The One Piece of Luggage You Should Always Check

Founded in 1898, the German luggage maker Rimowa GmbH adopted its signature material after a 1937 fire destroyed everything except its aluminum stock. Products such as the Topas, inspired by the exterior grooves of an aircraft, have made the brand a leader in lightweight, premium suitcases, thanks in part to a patented multiwheel system that uses ball bearings to turn easily and rotate in all directions. With the addition of an electronic tag, part of a first-of-its-kind app-enabled system that allows you to check your bags in advance, Rimowa is ushering the suitcase into the digital age.

At a mere 7 pounds, with a hard shell that divides neatly into two halves, the 26-inch Topas (from $1,135) is a favorite of perfectionists everywhere. Tumi’s Short Trip packing case has a slightly higher cost of $1,195, weighs a half-pound more, has 20 percent less interior volume, and lacks the digital capabilities. An aesthete uninterested in tech-enabled convenience might opt for the Safari 20-inch trolley case from British manufacturer Globe-Trotter, which forgoes an industrial design for leather handles and buckled straps, for $1,613.