Nearly a decade of full-time travel, carry-on only. These are the bags that survived it.
The bags we roll
Osprey
Sojourn Shuttle 22″ / 45L Wheeled Duffel
This is the main bag. Forty-five liters in a frame that still passes as a carry-on, big wheels that handle cobblestones instead of surrendering to them, and Osprey’s warranty behind it. Nearly a decade of full-time travel is a hard test, and this is what’s left standing.
Osprey
Transporter Wheeled Carry-On
A tough wheeled duffel that swallows an awkward load a suitcase can’t: boots, a jacket, the souvenirs you swore you wouldn’t buy. The fabric shrugs off rain and baggage handlers alike. It officially measures like a carry-on but it looks smaller than it is, which helps at the gate.
TUMI
Aerotour 4 Wheel Expandable Luggage
The grown-up suitcase, for the trips where you’re checking a bag on purpose. Four smooth wheels, an expansion zip for the trip home, and TUMI build quality, which is the reason it costs what it costs. Buy it once and stop replacing broken suitcases every two years.
The bags we carry
Osprey
Sojourn Porter 30L Travel Backpack
This is the best bag I’ve found to date, and I’ve been through plenty of them. Thirty liters, carry-on compliant, with a padded laptop sleeve and compression straps that pull everything tight. The harness and hipbelt tuck away into the back panel when you’d rather not wear it.
BAGSMART
28L Travel Backpack
A water-resistant backpack with a laptop sleeve and a USB pass-through port, at a price that doesn’t hurt. It opens flat like a suitcase, so packing it doesn’t mean digging. This is the one I point friends to when they want one good bag without the Osprey price.
Tumi
Celina Backpack
The city backpack. Sleek enough for a nice restaurant, organized enough for a travel day, and it doesn’t scream tourist, which is its own kind of security. This is what comes out when the Osprey stays at the hotel.
4Monster
Packable Hiking Daypack
Packs down to the size of a sandwich and comes out as a real bag for a beach day, a hike, or hauling groceries to a rental. Water resistant and weighs nothing. This is the answer to needing a second bag without packing a second bag.
TUMI
Just In Case Packable Tote
A tote that folds into its own pocket and lives in the suitcase until the trip home, when it becomes the extra bag for everything that didn’t fit. It also slips over a luggage handle, so it rides on top of the roller instead of on your shoulder.
Small carry
Lululemon
Everywhere Belt Bag 1L
My most-used travel item by a mile. It zips securely, sits close to my body, and holds my phone, cards, cash, and passport, so everything that matters stays attached to me. On the plane it keeps the essentials on me instead of in a bag under the seat.
Hero Travel Supply
RFID Neck Wallet
A flat pouch that hangs under your shirt with your passport and backup card in it. It’s not a daily carry, it’s for the travel days themselves: airports, borders, overnight trains, anywhere everything important is on you at once. RFID blocking, and thin enough to forget.
Lamicall
Waterproof Pouch
A waterproof pouch big enough for a phone, cash, and a room key, for the days that involve water: the beach, a boat, a waterfall hike, a sudden downpour. Your phone comes along and stays dry instead of staying behind in the room.
Inside the bag
BeeGreen
Travel Shoe Bags, 6 Pack
Zippered bags that keep the bottoms of your shoes away from your clothes, which is the whole job and they do it for pennies. Six means every pair travels wrapped, and the spares hold laundry, chargers, or the wet swimsuit on packing-out day.
Rynapac
10L Waterproof Dry Bag
A roll-top dry bag that keeps water out or, just as usefully, keeps wet things in. Swimsuits, a rained-on jacket, laundry that didn’t dry in time: they ride home without soaking everything else. It packs flat and weighs next to nothing until you need it.
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