Two cases arrived from Samsonite to trial while in Europe. The Samsonite F'lite 74cm Spinner retails at R 3,495.00 while the Samsonite Skywheeler 67cm upright is R3,395.00. Although the F’lite is just a shell, it feels more sturdy and it looks like the seals could even be waterproof. It moves like a dream on four wheels.

The Skywheeler is more visually appealing (it has a zip rather than side and front clips) and I love the inside pockets which I imagine will make it easier for me to keep things tidy especially considering I need a suit for The Orient Express.

The brief was simple: two cases costing about the same that will cope with three weeks in Europe travelling mainly on trains – but look good enough to check into The Ritz. Let’s see how they do.