The Great Carry-On Search

Pretty, practical or packed with gadgets? We’re looking for the carry-on that’s actually worth your money.

  • We’re fellow empty nesters who like to travel, and want quality products to travel with. And experiences…yep those too. We will give you the honest feedback here.

  • We believe in keeping things simple, smart, and human. Every review, every product, is touched by us, used by us. Follow us here or on social media for our straight forward feedback

  • From startups to seasoned brands, we partner with people who care about doing things right—and doing them well. We won’t partner with anyone, or recommed anything that we didn’t like or won’t buy.

We weren’t planning to turn buying a carry-on into a research project. Then we went shopping.

There are beautiful bags. Smart bags. Bags with cup holders, charging ports, phone stands, compression systems and every color imaginable. There are budget bags sitting next to $300 bags — and after looking at all of them, we’re not convinced the most expensive one is automatically the best.

BÉIS and NOBL keep following us around the internet. Kensie caught our eye in the store with great colors and plenty of clever features. SWISSGEAR has some surprisingly smart options. And Amazon is full of lower-priced brands promising many of the same extras.

So we’re going to find out what’s actually worth it.

We’re looking at the things that matter once you leave the store: how much a bag weighs before you pack it, how smoothly it rolls, how much it really holds, how sturdy the handle feels, whether the wheels survive real travel and whether those clever extras — especially cup holders and charging ports — are genuinely useful or just good marketing.

We’re especially curious about the cup holder. It sounds brilliant until you picture a full airport coffee tipping over while you’re racing to a gate. We’ll be testing that too.

This isn’t about finding the fanciest suitcase. It’s about finding the one we’d actually spend our own money on.

What’s on Our List

We’re currently looking at carry-ons from BÉIS, NOBL, Kensie, SWISSGEAR, Travelpro, Samsonite, LEVEL8 and several highly rated Amazon brands.

Some are sleek and simple. Some are loaded with features. Some are surprisingly affordable. And some may prove that you really do get what you pay for.

We’ll be sharing what catches our attention, what feels overhyped and what ultimately earns a spot on our trips.

Follow the Search

Follow Bye Birdie on social as we shop, compare and test. We’ll report back with the carry-ons we’d buy, the ones we’d skip and the upgrades we think are actually worth the splurge.

And if you already have a carry-on you love, tell us. We’re always willing to add another contender to the list.

For Travel Brands

Think your luggage or travel gear belongs in the conversation?

Bye Birdie is open to considering products for independent review and editorial coverage. Products provided for consideration do not guarantee coverage or a positive review. Our opinions remain our own.

Because if we wouldn’t recommend it to a friend, we won’t recommend it to you.