Over the last few years, I have tried out a few different types of luggage. I have tried a few backpacks, and a couple of different types of rollers. I have had some success, but I believe my newest luggage additions will be ones I keep around for a long time.
My Newest Luggage Additions
While this may not seem like the most interesting post, I think finding luggage that fits your travel style is necessary. There are many different kinds of luggage and it can take time to find what you want in them.
My Travel “Style”
When I leave for my trips, I despise checking a bag. Call it control or lack of trust, but I want my bag with me, so I can get off the plane and head off on to explore. I would rather not waste my time sitting around, waiting for my luggage to appear.
There is the risk the airlines will lose your bag and that would be such a wonderful way to start your trip, right? Look at Charlie’s Emirates issue, for example. There is only one flight from Newark to Athens daily and somehow his bag went missing.
I attempt to carry on my bags at all cost when departing.
I also believe Basic Economy is going to expand like wildfire over the next year and with that means restrictions on carry on bags. They will have more restrictive size and weight requirements. I could be wrong, but if you fly Basic Economy and carry on, don’t be surprised if requirements change.
Luggage Requirements
My luggage taste has changed over the last few years. Looking back, I probably over-packed and brought a larger suitcase than I needed. As I have refined my accommodations for travel, my luggage needs have changed as well.
I am a big fan of Airbnb for my international travels, because I can book an apartment with a washer and dryer. This means packing less overall. For my domestic stays, which tend to be shorter, I am more likely to use my hotel points. In both cases, I do not need to bring an entire wardrobe.
Things I want in a suitcase:
- Can be carry on for any airline
- Have enough space to hold 3 days worth of clothes
- I love my packing cubes, so it needs to work with those
- If I need to check the bag on the way home because I bought something preventing me from carrying on, be rugged enough to not break my items
Newest Suitcase
When looking at bags with wheels, I prefer the 4 wheeled bags vs a 2 wheel bag. They are easier to maneuver, plus I think they are just plain better.
With that in mind, I settled on the Rockland Titan 19″ ABS Spinner Carry-On
This suitcase has a nice shell to keep anything breakable safe, if I needed to check my bag on the way home.
The Rockland Titan has multiple compartments to organize your clothes or other items you may bring. It also has plenty of space if you like using space cubes.
There is a zipper to expand your bag if needed as well, so it allows some flexibility while protecting anything breakable.
You’ll see there is a separate compartment where you can put your laptop as well as other electronics. I like this, because it will be easy to remove you electronics when going through security.
Luggage Backpack
I am a big fan of backpack suitcases, but the ones I have seen (or had) aren’t always comfortable. I have had the eBags travel backpacks and they are fine, but they were a little large for my liking.
Most recently, I purchased the Tucano Tugo Small Travel Backpack. The size alone was a winner in my book. The dimensions of this bag are 17 inches long, 14 inches wide, and 6.5 inches deep.
Based on my packing style, this should actually give me enough space for my trips. Plus this bag doesn’t have extra bulk, it really looks just like a regular backpack. Which I am a big fan of.
The interior of this bag is open space. This will let me stack in my space cubes and organize my bag just the way I want it!
This bag comes with a padded compartment for your laptop, which gives an added cushion to your back.
There is even a “secret” compartment on the the backpack to put things like passports, or money. I actually think this would be a perfect spot for my battery pack to charge my phone.
I think this is going to be my “go to” bag because of the size and the comfort when carrying this bag. Time will tell if it is durable enough, but from the looks of it, I think it will last me a long time
Buying the Bags
When it comes to purchasing luggage I really like the eBags website. I prefer this site for a few reasons:
- There always seems to be a deal going on
- Their reward program isn’t too bad
- Amex offers come around often and always help me save money
- The portal payouts are quite high
- Shoprunner gives me 2 day shipping
When you take those items into consideration, I think I get a solid deal on all my purchases through eBags.
Looking at my Rockland Titan, this bags was on the “Steals and deals” list, so I couldn’t use a coupon on this order. The bag was priced at $78.99, which at the time was competitive with other sites. At the time, Ebates was offering 20% cash back on this purchase and cash back has been my currency of choice to earn on a daily basis. I also used my $3.80 in eBags rewards from previous purchases. I also earned $15.80 in cash back from Ebates, plus I earned $1.97 while using my USAA Limitless.
This brought my total cost to $57.96, after tax. Overall, on this bag I was able to save an extra 27% than the sale price.
Now to my Tuscano Tugo bag.
This bag started on eBags as $79.99, but it was eligible for 20% off based on sale eBags was having. This brought the price down to $63.99. At the time, Topcahback was offering 18% cash back at eBags ($11.52 in cash back) and I was happy to earn a solid amount of cash back through the portal.
I used my USAA Limitless to earn $1.60, since I didn’t have enough items to trigger my Amex Offer. I was also able to use my eBags rewards which was $5.79.
This brought my total cost for to $48.59, after taxes. By stacking all these deals, I was able to save close to 41% on this bag as well!
Conclusion:
While buying luggage might not be the most glamorous topic, it is essential to have a bag that works with your travel style. Also, by using the avenues accessible to us to save even more money, we can really find solid deals on luggage.
What type of luggage do you use? Are you wheel person, or do you prefer a backpack?
