There was no Mr. Briggs and never a Mr. Riley, but California luggage inventor Richard Costa thought they were catchy names and so he christened a line of travelware that rattled an industry when announced a no-questions asked “lifetime guarantee” that even included damage by an airline. It was a first.

To their everlasting credit, U.S. Luggage, which acquired Briggs & Riley from Costa, stuck with the ironclad guarantee, even though many retailers hate it because, of course, they’re in the business of selling new bags when old ones wear out. U.S. Luggage of Hauppauge, New York, headed by CEO Richard Krulik, who is a visionary guy, has the financial brawn and marketing muscle to constantly improve the Briggs & Riley brand. They haven’t scrimped.

The big news is its enhanced, signature 54-piece Baseline Collection which, like many luggage brands, is lighter and easier on the back—and on the eyes. Baseline ranges from duffels and day bags, garment bags, wheeled carry-ons, large wheeled uprights (for checked luggage), totes, toiletry kits and garment bags. However, unlike most other luggage, the Briggs & Riley line is all business and doesn’t come in a riot of colors you’d never be caught dead carrying. Black, olive and crystal are the three shades and the shades look rich. Baseline seems to be more silhouette in design with more of an emphasis on the growing legions of women business travelers.

To check out the full line, visit Briggs & Rilley, but some facts are eye-catching. The brand’s NXpandable Upgrights are 10 percent lighter and enlarge at the push of a button. The 22-inch Carry-on Superlight, good for a two- to four-day trip, has what’s called A SpeedThru Security Pocket. (In fact, all bags in the line have it.) It’s a storage compartment on the front of the bag where you can quickly stuff personal items when you’re going through security. If it’s accidentally left unzipped, a bright orange lining signals that it’s open. Suggested retail price is $299 and the company sells only through retail stores. However, some luggage Web sites seem to get inventory and discount it. (If the company isn’t wholesaling to them direct, I’d beware of what they are selling.)

I’m a fan of Briggs & Riley’s rolling business cases. Mine is my office on the road; it holds my laptop, all the digital gear, power chords, files, books even a shirt and it is as tough as an armadillo. I found an Ultimate Rolling Organized Computer case, #LR213 on its Web site, part of its 2007 @Work Collection that is all leather. The tariff is $600 but it makes a statement and it still has that same trailblazing “guarantee for life.”

Frontline Dispatch. A proven travel goods industry visionary, Skip Kotkins, chairman and CEO of Seattle-based Skyway Luggage Co., says tighter security regs “haven’t changed the buying patterns of travelers—no blip either way. Road warriors are unbelievably adaptable so we’re not designing any new bag” in response to more restrictive carry-on rules.

Kotkins does think some women business travelers will FedEx luggage to their hotel. (Indeed, companies like Luggage Forward, which provides door-to-door pickup and delivery of luggage and sports equipment - www.luggageforward.com - is benefiting but more vacationers than business travelers are ordering the service.) “Frankly, if I was in the health and beauty aids business,” Kotkins says, “I’d sell travel packs in either hotels or in airports for after you land.”

Fashion To Go. Remember portable computers the size of sewing machines? You had to be the Incredible Hulk, the Terminator or a pro wrestler to heft those 30-pound Compacts, Kaypros and the somewhat smaller Osbornes home from your office to a client. Fast forward 20 years and today it’s not your 3-pound computer that’s turning heads but superstylish laptop bags. The Avion Bag by Penelope fuses fashion and function, brilliantly converting from an over-the-shoulder laptop bag/briefcase that holds a 12-inch to 14-inch-screen computer to a backpack in seconds. Smartly designed, it has a separate compartment so you can slide out the laptop hassle-free at airport security checkpoints. Avion has five external pockets for cell phone, PDA, water bottle. (But frankly, I’d keep the gear inside the bag to thwart pro pickpockets who are swarming European airports.) Thoughtfully, it comes in three versions: natural leather, $185; manmade leather, $125; and canvas, $75.

Bagging It. Tough to beat Lands’ End for value and the new Cool Blue Messenger Bag proves it again. Made out of rugged 600-denier polyester (yes, polyester) bolstered by a 1200-denier bottom section with lots of zipped mesh pockets, a shoulder strap and a Velcro fastened overflap, it comes in red, true blue and black for $69.50 at www.landsend.com or 800-356-4444…Not to be outdone, J.Crew has a handsome soldier-of-fortune-looking tan canvas bag with leather straps that’s flexible and toteable for around $80. Actually, it looks like it’s worth twice that price. Fun and function for Christmas are combined in the Firefly messenger bags from Jay Moore’s Maddie Powers, Inc, a retro 1940s bag of thick rip-stock nylon aimed at teen girls who carry computers, school books or both. With catchy, colorful scenics and semi-saucy names—“No Country Girl, Weekend Girl and more”—they are eye-catching for $75.

Tips for the Time Crunched and Pressure Cooked. If the Institute of Medicine’s stats are correct, more people die in hospitals from medical mistakes than car accidents or breast cancer. Hence, the Portable Health Profile lets travelers store all their medical records on a mini-CD that fits in a wallet or purse or on a USB flash drive. It conveniently stores the health histories of up to five people, from $60 to $110. www.Portablehealthprofile.com …Smart medicine. Extra Strength Tylenol comes in a chewable version called GoTabs aimed squarely at travelers banned from bringing water onboard. Six 500 mg GoTabs in a package…No time to iron or press that suit, skirt, shirt or blouse? Travel Smart’s Micro Pro Garment Steamer will chase wrinkles quickly and inexpensively for $25. www.franzus.com.

Powering Up. Eveready’s iconic Energizer bunny is beating its drum for e-2 Lithium in AA and AAA sizes that claims to last seven times longer than alkaline batteries in digital devices—PDAs, MP3 players, CD players and digital cameras. $2.99 for a two-pack. www.energizer.com. Not to be outshined, Panasonic debuts Oxyride Extreme Power batteries in AA and AAA sizes for all digital gear. $4.99 for a four-pack. www.panasonic.com …Need a passport photo pronto? Kinko/FedEx can take the picture and produce four prints for $5 in a flash…Every minute counts? Don’t trust the hotel clock radio or operator wake-up call. Cartier—yes, we’re name-dropping again—makes a discreet home-and-away travel alarm that does double duty: It spells out the hour in two time zones. $750. www.cartier.com… Suppose you don’t trust the hotel staff, a competitor or even a colleague. What looks like a simple digital clock is actually a motion-activated camcorder that records up to 12 minutes of what really happened while you were away. From Sharper Image. No need to squint from your seat at another in-flight movie or book First Class to get an individual video player for your favorite movie or show. The Archos AV 700 portable media player has a massive 100-Gig hard drive that holds over 400 hours of downloaded and taped video and a sharp 7-inch screen. You can even project it on to a bigger screen. $750.

Hankering for an African walking stick or animal print luggage from the Dark Continent? Leah Kessel, shrewd shopper and world traveler, is proprietress of Calabash Gifts in Madison, Wisconsin (608-233-2640), packed with everything from tribal beads to stuffed birds. Husband Raymond is a prof at the University of Wisconsin and a great guide through the store’s jungle of all original items…It’s no secret that airlines are jettisoning pillows to save costs and, yes, weight. A great gift to your own head, neck, back and lower spine is the GridZone Foam Mini Contour pillow. It’s a supportive 5.5 pounds for $50. www.selectcomfort.com.