Advice from David on how to buy a good piece of luggage:

What he said to look for: 

• Good wheels. Rubber wheels with sealed bearings should last virtually forever.
  
• Find out if they are rubber by a sound test: Roll them over a tile surface. If they are plastic, they will make a clicking noise. Rubber will be silent.
  
• A durable handle. The only way to check this is to lift it quite a few times. It should feel solid, not flimsy. It should lift and lower smoothly each time.
  
• Functionality. Know how you like to pack — a bag should make sense to you. For example: How many pockets are there, and are they located where you would use them? If you want to keep comfortable shoes at arm’s reach in the outside pockets, are they deep enough to do so?

How do you decide how to buy a new piece of luggage?

What is Blackstone Investment Group?

It’s a group of about eight businesses that manufacture or sell goods including luggage, hats and uniforms for airline professionals, as well as tents, hiking gear, bicycle bags and gloves. I started Blackstone in 2000 when I bought LuggageWorks in Aurora, Mo. I have bought companies around the country since then. There are sites in places including Golden, Colo., Seattle and Los Angeles.

You were with BKD accounting firm from 1969 to 1999 and retired as a partner. How did a former accountant get involved in manufacturing?

I enjoyed every minute at BKD, but just felt I was ready to retire. That lasted all of six months — my wife says I failed at retirement! Business, for me, is not just a job; it’s my hobby. After retirement I met up with Charlie Ferguson, a friend from my hometown and Missouri State. I told him I might be interested in buying a small business. He pointed me to LuggageWorks, where he worked. I bought it in 2000, then bought the other Blackstone components as they became available.

Tell us why it was important to you to keep jobs in the areas where the companies are located.

When I bought LuggageWorks, it seemed to me I could help the region by keeping jobs here. When we acquire a new company, I tell them we’re in it for the long term. We have to balance keeping jobs in the United States while staying profitable. Most of our manufacturing is done here — in fact, our pilot luggage is entirely made in the U.S. But some raw materials and products are imported. Our philosophy is to use quality materials and get more business from word-of-mouth, not from people having to buy a new product every few years.

How do you oversee companies around the nation from Missouri?

Technology makes it possible to do business from anywhere. And we have set it up so our offices don’t need to be micromanaged. I develop a team in each with the right people, then get out of the way.

You grew up on a farm and were the first in your family to go to college. Why did you make that choice?

I was working nights as a grocery store stocker and felt like college would lead to opportunities, and I was right. The best choice I ever made was going to school at Missouri State. I can’t say enough good things about the school — it gave me the ability to advance.

What brings you back to campus?

My wife and I go to Tent Theatre every summer. We also occasionally go to men’s or women’s basketball games.

What is your advice to other alumni who want to succeed in business?

Find something you enjoy, then put your heart into it.

Fresh flowers. Heirloom tomatoes. Cilantro. Basil. Wild raspberries. Your farmer’s market list may start this simple, but you always find unexpected treasures. Luckily, our Market Tote is plenty big to hold it all. Built with our bomber 20oz canvas, it’s reinforced with 18oz waxed canvas for rugged durability and water-resistance. Recycled climbing rope handles (each is unique). Flap closure with MK rivet snap. Rise Above It with MK

Alki beach in Seattle

What is your lunch time ritual? Can you get out of the office to blow off steam?

From the time I first pulled open the packaging, this thought has been going through my head: what exactly is the Mountainsmith Lumbar Day Classic? Backpack or fanny pack? Satchel? Hiker or grand-tourer? Let’s see if we can figure it out.

If you’re too young to remember fanny packs, they were hip-hung bags that reached the height of their popularity in the 80s and 90s when, yes, I had one. While the cliché tourist with black fake-leather fanny pack perhaps predominates our thinking, some outdoor manufacturers have quietly continued producing a line of packs for people with limited need for gear.

The Mountainsmith Day

But while Mountainsmith doesn’t make fanny packs, they do make lumbar packs designed to sit at an optimum height on one’s lower back (or lumbar area)—ideal for load bearing. And of these lumbar packs, the Day Classic is perhaps one of their most iconic products.

Mountainsmith describes the Day Classic thusly: “For hiking, urban touring or school, our lumbar packs are designed to stash all of the bare essentials you can’t imagine leaving home without.” And indeed, the Classic can hold an impressive amount of stuff (854 cu in/14L), and I can see why it’s popular with photographers and others.

So when Mountainsmith was so good as to send us a Classic for testing, I loaded up both adjustable water bottle pockets, packed out the interior with a day hike’s worth of gear, and cinched it all down to my lumbar to find out how the Classic stacks up against more traditional backpacks.

One of the first things I noticed is that the Classic is very well-made—great attention to detail has every zipper, handle, and compression strap feeling well-positioned and of high quality. The zippers are robust, the 100% 500d Cordura™ fabric durable but soft to the touch. Everything shows lots of planning and forethought—kudos Mountainsmith for good product planning and execution and to their US artisans for their craftsmanship.

Despite flawless manufacturing, I found myself wondering at some features, namely the single shoulder strap—the Classic is “strappette” compatible, which is Mountainsmith-speak for being able to buy and attach their clever $25 double shoulder strap system. But the single strap? Without detailed instructions, I found myself experimenting, finally settling with putting the strap over my right shoulder and going crosswise, under might left armpit, and back to the pack. That worked pretty well.

The majority of the Classic’s weight is supposed to sit right in the small of your back, using the compression straps to pull it tight with the wide, comfortable waist belt bearing most or all of the load. I learned that it is the unusual shoulder strap that makes this system work. When loaded heavily, simply strapping the waist belt can be awkward; with the strap holding the weight while you get situated, it’s suddenly a synch. And while I didn’t try this, the waist belt is self-stowing, so you could just throw the strap over your shoulder and use the Classic as a casual man-tote.

The Classic’s back panel is foam-padded and covered in air mesh for good ventilation, and even while exerting myself in mid-80s, my lumbar stayed pretty cool. With the two adjustable water bottle pockets (which can handle even 32oz bottles), I was able to carry plenty of heavy hydration comfortably along with light loads. I never really racked it up to see how heavy I could make it comfortably.

And this really leads me to what I consider the Classic’s most likely natural environment—rather than the standard day hikes to which I subjected it, I see a greater value for the travel set than the hiking set, though it’s versatile enough to do both easily. As a dad, I see its value as a zoo companion, and photographers I talked to drooled over it as the ultimate camera bag. And with little thoughts like the back panel airline ticket pocket, the Classic is ideal for being your primary piece of carry-on luggage.

Unfortunately, this takes us back to the original question: backpack or fanny pack? Satchel? With the functionality leaning toward grand-touring and travel, I’m inclined to think of the $110 Mountainsport Lumbar Day Classic as the ultimate fanny pack—I mean lumbar pack—the coolest holdout that natural selection has allowed to find a market niche as a versatile light-hiking/traveling companion for all those things you can’t bear to leave at home, just as Mountainsmith describes it.

If you’re a day hiker who doesn’t like hydration backpacks, a mom in need of a versatile tote for the urban jungle, a photographer after the ultimate camera bag, or a traveler looking for the coolest lumbar pack ever made, go no further than Mountainsmith’s Lumbar Day Classic! Best of all, it’s hand-made in the USA by true artisans, so when you grab a Classic, you’re supporting US-based manufacturing of a high-quality, durable product. The fanny pack may be dead, but long live the lumbar pack!

“I am a Falcon 20 Captain.  I fly freight from Dallas, TX.  One day last winter, while on a trip from FLW to SDF with a load of freight, the cargo door came open.  We were in descent from 31,000 to 11,000 and had just passed through about 20,000, when the door let go.  After a prolonged struggle to gain and maintain control of the aircraft, we made a successful landing.  Arriving at the ramp, we were unable to open the door the rest of the way because the hinges were bent completely out of shape.  We discovered that the bags containing our clothes had become wedged in the partially open door and had prevented our cargo from being sucked from the aircraft.  Had that happened, the likelihood of a successful landing would have been slim and none.  The [Stealth] drag-wagons kept cargo from being ingested in the left engine, which would have resulted in an uncontrollable situation.  For that and the great service I have had from my [Stealth] drag-wagon, I am very grateful.  I would also like to express my thanks for the prompt repair service and the no charge.  You guys are great—-we have 70 pilots and the majority use your luggage.  KEEP UP THE GOOD WO
RK!”  W.H., Captain.