Editor’s note: Our Buy section is devoted to giving you trusted recommendations for useful and delightful things. This community-sourced list—which we publish once a month—is designed to save you from untrustworthy online reviews and glorified Insta ads. You can rely instead on the collective wisdom of our wise and experienced subscribers :) This month’s theme: carry-on luggage.
Wanted: The best carry-on luggage
Mad about Mokobara
Our readers are definitely big fans of Mokobara. Sourabh likes The Backpack because it is super light, comfortable, and very well designed (Price: Rs 8,999, on sale Rs 4,499). Santhosh finds that the “spacious and compact” Cabin Duffle (Price: Rs 9,999, on sale Rs 5,999) with a useful suitcase handle is great for long trips. Ajit swears by the Transit backpack (Price: Rs 9,999, on sale Rs 5,999) as it is “well finished, loads of space for its footprint, and very light”. Below is the Mokobara Cabin Duffle.
The practical picks
Amazon Basics Cabin Bag: Pooja appreciates this bag for its practicality and price: “The wheels are sturdy, the bag has an additional zip to increase space, the quality is good and for the price point of other cabin suitcases, this one’s a steal. Oh, and it looks good!” (Price: Rs 6,495, on sale Rs 2,369)
The Mom Store Laptop Bag: Sweta thinks this is the perfect bag for working moms travelling with kids. “Not only does my carry-on bag need to be compact—but it also needs to have a lot of organization capacity (for stuff as diverse as medicines, baby food, chargers, work documents, spare change of clothes, diapering essentials, ID proofs and so on). This bag looks stylish, has a lot of thoughtfully designed pouches and is perfect for my needs.” (Price: Rs 5,999, on sale Rs 4,499)
Muji Hard Carry Suitcase: Malaveeka gave us a handful of reasons why she loves this suitcase. Some things that really stood out to her are that it is compact, hardy, and spacious, has well-made wheels with a lock that stops the suitcase from rolling, and has a distinctive champagne/beige colour option that makes it easy to spot on crowded luggage carousels. (Price: Rs 11,990)
Need more options? Here are some additional picks:
Anello Cross Bottle Backpack: Shweta recommended this backpack because: “It looks great, is super light & sturdy, and I can pack a whole weekend trip’s worth of stuff in there! Tried and tested!” (Price: $104 / ~Rs 8600)
Victorinox Altmont Active Everyday Backpack: Sri suggested this because, “It holds a LOT of things—my laptop, Kindle, iPad, ALL chargers (phone, laptop, iPad, Kindle), medicines, water bottle, etc. It has a laptop compartment at the back with a separate zip (easy to remove just the electronic items during scanning)”. (Price: Rs 7,180, on sale Rs 5,026)
For a touch more luxury
Beis Weekender Convertible: Another recommendation from Pooja. She likes it because “the Beis Weekender is the perfect overnight weekend trip bag. The compartments in this bag are amazing, everything has a designated space. There is even an extra compartment to put in shoes and toiletries which is detachable. It does get heavy on the shoulder but it has a compartment to put it on your trolley bag.” (Price $98 / Rs 8,200)
Lipault soft stroller: Udaya suggests this brand because “its soft shell allows one squashy big pocket too for last minute stuffing while in transit. Great for travellers like me who pack old fashioned papers and files along with my laptop.” (Price: €225, rounds up to Rs 20,000).
Need more options? Here are some additional picks:
Scarters Terminal Backpack: Navin likes it for its “great looks, material, and finish. It is also easy on the back and can fit a lot of things inside given the great amount of space it has.” (Price: Rs 14,599, on sale Rs 12,299)
Samsonite Evoa Rolling Tote Bag: Sandeep likes this tote bag because, “It is compact but really sturdy. It works beautifully—I have never had the handles getting stuck or the wheels not working well. I like the nice combination lock with an anti-theft zipper that ensures that the bag is generally secure.” (Price: Rs 19,000)
Note: We do NOT receive any revenue from the brands recommended.
