How to travel with less baggage than Newt Gingrich
Continuing this week’s theme of travel-related advice, we come to the luggage awards. Now, my goal with luggage is very simple: A) To be able to pack at least one nice change of clothes without said garments being wrinkled beyond all recognition after the trip. B) To keep my luggage out of the hands of ...
Continuing this week's theme of travel-related advice, we come to the luggage awards.
Continuing this week’s theme of travel-related advice, we come to the luggage awards.
Now, my goal with luggage is very simple:
A) To be able to pack at least one nice change of clothes without said garments being wrinkled beyond all recognition after the trip.
B) To keep my luggage out of the hands of baggage handlers and TSA. Really, I know that 95% of the time if I check my bag it will get to its destination unscathed, uninspected, and on time. It’s that 5% that preys on my mind every time I check a bag, however. Even gate-checking on a regional puddle-jumper flight makes me jittery.
So, with these simple criteria in mind I hereby present:
Most Underrated Piece of Luggage: The Victorionox Standard Issue Overnighter does not have wheels — it has to be carried with a shoulder strap. It has also been the most elastic piece of luggage I own, good for overnight trips and those lasting a week. The folded garment bag works extremely well. As an overnight bag, it fits into the narrow overhead bins on commuter planes. As an expanded bag, it can carry enough clothes for a week. It’s the most useful piece of luggage I own.
Most Overrated Piece of Luggage not named "Newt Gingrich": The entire Tumi carry-on line is baffling — for the life of me I can’t see the appeal. There isn’t nearly enough space inside the bags for more than just a few items of clothing. The garment bag sectons are utterly confusing and not terribly effective. The base of the bag is lumpy, which means that the packed clothes come out rumpled. As a rolling bag it seems suboptimal – I’ve seen way too many travellers tripped up by it. As near as I can determine, the only advantage of a Tumi bag is that other people are impressed that you have a Tumi bag — kind of a Chivas Regal effect. It is sturdy, but on the whole, compared to its price, the bag is underwhelming.
My next (and last) travel post will look at airlines and airports — what I liked, what I didn’t.
Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner
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