Turn Your Suitcase Into a Mobile Desk

Every time I'm on a flight that gets delayed, I'm the guy that's always trying to use his suitcase as an impromptu desk, awkwardly balancing his laptop on the handle, perhaps with the aid of some laundry (dirty, if it's the end of the trip). How about a more sophisticated solution? Enter the Rollertop, a tray that hooks onto the handle of your luggage to turn it into an impromptu desk. It's even sorta ergonomic!

The Rollertop is a collection of two plastic trays, a nylon strap and buckle, and a bungie cord. Somehow (more on this in a moment) you attach it to the top of your suitcase's handle and attach your laptop to the Rollertop so it doesn't fall off. Once you get it set up properly, it actually works and it works well. For $40, it totally beats the dirty laundry method and, of course, it stows away fairly easily in your luggage when they finally call your row number for boarding.

The catch is that the first few times you set it up, the Rollertop is crazy confusing. Trying to follow the instructions, which cover both sides of a piece of paper, rapidly gets you nowhere. If you get one, ignore the paper and follow the "How It Works" graphics on the Rollertops website. It turns the process into eight fairly simple steps instead of a two-page monstrosity that makes absolutely no sense. Attn: Rollertops! A new manual is in order, stat!