Pack Your Bags!

Summary

The Wirecutter Show: Episode Summary – "Pack Your Bags!"

Host and Guest Introduction

In the January 29, 2025 episode of The Wirecutter Show, hosted by Christine Cyrclassette, Kyra Blackwell, and Rosie Guerin from The New York Times’ Wirecutter team, the focus is on selecting the ideal luggage for various travel needs. Joining the hosts is esteemed travel writer Kit Dillon, Wirecutter’s senior staff writer specializing in travel gear, who brings a decade of experience and a wealth of knowledge to the discussion.

Christine’s Travel Dilemma

Christine Cyrclassette kicks off the episode by sharing her excitement about an upcoming family trip to Japan. She expresses concerns about her current luggage choices, primarily relying on a minimalist backpack from college and a family duffel bag. Christine highlights the challenges of traveling with family, such as limited storage space at home and the difficulties of lugging a duffel through airports.

“I don’t really know if I have the right bags. I’m not sure.” [02:08]

Discussing Luggage Types: Hard vs. Soft Sided

Kit Dillon delves into the long-standing debate between hard-sided and soft-sided luggage. He explains that, contrary to popular belief, hard-sided luggage does not significantly outperform soft-sided options in terms of protection.

“Hard sided does not seem to protect anything that much more than soft sided does.” [11:34]

Kit points out that soft-sided luggage often offers better organization with additional pockets, making it easier to pack and access items. He also notes that hard-sided bags can suffer catastrophic damage, such as cracking or zipper failure, which can render the luggage unusable.

Price Points and Warranty Considerations

The conversation shifts to the financial aspect of purchasing luggage. Kit advises against spending less than $200, emphasizing that lower-priced bags are more prone to failure.

“Don’t spend less than $200. You’re just risking things going catastrophically awry.” [14:46]

He discusses the value of warranties, highlighting three major brands recommended by Wirecutter: Away, Travelpro, and Briggs & Riley. Kit explains the differing warranty models:

• Travelpro offers excellent warranties against airline damage but requires sending the bag in for repairs.
• Briggs & Riley provide a robust lifetime warranty that covers any defects, allowing repairs at numerous global centers.
• Away tends to replace broken bags entirely, prioritizing customer satisfaction but at a higher environmental cost.

“The baseline of materials have gotten better and cheaper...what you’re paying for in higher end things will often be like, you know, smoother rolling wheels or really nice zipper.” [15:51]

Testing Process and Bag Recommendations

Kit describes Wirecutter’s rigorous testing process, which assesses usability, durability, rolling efficiency, and longevity. He emphasizes that recommended bags should last at least five years, with some like Briggs & Riley lasting a decade or more.

“We look for longevity. So how well will this bag travel over the years?” [20:08]

He shares personal anecdotes, including a memorable incident involving an alligator on a luggage carousel in Equatorial Guinea, underscoring the unpredictable nature of travel.

Packing Tips: The Power of Packing Cubes

One of the standout recommendations from Kit is the use of packing cubes. These organizational tools come in various sizes and help travelers compartmentalize their belongings, making packing and unpacking more efficient.

“Packing cubes are sort of one of those incredible pieces of gear that actually do somewhat alleviate the panic around all this.” [28:18]

He explains how packing cubes facilitate better organization, reduce travel stress, and even allow for packing slightly more items by utilizing space more effectively.

Personalized Recommendations for Travelers

During a lightning round, Kit provides tailored luggage advice based on the hosts’ individual travel styles:

• Kyra Blackwell, a last-minute traveler who prefers carry-ons, is recommended the Travelpro Platinum Elite 21-inch and the Cotopaxi Alpa 35-liter travel pack.

  “It carries way more than I think even they advertise.” [24:21]

• Rosie Guerin, who travels with family and requires spacious, nestable luggage, is advised to consider Travelpro Platinum Elite or Briggs & Riley Baseline for their compression systems and robust warranties.

  “An incredible piece of luggage.” [26:27]

• Christine Cyrclassette, contemplating a shift from a duffel bag, receives suggestions to transition to soft-sided options like Patagonia’s Black Hole Duffels for better durability and warranty support.

  “I feel like I'm not gonna carry it. I'm gonna make my husband carry it.” [27:17]

Final Advice and Wrap-Up

As the episode draws to a close, Kit offers his best advice for chronic overpackers: practice selective packing by removing 30% of items initially considered necessary. This method helps in minimizing luggage weight and avoiding the stress of overpacking.

“The best strategy is honestly is to pull out everything you think you need and then immediately just pull away 30%.” [30:27]

The hosts reflect on the practical takeaways:

• Price Threshold: Aim to spend over $200 for reliable, durable luggage.
• Warranty Importance: Invest in bags with strong warranty support to ensure longevity.
• Soft-Sided Preference: Favor soft-sided luggage for better organization and flexibility.

“My aspirational desire is a trunk for all of my transcontinental travel.” [34:26]

Looking Ahead

The episode concludes with a sneak peek into next week’s topic on selecting the best lubricants through sample packs from sex toy retailers, ensuring listeners have actionable and engaging content to anticipate.

“Make sure you’re following the show on your favorite podcast app so you don’t miss it.” [35:51]

Key Takeaways

• Invest Wisely: Quality luggage over $200 with strong warranties offers better long-term value.
• Soft-Sided Advantages: Enhanced organization and flexibility make soft-sided bags preferable.
• Organizational Tools: Packing cubes significantly improve packing efficiency and reduce travel stress.
• Tailored Choices: Select luggage based on specific travel needs, whether solo, family, or adventure travel.

Notable Quotes

• Kit Dillon: “Hard sided does not seem to protect anything that much more than soft sided does.” [11:34]
• Kit Dillon: “Don’t spend less than $200. You’re just risking things going catastrophically awry.” [14:46]
• Christine Cyrclassette: “I absolutely do not feel ready for my trip, but I think that I am clear on what I'm gonna use for my luggage.” [33:33]

Conclusion

The Wirecutter Show episode “Pack Your Bags!” offers comprehensive guidance on selecting the right luggage, balancing functionality, durability, and budget. With expert insights from Kit Dillon, listeners gain valuable knowledge to make informed decisions for their travel needs.

Transcript

[Kit Dillon]

The New York Times app has all this stuff that you may not have seen.

[Kyra Blackwell]

The way the tabs are at the.

[Kit Dillon]

Top with all of the different sections, I can immediately navigate to something that.

[Rosie Guerin]

Matches what I'm feeling.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Click wordle or Connections and then swipe.

[Kit Dillon]

Over to read today's headlines.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

There's an article next to a recipe next to games, and it's just easy to get everything in one place.

[Kit Dillon]

This app is essential.

[Kyra Blackwell]

The New York Times app, all of.

[Kit Dillon]

The times, all in one place.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Download it [e-mail] Apple from the new York Times, you're listening to the Wirecutter Show.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Hey, everyone, it's the Wirecutter Show. I'm Christine Cyrclassette.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I'm Kyra Blackwell.

[Rosie Guerin]

And I'm Rosie Guerin. And we work at Wirecutter, the product recommendation site from the New York Times.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Each week we bring you expert advice from Our newsroom of 140 journalists who review everyday products that will make your life better.

[Kyra Blackwell]

This episode of the Wirecutter show is called Pack youk Bags.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Hira, Rosie.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Hey.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

It is my turn to bring a question to you.

[Rosie Guerin]

I love it.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

This week. I am taking a big trip. I'm so excited. I'm going to Japan.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I'm so jealous.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

It's gonna be great.

[Rosie Guerin]

We're coming. Actually, I forget if we told you. Yeah, Kyra and I are coming.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I will. I'll let my family know.

[Kyra Blackwell]

We are your family now.

[Rosie Guerin]

Yeah, we are your family.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I do have a couple problems. So the first thing is I don't speak Japanese.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Okay.

[Rosie Guerin]

I think that's okay.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

You think I'll get through. I am in a fierce duolingo battle with my 11 year old right now. We are getting our streaks on brand.

[Rosie Guerin]

Yeah.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Learning things like water and sushi and bathroom. Bathroom. I haven't gotten that far, but I'm hoping to.

[Kyra Blackwell]

That's a good one to know.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

But beyond the language barrier, I don't really know if I have the right bags. I'm not sure.

[Kyra Blackwell]

That's a tricky one.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I'm very minimalist when it comes to my luggage. I have a backpack from college.

[Rosie Guerin]

Wow.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Christine and I have like a duffel bag that my family brings and we just. I know Kyra's face.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Who has a duffel bag?

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Offended.

[Rosie Guerin]

Yeah, I think it's totally fine. I just. I think this is a big trip and you're going with your husband and your kids and so I feel like I think about this all the time because I think my luggage needs have changed so much. Since I had kids where I'm like, sharing a suitcase with them now. Do we do the carry on? How much do you bring? Do you check? Do you. You know, So I feel you on this conundrum.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah, it's like I. I don't have much room to store luggage in my home, and so that's why we use a duffel bag. And it's worked well. Like, we've gone to the Caribbean with it, We've gone to Mexico with it. But it is definitely not the easiest thing. So. Yeah, I'm looking for some advice here.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah, I'm sorry for giving you a hard time about the duffel because I actually have never bought myself luggage before. I stole my mom's carry on from her set, and she's just finding out about it right now.

[Rosie Guerin]

I knew there was a reason she shouldn't listen to the show.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Exactly.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

We'll put a disclaimer at the beginning.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Kyra's mom just don't listen. Yeah, she calls me every year, by the way, and she's like, hey, do you have this bag? I'm like, I don't know what you're talking about.

[Rosie Guerin]

You are outrageous.

[Kyra Blackwell]

But it's just a really big purchase. Whenever I've thought about maybe returning this bag to her and letting her complete her set and buying myself my own, I just don't want to do it because they're not cheap.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah.

[Kyra Blackwell]

That's why we're gonna bring on somebody who can help today. It's Kit Dillon. And Kit is great. He's so well versed in this problem because he is Wirecutter's resident travel writer. Kit has been with Wirecutter for a really long time. Like, nearly a decade. He currently lives in Hawaii. And we're all jealous of that.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Super jealous.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Today he's gonna talk us through the difference between a great bag and a bad one and how much you should expect to pay for it.

[Rosie Guerin]

And then later, Kit's gonna play bag concierge and give us his best luggage recommendation for our next trip. And certain.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Christine, I cannot wait.

[Rosie Guerin]

We'll be right back.

[Jonathan Swan]

I'm Jonathan Swan. I'm a reporter at the New York Times. You know, when people think about the media, your favorite podcast, you know, cable news panels, and different things, I think it's fair to say that myself and my reporting colleagues at the New York Times exist at the more unglamorous end of that spectrum. Our job is to dig out the facts that. That provide a foundation for these conversations. These facts don't just come out of the ether. It requires reporters to spend hours upon hours talking to sources, digging up documents. Also, if the story is a story that a powerful person doesn't want in print, there's threats of lawsuits and all kinds of things. So it's a really massive operation. There aren't that many places anymore who invest at that level in journalism. Without a well funded and rigorous free press, people in power have much more leeway to do whatever the heck it is that they want to do. If you think that it's worthwhile to have journalists on the job digging out information, you can subscribe to the New York Times. Because without you, none of us can do the work that we do.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Welcome back to the Wirecutter Show. With us now is Kit Dillon, who is Wirecutter's senior staff writer covering travel, who has traveled to about 20 countries, some of which include Nigeria, Equatorial guinea and South Africa, just to name a few. Kit has worn many hats over the years before joining us here at Wirecutter, from owning his own sandwich shop to inspecting oil derricks, which I didn't know that was a job, but it sounds really cool. Now he covers everything from camping tents to luggage.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Kit, welcome to the Wirecutter Show.

[Kit Dillon]

Hi.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

It's great to have you. So, Kit, you have lived a really adventurous life. You've traveled all over the world. You have some really wild and amazing. And I'm thinking of one in particular. You told me recently about how there was an alligator on the luggage belt. Can you tell us about that?

[Kit Dillon]

Yeah. So I believe it was Equatorial Guinea. It was in my twenties. Yeah. One day we're all waiting for our bags to come out, and out of the luggage carousel comes an alligator trussed up with electrical tape around its snout. And it was alive. I asked one of the security guards because I was standing there and watching this thing go by, and I was like, what's this all about? And he said, oh, there's a wedding. And that was so.

[Kyra Blackwell]

It could be anything.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

It could really be. Maybe.

[Kit Dillon]

It could really be. It could have been anything. I was like, all right, great.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Save that for another gift episode. But is that the weirdest thing you've seen come off of a luggage carousel?

[Kit Dillon]

That's absolutely the weirdest thing I've seen come off of a luggage carousel.

[Rosie Guerin]

Yeah.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Hard to top that.

[Kit Dillon]

I think it really does stay in my memory.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah. Well, Kit, I think the main question that all of us are wondering today is, will the best luggage in the world make traveling easier?

[Kit Dillon]

No.

[Rosie Guerin]

Big sigh.

[Kit Dillon]

It might make you a little more Relaxed. It might improve your day to day while you're traveling, but I don't know if it makes it much easier now, sadly.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So do you still hate the process of traveling even though you've traveled everywhere? You have the nicest luggage you can recommend, but you still hate traveling?

[Kit Dillon]

Absolutely. I mean, I'm 6:3. Getting on an airplane for me is a horror. And it gets worse every year. There's a small little glimpse of a moment where when you're packing and you've got a really nice bag and it's, everything's being packed really well, everything's in the right place where you feel like, oh, you know what this is gonna be the trip. Like this is the one that's gonna really work. And then you get there and you're like, oh no, it's just as bad as it was before. It's worse.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I'm back at the airport.

[Kit Dillon]

I'm back at the airport and I'm sort of faced with my own mortality as I get onto this airplane. And you know.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Well, even if it doesn't make the trip necessarily easy, you did say that it can take away some an. So if you are shopping for a bag, there are so many options. There's hard sided, they're soft sided, you can get carry on checked. You know, I think we want to talk through some of the most common scenarios people who are looking to buy luggage might find themselves in. And we want you to walk us through your guidance. So let's start with the first thing someone should ask themselves when they're about to buy a new travel bag. What do you think is the first thing they should ask themselves?

[Kit Dillon]

I think what people usually ask themselves is what material they want the luggage made out of.

[Rosie Guerin]

How cute is the person gonna look, right?

[Kit Dillon]

It becomes an, it becomes very much an aesthetic choice and there's nothing wrong with that. Largely a lot of luggage does what it's meant to do. I think the first thing people should ask themselves is how you travel and sort of how much you carry with you. Often I think back to, you know, when I was in my twenties, I could largely travel. I think a lot of people can with a sort of carry on backpack. And they make these really great travel backpacks now that you can put in your overhead, you can throw on your back very nimble. And for a solo traveler or even sort of very adventurous people with maybe small families, that's really great. I think it makes traveling just that much easier. Just one less thing to run away from you on the wheels. They're a little less clunky than luggage checked bags now as they start charging fees and things become pretty onerous. I think most people are probably best served by a basic carry on piece of luggage.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

And by being best served, do you mean that it's just like easier, it makes it easier for you to be in the airport?

[Kit Dillon]

Yeah, well, I think having four wheels is just an incredible luxury when moving through busy airports. It keeps all your stuff well protected. You're not carrying £30 on your back. Yeah, they're just very functional. They're very functional objects.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I'm the kind of traveler who will fight to pack everything in a carry on so I don't have to check a bag because I want the bag with me at all times. But if someone is kind of on the fence about checking a bag versus carrying it on, what are some other questions people should be asking themselves to help them make that decision?

[Kit Dillon]

There's two things. There's how much do you pack? Then issues with, with lost luggage do exist. I'm so torn because my personal theory is that you either check everything and you walk on with nothing or you carry on everything and you check nothing. I think once you've done both, that's when you've really kind of screwed yourself. When you check the bag and you're carrying on, it's like, well now you've just, now you've got the worst of everything. So if I'm checking thing, I just want to check it all and then I just want to walk onto my wallet.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Are there certain places that you're more likely to get your bag loss on a flight like some cheap airlines in Europe where it's like, oh, you better.

[Kit Dillon]

Well, in Europe with the smaller flight it's more that they just have really onerous rules about what can and can't be carried on. And so you're sometimes forced to check things that you. In America we would think is absolutely a carry on item or even a personal item. And then there's puddle hopping flights around the Caribbean and such where you're getting onto propeller planes and things. So if you're in those modes of travel again, I kind of go back to a backpack as being probably the best.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I actually had a bag. I went to the Caribbean this past year with some friends and they had carry ons and my family had a checked bag and our check bag didn't make it onto the plane. So our friends with the carry ons had to wait for us and pray with us that we our bag would come on the next flight, which it did, but we were like a total pain in the rear for them.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah, that's never fun.

[Rosie Guerin]

Yeah. Kit, what about soft versus hard side luggage? Is hard sided really more protective? Does any of it make a difference?

[Kit Dillon]

Okay, so this is the whole debate of the Internet over the last 20 years about luggage, it seems, and the short answer is no. Hard sided does not seem to protect anything that much more than soft sided does. What it can do is break somewhat catastrophically in a way that soft sided luggage does not. But you know, the risk of that happening is also pretty low. It's just if it's going to break and it does shatter, then the whole bag can shatter in that regard.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Right. And then your whole vacation, and then.

[Kit Dillon]

Your whole vacation's ruined. Whereas the soft sided, it might tear a little or a wheel might break or a handle might break. And that's, that's a bummer. But it doesn't mean that you can't use the luggage completely. Hard sided luggage just has a few extra failure points, is sort of where all the energy can go. So the zipper can break and then the bag doesn't work and it's pretty much it. And then obviously the shells can break and they crack and that's, that's not so good.

[Rosie Guerin]

Aesthetics.

[Kit Dillon]

Yeah. Well then an aesthetically hard sided luggage looks great because you can print it in these various colors and prints and I think that's why people are drawn to it. And then in soft sided luggage, you really can only just do nylon in certain bright colors. Just doesn't look as good. You end up looking kind of like a, like a, I don't know, mid level businessman walking around.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I mean truly, truly soft sided luggage to me looks like pleated khaki pants. Like, that's what I see.

[Rosie Guerin]

Sincere apologies to all mid level businessmen who may be listening to the show.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Wearing pleated khaki pants.

[Rosie Guerin]

We love you.

[Kit Dillon]

I mean, I walk around, I know it, I know what I look like, you know.

[Rosie Guerin]

What about packing a soft sided versus a hard sided?

[Kit Dillon]

Well, that's, I mean, the thing is the soft sided just has more advantages. Ultimately it's easier to pack. Usually the way it's designed externally, soft sided always has usually extra pockets, which is great when you're traveling. There's just all these benefits and yet we are just drawn to hard sided luggage. The little secret there is that, you know, hard sided luggage originally was designed, they thought it would be lighter because they could produce these polycarbonate shells in these sort of really light forms. And it was Essentially lighter than soft sided luggage when it first started and then they broke more. So then they made the polycarbonate thicker and then it broke less. But then it weighs the same amount as the soft side. So the original notion of why we built these things didn't make any sense, but now they're here and we like them. You know, ultimately after doing this for about 10 years, I think it's probably just overthought. If you really are splitting hairs and we like to do that here, then yes, soft sided is a little bit better than hard sided luggage.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Foreign let's talk a little bit about price. Because bags can be really, really expensive. We recommend bags in a few price categories. So we have like carry on bags. For instance, we have the away bag which is 275. The travel pro bag, it's 365. And on the higher end we have Briggs and Riley, which comes in at about 6.99. I'm sure some listeners are hearing this and saying like, wait a minute, couldn't I just go to Marshalls or TJ Maxx and get something cheaper? But kit, why are our picks and how much should people expect to spend to get a good bag?

[Kit Dillon]

After a long time of doing this, I really pretty easily say, don't spend less than $200. You're just risking things going catastrophically awry. When you first use the bag your.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

First trip, like the bag breaks, the bag breaks.

[Kit Dillon]

It didn't work in the first place. The handle gets stuck the first time you use it. Not really worth it. This is the part of the job that I always I don't like the most, is when you start telling people like you need to spend this much money. There are absolutely reasons. There are moments when you might need just a spare bit of luggage for one flight. And walking into Marshalls and grabbing a bag is going to be fine. Or you're trying to save some money and you think, you know what, if anything breaks, I can duct tape it, I can make it work. Absolutely. The baseline of materials have gotten better and cheaper. So what you're paying for in higher end things will often be like, you know, smoother rolling wheels or really nice zipper, you know, these sort of things. And they do matter. You do notice it. But how much are you going to notice it? I'm not sure. It's really, ultimately the customer service and warranty of a more expensive bag is just you're going to get more use out of it over your lifetime. And if you spend over $200, you start to get access to those things.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So on the other hand, a lot of the wire cutter picks do come with warranties. What does that actually get you?

[Kit Dillon]

Right now, there's three big players, and they're also our picks. Right. We have Away, Travelpro, Briggs and Riley. Travelpro. It's on the less expensive range, but they have excellent warranties that protects against airline damage, which is what we really look for. And they have a really good reputation. So you've got a company that will repair your bag if it comes off the airplane and you know all the wheels have snapped off and it's not your fault. The only problem is that sometimes getting that warranty claimed, you have to send the bag into Travelpro. You have to get it repaired, so that's fine. If it breaks when you've returned home and you don't need the bag again, it's not so good. If you've flown somewhere and your bag is broken now, you can take it into luggage repair shops. They do exist. But the warranty system won't repair your bag for free. Right there, which is is the case for Briggs and Riley. So if you spend this is in the upper range, like $600, $800, you can bring your Briggs and Riley in anywhere where they have a repair center and there's tons of them all over the country and around the globe. And get your bag fixed right in front of you for about 30 bucks for a rush. And it's free if you just leave it there for a week or so. That's pretty incredible. We don't really see much of that. And it's sort of a testament to how much Bricks and Riley stands behind what they produce. And the bag itself is warrantied. It's not warrantied against the purchaser or anything else. So the object itself is under warranty. If I picked up a broken Briggs and Riley off the curb and I brought it in, they'll fix it for free.

[Kyra Blackwell]

That's nice.

[Kit Dillon]

Yeah, pretty good. And then there's away. And away has sort of the opposite model, which is just we're going to produce a million of these things and we'll warranty them. And so when yours breaks, you just walk into an away store. And more often than not, like Patagonia and these other companies, they will just replace it for you. Not very environmentally friendly, but you do walk away with a new bag.

[Rosie Guerin]

All right, the things that stuck in my mind here, $200 is going to be probably the low end, what you're going to spend on something that is going to get you a decent quality suitcase. The other thing is the W word that I started to hear a lot when I started working at Wirecutter, which is warranties, the most unsexy thing, but helpful in a lot of ways and definitely in the case of suitcases. I think the other thing that's a highlight here is the idea that actually soft sided is slightly better bet than hard. Even though hard sided is like, you know, trendy and cool. And the real takeaway is don't overthink it.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

We're going to take a quick break and when we come back, we'll talk about Kit's testing process and tips for efficient packing. And we're going to get his personal recommendations. I'm super excited about this for the right bags that all of us should have for upcoming travel.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah, I'm really interested to hear what he's going to say for you, Christine.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

About my, my, my duffel bag.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah, about your duffel bag. Somebody needs to talk to you.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I'm going to get a talking to. All right. So we'll be right back.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Welcome back to the Wirecutter show. Earlier in this episode, we walked through the questions anyone should ask themselves when shopping for a new suitcase. Now we're going to talk with Kit about how he tests bags, specific bags he recommends and his best recs for packing. Like an expert.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Kit, you are in Hawaii. How are you testing these bags?

[Kit Dillon]

Really? I travel with them a lot. I mean, so when you live in Hawaii, you've got a 3,000 mile flight no matter where you're going. So you're always long hauling, which is a curse for someone like me.

[Kyra Blackwell]

And a blessing.

[Kit Dillon]

And a blessing. It is a blessing. It's also a curse.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Kit, are you afraid of flying?

[Kit Dillon]

Absolutely no. 100%. It gets worse every year.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Wow, this is a tough job.

[Kit Dillon]

It's a really tough gig.

[Rosie Guerin]

Who's forcing you to do this?

[Kit Dillon]

Yeah, no, I have to face myself every time. And it just gets. Oh, it gets worse and worse. I just think of all the things I haven't done yet.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Okay, so your testing process for the bags. What are you doing?

[Kit Dillon]

So there's three avenues that we try and really look at a, it's sort of usability. And that would be everything from like packing it, storing it, moving it through airports. The major part of that really is just packing. It's just sort of how does it feel to pack this bag? And you'd be amazed how many bits of luggage and I mean, at this point I've looked at maybe not quite a thousand but certainly over 500 pieces of luggage, I would say, wow, you'd be amazed how many bags just don't feel good to pack. One of my complaints about hard sided luggage is that it has to generally open as a clamshell, which means that it sort of has two equal sides. It just means you have sort of a shallow tray to put things in. And then you, they, you know, they compensate for this by sort of building straps or plates or some sort of way to hold everything in place so that when you close the clamshell, all your stuff doesn't go flying everywhere. Certain brands have kind of made this a little bit better, a little bit easier. A lot of brands haven't. The soft sided luggage, by and large has a sort of more lid design. So you have a large container to pack and then you close the lid on top of which is, you know, really exceptional. And then we look at durability and how well it rolls through the airports or over surfaces, you know, carpets, linoleum, etc. And then we look for longevity. So how well will this bag travel over the years? And we expect everything that we recommend to last, you know, at least five plus years. Hopefully it's going into a decade. Some of our bags, I believe, like the Briggs and Riley, I think you can actually probably pass on generationally if you take care of them.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Wow. Well, I do want to mention that for anybody who hasn't seen it, Kit, you have this amazing video on our Instagram where they blindfold you and then put a bag in your hand and you scored, what was it, seven out of eight times you were able to tell which bag it was just by touch alone.

[Kit Dillon]

I know my disappointment in missing that last one too is actually palpable.

[Kyra Blackwell]

But it's so impressive. Like you've really gotten your hands on all of these bags and tested each one of them.

[Kit Dillon]

Yes, I've held a lot of luggage in my life. It's a weird thing to sort of find yourself suddenly with this Rain man like ability to identify. It happens to me when I'm getting on and off airplanes now at airports too. Things coming off the conveyor belt and my brain is just sort of clocking which brands are coming off at night. I can't turn it off. It just sort of happens.

[Rosie Guerin]

Now, Kate, you obviously have held, handled, tested tons of bags. What is the most interesting bag you've seen right now?

[Kit Dillon]

The ones that I find the most interesting are travel trunks.

[Rosie Guerin]

They're these like from yesteryear?

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah, like from the Titanic.

[Kit Dillon]

From the Titanic, Yeah. Yeah, exactly. No, I've always loved steamer trunks anyway. And there are a bunch of brands remaking, at least in form. They're not as sort of beautiful as we might imagine these old trunks to be with the drawers and the, you know, et cetera, et cetera. But we also don't have like stevedores carrying these things around anymore. So there is something slightly romantic about the shape of this luggage. I. I don't know why I'm drawn to it.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Okay, Kit, we're going to do a quick lightning round where we will all take turns telling you about ourselves as travelers and then you'll tell us what bags you'd recommend. I am a last minute traveler and I am often traveling internationally and domestically and alone. I hate checking a bag. I don't actually think I've ever done it in my adult life. So what would you recommend? I get?

[Kit Dillon]

So for you, definitely it's a carry on and I would say like a travel backpack. A backpack built specifically for traveling.

[Kyra Blackwell]

What brands would you recommend for us.

[Kit Dillon]

That would be a Travel Pro Platinum Elite, 21 inch, and then the Cotopaxi Alpa or Cotopachi Alpa 35 liter travel pack. I think they're great. It's like having a piece of luggage on your, on your back. It's perfect. You can pack it easily. They're amazing. I love them. I travel with them all the time.

[Kyra Blackwell]

That is my favorite thing. I actually currently have a low and sons, but I have found that their zippers keep popping off. So I've been looking for something new, but I have not found a backpack that's as deep as the one that I have.

[Kit Dillon]

Try the ulpa.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Okay.

[Kit Dillon]

It carries way more than I think even they advertise.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I got to take the Alpa on a trip this past winter. I got to borrow it from your editor Kit, actually, and it was great. It was really. Yeah. I would buy it. It was good.

[Rosie Guerin]

So my turn. In my Merchant Ivory fantasy, obviously I'm traveling with a trunk. Obviously. In my reality, I am usually traveling with my family, so two little kids means usually. My wife and I are toting around our toddler's stuff and try not to lose anything. In the airport, on the plane, wherever we're going. I don't have a ton of space to store any luggage when suitcases aren't in use. This is sort of my dynamic. Need to pack a lot of stuff but don't have a ton of space when my luggage is not in use.

[Kit Dillon]

Yeah. So for that you're looking definitely at like luggage sets. If you buy checked luggage and your carry on luggage separately, like from two different brands, you're not always guaranteed that they'll nest within each other. And part of the sort of the manufacturing aspect of this is that brands build their bags to nest within one another. It's largely for shipping, I've been told. So as they produce these things, they've got their very small carry on. It fits into the next size and next size, next size. There's a Russian dolls, it's way up and then they can ship them all over together. And that is true also in your closet. So if you buy a checked luggage and a carry on from the same brand at the same time, they will nest together and sit very nicely stored away.

[Rosie Guerin]

What are a couple of brands you might recommend?

[Kit Dillon]

Yeah, so again, it's TravelPro. I mean, they keep coming to the top of our list. Travelpro Platinum Elite and or Briggs and Riley Baseline. But it's expensive. Briggs and Riley is expensive. It also though Briggs and Riley feels like a magic trick. I don't think we mentioned this, but they have this compression system that when in use, it doesn't feel real to me whenever it happens, but the entire bag itself essentially compresses around your stuff and ratchets down onto it. It just means you can carry that much more. It feels more secure. An incredible piece of luggage.

[Rosie Guerin]

That actually could be a really good option for me because I am often sharing a suitcase with one or both of my children. So having that extra compression space does sound like a nice luxury.

[Kit Dillon]

It's really nice. And then when you're traveling with it, when you expand it, you can also kind of live out of the bag more easily. It gives you more space to kind of throw things in and pull things out of.

[Rosie Guerin]

Music to my ears, living out of a bag. Throw things in, throw them out.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

So, Kit, I have a similar issue to Rosie. I travel with my family. I've got a family of four. My kids are older. We have absolutely no storage for luggage. We usually travel with a duffel bag, an Eagle Creek duffel bag on wheels. We're about to take a trip to Japan and I'm wondering if it's going to be a total pain in the rear to have a duffel bag. Do you think I'm making a mistake by taking a duffel bag?

[Kit Dillon]

You know, if you don't mind it. I don't personally love them myself. I just find duffels really difficult to. You just end up lugging them around even on wheels, and they try and make Them now into these sort of hybrids. So they're a little better. They only come on two wheels, and all your stuff is just sort of jammed into this cavity. But, you know, they are really great for storage. And, you know, my personal. I mean, Eagle Creek is getting a lot better. Their warranties are quite good. Now, Patagonia has historically had an incredible warranty that's sort of an industry standard. So I like the Patagonia black hole duffels a lot, and they both have really good return repair policy. So.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

All right, I might. I might risk it because it sounds like buying new luggage is going to be the same amount of money as my trip to Japan. So.

[Rosie Guerin]

Kit before we go. I'd be remiss if I didn't ask the travel pro, what is your best advice for packing efficiently?

[Kit Dillon]

The only true hack I've ever come across are packing cubes.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

For people who aren't familiar with these. What do they look like?

[Kit Dillon]

So they come in various sizes. They're about, you know, the largest ones are about, I don't know, the size of a laptop. That's about 4 inches deep, say, and they're a zippered lid. And you put your stuff in it, and then you close this cube, and now all your socks and T shirts are in a little packing cube. And then that cube goes into your larger cube, the luggage, and you sort of stack these things like Tetris inside there. And it just makes packing so much easier. It makes unpacking easier. If there is a joy of traveling, it's when you've actually gotten to your destination and you get to unpack. And a packing cube lets you do that very easily. The first time I ever unpacked into a hotel provided drawers was because I had packing cubes. I would never do that if I had to unload my entire bit of luggage.

[Rosie Guerin]

That's extraordinary. I've never done that.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah, a cool parenting hack, too. I took my daughter for the first time for sleepaway camp this summer, and we had packing cubes. And she was the only one in her cabin that had organized clothing because she could just stack her packing cubes on her shelf, and everybody else's clothes were just like, you know, an explosion.

[Rosie Guerin]

Do packing cubes enable you to actually pack more, or is it really an organizational tool they claim to help you.

[Kit Dillon]

Pack a little bit more? We might be talking about an extra pair of socks or another two T shirts here. It's largely about organization. And my fundamental belief around my increasing anxieties around these things around travel is that it's organization that sort of alleviates some of that stress. And that's really what I think the fantasy of all of this is, is that you will just be able to leave your home blissed out and arrive sort of blissed out knowing where everything is, and you're not going to lose your passport halfway there, and something's not going to break. And packing cubes are sort of one of those incredible pieces of gear that actually do somewhat alleviate the panic around all this, at least for me.

[Rosie Guerin]

And frankly, if it enables you to pack one more pair of underpants, that can be a game changer on a trip.

[Kit Dillon]

Yeah, yeah. Truly.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Well, Kit, I'm going to throw you one more bonus question. What would you recommend for the chronic overpacker therapy?

[Kit Dillon]

Oh, yeah, yeah. I mean, it's. Gosh, that one's a hard one. My wife does seem to have. She's very relaxed while traveling. She seems to panic beforehand. So I'm fine when I'm packing because I feel like this is great. I'm. You know, I'm doing it, and then when I get to the airport, I'm a mess. And she's the exact opposite, which I guess is balanced. Right. It's pretty good. And she tends to massively overpack in the beginning and then sort of falls into a moment of despair where she feels like she's not going to get everything into the bag that she needs. So to answer your question, I think the best strategy is honestly is to pull out everything you think you need and then immediately just pull away. 30%. Don't even try and put it into a suitcase because you'll just make yourself crazy. Just immediately try and get rid of a third of what you think you need. And I'm. I think everyone does it. I don't know. Overpacking is such a tricky thing to break.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah. I feel like I need, like, five times more underwear than I would ever wear for some reason.

[Rosie Guerin]

Never know.

[Kit Dillon]

I do the same thing. You know, I'll be there. It's like, oh, what we're going to wear for four days. So I'm like, okay, well, I need eight T shirts. I need three jeans, you know, and you're like, what am I talking? You know, like, it's like, well, if I work out on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, which obviously I'm gonna do, right? I need workout shirts plus. I need workout underwear plus. Yeah. You start to sort of create this fantasy of your. It's like, why, when you travel with four novels in your backpack for some reason, and you're like, well, this is 30 pounds I needed to carry around with myself.

[Rosie Guerin]

It's true. When I'm on vacation, my ideal self is so incredibly well read. I'm exercised, I have clean underpants. Like, I'm just the ideal. The David version of Rosie.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Okay, kit, before we wrap, we usually ask all of our guests one final question. What's the last thing you bought that you really loved?

[Kit Dillon]

Okay, so you know I surf and as waves get bigger, you need a progressively larger board. In the surfing world, these are called guns and they're over nine feet long and they're made for riding bigger waves. I am not claiming to ride very big waves at all. But for some surfers, I'm riding relatively larger waves. But I treated myself to a hand shaped board from a famous surfboard shaper out here on the North Shore named Pat Rossen. And it is. Can I curse on this thing?

[Kyra Blackwell]

We're going to bleep it out.

[Kit Dillon]

Okay. Well, it's sick. It's such, it's so much fun. I feel like a child when I'm on it. And that's riding very feeble waves compared to how big this thing probably could go and what very good surfers can actually push it into. But for me, I feel fantastic. So that's been a real love of mine.

[Kyra Blackwell]

That is awesome.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Jealous.

[Rosie Guerin]

Our listeners can't see this, but your face is just joy. Pure joy and delight. I love it.

[Kit Dillon]

It's pretty fun.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Christine, do you feel ready for your trip?

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I absolutely do not feel ready for my trip, but I think that I am clear on what I'm gonna use for my luggage.

[Kyra Blackwell]

What are you doing? I, I'm like, not actually excited to hear this.

[Rosie Guerin]

She's gonna duct tape the holes on her duffel.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

To really commit and buy luggage right now, I would absolutely want to get soft sided. Briggs and Riley suitcases. I think I know the thing that I should buy. I am not gonna Annie up right now for that because I just bought tickets to Japan, taking four other people to Japan. So I, I will be sticking with my duffel, but I feel like, you know, I'm not gonna carry it. I'm gonna make my husband carry it. But at some point I want to get a Briggs and Riley because it sounds like a pretty awesome bag.

[Rosie Guerin]

It is aspirational. Yeah. My aspirational desire is a trunk for all of my transcontinental travel.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah.

[Kyra Blackwell]

And a person to carry said trunk.

[Rosie Guerin]

I know I do have to get somebody.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah.

[Rosie Guerin]

Well, I'll circle back. My real takeaway is that you know, if I'm in the market for another suitcase, hard sided or soft sided, probably it's gonna be over $200. I mean, that's kind of where the baseline is and that's kind of good to know, especially if you are going to go into a Target or a Marshalls or a TJ Maxx. It's like the quality is commensurate with the price.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah, I think that's fair. I think when I'm finally ready to be an adult and buy my own bag and return my mom's, I'm definitely gonna look for a bag that is over $200 but has a warranty. Again, the Briggs and Riley, so aspirational, would love that. I'm not paying $800 for luggage right now. Maybe I'll go dumpster diving for one. But for right now, I think I'm going to just look for a bag with a good warranty in case it breaks.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

The warranty is king.

[Rosie Guerin]

Well, if you want to find out more about Kit's travel gear reporting or Wirecutters coverage in general, or if you want to check out any of the products like the Briggs and Reilly bag, go to nytimes.com wirecutter or you can find a link, as ever, in the show notes, my friends. See you next week.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Here's what's coming up. Next week on the Wirecutter show, you can go online and different sex toy retailers will have like sample packs with a bunch of different lubes in them.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I like that. It's like when you go to a bar and they're like, do you want to buy a flight? And it's just a.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Exactly. A lube flight. Make sure you're following the show on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss it. The Wirecutter show is executive produced by Rosie Guerin and produced by Abigail Kieran Keel. Editing by Abigail Keel. Engineering support from Mattie Mazziello and Nick Pittman. Today's episode was mixed by Kathryn Anderson. Original music by Dan Powell, Marian Lozano, Alicia Ba itup and Diane Wong. Wirecutter's deputy publisher and interim general manager is Cliff Levy. Ben Fruman is Wirecutter's editor in chief. I'm Christine Cyrclassette.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I'm Kyra Blackwell.

[Rosie Guerin]

And I'm Rosie Guerin.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Thanks for listening. Do people use that term anymore? Is it a suitcase?

[Rosie Guerin]

What are you, some kind of mid.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Level business wearing pleated khaki pants right now?

[Christine Cyrclassette]

No one can see me. So yes.