All the Packing Tips You’ll Ever Need, From One of the World’s Top Luggage Experts

Like the rest of us, luxury travel, luggage and lifestyle brand TUMI is entering this new era of travel with gusto. At a recent pop-up opening in Seoul, where we met Asia’s best footballer and TUMI Crew member Son Heung-Min and previewed their new fall line, we sat down with the head of TUMI Asia Pacific and Middle East, Adam Hershman, to talk about the evolution of travel style, where he loves to visit in our region, and his top tips on what to pack for long and short trips. Read on for the ultimate luggage shopping list, including some gorgeous new designs that’ll have women especially excited. 

People are buying larger suitcases because they’re taking more and longer leisure trips.

Business travelers who had been grounded by you-know-what are upgrading their gear.

As airports and hotels are getting more stylish, travelers are leveling up in what they wear and carry.

Organization is king.

Individualization is queen.

These are some of the key takeaways from a fun conversation I had with Adam Hershman, vice president of TUMI Asia Pacific and Middle East, in Seoul. We were there for the launch of the TUMI Fall 2023 Essentially Beautiful pop-up in Lotte World Mall. In a stunning undulating space, centered on a multi-perspective sculpture by perceptual American artist Michael Murphy, we checked out two new covetable collections, Alpha X and Georgica, and got a sneak peek of the new season’s colors and silhouettes. We also were among the lucky few (oh, you should have heard the cheers) to meet football star Son Heung-Min, captain of Tottenham Hotspur as well as South Korea’s national team. 

If you’re a luggage nerd like us and get turned on by the science behind things like Tegris, the crazy-strong woven material in TUMI Tegra-Lite suitcases, well, Adam says, “it’s going to be an incredible moment when you want to upgrade your travel gear. You’ll go to a Tumi store and see all the options and think, Wow, there’s so much here! It will just really feed the travel fire.”

Here’s what to know about where TUMI is going, and what luggage and accessories you should pack for short and long trips, and the quirky surprises you’ll find in Adam Hershman’s carry-on.

T+L SEA: Who’s the Tumi consumer of today?

Adam Hershman: We’re very inspired by people who are high-achievement minded, and across industries, whether you’re a DJ, an artist, you’re in finance, you’re a journalist – we’re inspired by people who are trying to perfect their craft and are looking to innovate and elevate themselves. We make products for people like this that span all age groups. Travel is something that all generations like to do, and “achievement” is not something that’s unique to Gen Z versus Gen Y.

There may be some ways of communicating that are different, you know, maybe we’ll look to do a collaboration with an e-sports company like Razer or doing advertising on Tik Tok to contour the stories for a younger generation – but the story is the same. We are a global brand, our customers are traveling all over the world, but our HQ is still in New York. And so that’s still our compass for how we navigate product development.

T+L SEA: And so how is the story contoured for the Asian market?

Adam Hershman: When you look at Asia or the Middle East, you know, you’re talking about places that just have different demographics. Places like Vietnam or Saudi Arabia have some of the youngest population percentages on the planet. Now, we’re not changing our brand persona, or brand DNA to accommodate that. Rather, we create products that are relevant to who those people are.

Sometimes there are silhouettes that’ll be more relevant in Asia, versus other countries. In Indonesia, there’s a strong clutch business, as an example of unique ways people prefer to carry things around. In the Middle East also the clutch business is strong – because of the attire, it goes well with that.

We occasionally develop relevant products that are specific to certain markets or certain tastes. Historically we’ve done this kind of thing in Japan. We have a collection there called Jarvis, which is a bit more tailored for the Japanese local market. We made a briefcase in a special size to accommodate a typical lunchbox that the white-collar manager or business leader would bring to work.

But the Japanese customer is also traveling to New York, also traveling to Paris. That’s the nature of our business! So often products can end up becoming part of our main line anyway.

T+L SEA: Where are your three favorite places to travel in Asia-Pacific, and why?

Adam Hershman: My No. 1 place to go is anywhere with my family. I always like to explore with my family. I’ll get in trouble if I don’t say that!

For vacation, I’d go with Bali. I got married in Bali 10 years ago. I tend to be a fairly active person, I love the water. Bali has beaches, diving, sailing, swimming, snorkeling. And of course a very rich culture and some terrific cuisine.

From Hong Kong, where I live, a quick getaway is great in Bangkok. Love the food, love taking cooking classes there. I am, as I told you, a coconut curry…

T+L SEA: …right, master. You’re a coconut curry master!

Adam Hershman: Haha, Yeah.

I also love going to South Korea; I do a lot of shopping in South Korea. There is a very creative design community. It’s very culturally relevant, to actual culture creation, not just in Asia but globally as well. So it’s always inspiring. Every time I come back, there’s something new, there’s a new trend. I’m always like, “Oh, what’s that? What’s going to be the department store that I don’t know about?” The standards here are very high. The attention to detail is very high. Everyone’s inspired, everyone’s participating, I love it.

I like golfing here too. 

T+L SEA: What do you always pack in your carry-on? 

Adam Hershman: I have packing cubes like crazy, and I have shoe bags as well. I have a special charger pack that opens into three pieces. It’s quite small; a little bit bigger than my iPhone. But you can charge Apple Watch, air pods, and phone all at the same time. So instead of having to carry a zillion cords, you just carry this one thing. I bought it in an Apple Store. 

I have an Alpha Bravo Esports Pro Large Backpack, that I use when I travel, where I put my travel wallet, the pouch for my laptop, sleeve for my iPad, more cords, everything. Everything has a home. 

I also carry extra toothbrushes. More than four. 

T+L SEA: Wait, what. What do you need four of them for?

Adam Hershman: If I go on a long flight, I want to always be able to brush my teeth. And if I have a colleague with me, I want to be able to share. Usually I have one or two in my travel kit and then I’ll have one or two more in my backpack just in case.

I bring my pajamas on long flights. And I actually have the special compression airline socks.

T+L SEA: What should I pack on a weekend beach hop?

Adam Hershman: If you’re a hard case person, I’m going to steer you towards the 19 Degree International Expandable 4 Wheeled Carry-On – with expansion, for if you want to go shopping and bring back some extra stuff.

If you’re more of a soft-side suitcase person and a slightly lighter packer, there’s the Voyageur Oxford Compact Carry-On.

With a Voyageur Celina backpack you can be hands-free. Put a Just in Case tote inside that – it’s a nice tote to bring to the beach or the pool or just around town, it folds up into its own pocket pouch, and you might need it if you’re bringing more home from the trip than you left with.

If you’re not a backpack person, the Alpha Carry All Tote is a perfect solution. There’s a secret compartment in the bottom where in normal life I put my used gym clothes, but you could pack your bathing suits and towel.

Another option is a sling. I really recommend sling packs as a super-convenient way to carry a phone and a couple of essentials, in a safe way across your chest. My wife was actually wearing one earlier.

Dry bags are key if you are going into an environment where you might get wet. We also make water bottles that are terrific. Nowadays you see public water stations in the airports and all over for refilling, which is great. I love our water bottles, and if you have one of those, then a TUMI+ water bottle pouch would be really convenient, too. 

T+L SEA: Sorry, what’s TUMI+ ?

Adam Hershman: TUMI+ is a system where you can add functionality to different bags without making the bag more fussy, if you will. You can hook a pouch on with different things inside it, and you can quickly remove it and put it somewhere else.

There’s a backpack rain cover so that when it randomly starts raining – which we experience here in Southeast Asia in particular, right? – you can put that rain cover on really quick. I typically use the TUMI+ AirPod Pro Pouch, and I’ll actually clip it from my belt loop and transfer it onto my bag.

T+L SEA: I’m going on a three week multi-climate trip, meaning different destinations without popping home first. What do I pack?

Adam Hershman: Get the Tegra-Lite Extended Trip Expandable 4 Wheeled Packing Case because it’s stylish, it’s cool, and it keeps your weight down so you have flexibility. You might need a jacket and/or a heavy coat, which, if you’re wearing it at some point but not all the time, you may need the expansion feature going one direction and the other way not. 

Pair it with the Tegra-Lite International Front Pocket Expandable 4 Wheeled Carry-On, inside of which you can pack a purse, a sling, some snacks. You get additional functional benefits from this case because it has a front-pocket opening. So if you’re like me – meaning, last minute! – you’re like, OK, I actually need this sweater, for example, to be accessible while I’m traveling, and you can just throw it in that pocket on the go.

Here’s my tip: Bringing a carry-on that you don’t pack full is useful because you can put your new purchases from your trip in there if you don’t want to check them. And if you did just buy so much stuff you wind up over weight for the overhead bin, you can also feel comfortable checking in your carry-on because they’re made in such a way that they can handle it. In fact, the Tegra-Lite line has protective front and back corner bumpers to maintain the shape of your bags.

A backpack gives you flexibility. So I’m going to have you bring a Voyageur Ramsay backpack.

We have awesome packing cubes. One-hundred percent you need those. Some of those Tumi+ items and a Just in Case tote.

And, for a change of style: our new Georgica line in soft, pebbled leather. You can fit your laptop in a Georgica tote, and it will fall flat in your suitcase if you don’t want to carry it on the plane. The Georgica Kerrie crossbody purse looks great if you’re going to a nice dinner or out to meet friends. 

T+L SEA: I really love the Georgica line. It feels like a pointedly feminine evolution. How else is Tumi evolving? And why?

Adam Hershman: It’s really not so far in the past where travel products were not perceived as being as fashionable as they are today. Now, customers are demanding – just like any other three-dimensional object that they have – fashion and style in addition to function and performance: they’re all on the same level. So now you can tell the focus we’re putting on the aesthetics. This has always been a part of our DNA, but certainly now the customer values that more than ever.

All the airports have upped their game in terms of what they look like. Many airlines as well. People want to match that environment. It’s easier to justify that, you know, you go into Hong Kong International Airport, it’s as beautiful as any great shopping mall. As the whole ecosystem of travel levels up, there’s more of a match. You’re not bringing a luxury product to a place that’s a dump. 

People look smart on planes and people look smart in the airport. They have different styles: Some people have that athletic look, some people have the jacket, but even in the jackets you often see some technical fabric or wrinkle-free. People really put passion and thought into it. From the airlines to the hotels to the airports, everyone’s putting thought into it all at the same time. So everything is moving ahead at the same time. And I think that’s what makes the market really cool.

Images courtesy of TUMI, unless otherwise noted.

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