The History of Rolling Suitcases

For most of history, people didn’t travel much, and those who did were usually wealthy because traveling was quite expensive. Consequently, luggage consisted of large, heavy trunks that were carried by multiple people (typically servants). Early luggage was sometimes also placed on wheeled carts for easier transport. Around the turn of the 20th century, smaller handheld suitcases that could be carried by the owner came into fashion as travel became more accessible to the average person. Then in 1970, an American tourist named Bernard Sadow returned from a vacation in Aruba and was inspired by the frustrating task of dragging his luggage through customs. Upon returning home, he took four rolling casters off a wardrobe trunk and attached them to a suitcase. He applied for a patent and soon his invention was being sold at Macy’s as “the luggage the glides.” However, rolling suitcases didn’t catch on with the general public until a Northwest Airlines pilot named Robert Plath invented the Rollaboard suitcase in 1987. Working from his garage in Boca Raton, Florida, Plath attached two wheels and a long, collapsible handle to his suitcase, allowing it to roll along at an upright angle. He began making Rollaboards for his fellow pilots and flight attendants. When members of the public saw airline crews with the suitcases, the new luggage style quickly caught on, and Plath started a company called TravelPro to manufacture his invention. Today, rolling suitcases are the norm and many even rotate, spin, or have other special features designed to make traveling easier.