Dana Kessler

Family Travel Editor · The Travel Gear Guide

What Dana covers

• kids
• sets
• checked

8 pieces on The Travel Gear Guide

• Level8 vs Rimowa Checked: A Once-and-Done Pick for Rare Flyers 2026-07-15
  The Level8 Checked Trunk 28" is the better pick for families who fly a couple of times a year, costing around $230 versus the Rimowa Essential Check-In Large's roughly $1,050, with interior compression straps and a mesh divider suited to how most families actually pack. Its recurring flaw is the zipper pull, which some owners report snapping after light use.
• Level8 vs Pelican: Checked: Picks That Actually Hold Up 2026-07-07
  Level8 wins for most families, thanks to its front-opening pocket, compression straps, and wide-grip handle that make packing kids' clothes far easier than Pelican's single deep tub. The catch is durability: several owners report the zipper pull ring bending or snapping off. Families flying international routes with rough connections should pay the premium for Pelican's latch system instead.
• Tight Connection Strategy: A Business Traveler's Guide to Saving Time, Not Money 2026-07-05
  For connections under 40 minutes, a backpack beats any wheeled carry-on because there's no bin lift and no steering through crowds, so you can run in a straight line. Above an hour, a wheeled bag wins since your shoulders benefit once a five-day trip hits its midpoint. Checking luggage is never wise when the layover is genuinely tight.
• Best Luggage Gifts for People Who Fly Every Week 2026-06-21
  The Briggs & Riley Baseline is the best luggage gift for someone who flies every week, thanks to its repair-for-life warranty and hardware built to last a decade of use, though at around $449 it's a real splurge, not a stocking-stuffer bag. For a lighter-weight pick under $150, the Travelpro Maxlite 5 Carry-On 21", under 5 pounds empty, suits a frequent flyer with a bad shoulder instead.
• Level8 vs Tumi: The Price Gap Question 2026-06-18
  The Level8 Grace Carry-On wins on price and packing for most families, running about $150 against the Tumi Alpha 3's roughly $525 while offering an expandable shell and more compartments. Its zippers are the recurring weak point, showing up as the most repeated complaint in reviews. Choose the Tumi instead if you check bags internationally often and want its five-year warranty and repair network.
• Hauling Winter Gear for the First Time? Avoid These Rookie Mistakes 2026-06-02
  Choose an expandable, hardshell trunk with a bottom boot compartment over any bag that merely looks rugged, since zipper pulls are the most common failure point and often snap off within the first year, sometimes after just a couple of outings. The shell can stay intact while that plastic tab fails, so test the zipper pull with cold, gloved hands before buying, and skip anything with a gritty-feeling track.
• Best Luggage For Frequent Flyers: Picks That Actually Hold Up 2026-05-17
  The Travelpro Platinum Elite Carry-On 21" is the best pick for frequent flyers, since pilots and flight attendants buy it themselves and its handle and shell survive years of weekly abuse rather than months. It costs around $300, more than double the Level8 Grace Carry-On, which works instead for budget-minded, mostly domestic flyers willing to risk its zipper tab breaking early.
• Level8 vs American Tourister Checked: A First-Time Buyer's Guide 2026-05-17
  The Level8 Checked Trunk 28" wins for families flying five or six times a year, thanks to its compression panel, mesh divider, and steadier eight-wheel setup on rough terminal floors. Its zippers are the flaw to watch, with reports of bent rings and snapped pull tabs. First-time buyers flying only occasionally should get the lighter, cheaper American Tourister Cascade Hardside 28" instead.

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• We buy every bag we write about with our own money. We do not accept review samples, loaners, gifted product or paid placement, and we keep the receipts.
• Use periods and trip counts are real. If a review says a bag went through nine flights and a season of airport tile, that is what happened.

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