A great carry on piece glides along with you and offers some good organization. Eagle Creek is famous for their organizational offerings and while they do offer travel cubes, their luggage has some built in features that are a huge help. The Adventure Upright is easy to maneuver, comfortable to grip and features several compartments to help you organize like the two pouches on the inside of the lid great for socks and undergarments, and behind those is a large sort of secret compartment (not evident at first glance). Compression straps are there to cinch everything down tight and maximize space. There's a big pouch on the outside that fits a laptop or iPad--though I would put it in a padded sleeve first--it's right there within easy reach to take out for security.
Another awesome feature is the piggyback clip. This lets you attach your purse, backpack, or other piece to the wheelie for ease of transport and to free up your hands. Even my straw beach bag clips right on perfectly and it's just really nice to have this extra capability. Zippers are lockable and have reflective material on the pulls. There are grab handles all over this bag that help you during transport in and out of overheads, taxis, and whatnot. An attached luggage tag ensures your name stays with the bag, though I still recommend attaching one of those airline tags you can pick up for free the counter as well. The wheels are beefy and capable of going over rough terrain. If you've ever had a wheel go out on you while trekking through cobblestone streets on your way to the train, you'll know how important this is. This bag is not just for home to airport to hotel, it will go wherever you need it to go.
My favorite thing about this bag is its ability to expand. I love this feature and always use it at the end of a trip. Even if you don't buy stuff on your travels, this affords you the luxury of just tossing everything in a rush if need be--stuff never goes back in as neatly as when you first pack it, at least not for me. There's a zipper that when unzipped allows you 15% more packing space, all bags should have this ability and after getting used to this, I really wouldn't want to travel with one that didn't.
Eagle Creek backs up their product 100%. If anything ever goes wrong with your luggage, no matter where you are, they will fix it or replace it. This is awesome and makes their products an investment. You can pick up cheap bags but they don't last and they tend to fail you at really inconvenient moments. The Adventure Upright is a quality bag that is perfect for holiday travel and way beyond. It comes in black, sienna, and olive. Find it HERE.
