Carry-On Luggage for Kids

L.L.Bean has the cutest duffel bags! All my kids have their own color and they are all personalized. They come in many different colors and sizes! It is one of my favorite things when we travel, to see all of our luggage come out of the shoot...all 7 of our bags, all different colors but still the same style! My oldest boys have had theirs for going on 12 years and they are still in fabulous shape!

~They do have backpacks too, but we each have 2 different sized duffel bags, one size for checked baggage one size for carry-on!

I have had good luck with Samsonite, but I don't what kind of kids colors they might have. I stick with basic black or red and I have no idea if they can be personalized. I would suggest getting a hard case over a soft case, simply because they tend to last longer. Also, if you are looking for something with wheels, I would suggest getting the inline wheels, rather than the ones that stick out of the bottom. That way just in case the bag ever has to be checked, you won't have to worry about the case getting ripped or the wheels getting torn off. Hope you get some good ideas!

Land's End has come cute luggage...
That said... I am not normally a real "worry wart" type of mom. I intend for my son to walk to school when he is old enough to go to our neighborhood school, I let him walk down the block to the neighbors "alone" (I stay on the front porch and shout to the other mom to make sure he gets inside) etc... However, I would caution against luggage (especially carryons) that have her first name on them. If you want to personalize go with a monogram.

It it far too easy to get separated in the airport and anybody can just say "Hey Suzy, your mom asked me to come get you, she's waiting for you right over there, I'll walk you there so you don't get lost." She'll trust that they're telling the truth because they new her name, when really they just read her backpack.

Just food for thought.

T.

if you're only using it for carry on, then you will be wasting a lot of money going the Pottery Barn, Lands End, LL Bean route.

I bought a used Scooby Doo suitcase for my son 3 years ago at a consignment sale for about $3. He not only uses it 2-3 times a year to fly, he also uses it in his pretend play around the house. still in great shape.

it's just a carry on and it's just a kiddo. save yourself some money and hit up Wal-Mart or Target.

and Definitely Do Not personalize it.

You could try L.L.Bean.

I think you must have seen MY daughter with HER navy bag with butterflies! Actually, it could have been any girl, Walmart sells those, so there are probably tens of thousands of them flying around the country. Gotta tell you, it's a piece of junk. They also have a pink and orange Hawaiian themed one. Again, pure junk. The bag comes in a set with a small, roll-on suitcase, the bag you probably saw and I think another "makeup bag" type piece. If you plan on doing a lot of traveling and want it to last several years, I would highly recommend avoiding the girly Walmart carry-on sets. I don't know yet where I'll get their next carry-on, but it will probably be soon since these Walmart ones won't last the summer...

And like Thea said, you can't go wrong with Land's End quality, but do avoid the whole name monogram thing, stick with initials. Have fun bag shopping!

Lands End, LLBean...
Don't personalize anything with her first name... that makes her a target for not so nice people. If you do that, you've given them her name. If someone calls her by name, she'll think that she knows them.

I used a rolling backpack for my daughter's carry-on when we traveled. Now she just uses her school bag. We also only travel light - we use wheeled carry-on luggage and never check our luggage in. Saves time and heartache - we've lost more luggage to the airlines than I care to mention.

YMMV
LBC