File under: Luggage & Travel

When you fly, you probably shop for the cheapest airplane tickets you can find, but part of the price that you won’t see when comparing airfares is the charge for your luggage. Depending on the airlines and how heavily you pack for your trips, each flight could easily cost you $50-$100 more in luggage checking fees. The best way to avoid these steep costs every time you fly is to get a good piece of carry on luggage that will eliminate the need for checked bags on most trips. Here’s a look at some different types of carry on luggage that could save you a lot of money and hassle in your travels.
Almost all airlines allow you to bring one piece of carry on luggage and one “personal item,” which they intend to be a purse or small bag of some sort, but almost everyone nowadays abuses that rule (and the airlines’ non-enforcement) by packing two large carry on bags. Two supersized carry ons can be difficult to transport from gate to gate to car to hotel, though. It’s best if your largest, heaviest carry on is on wheels. If it’s on four wheels, even better — less dragging and tipping over.

Spinners are great carry on substitutes for large suitcases. You can fit several outfits in one, plus toiletries and shoes — they’ll be heavy to carry, but spinners roll almost effortlessly. We recommend something like the Samsonite xSpace Spinner at the right for all of your clothes and other items you need for your trip, but not on the plane.

Airlines request that you place your smaller carry on luggage under the seat in front of you on the flight. This is where you’ll want to keep things you want to access in flight — your laptop, books, headphones, snacks. A good backpack is perfect for this. Your computer and a few books fit nicely in the main pocket, and you can stash smaller items like an mp3 player and a few granola bars in the smaller front pockets. A backpack is easy to carry through an airport, especially when you’re also trying to steer a rolling suitcase. It doesn’t tie up your hands or weigh you down too much.

Duffel bags are compact and easy to pack, but the one main disadvantage of traveling with duffels is that they can be a little unwieldy when they’re full. If your duffel just has handles or a shoulder strap, you’re going to get very tired of lugging it around. When you shop for dufflel bag carry ons, make sure you go for something with wheels, like the Victorinox Swiss Army Rolling Duffel pictured here.

When you can pack all your things into your carry on luggage, you save money at the gate and time at baggage claim. A good piece of carry on luggage is an investment that will pay for itself in no time.

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By Meg Massie