There’s a word for seemingly everything in the German language, but there doesn’t seem to be one to convey “the sense you’re getting away with something” – which is exactly what it feels like to use a Modobag® .
At first glance, the Modobag is nothing special. Although a bit oddly proportioned at 22" x 14" x 9”, it nevertheless easily fits into most overhead compartments, and it includes the usual accoutrements you’d expect to see in a premium roller bag like an extendable aluminum handle, smooth-rolling oversized rubber wheels, and handy exterior pockets for stuff like your smartphone, tablet, and laptop.
The telescoping handle extends and collapses smoothly, and feels reasonable sturdy. Uh, but why are there four wheels on the bottom like that? Photos by James Huang.
External pockets provide handy spots to stash your laptop, tablet, smartphone, and books or magazines.
More zippered pockets can be found on the inside to separate smaller items.
The onboard battery has plenty of juice to keep devices charged on the go.
There’s even a built-in 62.4 Wh Li-ion battery and two USB-A ports – one 1.5 A, and another 3.0 A one – to keep those devices charged, with enough capacity to revive a totally dead iPhone 15 about fourteen times.
Wait, what?
The thing is, that battery isn’t just there to keep your gadgets topped up; its primary purpose is to power the onboard motor that drives the rear wheels. Up front, there’s an extendable handlebar with a thumb-operated throttle and single hand brake, down below are two flip-out aluminum foot pegs, and up top is a padded seat set on a sturdy ABS plastic frame for you to sit on. Yep, the Modobag isn’t just a roller bag; it’s a freaking electric scooter in disguise.
Party mode engaged.
The aluminum handlebar is tiny, but includes nicely textured rubber grips, a thumb-operated throttle, and a brake lever.
The control includes a master power switch, a toggle for selecting between indoor and outdoor modes, a visual display to show the remaining charge, and two USB-A ports for charging your remaining gadgets. At far right is where you plug in the Modobag charger.
The foldout aluminum footpegs are aggressively textured to keep your feet from slipping off.
Airports are only getting bigger these days, and getting from one gate to another can sometimes be quite the workout. Want to get your 10,000 steps in? Easy: just walk back and forth from Terminal B to Terminal E at Dallas-Fort Worth. Alternatively, you could ride a Modobag and cruise through the airport at up to 4 mph (7 mph if you’re outdoors!), all the while wearing a grin big enough that your cheeks hurt by the time you get there. The narrow track and short wheelbase make the Modobag a little tricky to pilot, but as long as you remember to lean into the corners, you shouldn’t have to worry too much about creating even more of a scene than you already are. Unless you’re also hoping to use the Modobag to get you to your hotel after you land, the battery should have ample capacity; Modobag says it’ll go for over six miles under ideal conditions (based on a 182-pound rider on smooth ground with a full charge).
People will stare. But people will also be envious. Bask in the envy.
The ABS plastic frame is impressively sturdy.
The Modobag feels like it can handle some abuse.
That the Modobag is riotously fun to use shouldn’t be a surprise, and I almost felt a little guilty riding it through both Denver and Toronto-Pearson airports. But things aren’t all roses here.
For one, a crowded airport terminal isn’t necessarily the best place to use something like the Modobag – partially for safety reasons, but also because it might not actually get you where you need to go any faster than walking if you don’t have enough runway to let the Modobag run free. Stairs and escalators aren’t exactly conducive to zipping around, either.
All of that fun also comes at a big cost – and I’m not even talking about the $1,495 retail price.
First off, the Modobag is inordinately heavy for its size, weighing nearly 23 lb before you put a single thing inside of it (Official figures conveniently omit the battery). Needless to say, a fully loaded Modobag can be a challenge to lift into an overhead compartment – mine was nearly 40 lb for a weekend business trip. And while the Modobag is supposedly “compliant with the air travel regulations for the UN, TSA, FAA, and IATA,” you’d best be prepared for all of that electronic hardware to raise a few red flags when going through security.
The Li-ion battery is easily removable, and recharges in about two hours.
All that additional hardware eats up a significant amount of space inside the exterior, too – maybe as much as a quarter, in fact, by my estimates. The interior volume is also oddly shaped so it’s tricky to pack, and it’s easy to lose smaller items inside with the all-black liner material.
Adding further insult to injury, you’ll really hope you have room to roam with the Modobag in scooter mode, because it’s unfortunately not very good as a roller bag. The narrow track and tall form factor make the Modobag frustratingly unstable on anything other than perfectly smooth ground, and worse yet, even the slightest bump induces a speed wobble that invariably flips the thing on to its side unless you stop for a second to let it settle.
So does the Modobag do what it’s supposed to do? Sure. And is it outrageously fun? Oh, heck yeah. But as is unfortunately so often the case, sometimes that fun might not be worth the other ways it costs you.
