Home LivingTravel6 tips for picking the best carry-on case for your next tripOur ultimate guide to becoming a cabin baggage connoisseur and lightening the load on your next flightWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Home LivingTravel6 tips for picking the best carry-on case for your next tripOur ultimate guide to becoming a cabin baggage connoisseur and lightening the load on your next flightWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Our ultimate guide to becoming a cabin baggage connoisseur and lightening the load on your next flight
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Getty)
(Image credit: Getty)
Lost luggage and record-breaking delays at airports are just some of the reasons growing numbers of travellers are opting to ditch checked bags and rely solely on cabin baggage. The good news? Doing so is easier than ever, thanks to the growing number of brands going all out to cater to globetrotters who are opting to travel light. Here’s our ultimate guide to finding the right luggage for anyone keen to ditch the excess baggage.
If you know what you’re looking for, you can also check out our guide to thebest carry-on luggage.
(Image credit: Samsonite)
(Image credit: Samsonite)
1. Materials matter
2. Ditch the added extras
(Image credit: Farpoint)
(Image credit: Farpoint)
3. Prioritise portability
I’m a huge fan of backpacks with extending handles, and built-in wheels (two are great, but four are preferable). This allows them to be rolled along and can be a godsend on cramped planes, when your chances of squeezing your way into the aisle are likely to be significantly reduced if you’re wearing a house-sized backpack. I also love handles – the more the merrier, so that you can extricate your case easily without having to remove others passengers’ cases in order to retrieve yours.
(Image credit: Quicksilver)
(Image credit: Quicksilver)
4. Backpacks are better (sometimes)
The downside to single-compartment cases often relates to the ease (or lack of) with which individual items can be removed and replaced. Find the right backpack, however, and repacking your bag after the dreaded security check will take significantly less time.
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You can assign dedicated, easily accessible pockets to the items you’re most likely to have to remove and replace before and during the flight, such as toiletries, gadgets and liquids, before quickly returning them to their rightful place, saving you the embarrassment of digging through upper layers of underwear/medication/weird souvenirs in a single-compartment case in order to get to the bottle of water which has seen your bag diverted to the dreaded security check line.
(Image credit: Farpoint)
(Image credit: Farpoint)
5. Don’t overestimate the importance of access
When you’ve got everything you’ll need for your getaway stuffed into a single bag, it pays to pack in an organised way, and to think about how you’ll access the items. Cabin cases with additional trapdoor-style access points at the top make it easier to access items you’ll need mid-flight, such as headphones and chargers, and backpacks with openings at both the top and bottom, or openings which unzip fully on three sides, can save you huge amounts of time when it comes to getting to specific items.
6. Pack like a pro
Although I’ve recommended keeping accessories to a minimum, there are certain ones which can transform your travels. Compression pouches, which rely on double zips to compress contents such as clothes, won’t just save space, but will keep the contents of your case or backpack organised, too.
Four seriously cool cabin bags
Ditching the checked baggage? Invest in one of these space savers and you’ll never look back
North Face Base Camp DuffelNorth Face’s Base Camp Duffel is a brilliant bag which doubles as both a duffel bag and a backpack and has multiple handles and access points. We love the internal mesh compartments, which make it easy to see what you’ve got stashed where – a godsend when you’ve crammed everything you need for a weekend away into a single bag.
North Face Base Camp DuffelNorth Face’s Base Camp Duffel is a brilliant bag which doubles as both a duffel bag and a backpack and has multiple handles and access points. We love the internal mesh compartments, which make it easy to see what you’ve got stashed where – a godsend when you’ve crammed everything you need for a weekend away into a single bag.
North Face Base Camp DuffelNorth Face’s Base Camp Duffel is a brilliant bag which doubles as both a duffel bag and a backpack and has multiple handles and access points. We love the internal mesh compartments, which make it easy to see what you’ve got stashed where – a godsend when you’ve crammed everything you need for a weekend away into a single bag.
North Face Base Camp DuffelNorth Face’s Base Camp Duffel is a brilliant bag which doubles as both a duffel bag and a backpack and has multiple handles and access points. We love the internal mesh compartments, which make it easy to see what you’ve got stashed where – a godsend when you’ve crammed everything you need for a weekend away into a single bag.
North Face Base Camp DuffelNorth Face’s Base Camp Duffel is a brilliant bag which doubles as both a duffel bag and a backpack and has multiple handles and access points. We love the internal mesh compartments, which make it easy to see what you’ve got stashed where – a godsend when you’ve crammed everything you need for a weekend away into a single bag.
North Face Base Camp Duffel
North Face’s Base Camp Duffel is a brilliant bag which doubles as both a duffel bag and a backpack and has multiple handles and access points. We love the internal mesh compartments, which make it easy to see what you’ve got stashed where – a godsend when you’ve crammed everything you need for a weekend away into a single bag.
Samsonite Upscape Spinner ExpandableSamsonite’s new suitcases are made from lightweight polypropylene and have four wheels for maximum mobility. Internal straps and pouches help you make the most of the space available, too. The case also does well in the sustainability stakes – the interior is made from recycled PET plastic bottles.
Samsonite Upscape Spinner ExpandableSamsonite’s new suitcases are made from lightweight polypropylene and have four wheels for maximum mobility. Internal straps and pouches help you make the most of the space available, too. The case also does well in the sustainability stakes – the interior is made from recycled PET plastic bottles.
Samsonite Upscape Spinner ExpandableSamsonite’s new suitcases are made from lightweight polypropylene and have four wheels for maximum mobility. Internal straps and pouches help you make the most of the space available, too. The case also does well in the sustainability stakes – the interior is made from recycled PET plastic bottles.
Samsonite Upscape Spinner ExpandableSamsonite’s new suitcases are made from lightweight polypropylene and have four wheels for maximum mobility. Internal straps and pouches help you make the most of the space available, too. The case also does well in the sustainability stakes – the interior is made from recycled PET plastic bottles.
Samsonite Upscape Spinner ExpandableSamsonite’s new suitcases are made from lightweight polypropylene and have four wheels for maximum mobility. Internal straps and pouches help you make the most of the space available, too. The case also does well in the sustainability stakes – the interior is made from recycled PET plastic bottles.
Samsonite Upscape Spinner Expandable
Samsonite’s new suitcases are made from lightweight polypropylene and have four wheels for maximum mobility. Internal straps and pouches help you make the most of the space available, too. The case also does well in the sustainability stakes – the interior is made from recycled PET plastic bottles.
Quiksilver Travis Rice Platinum 20LThis brilliant backpack has a huge number of compartments, and accessing them is ridiculously easy – the bag’s front unzips fully on three sides, which allows you to immediately see the entire contents. It’s another bag with multiple handles, too.
Quiksilver Travis Rice Platinum 20LThis brilliant backpack has a huge number of compartments, and accessing them is ridiculously easy – the bag’s front unzips fully on three sides, which allows you to immediately see the entire contents. It’s another bag with multiple handles, too.
Quiksilver Travis Rice Platinum 20LThis brilliant backpack has a huge number of compartments, and accessing them is ridiculously easy – the bag’s front unzips fully on three sides, which allows you to immediately see the entire contents. It’s another bag with multiple handles, too.
Quiksilver Travis Rice Platinum 20LThis brilliant backpack has a huge number of compartments, and accessing them is ridiculously easy – the bag’s front unzips fully on three sides, which allows you to immediately see the entire contents. It’s another bag with multiple handles, too.
Quiksilver Travis Rice Platinum 20LThis brilliant backpack has a huge number of compartments, and accessing them is ridiculously easy – the bag’s front unzips fully on three sides, which allows you to immediately see the entire contents. It’s another bag with multiple handles, too.
Quiksilver Travis Rice Platinum 20L
This brilliant backpack has a huge number of compartments, and accessing them is ridiculously easy – the bag’s front unzips fully on three sides, which allows you to immediately see the entire contents. It’s another bag with multiple handles, too.
Osprey Farpoint WheelsIs it a backpack? Is it a wheeled cabin case? It’s both – a roomy 36L case with low-profile wheels which won’t get in the way when they’re not in use, and an extendable handle which ramps up the portability without adding extra weight.
Osprey Farpoint WheelsIs it a backpack? Is it a wheeled cabin case? It’s both – a roomy 36L case with low-profile wheels which won’t get in the way when they’re not in use, and an extendable handle which ramps up the portability without adding extra weight.
Osprey Farpoint WheelsIs it a backpack? Is it a wheeled cabin case? It’s both – a roomy 36L case with low-profile wheels which won’t get in the way when they’re not in use, and an extendable handle which ramps up the portability without adding extra weight.
Osprey Farpoint WheelsIs it a backpack? Is it a wheeled cabin case? It’s both – a roomy 36L case with low-profile wheels which won’t get in the way when they’re not in use, and an extendable handle which ramps up the portability without adding extra weight.
Osprey Farpoint WheelsIs it a backpack? Is it a wheeled cabin case? It’s both – a roomy 36L case with low-profile wheels which won’t get in the way when they’re not in use, and an extendable handle which ramps up the portability without adding extra weight.
Osprey Farpoint Wheels
Is it a backpack? Is it a wheeled cabin case? It’s both – a roomy 36L case with low-profile wheels which won’t get in the way when they’re not in use, and an extendable handle which ramps up the portability without adding extra weight.
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