What’s the Best Personal Item Bag for Flying?

Yolo Journal’s Yolanda Edwards is a fan of travel bags that don’t look like travel bags and can therefore be used for everyday sightseeing and shopping upon reaching your destination. Parker Thatch’s roomy totes fit the bill, and while they don’t have a luggage sleeve, Edwards has no problem slipping the handles of this one over her Rimowa suitcase. “And it’s great for going to the farmers’ market once I arrive where I’m going,” she adds.

Strategist writer Lauren Ro received a monogrammed T. Anthony carry-on luggage set that included a rolling suitcase and a matching, attachable travel tote when she left a previous job. While the suitcase is a little too fancy to use regularly, she almost always finds herself reaching for the tote on the way to the airport. “It is the perfect under-seat size, and its rigid structure means that I can organize all my crap better than when I use my Fjällräven backpack,” she explains. “There are also multiple pockets on the outside, great for stashing boarding passes and passports. I would never buy this on my own, but having it makes me feel like a fancy, very organized, jet setter.” But a warning for overambitious packers: “It can get heavy, especially when you’re used to strapping everything on your back instead of on one shoulder.”

Is there a more quintessential carry-all than the L.L.Bean Boat and Tote? Writer and influencer Harry Hill doesn’t think so. “As someone who is usually drawn to more uppity travel bags, this trusty tote is a delight because of how unfussy it is,” Hill tells us. “It fits a ton, it’s super-lightweight, and I don’t have to worry about spilling coffee on the vachetta or putting it on the ground.” Hill suggests monogramming your name — or a crude joke, depending on personal preference. For additional customization, “the colorways are constantly changing, so keep an eye out if you have a specific vision for your tote.” While Hill adds that it’s impossible to go wrong, because any L.L.Bean “will make you look like a Kennedy skipping town,” it’s better to get the zip-up version of the bag to protect precious electronics from theft while in the airport.

This new-school garment bag, which made our Travel 100 list of the best products to take on the road, can keep a suit or gown unwrinkled while also cleverly storing several other outfits. It’s ideal for destination weddings, and Moonflower wine bar co-owner Rebecca Johnson even took hers all the way to Tasmania for a romantic antipodean getaway with her husband. Going’s travel spokesperson, Katy Nastro, told me that it’s very popular among her exceedingly well-traveled colleagues.

For both carry-on backpacks and duffels, former Paper fashion editor Mario Abad turns to Dagne Dover’s neoprene travel bags. “They’re the best,” he says. “They’re really lightweight, and they’re made of this scuba material that looks sleek and modern and is nice to the touch.” The bags aren’t just aesthetically pleasing, though. “You can fit a lot of stuff inside — it’s a minimal aesthetic, no busy details or anything, just all the compartments you need.” Abad also notes that the bags are perfectly sized for all airline carry-on regulations.

Here’s a thoughtfully designed backpack that is as appropriate for day hiking and office commuting as it is flying. Travel creator Jessica Wright of Bon Traveler is a longtime user and says she is “shocked” by how much it can hold. “You can definitely fit everything you need for two nights,” she says. “It’s wildly spacious.” Great for packers who like to compartmentalize, the interior is separated into various sleeves and sections for a laptop, clothing, and tech items.

Crescent-shaped bags have been everywhere this year, but here’s one that’ll stand out from the crowd. Writer and artist Ludwig Hurtado says it’s big enough to fit your phone, headphones, passport, sunglasses, snacks, and even a book or two. And the cross-body strap makes it ideal for travel: “In theory, I love the look of a large tote bag, but when I’m running around the city or the airport, they tend to fall off my shoulder way too easily.” He took his to Paris Fashion Week as well as on a quick trip to Berlin, where it successfully helped him gain entry to Berghain.

Another fanny pack option comes from Baggu, which photographer Jacq Harriet says she’s “obsessed with.” Harriet used the bag for traveling this summer and says it’s roomy enough for chunky 35-mm point-and-shoot cameras, plenty of film, a small water bottle, and a heavy wallet. “It holds pretty much everything,” she says.