Please Review our travel and luggage articles

How to choose the best carry on luggage

When purchasing carry on luggage, there are a lot of features and factors to consider. Many people prefer to pack everything for their trip into a carry on bag. The advantages are pretty obvious: There’s no risk of the airline losing your bag, no risk of damage to your bag and its contents and all your gear is “centralized” in a single piece of luggage. Having a single bag also increases your mobility – you’re not standing around the baggage carousel waiting and you can get in and out of the airport sooner. But far and away, the most important factor in choosing carry on luggage is the size limit imposed by the airlines. Your bag has to fit either in the overhead compartment or under the seat. In general, the carry on luggage should have the following dimensions: 22” long by 14” wide by 9” high. However, this is just an approximation – you should check with your specific airline for details. This article will discuss how to choose a piece of carry on luggage best suited to you needs.

Some general guidelines for carry on luggage

That good old duffel bag that’s been kicking around in the closet may be the right size but don’t be tempted to use as a carry on. The best carry on bag will be designed for just that. Here are some features to look for:


• A soft sided case with no wheels is the best choice
• At least three internal, full length or full width compartments
• Internal zippers on two of the internal compartments
• Compartments should have straps to secure your gear so it doesn’t shift around
• Ballistic nylon material
• Padded shoulder strap
• Outside zippered pockets
• Outside sleeve pockets
• Zippers should be toothed rather than coiled
• External zippers that can be locked
• Some internal foam padding to facilitate packing and give the bag some shape

Soft sided luggage

Soft-sided bags are a better choice because you can “squish” them into a compartment or under seat area. These bags accommodate odd sized or bulky items more easily and have some give if you just absolutely have to fit in one more sweater or pair of jeans. Soft-sided luggage is less likely to pop open at an inopportune moment and will generally accommodate more gear than a hard-sided case of the same size. Soft-sided luggage can often be shouldered, providing an alternate way to carry it. Hard-sided luggage usually has to be carried by a single handle, although some models have wheels

Zippered compartments with straps

Compartments are essential to carry on luggage because if you’re taking only a single bag, you have to be highly organized. Compartments help you accomplish this. Without compartments, your clean clothes and dirty laundry will intermingle; your shoes and toiletries will jumble together. With compartments, you can pack your bag as though you intend to live out of it – you won’t have to rummage around to find that elusive camera or laptop – everything will be neatly in place. Zippers keep stuff separate and help prevent shifting. The compartments should also have straps to secure over the contents, also to prevent shifting and wrinkling. Usually such straps are elastic and thus can accommodate various amounts of clothing or other gear.

Ballistic nylon material

Soft-sided luggage can be more prone to damage than hard-sided luggage, so that the material used on a soft-sided bag is particularly important. Ballistic nylon is lightweight yet strong and some of its major characteristics include fabric strength, puncture resistance, tear resistance and even bullet resistance. This material has a smooth surface that will not rub against your clothes, will not fade or scratch neither look old. The word ballistic refers to the fact that this material is a component in bulletproof vests used by the military and police agencies. Before you buy, find out what your bag’s made of and whether or not the fabric is water-resistant and/or water-repellant.

Padded shoulder strap

The bag should have a shoulder strap in addition to carry handles. Removability is a nice feature. Where the bag attaches to the strap there should be sturdy hardware and reinforced stitching. Since you’ll be carrying the bag a lot and not relying on baggage handlers, the strap should be padded for extra comfort and functionality. If your bag comes without a padded strap, you should be able to buy one in the luggage aftermarket.


Outside zippered pockets and sleeves

To keep those essential items like tickets close at hand, your carry on luggage should have at least one outside zippered pocket. Some bags have external pockets to accommodate cell phones and water bottles. An unzippered external sleeve is perfect for your newspaper or umbrella. Never keep valuables in these pockets. Items like jewelry and cameras are best carried inside your bag or on your person.

Toothed, lockable zippers

There are two types of zippers – toothed and coiled. Coiled zippers, although self-repairing, aren’t as strong or durable as toothed zippers. Metal is always preferable to plastic, but metal zippers are getting harder and harder to find. Lockable means that the zipper has two pulls. When positioned next to each other, the zipper pulls can be secured with a small, special purpose luggage lock for extra security. You should have locks on all your outside zippers, unless the airlines or security regulations prohibit them. Look for luggage locks at travel stores or on the Internet.

Internal foam padding

If possible, choose a bag with some strategically placed close cell foam. This gives the bag some structure and makes it easier to pack because the bag will stand up on its own. Foam also cushions your carry on luggage, an important feature if you’re carrying breakables.

Conclusion

Once you’ve traveled with a high quality piece of carry on luggage, you’ll never again want to check your bags. Sure, you have to take a little less gear and pack it strategically, but the time you save will be well worth it. So choose your carry on carefully and buy the best you can afford. It will serve you well through many trips and travel adventures.