The case or bag that carries everything else. Get this right and you get less stress at every airport, easier packing, and no surprise excess-baggage fees. Some categories have one clear answer, others have several worth comparing.
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Category 01 · 7 picks
Hard-shell, soft-shell, budget personal-item and one genuine premium option. Buy one size smaller than you think you need.
Read: How to pack for a week in carry-on only →The most common luggage mistake is buying too large. A 75 L checked case sounds practical until you fill it every time and pay excess-baggage fees on every trip. Hard-shell protects contents and cleans easily; soft-shell squeezes into overhead lockers and has outside pockets.
Cabin case
The benchmark hard-shell case for frequent flyers who value longevity over saving money now.
Rolls smoothly, the aluminium frame survives checked baggage handling, and the TSA-approved lock is genuinely useful. Passes cabin baggage rules on most European airlines. Expensive, but a 10-year purchase, not a 3-year one.
Check current price →Cabin case
The sensible alternative to a premium case: robust, warranted, and fits most overhead lockers.
Robust polypropylene shell, smooth dual-wheel system, and a 10-year warranty Samsonite actually honours. Fits Lufthansa, British Airways, and most full-service carriers.
Check current price →Check-in case
For trips where a carry-on genuinely won't cut it.
The same Samsonite warranty and wheel quality as the Stackd, scaled up to full checked-bag capacity. An expandable zip adds extra space for the souvenirs on the way home.
Check current price →Check-in case
A lighter, cheaper checked case for occasional flyers.
Noticeably lighter than most hard-shells in this size, which matters when your empty case is already eating into your weight allowance. Basic four-wheel system, no frills.
Check current price →Budget airline travel
Specifically built to beat Ryanair and easyJet's restrictive personal item rules.
Sized to fit under the seat, so the gate agent has no reason to pull you aside. Not glamorous, but it can spare you the cabin bag fee on every flight.
Check current price →Foldable cabin bag
A cabin bag that packs flat inside your main case for the trip home.
Useful as a second bag on the way back when you've bought more than you left with. Folds to roughly the size of a paperback when empty.
Check current price →Premium cabin bag
For travellers who want their cabin bag to double as a genuinely good everyday bag.
Structured enough to hold its shape half-empty, with a dedicated laptop compartment and the kind of hardware that still looks good after three years of daily use.
Check current price →Category 02 · 11 picks
The bag you carry every day, plus sling, foldable and anti-theft options for specific trip styles.
Day backpack
Best for minimalist carry-on travellers who need a day bag that compresses into almost nothing.
Compresses into its own pocket, padded laptop sleeve, and comfortable straps for 8-hour city days. The Osprey lifetime guarantee is real and useful.
Check current price →Travel backpack
Best for travellers who want to stay nimble: no check-in queues, no baggage reclaim.
Passes as cabin baggage on most airlines, lockable zipper compartment, and back panel ventilation makes carrying it for 8 hours genuinely tolerable. A 40L bag that packs like a 50L one.
Check current price →Travel backpack
A more structured, tech-focused alternative to the Farpoint.
A dedicated padded laptop compartment and more internal organisation than most travel backpacks, aimed squarely at people carrying a laptop and camera alongside clothes.
Check current price →Crossbody / anti-theft
Great if you spend most of your trip in cities where pickpocketing is a real concern.
Cut-resistant straps, lockable zippers, RFID-blocking pocket, all hidden behind a clean design that works for both city exploring and evening dinners.
Check current price →Sling bag
For travellers who want quick access to a phone, passport and camera without a full backpack.
Sized for exactly the essentials, passport, phone, wallet, compact camera, without tempting you to overpack it. Wears comfortably front or back.
Check current price →Sling bag
A slightly larger sling built around fast camera access.
The quick-access top opening is genuinely faster than unzipping a backpack, worth it if a camera is coming out and going away all day.
Check current price →Foldable backpack
A full backpack that packs into a pocket the size of a fist.
For the days you don't want to carry your main bag but need more than a tote, folds into its own zip pocket and clips onto a belt loop or bag strap.
Check current price →Foldable backpack
A sturdier foldable backpack for travellers who'll actually load it up.
Heavier-duty fabric than most packable bags, so it holds up better as a real day bag rather than just an emergency spare.
Check current price →Beach / water sports
For beach-heavy or water sports trips where keeping things dry is non-negotiable.
Genuinely waterproof, not just water-resistant, camera, phone, and passport stay dry during boat trips, kayaking, or tropical downpours. Rolls down to seal.
Check current price →Foldable shopping bag
A shopping bag that lives in your pocket until you need it.
Folds into a pouch smaller than a phone, genuinely useful for markets, grocery runs on longer trips, or an emergency extra bag home.
Check current price →Foldable shopping bag
A sturdier, roomier packable tote.
Holds more and handles heavier loads than most fold-away bags, at the cost of packing slightly bulkier.
Check current price →Category 03 · 9 picks
The small items that make a big difference to how organised you feel from check-in to arrival.
Read: The travel capsule wardrobe: 10 items, 14 outfits →Packing cubes
Best for travellers who want to find everything in their bag without unpacking the whole thing.
Ultralight ripstop nylon, and the mesh top lets you see what is inside. The set of 4 covers every clothing category.
Check current price →Packing cubes
A slightly more affordable set from a brand with a lifetime guarantee.
Not as feather-light as the Eagle Creek set, but the Osprey warranty policy means a torn zip gets replaced, not just apologised for.
Check current price →Compression cubes
For travellers overpacking into cabin bags who need to win back space.
The compression zip genuinely works on bulky knitwear and jeans. Cheaper than Eagle Creek with only a small weight penalty.
Check current price →Compression cubes with pump
For bulky items a zip alone won't compress enough: winter coats, duvet-style jackets.
The built-in one-way valve and mini pump squeeze out air a compression zip can't reach, roughly doubling how much a jacket or jumper compresses.
Check current price →Compression cubes with pump
A larger multi-piece set covering more than just outerwear.
Comes as a full set of sizes rather than one or two cubes, useful if you want the whole bag compression-managed rather than just the bulky items.
Check current price →Vacuum bags with pump
The most aggressive compression option: for maximum-density packing on long trips.
Roll or pump the air out and soft items shrink to a fraction of their size. Slower to use than a zip cube, but nothing compresses further.
Check current price →Toiletry bag
Great for minimalist travellers who hate carrying unnecessary weight.
Very light when empty, and the hook hangs it from any bathroom rail. Enough pockets for toiletries without turning into a bottomless pit.
Check current price →Laundry
For long-term travellers or anyone who wants to pack lighter by doing laundry on the road.
An internal washboard gets clothes cleaner than hand-washing in a sink, and the bag folds to the size of a wallet.
Check current price →Luggage identification
Our own tool: a printable luggage tag with a QR code that links to your contact details.
Whoever finds your bag scans the code and reaches you. No app needed. Create yours free with our luggage tag maker.
Create free tag →Category 04 · 7 picks
Scales, locks and trackers: cheap insurance against the two most common luggage headaches, excess fees and lost bags.
Read: Why your luggage tag could save your holiday →Luggage accessory
Weigh your bag before the airport does.
Hang it from the handle and lift for a digital readout in seconds. Every frequent traveller owns one.
Check current price →Luggage tracker
For Android and mixed-device households: broad finder-network coverage.
Loud enough to find in a pile of identical bags at baggage claim, with a community find-network that extends range well beyond Bluetooth alone.
Check current price →Luggage tracker
For iPhone users who want to see their bag on the Find My network.
Works with Apple's Find My network, the same one that already finds a lost iPhone, extended to a suitcase.
Check current price →Bag lock
A straightforward combination lock that won't get cut off at US security.
TSA officers can open it with their master key rather than cutting it, so it actually survives a US connection intact.
Check current price →Security cable lock
Great for travellers who check bags through multiple connections or leave luggage at hotel storage.
TSA-approved so it won't be cut off at US airports. The 120cm retractable cable lets you lock your bag to airport chairs or hostel beds.
Check current price →TSA lock with strap
For securing a checked case at busy airports or overnight storage.
Wraps around the whole case rather than just the zippers, a visible deterrent, and useful if a zip ever fails mid-trip.
Check current price →Carabiner clips
Small, sturdy clips for attaching a day bag to a backpack, a water bottle, or a hostel locker.
The locking gate means things don't come loose on a train platform or overhead locker the way cheap clips do.
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