When all an airline permits you to bring aboard is one carry-on bag, make it the most useful one you can buy. Since some airlines no longer permit passengers to bring both a purse and a carry-on bag or a computer bag and a piece of luggage, you may need to re-think both what you pack and what you carry it in.
Given that security lines are long and presenting an organized bag will hasten you through, consider choosing luggage that a) conforms to carry-on size guidelines, 2) has multiple compartments, and 3) has wheels. These are bags that I recommend when you are allowed to bring only one luggage item onboard.
Briggs & Riley Wheeled Carry-on
© Briggs & Riley.
Built to the maximum size allowed onboard most airlines, this carry-on is stylish, secure, and lightweight — as two wheels weigh less than four. It closes with both a zipper and buckles to ensure that you won't have to watch your honeymoon lingerie circling the baggage carousel for the world to see.
Knomo 15" Wheeled Carry-on
© Zappos.
Don't have that much to tote, but appreciate a good-looking bag that you can wheel? This easy-on-the-eyes bag by Knomo has Chanel-like nylon quilting, two convenient outside pockets in the front (one zips), two wheels, and a retractable handle. There's also a sleeve in the back so that you can easily slip this bag onto the handle of a bigger one. It's also available in a 19" size.
Samsonite Hard-Sided 20" Carry-On Suitcase
© Zappos.
Want to feel really secure? Pack your gear inside a hard-sided suitcase and let it be your carry-on bag. This one by Samsonite weighs only six pounds (its made of impact-resistant ABS plastic) and has four wheels, allowing 360-degree rolling.
Travelpro 20" Wide-Body Carry-on Spinner
© Zappos.
I love four-wheeled spinner suitcases, and this one not only rolls like a dream, but it's an expandable widebody model. The main compartment includes a mesh pocket for smaller items and a removable garment suiter to prevent shirts and blouses from wrinkling.
Samsonite Silhouette 21" Carry-on Spinner
© Zappos.
This carry-on bag has everything a traveler could want in a piece of luggage that can hold 3-4 days of clothing and gear. The four wheels (instead of two) make it the easiest luggage to navigate through an airport or a city street, and even if you've packed a heavy load, it rolls like a dream. I like to pack things I need for the journey in the front zippered compartments (snacks on top, magazines and computer on the bottom), and then deliver it to the overhead bin for the rest of the journey.
