Top 3 Travel Luggage for family travel
What are the best luggage brands and best backpacks for family travel? There is no perfect backpack or travel brand for families, but the most recommended luggage brands do a pretty good job. In this post I’ll tell you about some of the best backpacks for family travel and the most recommended luggage brands mentioned by guests on my family travel podcast.
When traveling with children — especially long term travel — the backpacks and luggage you carry can make a huge difference in your trip. Sure, any old bag will do, and we’ve bought a cheap suitcase here and there over the years. We still use one of them. The other one broke a wheel within months.
There’s something about reliable, well-designed luggage. It ends up staying with you for a long time. It all comes down to efficiency:
- How well does everything fit inside?
- How easy can you access everything?
- How comfortable it is to carry or roll?
- How strong is the stitching?
All of these are important questions to consider.
Best luggage & backpacks for family travel
On the Epic Education Radio podcast, I talk to families who travel or move abroad with kids. At the time of writing (July 2016), I have over 70 episodes recorded. After three years on the road, I’ve met and talked with hundreds of other traveling families. As a result, I’ve begun to notice a few patterns regarding travel luggage, carry on luggage and the best backpacks for kids and their parents.
That’s what this post is about: the best backpacks, suitcases and other family luggage for long-term travel.
Below I’ve listed up the top three brands mentioned on the podcast and in conversations I’ve had with other family travelers. In addition, you’ll find a few runners-up listed as well. There are so many great luggage brands making good travel gear, it would be tough to list them all here. In this post, I’ll focus on trends I’m seeing in family travel luggage.
#1: Pacsafe
One of the most commonly recommended luggage brands is Pacsafe. Jack and Aye talked about their portable safes. The Guilleminot family and Jason Marshall mentioned using their backpacks. Karen King told me that she carried a Pacsafe bag, and Andrew Davis described three Pacsafe products that they’ve used. He even described how they chained one of them in their hotel room’s bathroom in a dodgy situation. They were going out, and the toilet was the only secure structure.
Specific recommended items:
#2: eBags
The second-most recommended luggage brand for family travel is eBags. The Spaccareilli family praised their packing cubes, as did Bliss Broyard, Tom Fassbender and Krystal Loverin. Loverin also uses the CalPak Champ 21″ Rolling Duffel. Digital nomad family, the Luxpats, mentioned their Motherlode Weekender and TLS Professional packs.
Specific recommended items:
#3: Osprey
What is the most recommended travel luggage mentioned on the podcast? That title goes to Osprey. The Watanabe-Swagemakers mentioned their rolling backpacks way back in the second episode, and I’ve been hearing about these carry on backpacks ever since — both on and off the air. I haven’t used one, but I’ve met so many people who do.
The Clarks have them, and so do the Spaccarellis. The Johnson family mentioned the Osprey Sojourn and Osprey Farpoint rolling backpacks by name, and Bliss Broyard used the same rolling backpacks, but admitted to only using them as an actual backpack twice.
Karen King and Krystal Loverin talked about using two of Osprey’s Talon models, saying that the 22-liter version is “probably too small” for more than a weekend getaway. Darcy Tuscano mentioned using a 55-liter Osprey model for her family of four.
Specific recommended items:
Honorable mentions
There are a number of honorable mentions, of which I’ll cite a few.
- The Eagle Creek company was mentioned several times, most commonly for their packing cubes and compression bags.
- Patagonia is used and loved by many in the travel community (including yours truly), and their travel clothing and travel gear are utilized by discerning travelers everywhere. Tom Fassbender talked about their Black Hole line of duffel bags.
- Another honorable mention is Tortuga backpacks. Designed for travel and city life more than the great outdoors, I’ve admired their design for quite a while. Jennifer Miller from episode #60 is a fan — and advocate — of them, and I can see why.
My final honorable mention for best luggage brands for family travel is Trunki. These rolling, ride-on suitcases for kids are fun. They’re also durable and ideal for children who are old enough to handle some of the responsibility for their stuff, but young enough that they still can’t carry heavy bags and often need to stop to rest or play.
Enter the Trunki! It can be pulled like a wagon, and the top doubles as a seat, so kids can sit and be rolled down the concourse when they need a break. Sharon Gourlay uses them, as do Rob and Chris Taylor. Whenever I see them in their airport, I wish that I had known about them when my kids were younger.
Conclusion
What are your recommendations for the best backpacks and the best luggage brands for family travel? I’d like to hear about what works for your family. Tell us what you use in the comments below. Has has your packing style changed as the kids get older?
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means, at no extra cost to you, we might receive a small commission if you make a purchase or book using those links. My opinions are my own and I only recommend places/services that I believe will genuinely help your travel.
Top 3 Travel Luggage Family Travelers Use was last modified: September 14th, 2016 by Jason Jenkins
Originally published at www.anepiceducation.com on July 28, 2016.
