Lands End Wheeled Business Briefcase

Lands End is known throughout the United States for providing high quality clothing and outerwear to discriminating customers. However, it has recently been brought to my attention that the company offers a great line of business travel products as well. Who knew? It was my recent pleasure to review the Wheeled Business Briefcase by Lands End, which I found to be a great product for business travelers.

The Lands End Business Briefcase is a sturdy piece of luggage that can take whatever abuse you can dish out on your business travels. It is constructed with 1680-denier nylon, which is twice as strong as regular old nylon and is made to resists stains, tears and abrasions. The makers know all about wheeling your briefcase through the elements, so the piece was created to be water repellent as well. That makes it as safe a place as any for your laptop or PDA or anything else you need to keep high and dry. A pocket on the side zips out to provide you with the perfect spot to store a wet umbrella, keeping it safely away from the precious contents. This briefcase weighs in at a svelte 7 pounds when empty, which will prevent you from rolling around extra weight. And to borrow a phrase from Henry Ford, “You can get it in any color you want – as long as it’s black.”

The Wheeled Business Briefcase contains loads of handy pockets to store everything you need. Overall, the briefcase measures in at 17 1/4″W x 13 1/2″H x 6 1/2″D, which is large enough to carry your gear and even your extras like reading material for the plane. The main compartment can be zipped out to expand an additional 2 inches and has separate sections for your files and whatnot. The second section contains a padded laptop sleeve for those times the flight crew gets a little rowdy when closing the overhead bins, as well as pockets to store brochures and literature. The sleeve leaves room to spare, even when I put in my monster laptop. There is a front zipper pocket that will let you organize all of your everyday supplies, with a place for your cell phone, PDA, business cards, pens and even a key hook (although I’ve never used that last little feature on any piece of luggage I’ve owned).

This is a briefcase for those of us who don’t want to carry a hulking piece of luggage in to our meetings, but value having the room to store all of our gear. It contains a collapsible handle that extends a little over two feet, which puts it at a perfect height for me (at 5’3″) to pull. That being said, I think it may be a little short for those extra tall travelers out there. In-line skate wheels are the feature that keeps you on the move. This piece of luggage rolls as smoothly as butter. The wheels are pretty standard, and should be a breeze to replace after the first set goes. Although that should take a while, as the starter set is good quality. I loaded up the briefcase to see how it would work out and it kept it’s balance like an Olympic gymnast. I can’t tell you how important that is in a piece of luggage, since you just don’t want to have to bend down to pick it up every time you let go of the handle for a second. If you DO want an upper body workout, you can use the padded, adjustable shoulder strap provided to carry the briefcase.

Retail price for this product is $249.95, which doesn’t make it the cheapest rolling briefcase on the block. However, it is similarly priced to TravelPro products in the same category. With luggage, as in with all things, you really do get what you pay for.

If you’re considering the Wheeled Business Briefcase as a gift, you can add a special touch by monogramming the piece. This is a nice gift for your clients and associates.

Lands End offers matching accessories for the briefcase, including a document holder, passport holder and a security travel belt (which I found really IS important for travel in some destinations).

If you order before December 19, 2007, you can use the promotion code “JOY” to receive free shipping. Just in time to get a Christmas gift for your favorite business traveler.

You can get it at landsend.com or by calling (800) 935-4497.