Tong Family

Well now that we seem to be getting back to traveling again. Calvin asked what’s a good set of carry on luggage to get. Well I’ve had lots of carry ins over the years and here are some observations:

1. You get what you pay for. Yes you can get $50 luggage but most likely it won’t be as durable.
2. The two wheel rolling bags carry lots of stuff but they are quite a bit of weight. The four wheels are nice because you can roll them “flat” but they don’t carry as much.
3. Having lots of outside pockets and things is very valuable
4. You don’t need plastic on the outside. At least for us, a high quality nylon system lasts forever.
5. Where they tend to die is with the zippers so again quality matters there.
6. Get a compression kit. This will turn your luggage into a brick of clothes. So very convenient

So looking at Outdoor Gear Labs, NY Times Wirecutter and Travel and Leisure the both love the same bags:

1. Travel Pro Platinum Elite Spinner 21. This four wheel bag has won both reviews for the last few years. The main things are it is durable, has lots of pockets and even a garment folder for your suits and dresses. it’s currently $330 at Amazon. But there are many sales. And lots of replacement parts. Travel Pro is an old favorite of mine. The original Rollaboard was one of the first pieces I got when I first started flying way back in 1987.
2. Travel Pro Platinum Elite Upright 22. This is two wheel version that lets you stuff more inside. Personally I still like the two wheelers since we don’t like to check in bags. It’s $280 at Amazon.
3. Briggs & Riley Baseline Spinner 22. Of you really want to splurge then for $580 you can get this deluxe spinner. It has its own compression system that ratchets down on clothes.
4. Briggs & Riley Baseline 22. This is the two wheel version of the above so some more space
5. eBags Motherlode 21 Rolling Duffel. Ok we’ve had three of these for over a decade now. They are very durable and relatively loss cost at $170. They are smaller than the travel pro but as rollers, you can pack a lot. When you pair it with the compression kit like the Pack Gear Large Suitcases it works pretty well and Compression Strap
6. Finally you can get the international versions of these if you are in economy outside the US.