Fifty-one flights and 238 hours in the air this year informed a carry-on-only packing system built around 15 essentials. Items include small comforts for long flights and practical tools that speed security, hotel check-ins, and other travel friction points. The Away carry-on serves as the primary suitcase: lightweight and spacious with a built-in compression system, a sectioned divider to isolate dirty clothes, and smooth 360-degree spinner wheels. The Calpak Luka Duffel functions as the ideal personal item, fitting under the seat while holding a full change of clothes, laptop, snacks, and toiletries. All essentials were thoroughly tested through delays, layovers, red-eyes, and multiple long-haul flights.
As a travel writer, I'm often asked how I manage to get everything into a single bag (carry-on-only travelers, unite), and after 51 flights and 238 hours in the air this year alone, I've got my packing system down to a science. Whether I'm boarding an overnight international flight or jetting off for a quick weekend assignment, there are a handful of tried-and-true items that always make it into my carry-on.
It's lightweight but somehow fits everything, from weekend trips to weeklong jaunts when I pack strategically. The compression system inside is genius, and the sectioned divider keeps my dirty clothes from contaminating the rest of my items (major win). The 360-degree spinner wheels glide like a dream, even in chaotic airports or bumpy streets abroad. And honestly, it just looks good-I always feel a little more put-together wheeling this one through the terminal.
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