airside
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- Dec 6, 2012
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5 Types of Carry-on Bag to Avoid
What goes into your carry-on is the essence of what it means to get on a plane nonchalantly and hurtle yourself through the sky from one boring metropolis to another. It’s the socks, the underwear, the razor, the extra shirt, the lotions, the creams and the alternate neck ties or panty hose (preferably not both – the business world can be quite antiquated in its views). It’s the mundane junk which folded, rolled, stuffed and piled into a little case make up the necessities of everyday life. As a result, the carry-on bag you choose to buy may be the single most important decision you ever make before it’s wheels up as a frequent flyer.
When confronted with all of the options, making a choice as to exactly which carry-on to go with can seem an onerous and overwhelming task. Gone are the days when you could rummage through your parents’ closet in search of their spare bag that looked like an orange leather foot locker with two belts and a handle attached. You know the bag, the one that seemed more suited to carrying the various limbs of a chopped up corpse to be thrown into a dumpster than an instrument of sophisticated aero-travel.
Much like athletic equipment, where advances in design have almost re-invented sports like golf, tennis and swimming, travel accessories are becoming increasingly engineered for the neo-space age. The orange corpse bag is now obsolete and if you haven’t purchased a quality item in a decade or so, you will be amazed at the technological advances in some of the products.
Considering the importance of the carry-on bag, making the wrong choice in what to buy could spell disaster. Within the category of carry-on, there are dozens of subcategories: hard body, soft body, two wheels, four wheels, spinners, international carry-on sizes, domestic carry on sizes, regional routes sizes (those who have taken at least one fight on a Rex GE CT7 turbo-prop would know that even a Ceylon tea bag would a difficulty fitting into the overhead bins).
But rejoice, weary travellers, as there is indeed a bag for everyone. Different flyers will have different wants and needs so as to avoid any controversy in telling you what to buy, here’s a short list of what not to buy:
Anything under $100
Seriously. The carry-on is going to get the maximum amount of wear and its handles will be grabbed more than a plus size model at a Fat Admirers event. Cheaper bags will disintegrate into shards of cloth and zipper with any sustained use and the old adage you get what you pay for certainly applies here. Aim to spend $150 to $250. Watch for massively discounted sales on luggage as 50% off ticketed prices is not unheard of. Also, try to buy respected names.
Two wheeled bags
Why bother? A bag with four wheels can still operate in the tilted, drag along caveman style, essentially making the two wheel bag obsolete. Two wheels are for bicycles and driver’s education cars. Do not even consider them.
Hard sided bags
Okay, they are actually lighter than soft bags and this is where the scientific engineering really makes an impact on the jet set. And sure, for checked baggage if you are carrying anything remotely valuable they are the best protection against the whims of the bored and frustrated baggage handler who wants to play “let’s see how far I can throw this bag to relieve the stress of my wife’s infidelity and the fact my life is rubbish”. However, there is no point in having a hard sided case for something you alone have the responsibility to handle from the beginning to the end of your trip. So unless you’re coming direct from the Orrefors factory loaded up with Swedish hand-blown glass, skip the hard case carry on and stick with the soft bags.
Garment bags
Is this some kind of a joke? Limiting exactly what you can put into your bag is one of the worst decisions you can make in relation to a carry-on. While the garment bags may keep your suits reasonably pressed, there is actually a reason why every hotel room you have ever been in has an iron and ironing board. If you’re worried about your suit that much, you should be wearing it on the plane. Otherwise, roll it up and stick in.
Bags that are actually too big to qualify as carry on
This may seem fairly obvious, but bag manufacturers have such a plethora of options these days and it would be easy to let short-sighted greed take over in order to get a centimetre here or there. And while you may get away with having an international carry-on bag flying domestic a majority of the time, when that terrible day arrives when you hear the words “I’m sorry you’ll have to check that…” you’ll be as sad as the guy next to you using a plastic shopping bag from Kmart as his carry on. Play it safe, play by the rules. You can still get a lot into the domestic carry-on long as the main staples of your wardrobe are not big woolly jumpers.
The bag you end up buying should be an investment. Indeed, if you travel a fair bit it will be your one constant, your post-security spouse, your confidant privy to all your secret valuables and necessities. Using these tips for what to avoid could help you make the right choice and take a portion of the difficulty out of your daily travels. Of course, considering the cyclical nature of it all it is only a matter of time before the orange leather corpse bag makes its ways back into fashion. So to be on the safe side keep it tucked away in the closet for now. Just in case.
Anything else to add in regards to what to avoid in a carry-on bag?
What goes into your carry-on is the essence of what it means to get on a plane nonchalantly and hurtle yourself through the sky from one boring metropolis to another. It’s the socks, the underwear, the razor, the extra shirt, the lotions, the creams and the alternate neck ties or panty hose (preferably not both – the business world can be quite antiquated in its views). It’s the mundane junk which folded, rolled, stuffed and piled into a little case make up the necessities of everyday life. As a result, the carry-on bag you choose to buy may be the single most important decision you ever make before it’s wheels up as a frequent flyer.
When confronted with all of the options, making a choice as to exactly which carry-on to go with can seem an onerous and overwhelming task. Gone are the days when you could rummage through your parents’ closet in search of their spare bag that looked like an orange leather foot locker with two belts and a handle attached. You know the bag, the one that seemed more suited to carrying the various limbs of a chopped up corpse to be thrown into a dumpster than an instrument of sophisticated aero-travel.
Much like athletic equipment, where advances in design have almost re-invented sports like golf, tennis and swimming, travel accessories are becoming increasingly engineered for the neo-space age. The orange corpse bag is now obsolete and if you haven’t purchased a quality item in a decade or so, you will be amazed at the technological advances in some of the products.
Considering the importance of the carry-on bag, making the wrong choice in what to buy could spell disaster. Within the category of carry-on, there are dozens of subcategories: hard body, soft body, two wheels, four wheels, spinners, international carry-on sizes, domestic carry on sizes, regional routes sizes (those who have taken at least one fight on a Rex GE CT7 turbo-prop would know that even a Ceylon tea bag would a difficulty fitting into the overhead bins).
But rejoice, weary travellers, as there is indeed a bag for everyone. Different flyers will have different wants and needs so as to avoid any controversy in telling you what to buy, here’s a short list of what not to buy:
Anything under $100
Seriously. The carry-on is going to get the maximum amount of wear and its handles will be grabbed more than a plus size model at a Fat Admirers event. Cheaper bags will disintegrate into shards of cloth and zipper with any sustained use and the old adage you get what you pay for certainly applies here. Aim to spend $150 to $250. Watch for massively discounted sales on luggage as 50% off ticketed prices is not unheard of. Also, try to buy respected names.
Two wheeled bags
Why bother? A bag with four wheels can still operate in the tilted, drag along caveman style, essentially making the two wheel bag obsolete. Two wheels are for bicycles and driver’s education cars. Do not even consider them.
Hard sided bags
Okay, they are actually lighter than soft bags and this is where the scientific engineering really makes an impact on the jet set. And sure, for checked baggage if you are carrying anything remotely valuable they are the best protection against the whims of the bored and frustrated baggage handler who wants to play “let’s see how far I can throw this bag to relieve the stress of my wife’s infidelity and the fact my life is rubbish”. However, there is no point in having a hard sided case for something you alone have the responsibility to handle from the beginning to the end of your trip. So unless you’re coming direct from the Orrefors factory loaded up with Swedish hand-blown glass, skip the hard case carry on and stick with the soft bags.
Garment bags
Is this some kind of a joke? Limiting exactly what you can put into your bag is one of the worst decisions you can make in relation to a carry-on. While the garment bags may keep your suits reasonably pressed, there is actually a reason why every hotel room you have ever been in has an iron and ironing board. If you’re worried about your suit that much, you should be wearing it on the plane. Otherwise, roll it up and stick in.
Bags that are actually too big to qualify as carry on
This may seem fairly obvious, but bag manufacturers have such a plethora of options these days and it would be easy to let short-sighted greed take over in order to get a centimetre here or there. And while you may get away with having an international carry-on bag flying domestic a majority of the time, when that terrible day arrives when you hear the words “I’m sorry you’ll have to check that…” you’ll be as sad as the guy next to you using a plastic shopping bag from Kmart as his carry on. Play it safe, play by the rules. You can still get a lot into the domestic carry-on long as the main staples of your wardrobe are not big woolly jumpers.
The bag you end up buying should be an investment. Indeed, if you travel a fair bit it will be your one constant, your post-security spouse, your confidant privy to all your secret valuables and necessities. Using these tips for what to avoid could help you make the right choice and take a portion of the difficulty out of your daily travels. Of course, considering the cyclical nature of it all it is only a matter of time before the orange leather corpse bag makes its ways back into fashion. So to be on the safe side keep it tucked away in the closet for now. Just in case.
Anything else to add in regards to what to avoid in a carry-on bag?
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