luggage category, they have garment bags, duffel bags (both wheeled and non-wheeled), totes, backpacks, and normal carry-ons. If you are in the market for a great garment bag, check out the Tumi Generation 4 FXT Ballistic Tri-fold Carry-On Garment Bag, a smaller carry-on garment bag designed to hold 1-2 folded clothing items - even comes with a TSA compliant combo lock. Again, its not cheap - we're talking $350 for this bag, but we've used the Napa leather version of this bag ($575) for several years and love it - just right for a suit and 2 shirts, or two suits neatly folded (well, at least as neatly folded as you can do in luggage). A nice feature is a side pocket that allows the garment bag to slip over the handle of other Tumi wheeled bags, allowing you to easily pull multiple bags along behind you. For a carry-on bag, we really like their wheeled 24" Tumi Generation 4 FXT Ballistic Expandable Short Trip ($745) model. It has a removable garment sleeve that sits inside the upper cover, and a 2" expandable main compartment -- dimensions: 24" x 18"x 11". If you're a more casual traveler, check out the Tumi duffels, especially the rolling duffels that combine the pockets and storage that you love on a duffel with a handle and wheels so weight isn't an issue. The T-Tech Pulse East End 22" Wheel-A-Way Duffel is a nice smaller bag, fits easily in overhead bins, and flips open near its base like a suitcase for easy loading. It has a telescoping handle that disappears into the sturdy base, along with 4 zippered outer pockets for access to all your stuff. It runs $295 and is 22" x 13.5"x 11" in size (H x W x D). Slightly larger and a lot more expensive is the Tumi Generation 4 FXT Ballistic 24" Weekender Wheeled Duffel - $575. I haven't packed one of these bags myself, but my neighbor got one around Christmas time and swears by it for 2 day trips. Like all the Tumi products, it is a good looking, distinctive bag.
If you are the road warrior who always travels with a laptop, you know how important a well-padded, secure laptop carrying bag can be. Tumi has extended their expertise in the luggage world right into the laptop case world as well, offering a number of laptop products. The simplest are the laptop sleeves -- for about $70, they look like a padded leather envelope to protect your computer when you throw it into another carrying bag. There larger Tumi Generation 4.4 Briefs hold laptops from 15 to 17 inches, with a main padded compartment and a number of accessory pockets on the side. This bag costs $335 and measures 16" x 12" x 1.75". The Napa leather version looks even slicker but is $250 more expensive - ouch. But if you can afford it, it's a laptop bag that can't be beat. A little more high tech looking is the Tumi T-Tech Pulse Eldridge Computer Messenger Bag ($195). This shoulder strapped messenger bag is pretty spacious and has the same add-a-bag sleeve as many of the Tumi products, letting you slide in onto the telescoping handle of another roll along bag to make carrying multiple bags easier. Where to Buy Tumi ProductsTraditionally, Tumi luggage, suitcases, and travel accessories have been available from a number of high-end retail stores, like Harrod's, Neiman Marcus, Nordstroms, Macy's, Takashimaya, Bloomingdales, and Lane Crawford. Many of these department stores house "Tumi boutiques", mini shops within a shop. Specialty travel stores also carry their products. But in the last 10 years, they have been aggressively opening Tumi stores around the country and around the world. Santa Monica was home to the first Tumi store, but now you can find Tumi stores in most big world-class cities, like NY, Paris, Tokyo, London, San Francisco. You can even find them in a lot of normal cities in the US like Portland, OR, San Jose, CA, Austin, TX, and Tampa, FL. To find the nearest Tumi store, check out the store locator on their website - just type in your ZIP code (tumi.com).
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