40 years ago, we changed
travel forever.

Wheeled luggage taken for granted by today’s travelers.

What was life like without wheeled luggage? Well, in a word "painful," notes Briggs & Riley CEO, Richard Krulik. A sentiment shared by then-president of U.S. Luggage, parent company of Briggs & Riley, Bernard Sadow upon returning from Aruba carrying two heavy suitcases. At that moment, Sadow noticed a skid nearby and had an inspired connection. Sadow turned to his wife and noted, "That's what luggage needs: wheels."

By October of 1970, the first wheeled luggage prototype rolled out — literally. But it wasn’t until a year and a half later that a visionary VP at Macy’s demanded his buyer place the first order. Customers bought in like crazy. The rest is history.

Today’s Briggs & Riley wheels are built with high-performance plastics and sealed bearings and are put through rigorous performance and quality tests that include rolling on a treadmill for several miles to test durability on lifelike surfaces. It's an example of what Krulik and his team refer to as "Reality Engineering," an approach that governs Briggs & Riley's approach to product development. As Krulik says, "just because every piece of luggage has a wheel, doesn't make it a Briggs & Riley wheel; you get what you pay for."

To see all Briggs & Riley’s complete collection of "Reality Engineered" Briggs & Riley luggage, carry-ons and duffel bags, including our current selection of wheeled styles, shop now.