Everyone’s idea of adventure is different. Yet whether you’re searching for Tokyo’s richest ramen or empty surf breaks in Tasmania, there’s one thing every traveler strives to get just right and that Thule luggage happily simplifies: packing. Bundling everything you need—without added weight or anything else you don’t—takes foresight, skill, and more importantly luggage that’s built to last and designed with versatility in mind.
Building on nearly 80 years of experience, the Malmö-Sweden-based brand is perhaps most famously known for its vehicle racks. Ubiquitous from mountain towns to metropolises, Thule’s racks and carriers inspire fandom for their durability and intelligent user-centric design. Lately, the brand has started applying its decades of design and engineering experience to personal luggage, and the result is a robust collection of several lines, all with a style of their own and quality behind every detail. Scandinavian design principals like functionality, clean lines, quality, and handsome minimalism are at the forefront of the line. It’s luggage that’s built for contemporary travel and life—where you might scramble up a rocky trail one day then savor a Michelin-starred meal in the city the next.
Here, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorites from the collection and where we’d like to take them.
Thule Subterra: Where Work Meets Play
Successful business travel is all about ease and efficiency. The Thule Subterra line features a sleek roll aboard, the Thule Subterra Carry On Spinner, along with the easily integrated Subterra Boarding Bag that attaches to the Spinner’s retractable handle. Thule’s carry-on can handle miles of traversing airports, train stations, and the bumpiest of cobblestones—it’s why AFAR named Thule Revolve Spinner 30” among the best carry-ons of 2021. (Hard-sided devotees, check out the Thule Revolve.) Meanwhile, the Boarding Bag makes breezing through security and managing all your necessary tech easy, thanks to neatly organized divider pockets and a magnetic grab-and-go pocket.
The look and feel of the Thule Subterra collection is smart and subtle, ideal for keeping it professional or maintaining a low profile when visiting cities then travelling light on day excursions with the Boarding Bag. Think jetting into Zurich, then hopping on one of Switzerland’s famed trains to explore the mountainous country. Leave the city behind and head to St. Moritz with the day’s essentials in the Boarding Bag for a day on the mountain (hiking or via cable car). Then board the famed Bernina Express, the highest railway in the Alps, for a scenic ride through 55 tunnels and 196 bridges. Finish in Lugano, Italy where an alpine lake and handmade pasta await.
Thule Crossover 2: Your Go-To Pack
A truly excellent backpack will do more than just make travel better, it will hold the many memories of your trips. Finding a pack that has aesthetics for the city, construction that holds up in nature, and functionality for daily use is a challenge, but Thule has the answer. The Thule Crossover 2—available in 20 liter and 30 liter capacities—has everything one could want in a modern pack. The dedicated laptop pocket with “SafeEdge” construction keeps your mobile office safe, while a special heat-molded compartment shields smaller items from impacts. The pack’s main and secondary compartments feature strategically designed organizers, while their light-colored interior fabric makes accessing everything easy and predictable.
Whether you’re bike commuting to the office, visiting a new city, or working remotely from the far corners of the globe, the Thule Crossover 2 is the pack you’ll want on your back. Imagine living the digital nomad dream, meandering through the streets of Tokyo with your laptop and a change of clothes for a post-work adventure. Starting out at sunrise, you’d walk the Meguro River and catch the first rays of morning light before making your way to the chic shopping district of Daikanyama and ducking into a tranquil café to log on. After a lunch of ramen and some vintage shopping in Shimokitazawa, hop on a bullet train to Koburi Pass in Saitama for a sunset hike.
Thule Chasm: The True Do-It-All Duffel
From hauling gear to the beach to ferrying camping must-haves across the world, Thule’s Chasm duffel is a weather-resistant, capable workhorse of a bag that you’ll have in rotation for more than enough trips to fill a passport. Available in four sizes, the Thule Chasm features stowable backpack straps and a burly nylon tarpaulin outer that can handle weather and reckless baggage-handlers alike. A wide-mouth opening makes it easy to see and access everything, while interior organizers help keep smaller items tidy.
Designed and built for nearly any rugged adventure, the Thule Chasm is the sort of bag that is at home in the trunk of your car on a weekend camping trip a few hours north or about as far away as you can get from home—camping on a remote surf trip halfway around the world. Think of loading up the Thule Chasm with a tent, sleeping bag, warm clothes and a few wetsuits then heading to Hobart, Tasmania. After checking out the budding design and culinary scene in the remote Australian city, rent a truck, load up on food, and head for the coast at Marrawah for idyllic camping and empty waves.
