Duffels For Travel

Why are we seeing so many duffels on wheels at airports, cruise lines, trains and bus terminals? Could it be that these handy duffels with wheels are very convenient for travel? They have certainly been improved in the last couple of years. Duffels on wheels are made of better fabrics. They can be found in rip stop nylon and ballistic nylon. They also have the better inline skate wheels for ease in wheeling over a multitude of surfaces. They'll go over carpeting in hotel rooms, over parking lots to the taxi stand, over cobblestones, tile and busy airport terminals. They have locking pull up handles allowing you to push the duffel or pull along as need be. Many of these duffels on wheels have add-a-bag straps to piggyback another bag along. Wheeling two pieces together in busy areas is much easier than trying to wheel one in each hand. They also have better compartments for ease in packing. There are models that have multiple compartments instead of one big hole where everything gets jumbled together. Besides zippered pockets and shoe compartments inside, many of the newer models have outside pockets. These are quite convenient for last minute items. They are also perfect for a lightweight jacket and small travel umbrella. Another new feature that some of these wheeled duffels now have is full zipper openings. The zipper will open down to the bottom on both sides, allowing you access to everything instead of having to search randomly through the bag. A piece of clothing can be slid out without disturbing the rest of the clothes in the duffel. Sort of like a traveling chest of drawers! This feature makes the bag so easy to live out of when traveling. You will also find that it is not necessary to always unpack the bag. When you are seeing a lot of places for a short period of time, avoiding having to unpack is a real timesaver. Another new feature found in some of these wheeled duffels is the double Decker. It is really two separate compartments in the duffel. One is along the bottom of the case. You can pack all of your shoes, dressier clothing, cosmetics and toiletries or just dirty laundry on the way home in this bottom compartment. The top of the duffel can be packed with the balance of your clothes. Some of them have this double decker feature as optional, and you can unzip the top compartment so it will become part of the bottom of the bag. Wheeled duffels come in lots of sizes. They can be found in the carry on luggage size of 22". They are also available in short trip size of 25" and longer trip size of 29" or 30". They also come in the super sized 34" or the 42" take everything size. Keep in mind that many of the airlines have size and weight restrictions. Many of them have a 62" linear inch maximum size that is the height plus the depth plus the width. They also have a weight restriction, with some of the airlines allowing only fifty pounds. Always check with your airline if you wish to avoid the surcharges. Because these duffels are basically unstructured, you can really stuff a lot of clothes and travel accessories inside. You may want to be careful about your luggage going overweight, so once again check with the airlines to avoid any surcharges. There's a handy travel scale that may help you to avoid these charges. It will weigh the case as well as measure it with the handy tape measure. This way, if you've overstuffed the case, you can relocate some of the items or send them ahead to avoid charges. Using packing cubes inside the duffel is a convenient way to pack. It will keep your small items as well as underwear, pajamas, etc., in one area. Running away from home? There's no better way to do it than with duffel on wheels!