Luggage accessories

• Security accessories — There are just a few accessories to make your main bag more secure. That means making your bag more difficult than a thief’s alternative targets.
• Packing accessories — Sub-divide the stuff in your bag into logical and efficient containers that minimize space and provide a second layer of protection against moisture and impacts.
• Transport accessories — Make moving your bag easier.
• Avoid over-accessorizing — You don’t need specialized containers for everything. And you don’t need to lock-up your bag so thoroughly that Houdini couldn’t get out of it.

As an independent traveler, you will move around frequently and not have a lot of stuff with you. Like a turtle, you have your all the goods it takes to live for the duration of your trip in your luggage. 

Protecting your stuff

There are transportation and lodging strategies to keep your stuff safe from theft, water damage, abrasion and impacts. And there are a few accessories to help with that.

Knowing that your luggage will sometimes be outside your immediate supervision (checked-in for a flight, in a bus cargo bay, left in your room or a hotel storage room…), you want to maximize your defenses against theft.

It’s true that you can’t prevent an experienced thief from breaking into your bag if he has enough time alone with it. Brute force or a sharp tool can open your luggage in no time. But most thieves are casual opportunists who will steal when it’s easy. Many of them also don’t want to leave blatant evidence of their break-in. Your objective is to make it more difficult and time consuming for the thief. Maybe he’ll move on to an easier target or just give up trying to break into your bag.

Your main bag should provide the first line of defense against rain and the bumps and bashes that inevitably happen when you’re moving around. If items are packed too loosely in your bag, abrasion during movement can also contribute to damage. How you pack your more vulnerable possessions inside the bag can contribute to their surviving the trip. 

Packing your stuff

As you know by now, packing only what you need in a small bag is a bit of a science: all of it should add up to small and light. Packing your stuff so you can get to it when you need it is a bit of an art: your most-used stuff has to be accessible, while less-used stuff can be buried deep in your bag.

Your main bag by itself is an empty vessel. You need to organize your stuff within it.

• Built-in pockets & sleeves — Bags range from no interior dividers to many pockets and sleeves. To the extent that they’re suitable, they reduce the need for accessory containers.
• Added containers and organizational aids — No matter how many pockets and sleeves your bag has, you’ll still need to organize the items that go into the main compartment. The right packing accessories help you to find things when you need them, separate clean from dirty, reduce volume and minimize shifting when you move the bag.
• Items that do not need containerization — Some travelers fold or bundle-wrap their clothing without need of further containerization.

Moving your stuff

You have your three basic pieces of luggage: main bag, day bag and travel wallet. There are a couple of accessories in addition to those that can make moving your stuff easier.

Accessories to improve protection

You need to protect your bag from both theft and the elements. A thief may try to break into your bag to take something from it or he may try to steal the entire bag. The main environmental hazard is rain, although dust is an issue in some places.

Most manufacturers don’t offer good protection against theft, with Pacsafe being a notable exception. There are small distinctions, such as the type of zipper and how the zipper tabs can be locked together. You have to provide security accessories yourself to complete your defense.

Protection from the elements depends upon the type of fabric and construction details such as a rain flap over the zippers. But most soft-sided bags are only “water resistant” rather than “waterproof.” The notable exception here is Tortuga, whose most recent model of travel backpack is made of sail cloth. Even waterproof fabrics can be compromised by water leakage through zippers.

Padlocks

Locks will not prevent a determined thief with enough time from getting into your luggage. Rather, they are intended to discourage crimes of opportunity. If your bag offers more resistance than the bag next to it in the bus cargo bay, hotel lobby or luggage storage room, then the thief may leave your bag alone.

Any access to the interior of your main bag has to be locked. That might be just one lock, but today’s over-engineered bags have as many as three zippered access points: if your bag has three openings to the interior, you need three locks.

You might also consider a lock for your day bag, especially if your bag is a backpack, worn behind you where you can’t see what’s going on.

Luggage locks can also serve double-duty to secure hostel lockers or to lock bags together to make them harder to move (cable locks are better).

Locks come in two types:

• Key — The lock has a solid body, with a small key mechanism on the bottom.
• Combination — The lock has 3 or 4 wheels with numbers or letters.

Your choice is between security versus convenience. A keyed lock had a harder body, so it’s harder to smash or wrench open. Keyed locks are also harder to pick than combination locks are to open (shockingly easy). But with a keyed lock you always have to keep a key handy.

What about “TSA-approved” locks? The US Transportation Safety Authority requires the ability to open your luggage to search the contents. They have a master key to open TSA-approved locks, but, if your lock cannot be opened, they have the right to cut it off. If you’re traveling through the US (even in transit), you could consider TSA-approved locks. (Travelers going to the US without TSA-approved locks sometimes switch to plastic cable locks instead.) Why not get a TSA-approved lock? While they’re perfectly serviceable outside the US, the variety available outside the US could be very limited and the prices unreasonable.

Quality features

SS image of lock with added labels: shackle, shackle clearance, body, core.

• Solidness — Too many small locks are way to flimsy and can be popped open with a screwdriver or smashed completely with little effort. The body of the lock needs to be hard-shelled.
• Shackle thickness — The shackle has to be small enough to thread through the holes on your zipper bodies or tabs.
• Shackle clearance — If you’re locking a single zipper, the smallest clearance will reduce the tendency of your lock to flop around. But if you need to lock multiple zippers at once place, you may need a longer clearance.
• Shackle travel — When the shackle is in locked position, it shouldn’t move up and down too much. That’s a sign that the locking mechanism is loose and vulnerable. (More of a problem on combination locks than keyed locks.)
• Size — You want the smallest locks that will do the job and won’t look huge on your bag.
• Color — Black. Your locks should be inconspicuous. Maybe you can find one that coordinates with the color of your bag.

There are features specific to type:

• Keyed locks: single key for multiple locks — If you need more than one lock, get a set where all the locks use the same key. You can imagine the hassle this prevents.
• Combination locks: 4-dial combinations — The more common 3-dial combination locks have (at most) 1000 possible combinations. A 4-dial lock provides more deterrence, up to 10,000 combinations.

Cable lock

A lock with a length of steel cable is used to secure your bag to an immovable object: furniture in your room, struts in a bus cargo bay, the overhead rack on a train or bus, a shelf in a luggage storage room. If you don’t have an immovable object, you can use a cable lock to lash two or more bags together to discourage the theft of any one of them. No casual thief is going to make off with your entire bag if you have it anchored with a cable lock. He’ll go for the easy target.

There are two product combinations for cable locking:

• Conventional lock with cable — A standard lock (key or combination) is combined with a length of cable with loops at both ends. You thread the cable and attach both loops with the lock.
• Integrated lock & cable — A single unit that combine both the lock and the cable. The cable retracts into the lock housing. These might be less robust than a solid conventional lock and cable, but they’re light and compact, so are the preferred choice for one bag travelers.

Quality features

• Sturdy construction — While the steel cable is usually pretty tough, the same cannot be said of the lock housing on most cable locks. It’s easily “smashable.” But the trade-off is worth it for the reduced weight and bulk.

Luggage tags

Luggage tags are mainly to help airlines who have lost your luggage to catch up to you and forward your luggage once they find it. This should not be a problem, of course, if you are a member of the One Bag Brigade and carry your luggage on to the aircraft. But even a one bag traveler has to prepare for the possibility that an airline may insist that you check your bag.

You simply must have proper identification outside and inside your luggage. The outside information should not be displayed in plain sight because you don’t want to advertise your nationality or other details to scammers, thieves and other casual observers. If an airline needs to reconnect you and your luggage, they’ll easily find a card or paper with the information written on the reverse side.

Why do you need the same information inside your luggage? Sometimes the outside tag is lost. The airline will open your bag to look for another way to identify the owner, so you will need that info prominently displayed inside as well. The easiest way is to tape it to the inside of the lid of your bag or inside a mesh pocket facing out when the bag is opened.

Proper identification includes:

• Your name.
• Your home address. This is pretty useless for re-connecting you with your stuff, but if the airline takes weeks to find your bag (and you’ve replaced everything and moved on), at least you’ll get your stuff back when you get home.
• The e-mail address you monitor most often.
• The name, address and telephone number of the lodge at your new destination. This info has to be changed for every flight, but can save a day or two re-connecting you to your stuff.
• Do not put a home phone number on your external luggage tag, as this provides an opening for the ‘cyber-kidnapping’ scam.

Luggage tagging should be simple, but luggage manufacturers continue to get it wrong. You do not want anything dangling from your bag. Dangling tags are infamous for getting snagged and torn off by luggage belts (sometimes damaging your bag in the process).

Luggage tags should be inside a small sleeve sewn flush on the exterior of the bag.

Rain cover

If you’re traveling in high style, then you may not find yourself outside with your luggage when the heavens open to release a torrent of rainfall. It’s a seasonal risk and you can find yourself dashing down a street in the pouring rain with all your luggage. You might not even have the bag in your possession when it gets soaked on an airport tarmac or bus roof. 

Most luggage these days is “water resistant,” which means it can withstand a light rain. But a heavy rain or being out in a light rain for a long time risks water getting inside the bag and damaging your stuff. The easiest defense is to have a second layer: packing cubes, stuff sacks etc. that will block a small amount of water that gets inside the bag.

The best solution is a rain cover for the bag. Only a few bags come with an included rain cover — an omission by manufacturers who should pay more attention to practical matters.

Alternatively, you can buy a cover or have one made. Decide whether you want to put the entire bag into what is essentially a giant stuff sack or if you need to keep backpack straps, handle & wheels or shoulder strap anchors accessible when the cover is on.

Accessories to improve packing

The simplest main bags have a single big compartment. At the other extreme, the manufacturer will make packing decisions for you by including lots of pockets and pouches, sleeves and compartments. There’s a range of luggage between these extremes — bags that have a few pockets, sleeves and pouches.

Long term travel, especially going with carry-on luggage only, means you must make hard choices about the stuff you take. The specifics of that stuff and the volume of your luggage means that you should have your own packing logic. Maybe you will need access to something every day, while another thing can be buried for weeks. Perhaps you’ll want to protect delicate items by packing them right in the middle of the bag. The packing configuration options are many.

It’s great if a manufacturer’s decisions also suit your need for convenience and extreme packing efficiency. Regardless of built-in packing aids, at least some of the accessories below will help you achieve your personal packing logic.

There’s a trade-off between fewer larger versus more and smaller internal containers. A mix is best. Use large ones for clothing and shoes and to bury electronic devices for their protection. Use small ones to find small items more easily and to pack around the edges of your bag. Keep in mind that the accessories themselves consume volume and weight.

Packing cubes

For general organization inside your bag, nothing beats packing cubes. They are soft, unpadded nylon bags with zippers that come in several shapes, though most are rectangular, like a large fat book. They also come in different sizes and many colors. Some have a breathable mesh on one side and some have internal divisions.

We regard the packing cube (and its cousins below) as essential tools for organizing your limited luggage volume. The fewer pockets and pouches you have in your main bag, the more helpful packing cubes become — you can stack and fit them like bricks. While other containers (stuff sacks, plastic boxes etc.) are also helpful, the size, shape and color options available in packing cubes makes them the No. 1 organizer.

If you get more than one packing cube of the same size and shape, it’s best to get a different color: the blue one is your toiletries, the green one is your underwear, the black one is your drugs and first aid kit and the red one is your outerwear. The first two go on top because you use them every day, while that latter two can go below because you seldom need them.

Quality features

• Zippers — As always, the zipper is the most vulnerable part of soft-sided luggage. The simplest check you can do is look for YKK zippers. There are other good brands, but you can’t go wrong with YKK.
• Mesh — Do you really need a mesh face on the cube? Maybe you do, if you need something inside the cube to breathe. Otherwise, mesh is more vulnerable to damage than nylon sheet. If you use packing cubes with mesh, look for a tight weave and strong thread. 

Toiletries bag

A cousin of the packing cube is the toiletries bag. It is also a soft-sided container, but is specialized for daily-use toiletries. They usually feature several compartments, some of which may be lined to contain leaking liquids. Most also feature a hook or loop with a snap closure to hang the bag on a bathroom door or shower rod.

The main problem is size and bulk. Many travel toiletry bags seem to be made for women who scoop everything from their bathrooms for a trip. This just doesn’t work for independent travelers, who need to minimize bulk, weight, liquids and gels. A larger bag may be justified if you’re sharing it with your travel companion or if you will include drugs and first aid items in it.

As with other types of specialized containers, you should lay out what you plan to take, then get the minimum sized toiletry bag that will hold it.  

Quality features

• Hook or loop — You will use the bag every day, so it needs to be convenient and accessible. The best position for it is hanging on the back of the bathroom door or off a shower curtain. For that, it needs a hook or a loop (sometimes with a snap clasp). While some may like their toiletry bag to sit upright on a countertop, not all bathrooms have sufficient space or any counter at all. Further, this type of bag tends to be large and box-shaped.
• Selection of compartments, pouches and elastic restraints — Since many of your toiletry tools and consumables are small, it helps to be able to sort them and keep them from jumbling.
• Liquid resistant compartment — It helps if at least one compartment is lined so that liquid leakage within it is contained. You don’t want a leaky shampoo bottle drenching everything in your bag.  
• Flatter when closed — A box-shaped toiletry bag or one that folds several times to close will be harder to integrate in your luggage than one that is much flatter, even if the flat one is longer and wider. A common design has three or more panels that fold over each other to close. That’s great for accessing your stuff when hanging on a bathroom door. But because of the extra layers of material and the contents of the compartments bulging against each other, the final shape when closed can be way more bulky than the contents justify.

Travel electronics organizer

Another cousin of the packing cube has internal dividers and tie-downs sized for all the cables, adapters and bits that come with your electronic devices. 

The organizer is better than having all the loose items jumbled together in a packing cube. A visual inspection of the open organizer could remind you that a USB cable is missing from it’s position and is still coiled in a drawer in your room.

It also provides more padding to protect the contents.

There are many variants, so you must determine in advance what you want to put in the organizer. One temptation is to get a big one that will hold everything, including devices like a tablet or eReader and lumpy stuff like a laptop charger or mouse. In fact, you might think of more than one container if you have a lot of big stuff — a padded sleeve for your tablet, for example. The temptation is to get an organizer that’s more than you really need. That would be a waste of precious volume and weight.

Lay out all the gear you propose to pack in it and then check your options to find the smallest one that will do the job. Do you want the organizer to carry only bits and pieces (cables, USB sticks, adapter plugs…) or do you want to put devices in there (tablet, eReader, hard disk…) as well? What about “fat” items, such as a laptop charger, mouse or wall socket adapter plugs?

Quality features

• Padding — Depending upon what you want to store in the organizer, you’ll need more or less padding. Most of the cables, plugs and other bits are pretty tough, so just enough padding to give stiffness to the organizer should be enough. But if you’re putting a mouse, a portable hard disk, a WiFi booster or other more delicate items in there, you might want thicker padding.
• Fabric & sewing — All those metal and pointy objects will rub against the fabric. Loading up the compartments and pockets could strain the seams. Fabric has to be durable (heavier gauge nylon) and the sewing has to be good.
• Zippers — As always, zippers are the most likely to break on any soft container. While a coil zipper should be okay, check that the pull tab is sturdy.
• Compartments & tie-downs — You want the items you store to take only the room they need and not move. An organizer with movable compartment walls or movable tie-downs allows you to customize storage closer to your precise needs.

Hard plastic box

An alternative to an electronics organizer (and storage for other small stuff) is a cheap plastic box. Available in hardware and discount stores or online, tray-shaped hard plastic boxes with lids and separated compartments are helpful for your small electronics parts, jewelry and other delicate bits and pieces. A box will have better impact protection than a travel electronics organizer (above).

Since the box has fixed dimensions, it risks wasting volume unless you have an unusual obsession with arranging your stuff to the max.

If you choose to use a hard plastic box, think about what you would put in it. Height and width don’t matter so much — you can re-arrange or saw out some internal dividers if you need to. However, the closed lid of the box defines the maximum depth of any article you want to put inside. Something like a fat computer mouse or adapter plug might not fit. Yet, if you get a box deep enough for the mouse, will you be wasting volume in all the other compartments? 

When you have all the stuff you want to put in the box assembled, figure out the optimum layout of what goes where. When it’s finalized, make a diagram of what goes where and tape or glue it to the underside of the lid. While it will block your view of the inside, you can do a spot check every time you pack to make sure that all the bits and pieces are accounted for.

Quality features

• Depth — What’s the thickest thing you want to put into a plastic box. Keep in mind that if you want to store something that’s really fat (like many computer mice), all the other compartments of the box will be equally deep. Unless you’re very clever loading the box, much of that volume will be wasted.
• Moveable internal dividers — Some boxes have dividers moulded in… you can saw some out, but you can’t shift them around. Better boxes have dividers that you can slot where you want them. Get only the latter type.
• Hinges — You will be opening and closing this box at least daily. It has to be able to take not just repetitive opening and closing but stresses from any overloading of the box (top and bottom panels) and bumps to the exterior.
• Hardness — Some cheap boxes are too thin and brittle. They won’t stand up to continuous use. Softer, thicker plastic is better.

Stuff sacks, dry sacks & compression sacks

Once you’ve organized much of your stuff with packing cubes and their specialized cousins, the humble nylon stuff sack is ready for the rest of it. Nylon sacks come in many fabric weights, sizes and colors. There are also functional variations:

• Basic stuff sack — The simplest sack is a nylon bag with a drawstring close. They’re ideal for storing shoes, laundry and other stuff you want to separate, but don’t necessarily need to keep totally sealed and dry.
• Dry sack — A dry sack has a watertight seal, so it’s good for keeping electronics and paper safe. Some travelers use a larger dry bag to do their laundry: they partially fill the bag with water, detergent and soiled clothes, reseal the top, then agitate the bag. (We prefer the dedicated Scrubba bag for laundry.)
• Compression sack — This sack has straps and buckles to scrunch the soft contents (clothing, towel, sleep sack etc.) into a smaller overall volume. That’s great if you’re otherwise going to bloat your main bag over airline carry-on limits. How hard you cinch the bag is a judgement call. Yes, you can reduce the space taken by your clothing, but your clothes will be hopelessly wrinkled, even if you use the bundle method of packing garments.

Note that there are combination sacks on the market: dry sacks that are also compression sacks.

Quality features

• Material — Since they’ll reside inside your main bag, sacks won’t be subject to much wear-and-tear. Weight is more important, so a light and modestly durable nylon is good. A dry sack used for laundry needs to be tougher, so a heavier gauge fabric is better.
• Sewing — Compression sacks are stressed where the straps are anchored. Sewing should be cross-stitched or otherwise reinforced at those points.
• Seal (dry sack only) — Seams have to be taped in order to maintain the watertight seal.

Resealable bags

There are so many uses for resealable bags: liquids for airport inspection, food, laundry detergent, soap and anything that you want to protect from moisture, such as documents or electronics. Since you shouldn’t be traveling with stuff you don’t use often, assume that you will open and close resealable bags often as well.

There are two ways to go:

• Freezer bags —  They have to be “freezer” bags because they’re heavier gauge plastic and will last longer than regular ones. (The best known are Ziploc bags.) Even freezer bags wear out quickly: the closure no longer seals or the body of the bag splits on an edge or sprouts holes. Then you have to toss it. If you’re on a short trip, maybe a small stash of replacement bags will do — after all, they take next to no space. For longer trips, this may not be a good plan. Buying replacement bags of similar size and quality during your trip may not be an option. 
• Heavy-duty bags — There are bags made of heavier gauge material (often vinyl), intended for multiple re-use. For longer trips, these should last longer.

Quality features

• Heavy gauge material — Among kitchen-type bags, a “freezer bag” has thicker and more durable plastic than regular kitchen bags. Better quality bags are made of a pliable vinyl or other durable material.
• Quality seal — There are two types of seal. Cheaper bags, including freezer bags, have a simple pressure seal. You pinch the sides together at one end and run your fingers across to the other end. Better bags have a plastic zipper tab that does the pinching for you. Since the seal is the first thing to go on a resealable bag, you want one that is especially robust.
• Transparency — To show liquids and gels at airport security, you need a transparent bag that can clearly display the contents. Other than that, it’s your preference. You don’t need a transparent bag if you can remember what’s in them. Different colors or colored closure tabs help. 

Plastic garbage bags

Standard green garbage bags are not environmentally friendly, but they’re good for one valuable travel hack. If you don’t have a rain cover for your main bag, a garbage bag can save your gear from getting soaked in a downpour. Most luggage is “rain resistant,” not waterproof. In an intense rain, some moisture can penetrate and get the contents wet. (If your stuff has a second line of water defense inside, such as packing cubes, then the leakage will be just an annoyance.)

If you don’t have protective rain gear yourself, a second garbage bag can be used as a raincoat. Yes, it looks bad, but you can save yourself from getting drenched.

And garbage bags take next to zero space and weight.

Compression straps

Compression straps are the only packing accessory used on the exterior of your bag. They are straps (almost always used in pairs) that go around the outside of soft-sided luggage. (There are also internal compression straps built-in to most luggage to keep folded clothing and other articles from shifting as the bag is moved.) There are two purposes for external compression straps:

• Prevent contents from moving — If you tighten the straps, then items inside the bag won’t shift and settle as you move the bag.
• Reduce bag dimension for carry-on — This is the function of compression straps that really matters. Soft-sided luggage can be loaded until it bloats, perhaps beyond what will fit in one of those metal sizing racks that airlines use to measure carry-on bags. If your bag is bloated, reefing down on compression straps can reduce the depth measurement of the bag (height and width cannot be compressed). With enough force and luck, your bag won’t exceed the airline’s size limit.

And they come it two types:

• Integrated with the bag — Some luggage has permanent, sewn-on compression straps included. They look nice, since they’re color-matched and have a snug fit. But they extend only across the face of the bag (the dimension that bloats if you overpack). The trouble is that you can’t pull them very tight, so they don’t compress the bag’s depth as much you you might need.
• Separate straps — You buy these independent of your bag, usually in pairs. They wrap around the entire bag and may cover external pockets. Separate straps don’t look as good as integrated ones, especially if you cinch them super-tight and crush your bag. 

Quality features

• Compression — Compression straps are supposed to compress. Well, do they? Some built-in straps don’t do much… maybe not enough to get your bag into an airline’s sizing rack. Independent straps that wrap around the entire bag can be cinched-down much harder.
• Closure — You want your compression straps to hold on tight. That means a way to cinch them down tight without straining yourself. And it means that the strap should not work loose with handling (if independent straps come undone, you’ll lose them). Go for simple strap adjuster straps. Double ring straps come loose too easily. Ratchet straps are too powerful for luggage. Cam straps and side-release buckles are easily opened, so only suitable for built-in straps. Independent straps with cam or side-release buckles are likely to get lost.
• Strap strength & durability — Since most straps are made of tough nylon webbing, this isn’t usually an issue. Wear is not a problem either, because cinching it gives it a smaller circumference than most of the bag, so there’s limited contact with surfaces that can abrade the webbing. The exception is the “business end” of the strap, where it’s clamped down. Closures with metal teeth can pick apart the webbing over time.

– Include photos http://www.strapworks.com/Straps_Tie_Downs_s/19.htm to show types:

– NO: ratchet straps, cam straps, side release buckles, double rings

Accessories to improve movement

Tote bag

FRIENDLY FOOTPRINT There will be many times when you want to carry something that doesn’t fit in your main bag or day bag. This is not another piece of luggage to carry around all the time, in addition to your main bag and day bag. It’s for temporary use — for the food you buy at a market or for your laundry when you go out find a laundromat or service.

There are two types:

• Simple bag with handles — This is a nylon bag that’s just like a commercial plastic shopping bag. It’s carried the same way, by holes in the material that serve as handles. You want one that’s larger than a standard shopping bag, because you will sometimes need to carry more stuff. A big advantage is that they fold up into almost nothing.
• “Packable” backpack — This is a simple sack with backpack straps that, when not in use, folds into itself to make a tiny stuff sack or sleeve for storage. While we judged these “not recommended” for day bag use, they’re great as a tote bag for your laundry or that bunch of bananas.

Quality features

• Simple bag fabric — Go for one that’s got a tight weave and a silky feel… they collapse smaller than the stiffer nylon, making it easier to carry when not in use.
• Packable backpack fabric — Keep the fabric thin and tough. It won’t hold its shape on your back very well, but it needs to pack small and light when not in use.
• Packable sewing — When you load up the bag with heavy stuff (maybe you lose control buying papayas, mangos and bananas) there will be stress on the fabric and seams where the backpack straps attach. Make sure they are cross-stitched or otherwise reinforced.

Luggage cart

A luggage cart can offer you the wheeled convenience of a roll-on suitcase. Almost.

If you must always have wheels, you may be better off with a roll-on bag, even though you will sacrifice some space and weight allowance for the wheels, wheel housing and handle. 

If you would willingly carry your luggage — at least short distances — but have trouble with your back or body strength, perhaps a luggage cart will serve.

One unexpected advantage is that when airlines measure carry-on luggage, you have to take your bag off the cart. Fold up the cart before you approach the bag checker, hold it inconspicuously and chances are it won’t be considered part of your carry-on at all. You get the advantage of maximum carry-on volume because you don’t have an integrated handle and wheels.

There are downsides to luggage carts:

• “Tippy” — The small ones appropriate for traveling light have a narrower wheel base than wheeled luggage. That makes them “tippy” if you don’t pull the cart straight. Fortunately, carry-on sized luggage is not very wide either and has a low center of gravity, so tipping isn’t too bad.
• Where do you put it when it’s not in use? — It’s pretty big for putting inside your carry-on bag, consuming way more space than an integrated handle and wheel assembly. Strap it on your bag? Carry it in your hands?

Quality features

• Size when collapsed — You want small and easy to stow. (Use a stuff bag.)
• Weight — As light as possible. Some come in at 1.3 kg (3 lb).
• Length of the handle — Some carts inexplicably have handles that do not extend long enough for an average-height adult to pull them along without either hunching over or hitting the bag with your feet.
• Wheels and axle — These need to be sturdy enough to take considerable bashing and bouncing under the (modest) weight of your luggage.

Accessories you don’t need

Mesh luggage cover

You can encase your entire bag in a steel – polycarbonate mesh exoskeleton, but we don’t recommend it.

• Both a deterrent & a target for thieves — Yes, the mesh is a formidable barrier compared to the naked bag, but it’s is both visually obvious and uncommon. This is both good and bad:
  • GOOD — Every day you leave your main bag in your room, most often with valuables in it. Anyone who gets into your room with intent to steal will take one look at the mesh and try the room next door.
  • BAD — Anywhere other than your room, a thief might assume that such heavy-duty protection means that the contents of your bag are especially valuable. He may not be able to cut into the bag (although the spaces in the mesh are large enough for some penetration). Rather, he might try to steal the entire bag and break into it at his leisure.
• Too heavy — One brand of mesh cover for a 50 liter bag weighs 0.5 kg (1.1 lb). That’s a big hit in the world of carry-on luggage.
• Better option available — If you want the protection of a steel mesh, why not go for a bag that has a finer steel mesh made right in the fabric?

Luggage scale

A luggage scale can help you avoid overweight bags, but is it worth carrying a portable scale? We think not.

When it comes to the weight of your main bag, there’s a clear difference in strategy between those who intend to check-in their main bag and those who want to take it aboard the aircraft as carry-on.

• Check-in luggage — The issue here is not so much the dimensions of the bag (as long as it’s not “oversize”), but the weight. On most airlines, a single bag cannot exceed 23 kg (50 lb) or you’ll have to pay steep overweight charges.
• Carry-on luggage — Here, the situation is the opposite: airlines care more about the dimensions of your bag than the weight. There are weight limits as low as 7 kg, but usually around 11 kg. It’s not enforced much, although budget airlines — in their thirst to find revenue they gave up on the ticket price — are starting to weigh carry-on bags. If your carry-on bag is rejected as overweight, you’ll have to check it in, just as you would if it exceeded maximum dimensions. Gate check-ins range from free, to standard check-in fee to a punitive higher fee (those nasty budget airlines again).
• Personal item — Technically, there’s a weight limit on these as well (day bags, purses, computer bags…), but airlines rarely (if ever) weigh them.

If you weigh your main bag and discover that it’s overweight, you have three choices:

• Transfer from your main bag to your personal item — Take items that are both small and heavy and put them in your day bag, which is much less likely to be weighed.
• Two travelers? Redistribute — If you’re traveling with a companion, you can shift contents between two bags to bring checked luggage under the limit. You can also load up a carry-on bag that you’re forced to check, so that you don’t have to check in both carry-on bags. (This has the additional benefit of transferring all the valuable stuff to the bag you carry on.)
• Dispose of something — You can remove something of little value that will bring your total weight under the limit.
• Take the risk of an overweight bag — While airlines usually weigh your checked luggage, they are tolerant of a bag that’s just a kilo or two overweight, especially if making an issue of it is going to slow down the check-in of other passengers. But you can’t count on that, especially with budget airlines. You’re at less risk with the weight of your carry-on bag.

You shouldn’t need a luggage scale. Instead…

• Don’t take too much stuff to start with — The best strategy is not to take too much stuff in your bag in the first place. Pack it up and weigh it before leaving home. If you have a bit of spare weight allowance, you’re good to go.
• Don’t add too much as you go — Be conscious of adding stuff as you travel. Books and souvenirs are notorious additions. Dispose of the books and mail the souvenirs.

Quality features

If you simply must have a luggage scale, then consider:

• Accuracy — Cheap scales, whether mechanical or digital, are notorious for being inaccurate. Check what reviewers have to say. When you get your scale, test it against a known weight that’s close to the weight of your luggage. Scales tend to be inaccurate very low in their range, so you can’t expect good measures of items under 1 kg if the scale is rated up to 50 kg.
• Size and weight — What can we say? If you have to have one, make it very small and very light.
• Multi-purpose — There are scales that do more than just weigh your luggage. They may have a flashlight (torch) and/or a backup battery for your digital devices.

Toiletry bottles

Toiletry bottles are specialized plastic bottles with secure lids, so that you can transfer liquids and gels from larger or leaky containers into them. Since they’re all 100 ml (3 oz) or less, they’re accepted by airlines in carry-on luggage.

Why don’t you need them? They’re really intended for tourists and business travelers on short trips. They decant a liquid or gel from a large container at home into a travel toiletry bottle and it lasts their entire short trip. But most independent travelers are on the road for longer. You’re going to run out of any consumable you bring from home, then buy local products in small containers to carry on. Those toiletry bottles from home won’t be used. 

Quality features

If you’re on a short trip or want toiletry bottles anyway…

• Size — It goes without saying that all these bottles must be a maximum capacity of 100 ml (3 oz).
• Leak-proof — The contents must not leak from the cap. This can be an issue on aircraft, where air pressure is reduced and liquids can be sucked out. Some bottles marketed for travel are okay with gels, but do not prevent thin liquids from leaking. Pro tip: the more resilient the plastic (it really want to hold it’s original shape), you can squeeze a not-quite-full bottle to indent the sides, then put the cap back on. The bottle will then have negative pressure and try to suck air back into it to resume it’s shape, preventing leakage. 

Vacuum storage bags

The idea with these is that you put clothes, towels, laundry or other soft items in them, seal the bag and then roll the bag to remove the air. The result is a modest reduction in volume when compared to other methods of packing your clothes. The plastic bag protects your garments from moisture and dirt too.

There are two big disadvantages:

• Severe wrinkling — When you crush your clothes to save space, they wrinkle. Badly. And you’re not traveling with an iron or spray wrinkle remover.
• Inadequate durability — If you rely on packaging your clothing in bags this way, you will use the bags constantly over the course of your trip. It’s unlikely that they’ll last the duration.

Is there any travel situation where a vacuum bag would be useful? If you’re taking bulky clothing for limited use — perhaps a big jacket for winter conditions, but only during part of your trip — then reducing the volume with a vacuum bag can liberate considerable space in your luggage.

Use the bundle packing method or packing cubes instead.