To begin, recognize that getting a better bag won’t make you a “one bag” traveller: there’s little that the bag can do to reduce the amount of stuff you bring with you. Once you have acquired more efficient travel skills, though (and abandoned the notion that you need to pull a small trailer behind you), you will find that an optimally-designed bag can make a huge difference in your travel comfort and convenience.
The most important aspects to consider are:
- quality — because even non-checked luggage takes a beating, and because quality should always be an important consideration
- transportability — because you will carry your luggage more than the carriers will (and yes, whatever your actual plans, you will carry it)
- airline carry-on limits — because most people who learn to travel light find that everything they need to pack will fit easily into one carry-on-sized bag (which is fortunate, as in the real world there are two kinds of luggage: carry-on and lost)
In addition to these basic concerns, there are several criteria pertaining to the design of the bag itself, including:
- overall shape & balance
- quantity, volume, shape, & arrangement of compartments
- accessibility of those compartments in different stowage situations
- type & configuration of zippers
- availability of internal tie-down & external compression straps
- handle & shoulder-strap design
Truly wonderful bags are few and far between: luggage design — like the design of anything else — is an exercise in the complex art of compromise, and the great majority of what you will find in luggage shops is influenced far more by marketing departments than by the needs of travellers.
Naturally, the principal use of the bag should be considered as well. This ultimately leads to an understanding that there are really two different solutions, depending on whether your primary goal is business travel in urban locations, or exploring Europe (or wherever) on vacation (or whatever). I do both kinds of travelling, so use both types of bags; I address individual aspects of the two categories on the associated pages of this site.
In both cases, however, you want a bag that’s no larger than carry-on size (for aircraft, the most common rule is length + width + height = no more than 45 inches) with soft sides (which conform better to both their contents and the places you might stow them) and sturdy construction.
A helpful insight into luggage design can be had by considering the simple adaptation of a classic computer design adage shown at right [in the original, the second word is "fast"]. In other words, you can produce a bag that maximizes functionality/efficacy, or reliability, or low cost; in fact, you can perform well in any two of these categories, but not all three.
Fortunately (and unlike the case with computers), luggage can be a lifetime investment; a good bag doesn’t become obsolete in five years. Consequently, the most intelligent designs will be those that focus on the first two elements, being both highly functional for their intended use, and able to last a lifetime. Such bags will not be the least expensive ones on the market, but they needn’t be inordinately costly either, especially if purchased directly from the manufacturer instead of via a cost-multiplying network of distributors and local dealers. Should cost be the critical factor, however, the wise lightweight traveller (who rarely needs to check a bag) will choose good (i.e., functional/efficient) over durable as the second most important factor.
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