Pity your luggage. In bygone eras, it was enough to just be luggage. Your job was to be hollow, fill up with clothes, zip up and stay in one piece until you arrived at your destination — where you’d be unzipped and made hollow again
Now, thanks to Raden, 21st Century luggage will be expected to think and make it easier for its owners to think. Made of modern materials, capable of charging smart devices and carrying tracking devices, Raden cases are amongst the first pieces of baggage that talk back to their owners.
Also: Travel: Minocqua Floats the ‘Up North’ Experience
The idea behind Raden products are to get a jump on the competition by creating baggage that do what other bags can’t do — or haven’t even considered doing. The first obvious additions are the dual USB charger ports under the retractable handle. There’s enough power in the booster battery connected to those chargers to re-power a smartphone completely as often as four times without needing its own recharge.
The handle above the chargers is smarter than your average hilt. Weight sensors attached to it speak to the free Raden app available for download. The simple act of hefting the case weighs it. The app lets you know if you’re over that dreaded 50-pound limit that costs you extra money at the check-in desk.
There’s one more high tech feature thrown in, and it feels a little like the Raden are showing off a bit. The app uses Bluetooth technology to detect the proximity of a Raden case — allowing the owner to track it if nearby and to predict when it is approaching the baggage carousel.
Having tried out all of these tech features, we can confirm that they all work, and they all prove as useful as the owner chooses to make them. However, none of that creative tech would mean much if the cases weren’t made tough enough to stand up to the rigors of travel. Fortunately, the materials are both lightweight and impact resistant enough to come along for your ride.
The Raden cases come in two sizes, with their names denoting function. The A22 Carry retails for $295, while the larger A28 Check sells for $395.
