Talk Morgan Forums Community The Malvern Arms Globe-Trotter

Now I don’t know much about suitcases except they need to be cheap and expendable.
That’s because when the baggage handlers have booted them from Manchester to Malaga a few times, it’s off down to Home Bargains for a replacement.

However, I picked up a brown burnished antique looking suitcase that must be quite a few decades old a while ago in a charity shop thinking it might go nicely with the Morgan when touring.

I noticed today that it’s embossed with the logo ‘Globetrotter - Made In England’.

If I were a betting man, I’d wager that the £25 jobbies in Home Bargains are not manufactured locally, so I looked up Globetrotter to see when they had gone the way of almost all UK manufactured consumer goods and flown east.

Surprised to find they are still making suit cases in England and have been since 1897.

You would have to pony up over £2k to buy one though, and the thought of Ryanair ‘taking care my trunk’ would make me a more nervous flyer than I already am, so it’s off back down to Home Bargains when my case expires.

They do look nice though!

That's nice with a well used patina, the perfect travel accessory for your P6.

May I expand a bit? Audrey and I have used Globetrotters for more than 30 years and more than 450,000 Morgan kms. They certainly are NOT "cheap and expendable". We bought our first for 175 quid but their price skyrocketed after the British owners were bought over by Japanese interests, about 20 years ago. Harrods distributed them in London but Globetrotter grew immensely and has one of their Flagship stores at 51 Piccadilly.

Yes, budget 2000+ pounds for each. But I speak from a situation where my wife and I spent 4-5 months mogging every year on 2-3 continents. With that type of Morgan time, any cost for precisely the right luggage is justified. They look period, come in any colour one could want and they are completely rain-poof at any speed. https://www.globe-trotter.com/collections/centenary They are infinitely more convenient than any other option available at any price. As you know, they are made of a leather-looking polymer, with canvas lining, chromed fittings and leather corners.

We learned that it is wise to choose a Globetrotter that suits a trad. We soon grew out of the two most common mogging luggage problems

1. Packing the rear luggage rack, cantilevered past the axle, with too much weight. That very much ruins trad balance, prejudicing the cars handling at a time when you want to enjoy it most. We slowly learned how to pack and where to put anything weighty (over the axle in the compartment behind the seats)

2. Buying a Globetrotter or anything, that blocks your rear view mirror.

We settled on their thirty inch model. We packed heavy stuff, (shoes toiletries) in two Gladstone bags (which are shaped for the axle compartment) with a laptop in between We learned to get them without wheels and forwent the leather straps as we all use leather straps to secure our luggage to the rear rack anyway. Two sets of straps look odd. They do come with locks. Sorry, but don't buy them, if at all possible, with the pulling arm. Two (little) wheels but no arm. It obstructs a proper strapping on the rack. However, it has been years since we bought one. The wheels look bigger now. (pity) Of course, you can later fit any size and type of wheel you want. We fit the luggage on the rack with the wheels down so they didn't show as much when on the rack.

Lorne https://www.gomog.com/allmorgan/storagespace.html#LUGGAGE

P.S. I have never understood the MMC hardcases or many others I see. Though they are properly sized and attractive, why buy a pretty hardcase that has to be covered for rain weather?!! Try to compromise aesthetics with practicality. That being said, chacun a son gout.
P.P.S.We began a fun hobby. There is not much trad space for shopping in a trad. So we would searched out luggage stickers at every stop and pasted them on. After a while they drew crowds! Especially ones from different continents. A New Orleans stickers were a big hit in Paris and London stickers were stars in Niagara Falls!

I invested in "lifetime guarantee" Briggs & Riley for international travel 2 decades ago... but after 2 repairs when the LHR baggage system proved incompatible with its external frame, it was suggested by their repair depot that my particular lifetime guarantee had ended! Having said that, they've not broken since. But probably not stylish enough to put on the back of a Mog. For a M3W, waterproof biker sacks do the job - again not stylish, but effective. Meanwhile congrats to Morgan for fitting the Supersport with a boot to avoid these sorts of discussions - only took them 100years or so to realise customers' occasional need for luggage

As we are chatting about a mix of suitcases, and touring in one`s Morgan, I have done a little bit of that in years long past with my good lady, who performed her magic in packing all her little essentials into our Trad +8, all be it with a bespoke suitcase designed specifically for use on a mid 80`s +8, and perhaps others...? It also helped that the +8 of that era had a rear view mirror mounted on a rod fixed to the top of the dash pad and the top of the windscreen framework allowing the mirror to e adjusted in height when the case was in use.

The case it`s self was constructed in fibreglass with quality chrome lock and fittings and could be held to the rack using "P" clips which could then be fixed through the back of the case using stainless set screws, nuts and penny washers if security of the case or indeed it`s contents were likely to be left at risk in a car park or similar.. That the case was finished in high gloss paint to match the Mog`s exterior, and the cases`s interior was lined to match the Morgans interior trim, shows the effort put into it`s design.

Given the design priorities, the idea of dismounting it and carrying it into a hotel would be less than ideal, given both the weight involved of the case plus contents and the high gloss finish of it`s exterior, thus the contents of the case were best packed in a soft bag(s) to ease the process of packing and unpacking...

Fortunately the trad has a fair bit of spare room behind the seats, and my good lady was not tall, thus she used to pack another soft holdall in the passenger foot-well which all combined to leave me with enough space for a change of socks underpants, spare pair of denim trousers, overalls, and more importantly my grease gun, and a few tools and spares...Fortunately the chap (Kevin) who had previously owned and restored what was to eventually become my Morgan, had designed it and the case with touring in mind, as the Mog also had cut outs in the board above the axle to include a couple of trays to carry essential spares....He ever constructed an extra tool box which was mounted on top of the bulkhead alongside the standard tool tray in that location

All in all the whole design for touring worked out wonderfully well for us during our Southern European trips, the tales of which we shared with others on the then MSCC DG and eMog, and latterly TM... Good old Mog...(-: