Necessity is perhaps the best sort of design brief. If you want to solve a problem, ask for insights for someone plagued by the problem the most. In 1987, Robert Plath, a Northwest Airlines pilot revolutionized how we travel by simply adding a pair of wheels to his luggage. Decades later, strolleys are practically a norm, and anyone who physically lifts heavy bags is looked at as a luddite. If you want to innovate and create the best sort of luggage for travel, the best way is to talk to someone who literally travels every single day… If anyone were to know the pain-points of traveling with suitcases, it would be commercial pilot Ethan Fischer. A seasoned airline pilot and entrepreneur, Fischer’s entire profession involves living out of a suitcase, so needless to say, he’s got a few insights on how travel cases should function. Fischer’s journey to designing the world’s most efficient travel luggage stems from the same sense of necessity Robert Plath felt when he sought to add wheels to the bottom of his suitcase. After years of development, and decades of having first-hand experience with badly designed travel bags, Fischer designed the Helix Pro Roller, travel-case that’s practical and strong enough to take the daily abuse of being used by flight-crew. By optimizing the bag to serve the 95th percentile, Fischer’s bag actually outperforms almost every other travel bag when it comes to functionality. What forms the core of the Helix Pro Roller is its unique handle, an ergonomically designed grip with two-axis rotation and a carbon-fiber tube. This swiveling grip gives you a much more secure and comfortable hold on the bag, allowing you to pull it around without straining your wrist or fumbling with your bag. The two points of rotation allow you to grip the handle naturally, minimizing the load and helping you carry your luggage through the airport every day without feeling the stress of the travel. The bag comes with reinforced wheels too that Fischer claims lives up to the StrongBags brand. Described as the toughest wheels to be used on travel bags, these work wonderfully smoothly on flat surfaces, and absorb shock on rough terrain. In fact, the wheels are actually fashioned from the ones found on inline skates, so you could casually wheel the bag down a flight of stairs and the wheels would actually absorb a majority of the shock, keeping your belongings safe. They sit within a removable housing too, making them easy to periodically clean or even repair and replace. The Helix Pro Roller was designed to literally be the Nokia 3310 of travel cases… user-friendly, ubiquitous, and practically indestructible. Created keeping flight-crew in mind, the travel case comes with a durable, waterproof, ballistic-proof CORDURA fabric exterior and is reinforced by a polycarbonate case on the inside. The polycarbonate endoskeleton is what gives the Helix Pro its unmatchable durability. Strong enough to take on any sort of impact, and sturdy enough that you could sit comfortably on your suitcase if there isn’t a seat available, the Helix Pro’s case comes rigorously tested to take you through the most hectic of schedules. This hard-case may give the bag limited non-expandable storage, but Fischer solves that by building J-hooks right into the front panel of the bag, letting you hang more bags from it, just the way flight-crew and pilots do. In the pursuit of durability, the bags come with long-lasting high-grade YKK zippers, and are designed to be completely repairable from top to bottom. Designed and perfected for air travel, the bags are appropriately sized to store your belongings and at the same time, fit right into in-cabin overhead compartments. Tried and tested not just by Fischer himself but also by various flight crew working both domestically and internationally who travel every single day and live right out of their travel cases, the Helix Pro Roller is long-lasting user-friendly design done right! Ethan Fischer ($100 off). Hurry, only 3/225 left! The Helix Pro is designed with frequent travelers in mind, from rotating carbon fiber handle, impact-resistant Polycarbonate frame, tear-resistant CORDURA Ballistic nylon to the strongest wheels on the markets makes this bag built to last. The bag and its accessories are ergonomically designed to make your travels as convenient as possible. The handle joints and the stainless steel hook for your secondary bags ensure a centered and balanced system that makes it so the bag does all the work for you. The handle rotates and pivots in your hand for comfort, instantly relieving stress in your wrist, elbow, and shoulder. Their inline 650z skate wheels with sealed bearings are built for cobblestone roads and rough sidewalks. The frame is made of impact-resistant Polycarbonate and is designed to absorb shock through the entire frame, lessening the impact abuse on other parts. ($100 off). Hurry, only 3/225 left!