We just got back from an incredible trip to southern France with my extended family. I don't have to say this, but I will - Traveling with little kids is wondrous...and stressful! One of the toughest parts, especially when your kids are small enough that they aren't yet carrying their own bags, is all of the crap, er, I mean stuff you have to pack. I WISH I could go back to my days of carry-on only, but alas, the stuff you need for the plane alone - extra clothes, snacks, books, maybe a device (I highly recommend the Amazon Fire Tablet), diapers, wipes, jackets, maybe a favorite stuffed animal - makes that feel impossible. Add to that a stroller and/or carrier and/or car seat for moving around the airport and keeping very little ones snug on the flight, and the baggage you have to schlep into and out of the airport, and it's, well, a lot. And I don't have, you know, extra hands.
With the recent travel woes befalling jet setters everywhere, including lost luggage and long delays or layovers in unexpected places, I was looking for a travel "system" that wouldn't drive me crazy if we had to get creative, and that allowed me to travel solo with two kids in the future (Derek was on this trip, but he isn't always since he works in a school while I work from home). For the plane, I wanted a small backpack to put under the seat with essentials close at hand, and also a small duffel for the extra clothes, diapers, etc that I would stow above. I planned on carrying on enough clothing and diapers for 3 days in case we lost our luggage and were holed up in an airport hotel somewhere without a grocery store nearby. We were also bringing on a car seat for Autumn, and planned to pull it behind us with this GENIUS travel tool that can double as another "stroller". Derek had his own carry-on backpack and we also had a lightweight stroller. Basically, I didn't have much flexibility for carrying my baggage into the airport or out of baggage claim. So how to free up my hands??
I only wanted to check one bag. This was really important to me. I am not a roller-bag girl. At least, not with two kids. I've always been a backpack-as-luggage person. My Gregory Deva 60 was my go-to for many trips at home and abroad. I even used this when it was just Isaac and me a couple of times. I've also used the Ebags Mother Lode - very functional, but not super comfortable. And the main issue with either of these options? This time I was bringing a carry-on backpack, rather than a purse, so I couldn't use them even I wanted to. I had to think of something else...or did I??
Enter the REI Co-op Ruckpack 60+ Recycled Travel Pack. This backpack is a GAME CHANGER. Why? Because it's TWO BAGS IN ONE - a carry-on backpack that attaches neatly to the outside of the bigger pack. So...you go up to the check-in counter at the airport wearing both on your back, then unclip the carry-on bag and check the bigger one. So far no hands needed!! The pack has an internal frame (like a backpacking pack), wide, padded straps, and a hip and chest belt...all this means that it is WAY more comfortable to carry than some of the other travel backpacks out there. The straps get zipped away behind a (stow-able) cover so that nothing is hanging loose, just ready to get caught and ripped away on one of those conveyor belts. The pack itself is a good size. Using packing cubes (some compression, some not) I was able to fit clothes and shoes for myself and two kids for two weeks in Europe in the summer (warm days, a little chilly at night, and rain in the forecast). We did do laundry there, but still, the bag was not too big that I overpacked, but certainly not so small that I felt I had to compromise on bringing some very cute dresses for Autumn.
I noticed the benefits of this pack the most when we were in lines - document check lines, security lines, taxi lines...if you've done any travel lately, especially in Europe, you know how crazy things are right now so you'll believe me when I say we waited in a line for a taxi in Frankfurt for almost 30 minutes. Being able to have at least one hand free while we waited was essential to helping with the kids - holding hands, holding a lovey, holding a cup, pulling the car seat.
FYI - Some parents put extra bags in stroller seats and car seats to relieve some of the burden of carrying them. But we predicted that our kids would be using those seats so we needed luggage we could manage all on our own. And we were right; our kids were EXHAUSTED when we landed after our 10-hour flight from Anchorage, and after about 15 minutes of walking to get out some of the pent-up energy from sitting for so long, both kids were done. So Isaac went into the stroller and Autumn into car seat, just as we predicted, meaning that neither the stroller nor the car seat could "carry" our extra bags. Derek and I had to manage everything ourselves. And honestly...it really was okay because of this REI pack. Thank you REI!
I think the one drawback is that you don't want to have too much weight in the carry-on backpack once you attach it to the bigger pack because then the weight distribution is weird, pulling you backwards sort of. My solution was to move my laptop to the bigger pack's laptop sleeve and any water bottles into its pockets once we landed. This put more of the weight closer to my body and made things easier to carry.
Miraculously, all of our luggage arrived with us and we were only delayed a total of about an hour during our whole trip. I know that we were lucky. But if we hadn't been so lucky? Well, I felt really prepared, and I could bring more than I expected on the plane to be prepared because I had the right travel backpack to make it work.
Oh and FYI, this backpack can be a carry-on, too. So I can imagine in a few years when the kids are carrying their own backpacks on the plane with extra clothes, water, snacks and activities I will get to go back to carry-on only! I'll wear both bags through the airport, and then detach the smaller backpack on the plane, put it under my seat, and put the bigger pack above. Sweet set-up, eh?
Have any of you found a luggage/carry-on system that works with little littles? Drop a note in the comments and as always feel free to ask any questions!
See you out there!
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