Choosing the right carry on might cause problems for some people. Since we travel a lot, we have been searching for the best type of carry on or weekend bag that we can take with us while going on press trips or just flying out for a couple of days. So how do you know what suits you best? The answer is to try several options. However, we have made a list of several different types that you might like. 

Choosing the right carry on or weekend bag

It is a real jungle out there when talking about carry on and/or weekend bags. Over the years we have tried several different types and we often end up getting back to the “standard” carry on and then most often from Samsonite. But we want to encourage all of you to really find your perfect travel bag – it’s like a handbag or purse, you need to find the perfect one!

I have previously made a post on the coolest carry on ever and if you want to check it out then klick here. This post is to let you know what different types of bags there are to choose from. Since a couple of months ago, I am totally in love with a weekend bag but when we go on our next press trip, I am checking out the latest carry on from Samsonite!

Doing tests for Swedens largest travel magazine

I don’t think that I have gotten around to telling you guys that I am doing tests for “Allt om Resor”, Swedens largest travel magazine. I got the job in October last year (2018) and now I test different things that are connected to traveling. We will give you all the information in another post but the reason why I am telling you about it now is that I have done a test on weekend bags recently and I am currently working on a test with carry ons.

This gives us an advantage of finding the really good stuff that we like and that we can recommend to other people. It is really fun but at the same time hard work being a tester – but like I said, more about that in another post.

Traveling with Carry on bags on wheels

One of the most common carry on is the classic one on wheels. There are hard once and soft once. We prefer the soft one because it takes up less space when not used. At the same time, the hard carry on will protect the things inside the bag better than the soft one. One thing that we both are super excited about right now are the new carry on bags from Samsonite.

Their latest collection is environmentally friendly and made out of reused materials. That seems like such an important thing to have in mind while shopping today – make sure that the environment does not get ruined due to our spending! So back to the carry on… here are some pros and cons with having a carry on.

+ You have wheels and don’t need to carry the bag on your shoulder.
+ You can pack and organize your clothes in an easy way and it all stays in place.
+ Since it rolls on wheels, you can stuff a lot of things in there!

– It is not as easy to access as a regular weekend bag that you can place in your lap.
– It takes up more space when not used. A backpack or weekend bag can be used as a “regular” day. A carry on is almost only accepted while traveling.
– You can’t place it under your seat while flying. You need to place it in the overhead compartment.

Traveling with Weekend bags

We just discovered the weekend bag pretty recently and I love it! There are so many to choose from and you can get them in all shapes and sizes. My absolute favorite right now is one from the Swedish brand Bagasi. I am totally in love with their weekend bag! It is really great and it works perfectly for a weekend! But there are also pros and cons with having a weekend bag and some of them are:

+ You have super easy access to all your things at all times.
+ It looks a lot cooler than a carry on – more modern in some way.
+ It doesn’t take up much space when you don’t use it.

– You have to carry it, either in your hand or on your shoulder. It might become heavy.
– If it’s not packed the right way the clothes might become wrinkly because there are no strings that keep the things in place.
– Some of them are really heavy when empty!

Traveling with Backpacks

The backpack is a classic way to travel and it has been around for super long. My favorite one right now is a regular one from Fjällräven. No, it won’t fit that much stuff into it but I am used to traveling light. But there are a lot of them that are better suited for a weekend getaway and like with the other options, there are some pros and cons with backpacks.

+ It’s one of the most comfortable ways to carry your things since you carry it on your back.
+ You can often buy them really cheap compared to the other options.
+ You can keep it under your seat during the flight, for easier access.

– Since you carry it on your back, you need to be careful and look out for pickpockets.
– There are a lot of sizes so you need to make sure that you find the size that suits you best. It’s like that with all the options but the backpacks are the once that don’t have a “fixed size chart”.
– Like with a weekend bag – your clothes may get wrinkly.

Knowing the allowed carry on size that you are allowed to fly with

A couple of years ago, if you had a regular carry on – you knew that you were good and that you were allowed to bring it inside the plane. Today, that’s no longer the case. And there is no such thing as a “standard” carry on size for airlines anymore. Nowadays you need to check with the airline that you are planning on flying with regarding the sizes.

Each and every airline have the information on what measurements and weight is allowed onto the aircraft so make sure to check that before packing your bag. And if you want to take the easy way out – do like us and use the new feature in the momondo app.

Momondo app allows you to scan your luggage

A new feature on the momondo app is that they allow you to scan your carry on. It is super easy. You just scan your bag and then the app will let you know what types of airlines that allow the size of that carry on. Now, how awesome is that?! We played around with this feature quite a lot and it works well! Momondo does not only offer you great deals on flight and hotels – they help you all the way!

I have a hard time trusting new technology so it took me a while before I believed that it actually worked and was not just a “fun feature”. You know what? It does work! Would I trust it to measure accurately? Honestly, yes I would. We checked several different bags and it seems legit! Check out this video on how it works.