Travel and Leisure
I know, there's a million posts on the internet about what bag is best; wheeled vs. backpack, hard shell instead of soft-sided, etc. I'm offering my advice on specific styles, and what works best for me/us, but travel luggage and bags are ultimately going to be tailored by your specific needs. i.e. a week long beach vacation in Barbados isn't going to require the same things as a 2-month trek across Africa. For the most part, we're travelling from 14-21 days, and will be taking overseas flights, where the basic fare class includes one checked bag, as well as permitting a typically sized standard carry on and personal article. I try to avoid checking my primary piece of luggage, even if the airline doesn't charge to check one, as it ensures that all my belongings arrive at the same place I am going.
Rick Steves does a good overview of the types of luggage appropriate for European travel, so I'll narrow down to our choices and why we favoured them. Also a point of note, is that North American flight operators have different size limits than say, budget EU carriers. i.e. expect to have to check (and pay) for that bag that qualified as a carry-on with Air Canada when you do intra-Europe travel with say, Ryan Air.
Factors to consider when choosing your luggage
This isn't a complete list, but it should represent some of the things you should be taking into consideration before buying that Louis Vuitton travel set.
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| Image credit: Aircanada.com |
- What will the weather be like where you will be going to? Hot? Cold? A tropical vacation will likely require half the space or less that a winter destination. Rain? Snow? While you don't usually plan on it, dragging your luggage through puddles or a slushy mess is not fun.
- How will you be getting around once at your destination(s)? Luggage with wheels can be fantastic for cruising through airports, but you may struggle in third world countries, with broken pavement and/or on gravel roads. But if you're using private transfer or taxi, you'll get dropped off at the front door, so no need to worry about wheels. Will there be many stairs or steep hills that you will need to climb to get to or from your lodging?
- Are you going to check your luggage, or carry-on? There's good reasons for both, but of course carry on will limit your standard article to the maximum dimensions of your chosen air carrier. Also, for those elite travellers, they may not want their immaculate Rimowa hard-sided spinner to get scuffed by the luggage handlers.
- Are you the type who will pack for 7 days, and use laundry services or wash your own clothes and reuse them for extended trips? Or perhaps you're the fashionista that requires two outfits for every day?
- Will you have just one piece of primary luggage, or will you carry a personal article as well? Versatility will become key if you are using only one piece, as wheeled luggage doesn't work very well as a day pack.
Backpack-style duffle bag
I've used the term "backpack-style", as these days, it's no longer mandatory to look like you are about to tackle Everest because of your alpine-style, internal-frame backpack. Almost every major manufacturer offers a rectangular-shaped duffle bag, with hidden shoulder straps for carrying the load around. I used to think that this was the only way to go for short, two or three day business trips. Rick Steves even preaches that you can get by for two-weeks in Europe with just one, backpack-style bag. But for some itineraries, where our luggage hauling consists only of going from airport to train to hotel, wheels make more sense. With a backpack, keep in mind that you're going to have 8+ kgs of gear on your back, since using the carry handles will get tiresome very quickly. This also limits your personal item carry method; I have a crossbody bag that I can use by slinging it on first, then putting both backpack straps on. But if that doesn't work for your personal item, imagine carrying your laptop bag/personal item on your entire journey through the airport, across town, etc. versus being able to hitch it onto your spinner or wheeled luggage. Also, consider the difference between rarely or occasionally having to hand-carry your primary luggage up some stairs or over rough cobblestones, versus always having the weight of your gear on your shoulders. However, this is still my recommended option for travellers who are moving around often, and more likely to be carrying their gear the entire time, or where there will be periods of transit that are ~15 mins over rough, cobblestone streets at each destination. I have the Osprey Porter 46 pictured, for travels where I expect to have to carry my luggage from train station to our Airbnb and back. She liked mine so much, that I had to get another one for her. For more on choosing a carry on backpack, check out my new post here.
Soft-sided carry-on spinner
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| Image credit: Amazon.com |
For the trips where I know we'll be traversing flat, smooth surfaces, my primary piece of luggage, is a soft-sided, expandable, 4-wheeled "spinner" that is the exact dimensions of the maximum size quoted by Air Canada for their standard article carry-on allowance. It has one large main compartment, with two smaller flat zipped areas on the front. I prefer this style vs. hard-sided spinner, as with the latter, you must fully open the case in order to add or remove anything from it, sometimes even unzipping a secondary partition to access the contents. The clamshell design also requires twice the space to fully access the contents, which can be an issue in smaller European hotel rooms. With the single compartment of mine, it fits nicely on the hotel's luggage rack, or you can open the zipper partially to access small items at the top of the bag, and even put smaller, flat items in the outside pouches. Even when placed in the overhead bin on the plane, you can still access some contents that are near the zipper openings. However, at 3.7 kgs, it's not the lightest piece, despite being touted as "light weight". I'm likely not using this spinner, when we are often going to be moving across town on cobblestone streets; e.g. dragging it across the pedestrian only area of Dubrovnik.
Hard-sided carry-on spinner
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| Image credit: Heys.ca |
Her choice is this Heys 21" Latitude WIDEbody, hard-sided, clamshell spinner, also exactly the maximum standard article carry-on allowance. Whereas I find the clamshell design a hindrance, she prefers it; rather than unpacking on overnight stays, she simply opens it up, and slides the whole piece under the bed. With half the contents on each "side", it allows her to grab the item(s) she needs without having to rummage around through layers and layers of clothes. Of course the hardshell design also allows for maximum compression of your clothes; you can literally overstuff it, then sit on it to zip it closed. Hers is only slightly lighter than my primary piece, at 3.4 kgs. For the shoulder seasons, where we end up with a bit more cool weather clothing, we switch her 21" Heys out for the 26" one, and I stay with my 21"; this is more than enough for the two of us for everything except a Swiss Alps ski vacation.
Personal article
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| Too. Much. Stuff. |
Update: I used to travel with a mirrorless Canon camera, and one or two lenses, but recently upgraded my iPhone to a Pro model, and think that will be
my only camera when travelling going forward. But I still tend to bring along a lot of kit with me, regardless of destination; usually an iPad, iPhone, noise-cancelling headphones, small bluetooth speaker and all of the associated cables and chargers for each. I put what I think I'll need during the flight in my personal item, not only for ease of access on the plane, but also just in case I need to check my bag at the gate - which does sometimes happens when the plane is totally full.
If I need to maximize my carry capacity, I take advantage of the full personal article size allowed by the airline, and bring
this backpack I received from Emerald Waterways as a pre-cruise gift. It holds all of the aforementioned kit, and also has room for some snacks, a bottle of water, and a sweater or packable jacket. It has a few neat pockets for easy access to passport wallet, pen, sunglasses, etc., so it can
double as a daypack when we arrive at our destination. I like that it holds its shape, even when not fully loaded, and doesn't have a lot of extra straps and buckles. For trips where I don't need as much storage or when I am using the Osprey backpack, I switch to a Travelon crossbody bag for my personal item, that doubles as my day bag (
man-purse) while I'm out touring. With a unisex design, this model has lots of security features that my old man purse didn't have.
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| Image credit: pacsafe.com |
She used to like this ultra-lightweight convertible daypack from pacsafe; it had just enough space for her essential items while on the plane, and is great for day use while touring around town as well. It is very thin nylon, but has a cut-proof pouch on the inside, so that would-be thieves cannot slice into that portion and make off with cash or valuables in there. As a bonus, it all folds neatly into the small internal pouch when not in use, so you can have it with you about town if you purchase something, or want to put your sweater or jacket away. Edit: When she's since gone with a Travelon anti-theft crossbody bag as well.
Finally, since we typically pack so that every nook and cranny is used up, we both have one of these lightweight, reusable shopping bags, which in pinch, can double as a tote bag. They take up almost no space, and help bring back your souvenirs or duty free purchases. At the very least, you can use them for grabbing some fresh fruit or beer from the local market. If necessary, it becomes one of your carry-on bags, and we can just check one of our spinners; going home, there is less concern about luggage going missing.
Regardless of what you decide is the right combination of luggage for your travels, make sure you keep it simple, and pack light! As a good friend of mine who travels almost weekly once told me, "what you don't have, you can always buy".
No endorsements or fees were received for this post.
I know, there's a million posts on the internet about what bag is best; wheeled vs. backpack, hard shell instead of soft-sided, etc. I'm offering my advice on specific styles, and what works best for me/us, but travel luggage and bags are ultimately going to be tailored by your specific needs. i.e. a week long beach vacation in Barbados isn't going to require the same things as a 2-month trek across Africa. For the most part, we're travelling from 14-21 days, and will be taking overseas flights, where the basic fare class includes one checked bag, as well as permitting a typically sized standard carry on and personal article. I try to avoid checking my primary piece of luggage, even if the airline doesn't charge to check one, as it ensures that all my belongings arrive at the same place I am going. Rick Steves does a good overview of the types of luggage appropriate for European travel, so I'll narrow down to our choices and why we favoured them. Also a point of note, is that North American flight operators have different size limits than say, budget EU carriers. i.e. expect to have to check (and pay) for that bag that qualified as a carry-on with Air Canada when you do intra-Europe travel with say, Ryan Air.
I've used the term "backpack-style", as these days, it's no longer mandatory to look like you are about to tackle Everest because of your alpine-style, internal-frame backpack. Almost every major manufacturer offers a rectangular-shaped duffle bag, with hidden shoulder straps for carrying the load around. I used to think that this was the only way to go for short, two or three day business trips. Rick Steves even preaches that you can get by for two-weeks in Europe with just one, backpack-style bag. But for some itineraries, where our luggage hauling consists only of going from airport to train to hotel, wheels make more sense. With a backpack, keep in mind that you're going to have 8+ kgs of gear on your back, since using the carry handles will get tiresome very quickly. This also limits your personal item carry method; I have a crossbody bag that I can use by slinging it on first, then putting both backpack straps on. But if that doesn't work for your personal item, imagine carrying your laptop bag/personal item on your entire journey through the airport, across town, etc. versus being able to hitch it onto your spinner or wheeled luggage. Also, consider the difference between rarely or occasionally having to hand-carry your primary luggage up some stairs or over rough cobblestones, versus always having the weight of your gear on your shoulders. However, this is still my recommended option for travellers who are moving around often, and more likely to be carrying their gear the entire time, or where there will be periods of transit that are ~15 mins over rough, cobblestone streets at each destination. I have the Osprey Porter 46 pictured, for travels where I expect to have to carry my luggage from train station to our Airbnb and back. She liked mine so much, that I had to get another one for her. For more on choosing a carry on backpack, check out my new post here.
