City-Breaks are usually weekend affairs. So you don’t need to carry much. If you are flying a low-cost airline, then one carry-on bag is all you can take anyway – and who wants to spend precious time waiting for baggage? So what is my ultimate carry-on bag for a city break?
The answer is 42.
At this point, some of you of a certain age will be thinking: “Isn’t 42 the answer to Life the Universe and Everything according to Douglas Adams in The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy?” And the answer to that question would be yes. But why?
It’s always risky making claims about what authors were thinking, but there is a theory that the geeky Adams had a reason for the number, and it’s a theory that makes as much sense as any and it appealed to the geek in me, so now I’m going to try and work into a piece about city-break bags. Stay with me. Or, if you don’t want to read the background – scroll down to my recommendation for the best bag for a city break.
If you are old enough to remember the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy books or radio play, then you might also remember that the symbol * is a wildcard. It’s purpose is to represent ‘anything you want it to be’. In ASCII – a kinds of basic digital language, the * is represented by the numbers 42. Therefore the Reddit rabbit holes on the subject argue that 42 means ‘Anything you want it to be’. There are other theories that mention that 42 is also the sum of the number of dots on a die.
So the answer to ‘what is the best carry-on bag for a city break’ is… it depends. Or, to put it another way – whatever bag you want it to be. Because every traveller is different. But that’s not a very satisfying answer if you have come here and already read 300 words and really want to know what bags work best for a city-break. So here is my favourite.
The Suit-Bag Backpack
I came across this one while curating the bags for Team Pilote and it’s the most versatile bag I have ever owned. It looks like a duffel bag, but it can be worn as a backpack, but that’s not the cool part. The bag can be unzipped and laid out flat to store a suit or formal shirt or anything else that needs to be kept flat and ironed.
There is a separate shoe compartment, which can also be used to store a laptop if you don’t need the shoe space. Pockets at each end are easily accessible – which helps to take out liquids for screening in seconds. And… it doesn’t look like it weighs a lot.
To keep within the 1 bag rule imposed by some airlines, pair with a foldable backpack (one of my most useful travel purchases ever) to use for day-trips and excursions.
This bag might not work for you if you prefer the clackety-clack of wheels on cobbles. The best carry-on bag with wheels is not for me to say. Which brings us back to 42 – the best bag depends on your style of travel and where you are going. Wheeled cases might not work everywhere!
