How to Choose Between Backpack vs Suitcase Carry-on

Carry-on Backpack Vs Suitcase | Which One is Better for Travelling

This is a well-debated issue among travelers and the answer mostly relies on personal preference and your travel situations like destinations, complexity of itinerary, and various other factors. I will go over some simple pros and cons in this article to establish my own views.

Carry-on Backpack Suitcase

Advantages

- You can roll it and not carry weight on your back or shoulder.

- Better protection for fragile or sensitive items.

- Option to check-in as luggage if you need to.

- Better for storing awkwardly-shaped items.

Disadvantages

- Difficult to carry on for rough terrain, up and down stairs.

- Bending on your side to hold the handle and roll it can give you pain later on.

- Difficult to shove in the flight overhead bin if it’s almost full.

- Difficult to move around and maneuver at the airport and tight spaces.

- You have to literally open your suitcase to take out electronics, liquids, etc. at the airport security.

- No external pockets or side pockets to keep items you need during your trip.

- If you are late and need to run to catch a flight, the suitcase will be a big problem.

Carry-on Backpack or Convertible Backpack

Advantages

- Comfortable to wear and move around.

- Suitable for rough terrain, up and down stairs, basically anywhere.

- A big plus point is your hands are always free – which is a big advantage.

 - There are external pockets and side pockets to keep items you need during your trip.

- You don’t have to open your backpack to take out electronics, liquids, etc. at the airport security as there are external compartments for these.

- You can shove it in anywhere in the overhead bin, as backpacks are flexible and not hard.

Disadvantages

- If too heavy, backpacks can be difficult to carry and give you backpain.

- Oddly shaped items can poke out and cause trouble.

- Not possible to check-in if you have fragile and sensitive items.

Conclusions

My personal choice is a convertible backpack, but sometimes I use a suitcase if I have a simple trip, such as going to only one resort. However, if you are a content creator, you need to be hands free to video or take pictures and for that reason I use a backpack most of the time.

Whether you use a backpack or a suitcase all depends on your unique travel scenarios and personal preferences. Once you travel a few times with either of these, you will figure out whether a backpack or suitcase fits your travel needs.