Best Carry-On Finalists :: Third Annual Carry Awards

Thanks to the budget air travel boom, airfares have been shrinking, and more crew are choosing to hit the skies on the big metal birds. But there’s a catch: baggage restrictions are bubbling up too. And it’s getting crazy hard to nail rad carry-on, but the below have done just that with class and flair.

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Rimowa Bolero

Lightweight, super strong, and stylish plus the front pocket to easily store and grab items on the go make this the perfect travel companion. This is a versatile piece for pleasure or business from one of the top luggage brands out there.

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Outlier Ultrahigh Duffle

A lightweight but hardwearing piece of carry that can shrink or grow with your needs and can be compressed for carrying in check-in luggage, ready to serve as an additional bag if required.

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Tom Bihn Aeronaut 30

One of Bihn’s most quintessential designs, bombproof materials, killer construction, and now scaled down to a more manageable size. Long story short: worth every penny.

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Modern Industry Passenger

This isn’t your mom’s rolltop duffle; with Raptor buckles, crazy stow capacity and waxed canvas durability. And for the level of hardware and materials, it’s surprisingly affordable. We’re digging.

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Tortuga Air

Maximising your carry-on feels really clever, until you realise how much harder it is to get into and out of overhead bins, and how tiring it gets to carry it. Then you realise you can get away with less gear, and all your logistics just get easier. That’s the Air – a slimmed down version of the original Tortuga, with more elegant patterning and more modest capacity. We like it more.

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JBird Collective Comrade Duffel

In backpack formats, roll-tops and fold-tops are now maturing into their teenage years. But in weekenders and duffels, they’re really just getting started. As brands try to adapt these folding approaches to longer openings, most are failing pretty badly, with awkward access, blow-opens, and excess fabric all too common. The new JBird feels good though, with some ability to expand, reasonably easy access, modularity and a resolved aesthetic. We’re digging.

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Bagagiste 24 Hr

It’s funny how compelling novel constructions can be. Bagagiste do for handles what Boreas do for daisy chains, hiding them beneath kissing zip style flaps, and it totally works. Combine the separated pocket flaps, and you get a quietly fantastic look that doesn’t turn heads until after they’ve already passed. It then helps that the rest of the bag has been put together with care and great fabrics.

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Alchemy Equipment AEL008 Carry On

With its 45 litre capacity, multiple sections and carry options, and really well balanced silhouette, the Alchemy Equipment Carry On is both handsome and versatile. A handy piece of kit for those urban adventures or venturing into wilder territory when the mood strikes.

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The Transience Meridian Gym bag

These remarkable carry forms are the work of British designer Sarah Clarkson, who lives and works on the collection in New York City with a team of local leather seamstresses. While still a new brand, we’re loving the modernist vibe and functional surprises. This brand is rad.

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Lexdray Beijing Duffel

The Beijing duffel is truly a product for our generation, with as much storage assigned to sneakers as to clothes. This is a weekender for the OCD in you, with more sections and organizing than most work bags manage. But it stays streamlined, balanced and interesting, without falling into the visual clutter that most highly sectioned bags do. Good stuff, Lexdray.

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Pacsafe Intasafe Z600

While the 80’s computer naming conventions may confuse, the product is wonderfully intuitive. You get a large main cavity, well-sized external pockets, and just enough security features that you won’t be paranoid about it. The coated poly canvas is a hero of this range, achieving a casual charm without the weight or weather penalty.

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Tumi Bashford Leather Duffel

When a weekender is nailed, you find it teasing you to buy a curvaceous vintage open-top and escape down the coast. Tumi have nailed the Bashford as a well-sized open cavity bag to fill with adventure plans and strong memories.

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VOTE NOW!

*Voting closes 22nd Feb.