The Salt Lake City Convention Center fills up fast at the Travel Goods Association Show. By opening day, the floor was already moving — buyers from independent retailers, department stores, and specialty chains navigating the aisles, evaluating product, reconnecting with brand reps, and trying to get a read on where the market is heading next.
We've been attending the TGA Show for years. It's not optional for us. Running an independent travel goods store means you have to be in the room — not ordering from catalogs, not relying on what a distributor thinks you should carry, but actually handling product, talking directly to the people who build it, and forming your own views on what's worth backing. That's how we've built the collection at Empire Luggage Center, and the TGA Show is a central part of how we keep it honest.
This year's show was one of the more energetic ones we've attended. The New Product Pavilion was packed. But the more significant story, for us, was what we saw beyond the main aisles. Five brands we'd been watching closely for some time were at the show in force. After walking the floor with their teams, handling the product, and asking the kinds of questions you can only ask in person, we made our decision.
Five New Brands, One Deliberate Decision
Every brand we take on represents a real commitment: shelf space, staff training, customer support, standing behind warranties and returns. We don't add brands to fill gaps or chase trends. We add them when we're confident enough to recommend them to a close friend planning a serious trip. That bar has kept our lineup tight and our standards consistent for years.
After this year's TGA Show, Peak Design, WANDRD, Cotopaxi, Patagonia, and Pelican cleared it.
Peak Design
Peak Design earned its following by making camera gear that photographers actually wanted to carry — not the overbuilt, utilitarian bags that defined the category, but thoughtful, precise designs that understood how travelers actually move. What's happened since is genuinely impressive: they've built one of the most coherent gear ecosystems in the travel goods industry, extending their design language into packing cubes, pouches, a carry-on, travel tripods, and a full line of everyday and travel bags that work together the way a well-designed system should.
At the show, we spent time with their team and handled the product directly. The attention to detail — the way their packing cubes compress, the precision of the hardware, how each piece of the system is designed to interact with the others — is the kind of thing you only appreciate in person. It's the hallmark of a brand that's been building toward something rather than releasing product for its own sake. If you travel with gear, or simply want bags that pack smarter and adapt faster than standard luggage, Peak Design delivers on its reputation. Shop Peak Design →
WANDRD
WANDRD (pronounced "wandered") built its name with the PRVKE — a backpack that became the go-to for photographers and creative travelers who were tired of choosing between function and aesthetics. What followed was a line that's grown with unusual discipline: the Divide duffel, the Transit carry-on, a range of everyday and travel packs that share the same clean, purposeful design language without retreating into tactical excess.
What separates WANDRD from the crowded backpack market is that they've found a way to make technically serious bags that don't look or feel like gear. There's a considered restraint to their work — zippers where you actually need them, structure where the bag genuinely requires it, and nothing extraneous. In a category defined by feature lists and spec sheets, WANDRD makes gear for people who've already figured out what they need. Their following is loyal because the products earn it. We're proud to carry them. Shop WANDRD →
Pelican
Pelican has spent decades earning a reputation most brands can only claim: the case that survives when nothing else does. Its cases are the standard carried by military units, law enforcement, and film and broadcast crews who can't afford equipment failure in the field — crushproof, watertight, dustproof, and backed by a lifetime Guarantee of Excellence that Pelican actually stands behind. It's the kind of credibility you can't manufacture with marketing.
What brought Pelican to our attention this year was the Air travel line. Built with the same protective engineering as their professional cases but re-engineered to be up to 40% lighter, the Air series brings genuine hard-case protection to travelers who need it — photographers, touring musicians, and anyone checking gear that simply cannot arrive damaged. Quiet stainless-steel bearing wheels, TSA-accepted locking latches, and a shell built to outlast the trip and the several after it. We handled the cases directly on the show floor, and the build quality is unmistakable the moment you pick one up. We're pleased to welcome Pelican to Empire Luggage Center. Shop Pelican →
Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi is a Benefit Corporation — not a company that bolted sustainability onto its marketing after the fact, but one that built it into the legal and operational structure of the business from the start. Their give-back model is built into how they run, not announced at checkout. That matters to us, because customers who ask about it deserve a real answer.
The product stands on its own regardless of the mission. The Del Dia line — bags made from leftover factory materials, each one genuinely one-of-a-kind — has become a genuine cult item. The Allpa and Luzon packs are excellent travel bags: durable, well-organized, available in colorways that stand out in a market saturated with black and charcoal. Their technical credentials are real. These aren't lifestyle bags pretending to be functional — they're functional bags that happen to look good and come from a company with a verifiable commitment behind the label. For customers who care where their gear comes from, Cotopaxi is the answer. Shop Cotopaxi →
Patagonia
Patagonia has been building trust for decades. Their Worn Wear program — which facilitates repairs and resale of used gear — is one of the most honest product commitments in outdoor retail. Their environmental advocacy predates the moment it became fashionable. When they say something is built to last, they mean it in a specific way: they'll repair it if it doesn't, and they've structured their business around making products worth repairing rather than replacing.
We've carried bags from several brands that draw comparison to Patagonia. None of them are Patagonia. The Black Hole duffels are a benchmark in the category — lightweight, nearly indestructible, sized to cover everything from an overnight to an extended expedition. Their travel bags and packs bring the same standard: durable materials, thoughtful organization, and a warranty policy that reflects genuine confidence rather than fine print. Adding Patagonia to our lineup is something our team is genuinely proud of. Shop Patagonia →
Why This Matters — and Why We Go to the Show
Empire Luggage Center is an independent specialist retailer. We don't carry everything. What we carry, we've evaluated: handled in person, put through the questions a serious traveler would ask, and decided we'd stake our name on it. That's the standard that's defined our collection since the beginning, and it's the reason customers who know travel gear come to us rather than going elsewhere.
The TGA Show is where that process actually happens. You can read product descriptions. You can watch brand videos. But you can't know the difference between a brand with good marketing and a brand with genuinely strong product until you're in the room — until you've talked to the team behind it, understood the supply chain, handled the hardware, and assessed whether the warranty commitment is one the company actually intends to honor. That's what we do at the show, year after year. It's the work that makes the rest of our job possible.
Peak Design, WANDRD, Cotopaxi, Patagonia, and Pelican join a lineup — Briggs & Riley, Samsonite, Travelpro, and our established roster of authorized brands — that we've built deliberately over time. Together, they represent what we believe premium travel gear looks like in 2026: a range that covers serious luggage, performance bags, gear for photographers and creatives, and products built with a conscience. Whatever your trip requires, we're confident you'll find it here.
New products from all five brands are being added to the site as inventory arrives. If you're looking for a specific piece and don't see it yet, reach out — our team knows the lines and can help you find the right bag for your trip.
Browse new arrivals → Shop All Brands