Luggage That Fits Into the Post-Sept. 11 World

Getting through airport security these days can resemble the "I Love Lucy" episode in which Lucy and Ethel frantically chase down candies on a fast-moving factory line. Juggling carry-on bag or laptop, purse, airline ticket, shoes, jacket and ID, we fling our belongings on the conveyor belt and race to the other side of the X-ray machine, hoping to catch up with them before some stranger does.

"Lucy" was funny. This is not. Especially, as happened to me recently at LAX, when you're called aside for a more thorough security check while your belongings (including a tiny wallet-purse) pile up on the belt.

The nation's luggage makers are churning out new products to try to ease our passage through the post-Sept. 11 world. Many were designed in a flurry after the attacks; others were already under development but took on new value after Sept. 11.

Here's a sampling of what's out there now or will be soon:

Double-duty carry-ons: Most airline travelers are confined to one carry-on plus a personal item such as purse or briefcase. What if you also have a laptop or other items?

The Dual-Access Rolling Computer Case ($95) from Magellan's, a mail-order company, is a carry-on with a compartment for overnight clothes plus a computer-carrying sleeve that you can open from either the top or side. It lets you show your laptop to security guards without showing off your underwear too. (800) 962-4943, www.magellans.com.

Magellan's was developing the case before Sept. 11, says spokeswoman Lynn Staneff. But industry giant Samsonite had to scramble to produce its 700 Series Silhouette 7 Instant View Professional Carry-On ($250), which made its debut this month with an overnight-clothes compartment and a computer sleeve. A version with a side-loading computer compartment ($400, 835 Series) will enter the marketplace in August. (800) 262-8282, www.samsonite.com.

"On Sept. 12, the design team sat down with the product manager, and they began coming up with ideas," recalls Nora Alonso, Samsonite marketing coordinator.

Hartmann, a luxury-luggage maker based in Lebanon, Tenn., has a new Overnight Business Traveler ($525) with separate sections for clothes and business materials, plus a computer sleeve.

By fall, Hartmann plans to market a line of totes for women called the Career Collection, offered in several sizes and priced from $195 to $435. The line has a business case plus, in most styles, a detachable handbag inside and a padded computer sleeve that also can be carried separately. (800) 331-0613, www.hartmann.com.