When you’re getting ready for a vacation or business trip, one of the most important questions you can consider is which luggage style you should use. This might seem insignificant because it’s just a bag to carry your stuff – but neglecting your bag can be inconvenient and difficult when you’re in an unfamiliar location.
A good suitcase or travel bag will be invisible – meaning it does its job without you noticing. This eliminates any hassle regarding your luggage and allows you to focus on your surroundings and have fun rather than tedious logistics and bag errors.
Understanding what type of luggage style will work best for you will also translate to how you carry and approach storage for your luggage. When you’re on top of planning, a solution such as luggage storage for a day in town becomes more realistic and appealing. Why book a hotel just to store your bags when you can pick a much cheaper and easier option?
With this in mind, you need some tips as to which style of luggage is best for you. We’ll give you a few pointers below to get you started!
Carry or Roller?
The first question when it comes to what style of luggage to pick comes down to how you want to transport it. The two common choices are a carry bag and a roller suitcase.
Carry bags are generally more common and can come in a variety of styles. Some are carried via handle while others have shoulder straps. This type of luggage is simple and straightforward.
The primary drawback of a carry bag is that you have to physically carry it. If you’ve ever been on a trip before, then you can fully understand how annoying and difficult it can be to physically lug around all of your possessions.
With this in mind, a roller suitcase provides a solution that eliminates this strain. Using a roller suitcase, you will pull via a handle as the case rolls on wheels. This makes a roller-style suitcase less demanding than a carry bag.
Unfortunately, roller suitcases tend to be more sophisticated than carry bags and are therefore more susceptible to damage and breaking down. There are more physical parts meaning more potential places to run into an issue.
Putting this together means that a carry bag is a more sustainable and reliable option at the cost of being more physically demanding. If you’re more focused on limiting the strain of hauling your luggage, then a roller suitcase will be a good choice for you.
Hard or Soft Shell?
After you’ve decided on a carry or roller approach to your luggage, you’ll need to determine what material makeup your suitcase is. For this, the two choices you have are a soft outer shell or a hardened outer shell.
A hard shell suitcase is made of firm materials that create a physical shell to hold its form and protect your items inside. This means a soft shell bag will change form based on what is inside and takes up less space.
If you’re purchasing a carry bag, then you’re typically limited to softer outer shells. Some hard shell carry bags do exist (think a briefcase), but soft shells are far more common because they are lighter and easier to carry around.
On the other hand, if you want a roller suitcase then you’ll want a hard shell. Because the weight is less important with a roller suitcase, then you can focus more on security and a hard shell directly provides this.
While hard shells are not invincible to damage, they can sustain more wear and tear from general usage like sliding down conveyor belts and being hauled around everywhere. This makes them a superior choice you should prioritize if you have the option.
Sizing
The last thing you’ll need to figure out regarding luggage style is what size to choose. This may seem like an easy decision, but there are subtleties to the choice that you need to keep in mind.
It may be appealing to get the largest suitcase possible, but this is a big trap to avoid. Large luggage is bulky and difficult to manage. It can also be more expensive than smaller suitcases depending on the regulations of the airline you fly with.
Alternatively, a small suitcase should also be avoided unless it fully suits your needs. Not bringing enough stuff on your trip can result in not being able to attend activities or at least needing to pay extra to cover what you need.
With this in mind, try to find a bag that accurately fulfills what you’re trying to do. Consider how long you go on trips and how quickly you run through clothes and toiletries. A practical medium-sized bag you can easily manage is way better than anything that seems like a better idea.
Closing Thoughts
Traveling can be an exciting and enriching experience, but the logistics surrounding it can be stressful and time-consuming. To combat this, you should directly tackle problems that can impair or improve your ability to travel.
A major point of concern with this is what style of luggage you choose to store your belongings in. A good choice is worth your money and makes your life easy while a poor choice results in headaches and worry.
To help find a good travel bag, you should take stock of your personal needs as you choose between your options. The most important elements to decide on include how you transport it (carry or roller bag), a hard or soft outer shell, and the size of the bag.
While researching what luggage style to use may be boring, it is a critical investment in the well-being of your trip! Don’t neglect a simple step that makes traveling much easier!
