Rollaboard or Duffel?

I stirred up a hornet’s nest recently when I asked an innocent question: “Do you prefer rollaboard or duffel as a carry-on?
I’ve used both, and both have their pros and cons. I wrote about the duffel I use most often — the Dumpling Dynasty — though I stuff it so full that the straps dig into my shoulders, until the next trip when I take the rollaboard and hate having to occasionally gate-check it.

Here’s what others have to say:

*Ryan Carpenter of Seattle prefers a small duffel bag. “It doesn’t get me through security any faster, but the soft-sided bag makes it easy to squish into small or odd-shaped areas left over in the overhead bins on the plane,” he says. “There are times when folks with rollaboards were required to check their bags because there was no room left for them, but I was still able to squeeze my duffel bag in.”

*Robert Reid, US Travel Editor for Lonely Planet and an author of two dozen LP guides, pipes in. “There are times when you just have to admit that, actually, it’s OK to wear socks with sandals. It’s refreshing, your feet don’t get (as) dirty, and rats won’t crawl on your skin if they happen by. Roller suitcases are like that; they are a badge of stuffy dorkiness, but they work wonders if you’re moving about a bit. I’ve done a couple dozen research trips with both backpacks and roller suitcases, each trip lasting at least five weeks, most covering a lot of distance, from hotel to guesthouse from Siberia to the Nebraska Panhandle. By car, train, plane, bus. And I vote for the roller version, as unhip as it may be. A few reasons: It’s easier to move about from a parking lot to your hotel, from the ticket terminal to the train platform. And there’s easier access in traditional suitcase-style luggage than the dip-in-from-top backpack. I’ve only been one place where the roller failed me: Burma. In many towns there are no sidewalks, but bumpy roads and dirt paths. And in most cases trishaw drivers, or mototaxis, are carrying your luggage off the bus for you, whether you want them to or not.”

*Howell Gwin is a frequent flyer with 50,000 miles a year under his belt. “I used to be a ‘backpack man’ with a Kelty 3600 cubic-in pack. Backpacks, being soft sided, are easier to cram into the overhead bins, and also easier to carry. I did not wear suits to work and didn’t have a problem with my trousers being wrinkled: hang them in the shower and steam them out,” he says. “After TSA went to the Ziploc baggie plan, I switched to rollaboards. I never know when I’ll need to check or gate-check luggage, and I’m worried about straps on the backpack being destroyed. Further, the rollaboard I travel with is a lot cheaper than my Kelty, so I almost think of the rollaboard as being disposable.”

Related posts:

1. Don’t Check That Bag!
2. The Search for a New Carry-on Bag