The Best “Personal Item” Travel Bag

Arbortising@gmail.com January 10, 2024All Post

I almost always travel (both in the US and abroad) with just a carry-on roller suitcase and a smaller “personal item” bag. This is partly a carryover from my business travel days where checking a bag was not a thing people did, and partly because I move around on my trips and need to be both agile and able to manage my own luggage. Using carry-on only, especially for longer trips, requires efficient packing, which requires the right equipment. The raggedy retro cloth bag that I had been using as a personal item for the last several years was not only the wrong equipment but finally tore, and I needed a new one. So I set out to find the ideal bag for me, with some of the best features of my old bag but some new ones I wanted as well. I browsed about 50 bags or more. Then ordered and tested five, and landed on not one but two. Here’s the list and reasons for my choice:

My Criteria:

Meets airline requirements for carry-on personal item

– Lightest weight but durable

– Appearance – looks good enough with my Away carry-on (high fashion not necessary)

– Value – good quality for price

The Bags

Away Everywhere Bag ($195): I LOVE my Away Carry-on but did not like this bag, While it perfectly matched my luggage, it was stiff, not very flexible nor foldable, the zipper was not smooth and seemed to “catch” a bit when opening or closing, and it was the most expensive of the five. It was perhaps the most durable, but the other aspects outweighed this.

Calpak Luka Duffel ($128): I liked the look, color, material, and general concept. It was perhaps the trendiest of the five. But this bag was just too big, bulky, and heavy when packed full, and I knew I would always have a tendency to pack it full. When packed full, it looked like it would draw the scrutiny of the gate agents at boarding, and might not actually fit under the plane seats. If it did fit, there would be absolutely no room for my feet to either side of the bag. 

Lo & Sons Catalina Deluxe Tote in Recycled Poly ($109.52 on sale): Nice-looking bag, the material seemed good and sturdy. Good design generally, with the separate shoe compartment. Two things I didn’t like: 1) the top portion of the bag was short in height and the capacity seemed smaller, and 2) the zipper to close the top portion of the bag had openings on either side so that the bag was not sealed closed at the top. However, the company and its founders are very committed to eco-friendly products and their website says that on average their recycled poly bags save 31 plastic bottles from going to landfills. This is important for me and worth paying a bit more. I decided to keep this bag. 

Lo & Sons Catalina Deluxe Tote in Eco-Friendly Canvas ($109.52 on sale): Same as the bag above but with canvas material. Similar likes and dislikes with this one. Of the two, I liked the look and structure of the Recycled Poly better than the canvas.

Biaggi Carry Cube Tote ($44.99 on sale): This is the other bag I chose to keep. I don’t like the look as much as the Lo & Sons bag, but it is very lightweight, flexible, and foldable, with a deep upper compartment. It is the closest to my old bag, but has new features including the trolley sleeve, a fully removable packing cube compartment at the bottom (so the top part can be used as a large purse), it zips fully closed at the top. Hard to tell how durable it is, but it comes with a 2-year warranty, and for $45 it seems worth a try.