Building a Better Spinner

Today’s post profiles the development of the Revolution™ Expandable Spinner, the center-piece of the Revolution™ Rolling Pack.

Here’s a summary of the main features of the design:

Four wheel spinners have been around for awhile, and have gradually taken share from two wheel designs, because they glide more easily through airports (you can roll the bag at your side rather than pull it behind you), and because they can be turned sideways when going down the aisle of an airplane, making boarding and disembarking easier.

So, what can be done to make spinners better?

Well, make them modular, to start! I remember back in 2017, when we were designing our first modular product, asking a prospective designer about the feasibility of a modular spinner. He said he couldn’t imagine it, and it made his head hurt!

That said, the number one request from our customers has been for a four wheel design of our modular rolling pack. So, we got to work. Here were our objectives:

1. Make it fit under most airplane seats. This is very helpful if the plane is full. Most spinners are 9” or more deep… making this impossible.
2. Maintain side pockets in the design. Our customers really like the side pockets, as they are very convenient for umbrellas, water bottles, or even a light jacket. Most spinners do not have these.
3. Make it expandable! Our customers emphasized the need to be able to expand the bag, in case they pick up more items on their trip. Most 4 wheel spinners are not expandable.
4. Make it strong and stable! The key here is a light but solid base. Most 4-wheel spinners that are expandable put the zipper to the expansion unit in the middle of the side of the bag, going all the way around. This destroys the ability to have a solid base, because the expansion zipper cuts through the base. (It also eliminates the possibility of side pockets.)

We can report “Mission Accomplished!” We were able to hit all four of these objectives, resulting in a unique and better spinner design.

The two keys to these innovations were:

1. A three-sided expansion system. This patent-pending design allows for expandability while still retaining side pockets and a solid base. The 33 liters of unexpanded space is plenty for most trips (especially since the Revolution Rolling Pack also has the Expandable Daypack and the Messenger Tote Pack), but can expand to 41 liters when needed (or, up to 71 liters if the Expandable Daypack is also used and expanded!)
2. A slightly tapered design… 7.5” deep at the bottom, and slightly tapering at the top. This allows the Revolution™ Expandable Spinner to fit under most airplane seats (when not expanded), while remaining stable. 

Here’s a collage of the key features:

So, there you have it! A better spinner that is also expandable! This is going to be fun! 

Happy Traveling!

Dave and the Onli Travel Team

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