Suitcase: The Single Most Important Travel Accessory

Amazon Basics suitcase

Your suitcase is your most important travel accessory. If you don’t have the container for all your things locked down, then your things might not even make it there. You’ve got to have a dependable suitcase you can trust. Lord knows you can’t trust the airline that’ll be handling it, it’s gotta be very reliable.

What To Look For In A Suitcase

So what should you be looking for in a suitcase? Well for starters, I’ll say it should be hard side. We’re past soft suitcases and luggage. If you roll up to the airport with a crushable bag, you can be sure it’ll be crushed. If liquids can get in it easily, they will, and you won’t want to find out what they are. Hard-side luggage is an absolute must.

The next thing you should be looking for is the right size. If you’re shopping for a carry-on or a checked bag, there are different sizes to hit. Most quality manufacturers are aware of this. It pays to look at the guidelines for airlines you use to know what size you need. The last thing you want to happen is to get all the way to the airport before realizing that you have too much bag.

Finally, you want quality hardware. Chances are, you’ll be rolling your suitcase around. Most of them get too big and heavy to comfortable carry. So you’ll want to make sure that the wheels and the handles are sturdy and built to last. Losing a wheel on your first day might be quite a bummer for your trip.

Some bonus features to keep an eye out for are backpack straps and organizers. Some smaller suitcases will have backpack straps so you can throw it on and be hands free. This can be very convenient, especially if your suitcase is your only luggage.

While suitcase organizers are a lot more common now, it’s nicer when the suitcase has everything you need built in. Keep an eye out for these, as they might not break the bank.

My Top Suitcase Picks

So with all this in mind, what are my picks for suitcases? Quality is important to me, but so is catching a deal. My picks take a balance of both quality and budget-friendliness.

Pick 1 – Samsonite Omni PC Hard-side Suitcase

This pick is an excellent quality bag, that’s still reasonably priced. Samsonite offers this model in most of the high-demand sizes. You can get carry-on and even a couple levels of checked bag. It’s a hard-side bag as I’ve heavily recommended. The hardware is certainly up to par, it even comes with a 10-year warranty for any defects on their end. The interior of the suicase has some decent organizational options. One side zippers in with some pockets and the other side has straps for your larger items. Overall, these Samsonite bags check all the boxes.

suitcase amazon link

Pick 2 – Amazon Basics Suitcases

If you’re looking for a truly budget-friendly option, you can’t go wrong with Amazon Basics. Amazon Basics puts out a wide range of baseline products at very reasonable prices, and their hard-side luggage is no exception. It’s actually what I use personally! If you don’t travel very often, or if you travel so often that you burn through bags, you’ll love the price of these. They make an excellent entry level for hard-side luggage. I recommend them for anyone buying their first real luggage for a trip.

suitcase amazon link

Between Samsonite and Amazon Basics you should be able to find an excellent option for whatever your suitcase needs!

You May Also Be Interested In:

AmazonBasics Organizer Travel Cubes: Gear Review

AmazonBasics Organizer Travel Cubes

Suitcases are big. They’re supposed to be! You need enough space for all of your things. But a problem forms. (Especially after a couple days away.) Your suitcase becomes a vast ocean of stuff. It all flows together and you can’t find up from down. How are you supposed to organize things when it’s just one giant pocket?

Organizer Cubes, specifically AmazonBasics Organizer Cubes.

How Can  AmazonBasics Organizer Cubes Help?

For starters, what are they? Organizer cubes are a growing trend in travel and packing, and they’re a game changer. Organizer cubes are bags within bags. They come in various sizes and you stack them up in your large bag. These smaller bags let you divide up all your clothes and gear however you like. You’ll find everything just where you left it, even after a 15-hour flight! 

Now once you decide that you need some travel cubes, you’ve got a lot of options. They come in all different shapes and sizes. (And prices!) Why not trust the company that you trust with everything else? Amazon! AmazonBasics is a great new direction that they’re moving in. They put out a quality but low-priced baseline of items all across the board. From HDMI cables to travel cubes, AmazonBasics has you covered! This 4-piece travel cube set will get you started on your road to organization, for just $23. The different sizes will let you prioritize and make your own calls about what goes where. The large mesh side will let you see what’s inside without having to check. Each of the individual bags come with their own handles. Meaning, you can also carry them each individually!

Out of almost 7000 reviews, these travel cubes earned a 4.7 star rating. Reviewers agree, this is a fantastic set to turn your messy suitcase into a well oiled machine!

You May Also Be Interested In:

COWIN E7 Noise Cancelling Headphones: Gear Review

It used to be that if you wanted active noise-cancelling headphones, you had to shell out the big bucks. Getting started took 2 or 3 hundred dollars! Those days are over. The  COWIN E7 Noise Cancelling Headphones bring noise-cancelling technology to everyone. At just $60, you don’t have to break the bank to avoid breaking your ears.

Yup, you heard that right. Just $60! The next noise cancelling headphones on the list get up to 4 or 5 times that! But don’t think that these headphones sacrifice quality. 

The COWIN E7 Noise Cancelling Headphones Function

Two main functions define these headphones. The first is to deliver your sound to you. Whether it’s music, movies, or games, these headphones bring quality. They use bass-boosting to make sure that they hit the deep lows and everything else!

Plus they last 30 hours on a single charge! That’s a long time for such a powerhouse of a speaker.

Noise cancellation is their other main function This is more than just muffling the sound physically. These active noise-cancelling headphones use sound wave technology to stop outside noise. Background noise in a plane or office is a thing of the past. They don’t completely cover louder things like lawnmowers, but they take all of the edge off.

Reviewers love these headphone! As they should be for a $60 pair of active noise-cancelling headphones. They’ve got a 4.4 star rating out of an astronomical 47 THOUSAND reviews! People of all ages and backgrounds love these headphones. One young reviewer loves using them while he works on his car detailing business. Another 69 year old reviewer was just looking for a quality pair of headphones, and that’s exactly what he found!

For a ridiculously low price, you can get a great pair of headphones with active noise-cancellation. You’ll love these headphones too!

You May Also Be Interested In:

AmazonBasics Slim Travel Backpack: Gear Review

AmazonBasics Slim Travel Backpack

When you’re traveling, you need a good backpack. It can be your carry-on or even your personal bag. Plus it’ll be your day bag once you get to your destination! But there are a lot of backpacks out there in a lot of shapes and sizes. How do you choose which one is the best for you?

I’d say you start with a good brand. AmazonBasics is perfect because it’s got all the trustworthy power of Amazon. But, it’s also got the cost-effectiveness that Amazon is known for. This is a budget bag, but it’s got the quality of a name-brand.

The Features Of The AmazonBasics Slim Travel Backpack 

For starters, we’ll look at the design. This is a slim backpack and it’s designed to be. It hugs your body and doesn’t stick out into the way of other people. Keeping things close to you is especially important in places like foreign cities and streets. But the slimness doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have all the space that you need. It’s got a dedicated pocket for keeping your laptop safe. The padding that’s on the back and straps protects you and your computer.

The outside pockets have numerous mesh zipper pockets. This will give you the ability to organize all your things and access them quickly. Plus the extra layer of zippers will help deter anyone else trying to get inside. The zippers come together with a clasp that lets you use your own travel locks to secure it. And it’s got compression straps on the sides for easy access and travel. You can even strap it up like a messenger bag!

This bag gets great reviews, because it’s got everything you need. Owners love that it straps so easily to your rolling luggage. Plus they love the amount of space and quality for the bargain of a price! At just over $60, you can’t beat this quality!

You May Also Be Interested In:

Scrubba Portable Wash Bag: Travel Gear Review

You can’t take a washing machine with you. But you might need one. Accidents happen while you’re out and about. Washing your things might be especially important if you’ve only got limited clothes. Your hotel or your AirBnB might have laundry, but do you want to trust strange washers? What if they don’t? Or what if you’re out in nature and you don’t have access to that kind of thing?

Fear not, there is a solution. That solution is called the Scrubba Portable Wash Bag. 

Click here to get the Regular Size on Amazon!

(Also Available in Mini Size!)

The Scrubba Portable Washing Bag

So what is it? It’s a portable washing machine! It’s a waterproof bag that folds down very small. The regular size is compact, but the mini is even smaller! It’ll fold down to the size of your palm! 

So after you fill up your wash bag with water, you just add a little soap for cleaning. Next you squish out the air and seal it up so you’ve got a little bag of liquid and clothes. The inside of the washbag has a specially designed washboard, for deep cleaning. Once you’ve got it ready to go you just knead your clothes in the bag. After just a couple minutes they’ll be washing machine clean!

The Scrubba portable wash bag is an absolute must-have for long term camping, but it’s even great anywhere else! Get the mini size and toss it in your travel bag. If you need an extra pair of socks or underwear, just scrub and go. Leave your things to dry overnight and you’re in good shape!

But you don’t have to take my word for it, the bags have 4.4 and 4.5 stars out of over a thousand Amazon reviews! Reviewers say that their clothes come out cleaner than a machine! Not to mention that it’s easy to use, and unbeatably convenient!

Click here to get the Regular Size on Amazon!

(Also Available in Mini Size!)

You May Also Be Interested In:

AmazonBasics Carry-On HardSide: Travel Gear Review

AmazonBasics Carry-On HardSide in its natural habitat.

The time for soft luggage is over. Anything that you put in a backpack or duffle and trust to the TSA is gone. You can kiss anything breakable goodbye when you check it. That is, unless you’ve got hard-side luggage. Hard-side luggage is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a hard armored shell that’ll keep all of your belongings safe and sound. Even when it’s going through an airport. So if all your luggage is soft, what do you do? You might not be able to replace all your gear at once. Start with the carry-on.

The AmazonBasics Hard-Side Carry-On is the best foot in the door into hard luggage. At just $55, it’s as affordable as it gets. You can’t beat this deal for this level of quality from a trusted company. It’s Amazon, you know you can count on them. And you can count on them delivering it fast and cheap! 

The AmazonBasics Carry-On HardSide Features

You’ve got options with this bag. It’s got 4 spinner wheels and a collapsible handle that you can pull out of the top. It’s also got a handle on the top and side, so you can carry it any way you like. The inside has one deep well with a clasping strap to secure folded clothes, shoes, or anything else! The other side zips up completely to enclose whatever you put inside. (Plus it’s got a mesh pocket on the zip-lid!) The bag also expands out an additional 15% with another zipper around the whole bag. This gives you the freedom to pack how you want!

But don’t take my word for it. It’s got 4.6 stars on Amazon out of over 16 THOUSAND reviews! This compact but roomy bag has no trouble fitting in the carry on checker at the airport! Many flight attendants even report this being the perfect flight bag. It doesn’t add any weight and it’s super easy to use. For just $55 it’s a huge value at a bargain of a price!

You May Also Be Interested In:

Zero Grid Travel Scarf: The Ultimate Travel Accessory

Traveling isn’t always the safest activity. Anywhere that there are tourists, there will also be people looking to prey on them. That might not be anything as scary as getting mugged or kidnapped, but you may still be at risk. There are tons and tons of pickpockets out there, and if they’re any good you won’t even know you’ve been hit until it’s too late. You certainly don’t want to be caught in a foreign country with no wallet and no passport! So what can you do to avoid this?

The Zero Grid Travel Scarf

Well if you want to look good doing it, you get yourself a Travel Scarf. And if you’re interested in quality, you get it from Zero Grid. The Zero Grid travel scarf gives you two hidden zipper pockets. They’ll hide anything from passports and money to makeup and your phone! Not to mention that this is just a very functional scarf! It’s got a soft and stylish material through and several ways to wear it! It’s got snaps along the ends so you can form it however works best. Whether that’s a hood, an infinity scarf, a blanket, or anything else you can think of. You’re the boss of how to use this scarf.

Reviewers absolutely love this scarf. The versatility is really what shines through. The snaps on the ends of the scarf give you the option to use the scarf however you like. People also love it for keeping warm! If you’re headed somewhere cold, or if you get caught somewhere cold, this really comes in handy. You lose a ton of heat through your head and neck, so keeping them warm makes a huge difference! Reviewers talk time and time again about how this stealthy and stylish solution has changed their travel experience!

You May Also Be Interested In:

Jelly Comb Electronic Organizer: Accessory Review

You’ve probably got a lot of devices you use as part of your every-day life. You probably take them with you whenever you travel. Everyone’s got a phone. You might have a tablet, a laptop, a gaming system, headphones, the list goes on and one. But if you tried to throw all those wires and charging cables into any old bag, it’d look like a plate of spaghetti. But even worse, it’d untangle like Christmas lights. This is a problem that everyone living today has to deal with. There has to be a solution for it.

The Jelly Comb Electronic Organizer

In comes the electronic organizer bag. Specifically, in comes the Jelly Comb electronic organizer bag. These bags are exactly what they sound like. They give you easy access to all of your tools and gadgets at a moment’s notice. How do they accomplish this? The Jelly Comb bag does it by having a three section system to maximize space and give you as much storage as possible. When you first open the bag you’ll see two full walls of straps, mesh pockets, and even a full sized tablet pocket. But once you unzip it, you get even more out of it. Under the bottom wall is a two inch deep well for any of your bigger electronic devices. You can store things like mice, headphones, or even tool kits!

This bag is way up the rankings, it’s got 4.7 stars on Amazon out of almost 1.5k reviews! People love it and it’s easy to see why. This is more storage than most realize that they need. But once they have it, they can’t live without it. This simple, compact case will let you organize and prepare more than you even thought possible. Ever find yourself without a charger? With this bag you won’t find yourself without any of your tech again! And for only $16, you can’t afford not to pick this one up!

You May Also Be Interested In:

Kindle Paperwhite Review: The Best Travel Gadget!

This site is mostly for travel tips, tricks, and accessories. There are a lot of big ticket items like, iPads or Switches that are good for travelling, but they’re not travel accessories specifically. For that reason, I wouldn’t normally consider them to be “travel accessories.” In comes the Kindle Paperwhite.

The Kindle Paperwhite is in a league of its own when it comes to traveling. I absolutely feel like it’s a fantastic thing to have when you’re travelling, and that’s why I do recommend it.

Let me tell you why.

What Makes It Different From Other Screens?

For starters, the screen itself is created differently. It’s why it’s called the Paperwhite. Instead of a traditional screen, it’s got Carta ePaper technology. But that’s a bunch of tech talk, what does it mean?

It means that when you’re looking at it, it doesn’t feel like a screen. More than that, it doesn’t strain your eyes like a screen. This unique system feels just like you’re reading a paper book to your eyes. But it’s even better. IT’s got backlighting so you never feel like it’s too dark to read! It’s better than a book, it’s the perfect book!

So Why Is The Kindle Paperwhite Good For Travelling?

It’s electronic, so it does have a battery. That’s possibly the only upside that a traditional book has on it. But with that said, the special screen that the Kindle Paperwhite uses takes a lot less battery than a traditional screen. Once the screen loads, it doesn’t take any extra energy to keep it there. So you can take as long as you like to read a page.

Not to mention that a Kindle can fit more books on it at once than you could want to read in a lifetime. It will fit hours upon days of entertainment into one battery life. 

Other devices will keep you entertained, but reading is better for you! If you’re trying to unplug while you travel the Kindle is perfect because it basically is unplugging, just with all the same entertainment.

For the low price of $130, it’s a whole lot cheaper than any other screen you’ll find too. And with the money you save, you’ll be able to read to your hearts content! (Especially with the Kindle Unlimited program that lets you access a huge library for a low monthly price!)

If you’re looking for entertainment for someone of any age, the Kindle Paperwhite is the device for you!

If you’re interested in Kindle Unlimited, follow this link to Amazon!

You May Also Be Interested In:

UPSKY Travel Dog Bowl: Ultimate No-Spill Dog Bowl

Normally for my reviews I like to pick things that have a wide audience. So a travel dog bowl might be too narrow, but I just couldn’t resist. This no-spill travel water bowl is insane!

I’m an engineer by trade, and a traveler and dog lover by passion. So when I see good design and engineering, I’ve got a deep appreciation for it. This is simply fantastic design.

There are tons of no-spill water bowls out there. They’re basically all the same thing. It’s a bowl with wide rims that angle in. And while they’re effective, they’re nothing special. There are millions more out there that are just like it.

Innovative Travel Dog Bowl Design

It’s the innovative design of this bowl from UPSKY that really blows my mind. It’s the next level of water bowl design.

It took me a second to understand what exactly I was looking at when I first saw it, so I’ll explain. The way this works is it has two main pieces: the bowl and the float. The bowl is the same as any other dog bowl, but it’s got a small lip that curls in around the rim. The innovative piece is the float. It stays floating on top of the water in the bowl, but it’s got a hole in the middle. When the dog presses down on it, water flows up through the hole and your pet can drink the water that comes up.

No only does this keep water from pooling and spilling out the sides, it also keeps your dog’s face from getting wet. Normally, your pet would just stick their nose in the bowl. But without the standing water, they don’t have the opportunity.

This awesome dog bowl has a 4.4 star review out of 3600+ reviews. Reviewers simply love it! It’s not only great for travel but it’s great for fast drinking dogs all the time. For $16 this is a fantastic deal on a great product!

You May Also Be Interested In: