India, Aug. 12 -- Here I am, always talking about a suitcase, packing a suitcase, reviewing a suitcase. Then it struck me, oddly at 2 am while re-reading an article of mine about a suitcase, why is a suitcase called a suitcase?

The passport is ready, the tickets booked, and the hardest part of the trip is about to begin. The packing! You carefully zip up your trusted travel companion, a rectangular box on wheels, and off you go. But have you ever paused to think about its name? A suitcase feels like a bit of a throwback. After all, how many of us are packing a full-on suit for a beach holiday?

To find the answer, we need to glance back to the 19th and early 20th centuries. Travel then was far from casual. Formal clothing was standard, a...