I admit it: I’m tough on luggage.
I’ve trailed suitcases across bumpy cobbled streets, down muddy rainforest trails, up sand dunes and along frozen tundra. I’ve watched my luggage be tossed atop third world buses, piled into donkey carts and jungle canoes.
So, after my Eagle Creek carry on rattled around in a safari trailer for a few weeks and loosened some screws and years of dust and dirt eventually clogged the telescoping handle, guess what happened when I returned it?
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Magicians pull rabbits from a hat to impress. Savvy travelers pull out Eagle Creek’s packable daypack.
At least I feel like a magician each time I arrive at a destination and take out this lightweight pack that transforms from a compact pocket-pouch into a full-size daypack. No matter where I’m going, this handy extra is in my luggage.
Favorite feature: Perfect for sightseeing or day hikes, it takes up little room in my luggage. Better yet, it weighs only 6.5 ounces and is made from a durable, water-resistant ripstop nylon fabric that stretches easily and resists puncturing.
Not-so-favorite feature:
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Paying an airline extra to transport your luggage is hard enough to swallow, but paying them to lose it is the ultimate insult. So more of us are bypassing the baggage carousel altogether.
Throw in $8 blanket fees, $45 carry-on charges, and $25+ for checked luggage, and there’s no question that less is more.
But packing light hasn’t always been my forte. Until recently I was a one checked bag, one carry-on and one personal item, kind of girl.
Enter Eagle Creek’s Tarmac 22, the perfect carry-on solution for travelers, like me, who are looking to lighten their load.
The ease and efficiency of this bag has made me a true carry-on only convert.
Favorite feature: The built-in shoe, toiletries, and dirty laundry compartments help to keep things organized. Gone is the chaos that repeated packing and unpacking once resulted in.
Not-so-favorite feature: I wish the exterior front pockets were deep enough to accommodate a laptop. I’d also like to see the addition of an exterior back pocket big enough for a paperback or travel document holder.
Bottom line: The Eagle Creek Tarmac 22 is my bag of choice for carry-on only air travel.
Available at www.EagleCreek.com as well as the Adventure Traveler section of the Travel Store at EllenBarone.com powered by Amazon. Suggested retail price: $285.00
FYI - See also Eagle Creek’s Hovercraft Upright 22”, currently my husband Hank’s bag of choice. Product comparison below:
The Eagle Creek Hovercraft Upright 22 is available at EagleCreek.com and The Travel Store at EllenBarone.com powered by Amazon. Suggested retail price: $250.00.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".