If you're going on a family road trip, everyone's luggage will no doubt take up a lot of space inside the car. That's why Lugga (pronounced "looga") was created. It's a system that incorporates aerodynamic hardshell suitcases, which lock onto a custom roof rack while in transit.
Each 70-liter/7.9-lb (3.6-kg) Lugga suitcase features a built-in set of roller wheels, a retractable handle, and a TSA-approved combination lock. It can be used on its own for air or land travel, just like a regular suitcase. When the time comes to hit the road, however, it can be key-locked onto a custom anodized aluminum roof rack.
That rack is reportedly compatible with pretty much any type of vehicle. Horizontally placed on it bottom-to-bottom, two of the suitcases present a streamlined profile not unlike that of a car-top roof box – a maximum of four suitcases can be carried. The cases are weather-resistant, so rain shouldn't cause their contents to get wet, plus their reinforced plastic shells are resistant to the sun's ultraviolet rays.
![Horizontally placed on the Lugga roof rack bottom-to-bottom, two of the suitcases present a streamlined profile not unlike that of a car-top roof box](https://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/default/d2cfad1/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1920x816+0+0/resize/1440x612!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnewatlas-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Farchive%2Flugga-modular-luggage-5.png)
Users can leave the rack on the car when the suitcases aren't being transported, utilizing it to carry things like bikes or kayaks – an assortment of dedicated mounts are in the works. That said, it can also be removed and folded laterally accordion-style, so it takes up less room when off the car.
If you're interested, Lugga is currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign. A pledge of US$495 will get you two of the suitcases plus a two-case rack, with $770 required for four cases and a four-case rack – the planned retail prices for those packages are $900 and $1,400, respectively. Assuming the system reaches production, shipping is estimated for next February.
Source: Kickstarter