Zoomlite Neon Range

Being in the travel industry, and often on the road, at sea or in the air, I am regularly asked for recommendations for new luggage. As we get to try brands and new products from time to time, I can report that over time much has changed in the world of suitcases - which is a good thing. Take hard sided "shell" cases as an example. Back in the good old days when I was publishing for Pan Am, my business partner favoured an iconic brand of hard sided suitcase which was said to be extremely durable. It was also heavy, inflexible (you couldn't squeeze a single extra thing into it) and if the case was dropped on a corner, it would cave in rendering the suitcase useless; this wasn't so much of a security risk back in those days, but wet and damp could get inside through the lining ruining whatever was inside.

Today's hard sided suitcases are quite a different story. Take Zoomlite's Fusion II spinner, which is a hard sided suitcase coming in red and grey, with three handy sizes, 53cm, 65cm and 78cm. For a start, and as an example, the middle sized case is lightweight at just 3.3kgs empty, and although hard-sided, the environmentally friendly PET is also slightly flexible - you can squeeze extra things into this case if you have to. Each case has four spinner wheels which are multidirectional to provide smooth glide and 360 degree manoeuvrability, and TSA combination locks. Inside the cases are garment straps, a divider pocket, and signature lining.  

Having a preference for soft sided cases, however, I recently road tested another, this time from Zoomlite's funky new Neon range. It comes in three sizes, a carry-on case at 57cms, and two suitcases at 68cms and 78cms, and the range comes in two colours, black with an orange trim and blue with a green trim. Lightweight and durable, as well as good looking, I tested the 68cm case on a cruise from Sydney to Melbourne. In terms of features, the case has four multidirectional wheels offering 360 degrees of motion, and integrated TSA locks which you can set to your own combination. It also is made of tear-resistant nylon which is easy to wipe clean with a damp cloth, it has a retractable handle, and best of all it's ultralight weighing just 2.7 kg empty. 

The case has a capacity of 92 litres and you can pack quite a bit into it as I discovered - easily enough for a five night cruise including your best togs for a formal night! And if you really go to town on shopping it has an expander zip. Besides a decent pouch on the outside of the lid, which can be secured (using a combination lock if you choose), and a zipped pocket outside of that, inside the lid there're is a large zipped pocket, a small mesh zipped pocket, and two open pouches. And to keep everything in the main compartment in place, the fully lined interior has tie down garment straps. 

I loved this case in particular for several reasons. For one, it's light weight, it was easy to manoeuvre even when full, and the various compartments in the lid make it easy to find small stuff quickly. The case also looked great, and was easy to identify on the carousel flying home with its funky orange trim (although I added a matching orange ribbon to one of the handles just to be sure). The Neon range can be purchased individually, or as a set of three as you choose.