Are you looking at purchasing a new luggage or
backpack for your next travel adventure? Before making this purchase, it is
important to ask yourself a couple of questions such as where you are going,
how long will you be gone for, and what you need to bring. Once you answer
these and a couple other questions, you can determine what sort of luggage you
will want to bring.
How
Many Times Will You Change Locations
This is an important question when choosing
the luggage. If you will be staying at an all-inclusive resort for an entire
week, then it’s very easy because you unpack your bag when you arrive, and pack
again when you leave a week later.
However, if you are moving locations every
day, then you need to take this into consideration. You want to make sure it is
easy for you to find the clothes or items you need, without having to take your
whole bag apart.
You also need to know how you are getting from
one location to another. If you are walking or taking public transit, you may
want to consider a backpack. Backpacks are much easier to bring around in a
city. Especially in cities with cobblestone roads, lugging around a luggage can
be a tiresome effort, compared to having a backpack on your back. However, if
you are changing locations every couple days, but are getting around with the
help of a private bus, then you will only need to bring the luggage down to the
hotel lobby, and leave it with the bus.
Therefore, as a rule of thumb, if you are
changing locations less than every 3 days, and are taking public transit, then
a backpack is better. It avoids the hassles of pulling the bag on uneven or
muddy roads. However, if you are staying in one place for longer periods of
time, a luggage may be the better option because luggage are easier to
organize.
Is
Your Bag Unique
Far too often, people go for a basic black coloured bag. Unfortunately, bags that look like this have a much better chance of getting picked up accidentally. This is especially true at airport carousels or when bags are offloaded from a bus. Therefore, in order to avoid this mishap, ensure your bad has something unique about it. This could be the colour, or can be a tag that you put on it. Sometimes, simply putting some duct tape on the bag can help identify it, and avoid it being mistaken for someone else’s.
Are there Pockets
Having pockets which are accessible is a must
when choosing a luggage. There will be certain documents (such as tickets) you
will want to keep handy. Having an outside pocket means you can retrieve these
documents easily without having to open up your entire bag. It is also good to
have several pockets to keep other things accessible such as chargers and
headphones.
How
Many Wheels
If you choose to go for a luggage with wheels,
one of the questions to ask is if you want 2 wheels or 4 wheels.
Luggages with two wheels can be placed
anywhere without the risk of the luggage rolling away. This is especially
crucial if you plan on travelling to places where there will be many hills.
However, a 4 wheel luggage is much easier to walk around with. The wheels
rotate freely, and walking around is much easier than a two-wheeled luggage.
The downside with the 4-wheels is also apparent on the bus or metro. You cannot
let go for you bag at all otherwise it may roll and hit the people next to you.
Is it a Carry-On
Bags come in a variety of sizes. Depending on
how much you need to bring, you may want to try to fit it all into a carry-on
bag. Travelling with only carry-on bags means you do not need to spend time to
check in your baggage. It also means you do not need to wait at the carousel to
collect you bags, and thus there is less chance of your bag getting lost.
One of the disadvantages of travelling with
carry on only is that you are limited with the amount of liquids you can bring.
Therefore if you carry a large bottle of shampoo, you will either need to put
it in a small container, or not bring it at all.
What is also important is to note that the
definition of “carry-on” varies from airline to airline. Therefore, it is
important to check with the airline prior to boarding to ensure that you are
able to bring your luggage as a carry-on
Hard
Shell Or Soft Shell?
As the name implies, a hard shell is hard on
the outside. This means that the luggage is more robust, and protects your
fragile items in case the luggage is dropped or thrown around.
One of the disadvantages of the hard shell is
that there are no pockets on the outside to easily access certain things.
With the above points in mind, below are a couple luggage that are good choices:
2020 Best Luggage Reviews
Osprey Ozone Wheeled Carry-on 42L/21.5″
This is a small backpack, but has many great
features. Firstly, it is a backpack. So when you are walking on cobblestone
roads, or on muddy roads, you do not need to worry because you can keep the bag
on your back.
What is cool about this is that it can be used
as a roller bag. So if you are tired of carrying your bag around, you can roll
it around instead.
This bag is also small enough that it can be
used as a carry on. It has a couple pockets on the outside so you can easily
access the things you need frequently.
Pros:
- It’s a backpack
- It can also be a roller-luggage
- It’s got the outside pockets
Cons
- It’s smaller than other bags and has limited space
Get the Osprey Ozone Wheeled Carry-On.
NACATIN Internal Frame 70L Backpack Water-Resistant Hiking Daypack Backpacks
This is a large backpack, and is great for
anyone looking for a longer term travel. It is designed to be worn comfortably,
so you can walk around for long periods of time. It has about 65L of space,
which is enough for a lot of items. There are several pockets on the outside
for the important things you need to access.
This bag also has a bottom pocket, meaning you
can keep some items on the bottom of the bag, and can access them without
needing to empty all the contents of the bag.
Pros
- It’s big and has a lot of room
- It’s well designed to to carry
around comfortably - Several pockets to keep things
organized and accessible
Cons
- You must always carry it around
Get the NACATIN Internal Frame Backpack here.
Rockland Luggage 4 Piece Set, Charcoal, One Size
You may not want to purchase the entire set,
but this is an example of a 2-wheeled luggage which is good. The first good
thing is the colour. Even though it is mostly black, the orange strip makes it
stand out, and lowers the chance of it getting mistaken for someone else’s
luggage.
There are pockets in the front where you can
keep your travel documents and your chargers.
The various sizes means your can choose to
purchase a carry-on size, or you can go for a larger luggage.
Pros
- Orange strip which makes it stand
out from the other black bags - It has Wheels and does not need to
be carried except when loading/unloading
Cons
- Two wheels means it’s not as easy to roll around as a 4-wheeler
Get the Rockland Luggage Set here.
Regent Square Travel – Medium Suitcase Softside With Spinner Goodyear Wheels – Luggage Lightweight – Lagoon
This is an example of a 4-wheeled luggage. As
mentioned above, the advantage of the 4-wheels is that is it easy to roll
around. This one has a nice large pocket in the front, for any travel documents
and chargers that may be required. The blue colour makes it stand out from the
other black bags.
Pros
- 4 Wheels makes it very easy to
roll around - Outside pocket for documents and
other frequently needed accessories.
Cons
- 4 Wheels means you cannot let it rest or it will roll away.
Get the Regent Square Travel here.
Eagle Creek Exploration Series Tarmac
This is another example of a 2-wheeled
luggage. It has two separate pockets (one big and one small) in the front so
you can store different articles.
Pros:
- Different Colours
- Multiple outside pockets
Cons
- 2-wheels means it is not as easy to roll around as a 4 wheeler
Get the Eagle Creek Exploration Series here.
AmazonBasics Hardside Spinner Luggage – 28-Inch
This is an example of a hard-shell case.
Hardshell cases are more robust than softshell cases. One problem is that they
do not have the exterior pockets, meaning anything you want has to be kept
inside and thus it is not easy to get any small item
Pros:
- More robust and durable than
softshell cases - 4-wheels for easy maneuverability
Cons
- No access to outside pockets.
Regardless of which luggage you choose, it is
important that it fits your type of travel. A large luggage allows you to carry
more items, and is perfect for one-destination trips. A smaller bag is better
when you change locations several times. Backpacks mean you can carry them on
any type of terrain, but also mean that you need to carry them on your back at
all times.
