A suitcase with a built-in tracker? It’s a thing, as an Australian luggage brand teams with an Aussie airline for something that can be tracked using Apple and Google.
Ever since smart trackers started appearing, we’ve seen the technology make finding things a little easier overall.
Find your car in a crowded parking lot by leaving a tracker in the centre console, or turn your house into a sort of treasure hunt and find the tracker in the first place. Alternatively, equip your kids with a tracker and make sure they’re difficult to lose when you’re out and about.
There are also less than desirable uses for trackers, but one of the more consistent and useful approaches is with your luggage. Namely tracking your bags so you know where they are.
We’ve all heard a story or two about an AirTag or something like it finding luggage in the airport, or even finding luggage outside of an airport, and you can thank an individual tracker for that.
Now there’s a piece of luggage with the tech built directly inside the lock mechanism, as two Aussie icons work together for luggage built to survive a trip and be found shortly after.
One of a handful of Australian luggage brands looking to stand out, July’s “CaseSafe” tracking technology is a tracking system built directly into the TSA lock system found in the brand’s luggage, with the tech appearing in a special “Qantas x July” collection initially.
The tracker goes beyond simple Apple Find My integration, supporting both Apple’s network and the network offered by Google, the Google Find Hub.
It will be found on two variations of the luggage, one for checking in and one for carrying on, the bags made from polycarbonate with aluminium bumpers and supporting an optional Qantas luggage tag via a holder.
What it won’t get is something July’s luggage is known for in its Carry-On Pro line: a built-in USB charging brick that you can remove. However, it also comes with tracking in the lock, something that’s impossible to remove and no other suitcase has arrived with prior.
“This built in tracking technology allows travellers to set and forget – knowing that their luggage is always tracked and connected through every step of their journey gives them complete peace of mind,” said Athan Didaskalou, Co-Founder of July.
Pricing for the Qantas July collaboration starts $375 for the Carry On and $425 for the Checked equivalent which is larger, a difference of 42 litres for the Carry On and 80L for the Checked. Availability sees the trackable bags shipping from September 3.
