New Bags Have Style and Street Smarts

Innovative and stylish bags and sacks help transport and organize gear while traveling. (These items may be available in stores. Prices do not include shipping.)

Manic Compression: Think of Eagle Creek’s Pack-It Compressor bag as “Honey, I Shrank the Clothes” but only while they’re packed. The Compressor is a clear plastic storage sack with an airtight zip-lock-type closure on one end and a row of one-way valves on the other. Stuff laundry, down jackets, sweaters, shirts or other clothing into the sack, zip it shut, then slowly roll up the bag, forcing excess air out the one-way valves. When you unroll the bag, the compressed “shrink-wrapped” packet will take up much less room in your luggage--the amount depends on how big an air hog the article of clothing is. (A down jacket will compress more than a light shirt, for example.) One drawback is that easily wrinkled items may crease during compression, but I found a quick steaming in the bathroom usually solves the problem. A set of two includes one 24 1/2-by-15 1/2-inch bag and one 28 1/2-by-17 1/2-inch bag.

Eagle Creek Compressor sets are about $20 at stores. For information, contact the manufacturer; telephone (800) 874-9925, Internet https://www.eaglecreek.com.

Lavish with leather: For total indulgence in a big, beautiful carry-on bag, consider splurging on Coach’s butter-soft zippered leather cabin bag. The bag, measuring 25 by 13 by 10 1/2 inches and fully lined, has rolled leather handles with a snap handle wrap, a detachable padded leather shoulder strap and snazzy brass hardware. It has one outer pouch, one inner pouch and two zippered inner compartments. The leather has been treated for water resistance. The bag is available in black, British tan, mahogany and silver/black.

Coach Large Leather Cabin Bag (style 503) is $648 at luggage stores and from the Coach Catalog; tel. (888) 262-6224, https://www.coach.com.

Tough duffel: A duffel bag is the ideal choice when you want lightweight luggage that can be shoved into odd-shaped spaces and folded flat when empty. The Jeep Cargo Bag is among the most rugged of the bunch. Made of heavy-duty rip-stop polyester with a water-resistant backing and PVC coating, the bag has a corrugated vinyl bottom for extra strength, a large 22-inch-by-11-inch-by-10-inch interior compartment with horseshoe-shaped zippered top, and four exterior zippered pockets. The duffel has nylon web carry straps, a detachable shoulder strap and two compression straps with quick-release buckles for reinforcement.

Jeep 22-inch Cargo Bag is $60 at stores. For information, call Dynamic International; tel. (888) 533-2900, https://www.travel2000.com (click on the Jeep logo).

Pop-off toiletries: Let’s say you fill your toiletry bag with hair care products, makeup and/or shaving gear and medical supplies. What do you do with the stuff when you reach your destination? If you have the Personal Attitude Vanity Clutch, you can pop off each of the five zippered plastic/vinyl compartments, attached with Velcro to a nylon micro-fiber backing, and store them wherever they will be handiest. Or leave them attached to the backing and hang the bag by the built-in metal hook. When folded, the kit measures 15 by 10 by 3 inches and seals with Velcro.

Personal Attitude Vanity Clutch (No. 4480) is $45. To order, contact the manufacturer; tel. (888) 806-4100, https://www.personalattitude.com.

Stuff and go: You could use plastic bags to organize items in your luggage. A classier solution is Eagle Creek’s Stuffer Set, three featherweight sacks in different sizes with drawstring closures. The set includes three polyester mesh bags: one 20 by 15 inches (good for laundry), one 10 by 5 1/2 inches (nice for smaller gear) and one 16-inch by 11-inch nylon bag (big enough for a pair of shoes).

Eagle Creek Stuffer Set is about $20 in stores. For information, contact the manufacturer: tel. (800) 874-9925, https://www.eaglecreek.com.

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