Travel backpacks are so passé. All the cool kids, like [Niklas Roy] are using scooter trunks for easy travel. Think of it, not only does it remove the need to carry your heavy baggage, but you get to coast along for the ride as well. We wonder what the officials at air, train, and bus travel hubs are going to think?
The idea came from seeing a similar build with a flight case (plywood box with metal edges and hardware). In that project the flight case folded out to be something of an impromptu street kiosk. But [Niklas] knew the aluminum camera trunk he uses for travel was going to work great in the project. He designed a bracket to replace the steering column on his kick scooter. It holds the case securely in place, but still allows the scooter to fold down to be stowed in the train overhead bin.
At first we thought this would have been better if integrated into the trunk itself. Keeping the two parts separate means you can leave the case wherever you’re staying and take just the scooter for day trips.
Carry-on luggage? What would the TSA think?
The TSA will think it is an energy weapon and confiscate the whole thing.
If the trunk is loaded up and he hits a crack or stone, how much more likely is he to be thrown? I’m sure this could be mitigated by going an appropriate speed.
I have _several_ aluminum suitcases that I pulled out of the trash, but unfortunately they are just ever-so-slightly wrong dimensions for carry on. I can’t check them as baggage, because they _always_ get opened up, sometimes at the destination (!) and not closed back up properly. I think less-than-honest people think that something valuable is stored in there and open it up to try to steel…. I bet they are disappointed when all they find is my dirty underwear…
http://travel.spotcoolstuff.com/best-luggage-reviews/samsonite-micro-suitcase-scooter
You could totally take this on a train – if it’s not too full you probably wouldn’t even need to check it.
I took a cross-country train last week, and security on railroads(at least between Chicago and Boston) is incredibly relaxed. The most I saw was one cop in Boston walking the platform with a sniffer dog, and a couple in Chicago wandering Union Station(cops not dogs).
You can get on and off at any stop unimpeded – even to run into the station and buy stuff, you can check tons of baggage for free, you have 120v outlets at the seats, it’s awesome. It really is the superior way to travel, and the staff on Amtrak was incredibly nice.
They’d probably demand invasive surgery if you brought this thing to an airport.