The TWT Travel Gear Roundup #1

I’m often asked what sort of gear Adam and I use when we travel, so…here’s some of what we take both hither and yon:

VICTORINOX Werks Traveler 3.0 22″ Deluxe Expandable Wheeled Travel Bag

Love. This. Suitcase. We each have our own — Adam has black, mine is red — and boy howdy, is it a performer.  Unpacked, this bag is super-light.  Carrying on?  Keep it zipped and it’ll fit beautifully in an overhead bin.  Checking baggage?  Unzip/expand so you can pack a few more inches’ worth of stuff.  The ergonomic handle is easy to pull up and put down.  Stowable straps allow you to secure a smaller bag against the handle while you’re on the move.  You can fit magazines in the far outside compartment, and a little laundry in the zippered mesh pouch inside.  The interior is padded acetate, which has proven easy to clean and dry. (about $300 US)

JANSPORT Trinity Backpack

This little number is our carry-on of choice.  It’s light, stuffable and has comfy padded straps.  It has two velcro-fastening pockets that are perfect for headphones, iPhones, a pocket camera, granola bars, etc.  It can also hold a 13″ laptop, a travel blanket, and a big ol’ stack of books and magazines.  Once we get to our main destination, it also makes the perfect day-trip bag.  Empty, it’s easy to squish and store in a drawer or closet. (about $40 US)

LUG Mini

In the interest of full disclosure, I didn’t pay for this bag ($55 US).   It was a prize for being one of the first 75 visitors to join Tango Diva, an online community for women who travel.  That said, I’ve used my Lug Mini on just about every car and weekend trip we’ve taken since mid-2008.  It’s ideal for overflow (e.g. extra shoes, toiletries, jackets) from our suitcases.  It’s pretty firmly constructed, which makes it easy to pack and set down, but difficult to stuff under an airplane seat;  it fits more easily into an overhead bin.  It’s easy to clean, chock full of pockets and compartments, and in a pinch, makes a good makeshift picnic basket.

BAGGALINI Zip-Out Shopping Bag

We’re not generally big shoppers when we travel, with the exception of a three-week trip to Europe we took a few winters back.  When it became clear we’d be coming home with too much bulky swag, we were grateful we’d picked up this magical bag back in L.A. ($35 US).  We now pack it for any far-flung trip.  It starts as a little 8 x 8″ pouch that slides easily into your luggage, and unzips to a fully-stuffable 18 x 22 x 7″.  (I’ve proven incompetent at returning the bag to little-pouch-form, but thankfully, Adam gets it.)  The bag’s one Achilles heel:  the thin, unpadded  nylon straps make it less than a joy to carry for long distances.  It’d benefit from one of these handle wraps.

EAGLE CREEK Pack-It® 2-Sided Packing Cubes

I swear by these to save time packing and unpacking, as well as hunting for stuff while we’re on a trip.  I use the smaller ones for packing our underwear and socks and my ribbed tanks and favorite bulky bracelet.  In the larger ones, I pack our bathing suits, Adam’s t-shirts and dress shirts, and anything that might otherwise get repeatedly stuck in a suitcase zipper (each cube $17-22 US).

FLIGHT 001 Document Holder and Passport Covers

These particular models, purchased in 2006, are no longer for sale online — but don’t let that stop you from trolling the sexy Flight 001 website for other choices.   To some, these accessories may seem a silly extravagance, but as keeper of the passports and travel documents, this setup allows me to keep everything neat, organized and (thanks to the neon green color) visible. I keep a pen in the document holder for filling out entry/exit/customs forms.  The whole shebang fits in the top zippered pocket of our backpack.

What do you take with you when you travel?

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