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SEPTEMBER 2019TRIED AND TESTED LUGGAGE
BACKGROUND Fugu is a recent brand in
the luggage business. It originally debuted
with a bit of a “blow-up” bag – a pufferfish
style packing concept which, with the help
of strong lungs or an electric pump, would
expand from small carryon to full blown
cargo piece.
The most recent iteration from Fugu
is the Rollux, a carry-on bag that, with a
bit of luggage legerdemain, expands to
a full size bag with removable rollers, an
extendable handle, two separate carrying
compartments and a few other benefits.HOW DOES IT WORK? Ever been on
one of those trips where you come back
with twice as much as you brought? On
a recent trip to Italy I ended up doing just
that. It wasn’t that I went crazy on the
fashion streets in Milan. It was all the notes,
booklets and materials from a conference
(OK, yes, and maybe a few clothes and
gifts) I came home with.
Outbound I used the Rollux as my trip
bag and carried it on the plane with me. On
the return I had too much for a carryon bag.
That’s when the Fugu design really comes
into play. What starts out as the bottom of
the carryon is actually two panels that fold
out into a full-size compartment, expanding
the fabric sides as it goes. Hinged panels on
either side are locked in place with stiff wire
braces, and the large straps that secured all
this in carryon mode tuck neatly away. I had
a full empty compartment to put things so I
only had to check a large bag one-way.
A few things to note about the Rollux.
First, in its expanded incarnation, it’s tall- much taller than a standard suitcase.
That makes maneuvering in tight spaces
a little more tricky. And it easily gobbles
up the majority of trunk space in most
any full-size sedan. While the folded away
version is generous for a carryon bag, once
the second compartment is deployed, it’s
cavernous – there’s room for days and days.
However the Rollux is different from the
usual expandable suitcase in that you’re
really getting two distinct compartments,
not just one fatter space. So I found figuring
Fugu Rollux
Expandable Luggage Solution
how clothing is laid out and what goes
where was definitely a challenge – but with
all this space, the question was not, what
can I leave out? but rather, how much more
can I take?
Fugu has now out with a MiniRollux – a
kind of expandable laptop or briefcase
that measures an ample 5 X 15 inches and
weighs in at less than 2.5 lbs. It fits onto the
Rollux handles for rolling through airports
and then transforms into a desk with a
handy cup holder at odd working breaks
taken on the go.FEATURES- Each Rollux comes with a USB charging
port that can be connected to a
BEST FOR
Taking lots of stuff one wayWEIGHTS & MEASURES
The Fugu weighs in at 9.2 lbs. and
measures 15.7 X 19.6 X 8.6 inches when
folded up. Expanded the suitcase grows
to 33.4 inches in height, not counting the
removable wheels.PRICE
$295CONTACT
Rolluxtravel.compowerbank for charging two devices
simultaneously. The powerbank wasn’t
included with the bag I tested, which is
just as well, given the airlines’ requirement
that these batteries be removed in
checked baggage – you can choose to
add one or not.- The four spinner wheels navigate most
floor surfaces smoothly. And they can be
easily removed, which helps protect them
from baggage-handler abuse and allows
the bag, whether carry-on or full-size, to fit
into tighter spaces. - The fabric expands as well so that you can
squeeze in even more extra items. - The bag is a metallic slate color with
a choice of colored stripe around the
rim and matching the inside protective
sleeves.
VERDICT Space, space and more
space – that’s what the Fugu Rollux has
in abundance. For trips where you
have more things going one
direction but not
the other, this is a
convenient, sturdy,
practical bag that
offers a cost-
effective way to
avoid extra bag
fees. Dan Booth