Over the last decade, one of the sub-categories within the gaming accessories space that been on the rise has been gaming luggage and carrying cases. Gamers have been traveling from home to game sessions or conventions for decades, using traditional and makeshift component-carrying solutions to get their games from place-to-place. For the bulk of history, regular backpacks sufficed for RPG materials and tool carrying cases could be used to transport miniatures or TCGs. Board games were just usually carried from place to place in crates as their boxes didn't really fit in any of the luggage available.
These vessels were all well and good for the time, but they generally lacked enough pockets and spaces to carry everything that was required to play the games. Eventually, gamers wanted more out of their game transport solutions, so some companies started making specific carrying cases for games. In general, TCG accessories companies and miniatures manufacturers were among the first to start addressing transport of gaming materials. Transport of miniatures has always particularly been a legitimate problem for players, especially back when all the miniatures were made of metal and it was rather cumbersome to haul around an army of dozens of Games Workshop figures.
Luckily for gamers, companies like Battle Foam, Ultra PRO, and others ramped up their production of carrying cases throughout the 00s and 10s. Into the Kickstarter Age, new companies emerged offering all sorts of different ways to haul around components. As of the 2020s, gaming luggage and carrying cases are definitely a category that retailers should be looking at to add to their inventory. ICv2, of course, has a few suggestions for this category:
Messenger Bag of Holding by Rollacrit. This product has been particularly popular this year. While it may look like a regular messenger bag, the value of this item is hidden within the design. It is incredibly durable featuring 210D polyester lining, N420D Hypalon reinforced corners, and industrial-strength latches that can hold up to 50 pounds. Beyond its durability, the bag also has pockets for days. This bag sports over 21 pockets that are of various sizes and can hold just about any size game component. It retails for $150.00.
Venturer's Canvas Bag by Enhance. Enhance's products have always been really interesting. This company essentially started over 40 years ago making bags for computers, cameras, and console and PC gaming, then moved into the gaming space in 2022 (see "
ENHANCE Gaming"). Since then, they've been churning out various utility luggage products. In 2024, they are sending the Venturer's Bag into retail, which is a collector's edition of their
RPG Player's Essential Bag. It looks Indiana Jones-classy and comes with all the bells and whistles of an RPG bag for $99.99.
Magic: The Gathering: Guild Summit Arkhive 1000+ by Heo Group. The best multi-deck carrying cases, hands down, are produced by heo Group via their Ultimate Guard line (although Gamegenic is definitely giving them a run for their money lately). The Arkhive 1000+ is the essential
Magic deck carrying case, and their upcoming
Magic: The Gathering: Guild Summit Series version of this product (see "
'Magic: The Gathering: Guild Summit Series'") seems like a no-brainer to stock. This retails for $99.99.
BattleTech: Field Commander's Case by Catalyst Game Labs. This offering from Catalyst was particularly interesting because of its size and utility. While this case is clearly intended for usage with the BattleTech line, the design lends itself to being used with other miniatures games and RPGs. It seriously holds the exact right amount of miniatures for a skirmish game as well as having space for a rulebook and tokens. Great design, good to carry at a $99.99 price point.
These are but a few selections from the up and coming luggage category, but they will definitely give retailers a good place to start. Keep exploring, and encourage customers to upgrade their luggage game!
For more on the rapidly growing gaming accessories market, see "
ICv2 Accessories Week."
