EOS, QM2 or the Orient Express — however you’re movin’, your cigars will be traveling along in style
by Laurence Fohrman
Luggage Salesman: Have you thought much about luggage, Mr. Banks?
Joe Banks: No.
Luggage Salesman: It’s the central preoccupation of my life.
[beat] This is our premier steamer trunk, it’s all handmade, only the finest materials. It’s even watertight, tight as a drum. If I had the need, and the wherewithal, Mr. Banks, this would be my trunk of choice.
Joe Banks: I’ll take four of them.
Luggage Salesman: May you live to be a thousand years old, sir.
Inevitably, if you watch HBO late at night, Joe Versus the Volcano will appear – usually around 3:30 A.M. After watching it roughly 87 times (because I don’t sleep) I just take comfort in knowing it exists, which in turn makes me happy.
Whenever I think steamer trunks, I recall the scene above. It also makes me think about cigar steamer trunks – which allow your smokes collection to winter in Gstaad, cruise the Mediterranean in spring, and spend autumn in the City, all while keeping the sticks fresh enough for that weekend blowout. These three companies will, for a very big price, make sure your travels are accompanied by the cigar steamer trunk of your puffing dreams:
Goyard: The Grand Goyard Cigars Trunk humidor (pictured) isn’t a tried-and-true steamer trunk, at least not in the carry-by-handle sense (as it has none), but this 58cm-high X 42cm-long X 35cm-deep box can be the ideal travel companion for the lighter smoker. This special order, price-on-inquiry item houses approximately 350 cigars; once you decide on one of the nine rainbow signature Goyard colors, it shouldn’t take more than four months before you’re smoking in transit, and in style. goyard.com
Louis Vuitton: The comfort of having precisely 1000 of your best smokes while traveling abroad is a luxury you’ll be able to indulge with Louis Vuitton’s 1000 Cigar Steamer Trunk. At $69,000, this handcrafted Parisian wonder houses 2 hygrometers, 8 trays, 2 smaller drawers and a removable desktop humidor at the top. At 39 inches high, this wood titan will have you waiting six to eight months for delivery and should only be considered by the deep-pocketed leather devotee. louisvuitton.com
Pinel & Pinel: Their picnic steamer trunk (originally designed for Krug Champagne) has drawers that contain every accessory for the ultimate picnic — including a cigar case. If you want them to design a trunk that holds more cigars and less bubbly, they will do that too. Price upon request. pineletpinel.com