European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 2, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                By Crocker Stephenson United press International Merican Tou Rister inc., whose commercials once featured an irate Gorilla stomping on suitcases and tossing them Down stairwells has gone soft along with the rest of the Luggage Industry. A decade ago 70 percent of american Tou Rister s sales were hard sided suitcases made of folded plastics that could withstand years of abuse from baggage clerks bellhops and Large primates. Today 70 percent of its business is in less expensive soft sided baggage made of Nylon and Vinyl. The firm based in Warren r.i., still has a couple of Monkey suits and a 35-foot Gorilla balloon packed away but it has not shown the ape commercial since 1983. The entire Luggage Industry has gone soft said Robert Ermatinger a spokesman for the Luggage and leather goods manufacturers of America a new York based Trade association. Our Market researchers Tell us the shift is mostly the result of baby Boomers coming of age he said. Boomers prefer totally casual clothes and totally casual  since the mid-1970s, soft sided Luggage has outsold hard sided and today dominates 75 percent of the Overall Market Ermatinger said. A weighty matter by Linda White travel editor l Ess is Best. For seasoned travellers that Isth Cardinal Rule of  heavy baggage can  a trip Assoon it gets started. Porters Are a vanishing Breed and those free Luggage carts provided by train stations and airports never seem to be where they Are needed most. Wheeled Luggage and strap on Luggage carts help on the Flat but Don t do much Good when it s time to hoist the suitcase on Board a train or out of a car trunk. Keeping Luggage lightweight is a matter of planning. What you pack depends on where you Are going and Why you Are going there. For a business trip you probably won t need shorts and to shirts. For a Beach vacation one dress up outfit is enough. Coordinate your wardrobe keep the colors bendable and Basic. Choose a Neutral color coat and shoes that go with everything. Separates that can be mixed and layered Are Ideal. One jacket a couple of pairs of pants and no More than four shirts will see a Man through two weeks. Women May want to take along one pair of Slacks one skirt and three or four blouses that can be worn with either. Three sets of underwear and stockings or socks is enough Wash things out in the hotel room sink. They will probably dry overnight if they Don to put them on the Radiator or dry them with a hair dryer. Every professional traveler has his own method for coping with wrinkles. Some Roll the clothes some fold ten years ago 70 percent of our Market was in hard sided Luggage said Paige Miller a spokesman for the Denver based Samsonite. Now it s about 20  . Smith vice president of Hillenbrand Industrial corp., american Tou Rister s Parent firm credits airline Industry changes and fashion for the switch to soft sided Luggage. Cheap fares and far Flung business interests mean More people Are travelling More often. Footloose travellers Are leaving their Bulky baggage behind in favor of lighter Luggage they can carry with them on the plane. Our pieces Are designed so they fit right under the seat of a passenger plane said James Hogan vice president of sport graphics of Cranston r.i., which designs its soft sided products to meet Federal aviation administration requirements for carry on baggage. The Beauty of soft sided Luggage is in the Eye of the beholder Smith said. It s More of a fashion product than anything else. People buy soft sided Luggage so that it looks Good with whatever they re wearing not to carry their  spokesman Russell Marchetta of the people express airline said Overall people Are packing smarter. They Don t want to wait at the end of their flight for their others use tissue paper or plastic bags without printing the Ink can rub off Between clothes. Flat knits Wool Jersey Cashmere lightweight Cottons wrinkle less than Woven do. But it is impossible to keep the wrinkles away entirely. The Best thing to do is to pack tight without cramming. Loose packing allows things to slide and Bunch. Unpack and hang up the clothes As soon As possible. Some people take along a travel Iron but it adds considerable weight. An alternative is to hang the clothing in the bathroom while you Shower the steam will make the wrinkles fall out. If you Are carrying your Luggage All the Way pack the heavy things on the Bottom and the lighter things on top so they won t be mashed. You can control How the bag is placed so the Light things Are always on top. But if you Are entrusting your Luggage to baggage Check layer items heavy Light heavy Light. Invariably Luggage handlers place Luggage top Down so that if the heavy things started out on the Bottom they travel on top. Before you go invest in Small plastic containers for cosmetics. Glass is heavy. Don t take along family sizes either they add weight. Read As Many guidebooks As possible before you leave Home and take along Only the essential. You May even want to clip out the appropriate pages clip them together to take with you and leave the Book at Home. Books Are very heavy. Luggage gains weight As you go along. If it is too heavy when you leave Home it will be impossible when you Are ready to return. Pack everything walk around the House with the bag and if necessary Start Over. Don t Ever take anything that you just might need. It is amazing what you can get along without. The military s original soft sided suitcase the Duffel bag. Baggage to Corne off the  Marchetta said people prefer to carry their Luggage and avoid the Chance of having their bags sent to the wrong City. I be had Luggage simply vanish he said. It s an awful  soft sided Luggage is less expensive than hard sided and Many travellers on tight budgets prefer to spend travel dollars on their vacations not on suitcases. A lot of people have the attitude that the airlines Are going to destroy their Luggage anyway so they might As Well buy the cheaper stuff Miller said. Even a top of the line Luggage maker said its soft sided suitcases Are out Selling hard sided items by 40 percent. At Louis Vuitton the French Luggage manufacturer claiming to be the world s oldest a hard sided suitcase can Cost As much As $ 1,400. Soft sided pieces Are a bargain at $750. It has unrivalled luxury and unwavering Quality company spokeswoman Susan Meyers said of her firm s baggage reportedly used by Kings and Queens since the 14th Century. I Don t think people on chartered flights use Louis Vuitton  is photo there Are packing tips that make bags lighter. For the military Luggage is a big seller at army and air Force exchanges. Because military personnel must travel so much it s a necessity said an cafes spokesman. Like the Overall trend soft sided Luggage is increasing in popularity with the military. It is by far the most sold in the department said the spokesman. Preferred Are Vinyl leather look alike Tweed and lightweight nylons that Are Strong durable have a Good appearance and of course Are relatively  he said that the biggest Sellers Are garment bags carry on sports and duffle bags because they Are easy to handle and have a casual look. Most carry on Luggage has shoulder straps to make handling easier. Suitcases 26 and 28 inches Are preferred with wheels the spokesman said. They Are generally very heavy and cannot be lugged around  cafes carries about 130 kinds of Luggage from about 20 manufacturers. In addition cafes purchases merchandise for special promotions and additional savings. Most customers Purchase Luggage to get ready for the summer from april through june the spokesman said. Back to school and the Holiday season november december Are also big times for iu9gage shopping. A up photo a chinese peasant protects himself from the Sun As he leads a water Buffa o to pasture. By Frederick m. Winship United press International t he Wise visitor to China will include some  travel to get a glimpse of what life is like outside the teeming cities that Are among the main tourist attractions. The landscape unrolls beneath the air plane traveler like a chinese scroll but the details Are blurred by distance and perspective. Rural China is Best seen from the windows of trains which Are still the chief Means of interurban mass travel in a country that has Only recently entered the 20th Century. Buses which have the highways almost to themselves also Are available to travellers but they Aren t As comfortable As trains. Trains provide soft seat and soft Sleeper accommodations never referred to As first class in the classless society with dining cars on longer trips. From your train window you will see a timeless China almost untouched by any modernity with the exception of bicycles and an occasional television Antenna. On the trip from Shanghai to Hangzhou the Flat Countryside is a Patchwork of Small irrigated Fields of diverse vegetables in Subtle shades of Jade Green and occasional Rice paddies where Rice is still painstakingly planted by hand. Water Buffalo Are used for heavy blowing but hand hoeing is still the chief Means of cultivation. White walled farmhouses have poetic Swallowtail roof Trees and courtyards enclosed by outhouses which families use As outdoor living rooms. A washable with a big tin Basin for the clothing is an Ever present fixture so Are garlands of laundry and airing comforters that adorn two Story verandas. Glimpsed along the Way Are scenes that personify the Orient a Lone old Man fishing with a Bamboo pole a Duck farm at the Edge of a Stream shaded by a Bamboo Grove men pulling heavily loaded two wheel carts along tree lined country roads housewives carrying water in jars suspended from shoulder yokes. Broad Rivers spanned by great Bridges Are dotted with a variety of Craft from simple samoans to Junks with superstructures Bright with Wood carved dragons and phoenixes. Villages Are remarkably similar except for those distinguished by a flaring roofed Temple or a Multi storied Pagoda. China s  network covers every province except Tibet. Most of it has been built since 1949. Train fares Are cheaper than Long distance bus or plane fares but As a foreigner you pay 75 percent More than chinese do for the same service on All modes of travel a rip off you either accept or Don t go to China. Soft seat accommodations have upholstered seats somewhat like air plane seats with headrests covered by inevitable machine lace anti macassar. Soft sleepers have four bunks in a closed compartment that boasts panelling lace curtains washrooms carpet and if you re Lucky air conditioning in the summer and heat in the Winter. Heating is a rare luxury in China so Don t expect to be warm by Western standards anywhere but in luxury hotels. In Winter Wear warm clothes and expect to keep your Topcoat on even when travelling soft seat. Hot Tea available at All times from an attendant helps to keep you comfy. Tickets May be purchased in Advance through travel agencies and from the official China International travel service with offices in new York London Paris Tokyo and Hong Kong or from China travel service offices in most major hotels in China. You can get tickets the night before or the Day of departure at Railroad stations but this Means waiting in Long lines unless the station has a foreigners ticketing office. Stations also have comfortable soft class waiting rooms with baggage checking services. Dining cars have special sittings for soft seat travellers and a meal consists of soup and a couple of plates of meat and vegetables. Western breakfasts sometimes Are available otherwise expect noodles. The meals Are adequate and cheap. It s not a bad idea to bring some goodies along for snacking crackers cheese fruit fruit juices and instant Coffee which can be mixed with Ever available boiled water. But there Are some things you can t bring on a train. The list specifically mentions any kind of animal or Bird vegetables fish poultry and roast pigs. Page 14 the stars and stripes wednesday april 2, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 15