Travel Smarter With These Two Good-Looking Bags

Elevating your summer tours.

July 7, 2016 9:00 am

Used to be you could wrap duct tape around a plastic bag full of your stuff after three months living on the beach in Thailand. Ship it home. Start fresh.

But backpackers eventually grow into adults. And adults need travel bags that don’t come with plastic ties.

Today we have two of the smartest, most stylish carry-on bags you’ve ever seen.

Both designed in S.F., and both now available for preorder.

First, the Aer.

It maxes out your carry-on space while offering a clamshell opening — not a top-loader — which means on-the-fly reorganizing is a snap. Just tighten the side compression straps if you don’t need to fill the full 33-liter space.

Plus: a ventilated shoe compartment and enough pockets to satisfy even the most compartmentally obsessed packer, including a suspended zone for your 15-inch laptop that’ll ensure a random thwack won’t damage your gear.

While you’re at it, pick up the dopp kit, which we’d get just for the satisfaction of its external toothbrush holder.

Need something heavier duty? In that case, we recommend Bluesmart’s new Black Edition, which is so good looking it’ll be sold at MoMA shops. Preorder now for imminent (“July 2016”) delivery.  

Otherwise, get a move on: the Aer’s Kickstarter concludes Friday.

Either way, your luggage will look first class. Even if you’re sticking it out in coach.

Hey, some backpacker habits die hard.

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