Bluesmart Series 2 wants to upgrade the way you travel with 'smart' luggage,' whether or not you're jetting around the world in first class.
The smart luggage start-up company behind it is doing that with a set of four new travel products that up the features and design of its original Bluesmart suitcase.
Available now to order on Indiegogo with early bird pricing, Bluesmart Cabin, Check, Laptop Bag and Passport Pouch give you a tech-focused packing suite.
You'll find features like GPS+3G location tracking (so you never lose your suitcase), automatic remote locks and embedded recharging battery packs.
We really liked traveling around with the Bluesmart Series 1, and the Series 2 appears to address a lot of the small gripes with had the first time around, as we'll explain.
Bluesmart Series 2 prices
The Bluesmart Series 2 crowdsource funding campaign just launched, so it has early bird pricing available on limited suitcase items.
The Cabin 22-inch suitcase starts at $275 (about £215, AU$362), but at retail it will cost $595 (about £467, AU$784), giving you a 54% discount.
The Check 29-inch suitcase begins at $325 (about £255, AU$428), which isn't too much more for the extra room. It'll eventually cost $695 (about £546, AU$916).
The new Bluesmart laptop bag costs $195 (about £153, AU$257) immediately, and will cost $395 (about £310, AU$520) in the long run.
Finally, the cheapest and smallest item you'll find on the Bluesmart roster is the Passport Pouch. It costs $95 (about £75, AU$125) early on, but will end up being (about £114, AU$191) for those who wait.
Should you get the Bluesmart Series 2 suitcases?
There's a lot to like about the Bluesmart Series 2 smart luggage system. It's the ultimate tech-focused package for travelers. But is it worth it?
Here are the perks we see, before getting to test out the suitcase set ourselves:
- The fact that the BlueSmart 2 carry-on bag is 25% bigger on the inside fixes our main gripe with the original suitcase. Before, packing any sort of alternate footwear (gym sneakers or dress shoes) made it tough to fit in more than two days worth of clothes and tech gear (granted, we have tons of that). Having more space is a huge improvement, yet the suitcase stays small enough to be fully carry-on compliant for all airlines and the TSA.
- We really liked the smoothness of the hub-less wheels before, even after plenty of wear through cobblestone streets, and the Bluesmart campaign points out that the wheels have been upgraded. So we look forward to see this thing glide across the many lands of our travels in 2017.
- The GPS+3G tracking remains free. It's very handy when you leave your fancy-looking bag unattended (like when you give it to that shady bellhop or think 'this claim ticket can be easily forged by someone else').
- Digital autolocking also provides piece of mind. Sure, someone could chainsaw through your Bluesmart suitcase, but you're more likely to have the contents of your bag stolen by someone artfully slipping by the zipper on the train in that luggage hold that's just out of sight. Remotely being able to lock the zipper through the app is a really nice touch.
- The Bluesmart Check bag has a weight sensor – one that syncs with your airline's requirements, which is an unexpected bonus. This is so you can avoid overweight fees.
- The battery life for the bags is now 30 days instead of the 7 days we got from the Series 1 – it was always just shy of a full trip for us before. This fixes that issue and thensome. The Passport Pouch can go 90 days without a recharge.
- About the Passport Pouch – if I had this for my first MWC conference a couple of years back, this would have saved me a frantic 30 minutes of tearing apart my suitcase in the middle of Barcelona (Dear me from three years ago, it's tucked away in the folded pocket of the jeans in your suitcase).
Of course, owning a smart suitcase over a traditional suitcase is expensive if you don't claim one of the early bird prices. It's an investment.
You'll have to review these perks to see if it's worth it. Also, you'll want to be the traveling type. The charging, remote locking and GPS+3G is wonderful if you think you're going to get use out of it.
We'll be sure to update you on our findings in a Bluesmart Series 2 review once we get some suitcases and load up all of our gear for a true roadtrip test.
