best carryon luggage for kids elementary age and tweensWhen looking for good carry-on luggage for my kids there were 4 musts on my list: easy to maneuver, roomy, durable and fashionable.

Turns out a really good option wasn’t typical luggage at all. It was a Pottery Barn rolling backpack! We went with the Fairfax, but the Mackenzie can work, too.

Why A Rolling Backpack Is The Perfect Carry-on:

It can easily be carried on their back or rolled. Of course rolling is the easiest, but there are times when rolling won’t do. Like when the escalator isn’t working. Or it’s a really tight/crowded space. Can you tell I’m speaking from experience?

Picture it. Sicily. 1923. Hahaha, just playing. It felt like the perfect spot for some Golden Girls humor, :-).

Okay, the real story. We were at the airport and the up escalator was out of service. There was a line for the elevator, so we had to suck it up and climb the stairs. Of course it was virtually impossible for my then 6-year-old to carry her suitcase up the escalator. This meant the adults were left trying to balance bags and monitor kids. Yeah, I don’t ever want to be in that place again. Ever.

These Pottery Barn backpacks are very comfortable to carry. The straps are adjustable and nicely padded. And it’s evenly distributed so that the big size is not a problem for young kids, elementary-school aged children or tweens.

It’s durable. We’ve been using these backpacks for a while now and they are still in excellent shape. They have survived flights, road trips and day trips.

I love that it’s water resistant too. It’s nice not to worry about their stuff if it starts raining. A bonus is that there are lots of pockets to help keep things organized.

Which goes to it being roomy. We are able to fit a few outfits, a pair of shoes, along with miscellaneous things like a small snack, books and chargers. Oftentimes their backpack also serves as their weekender bag.

From a fashion standpoint Pottery Barn gives many options. We went for something that will work for young kids straight through the teen years, but they add prints each year. You should be able to find something for every personality. And you can personalize with monogramming or a signature patch. I went the patch route.

For trips longer than a weekend we each have a carryon and I pack one large suitcase as the family suitcase. In the large luggage I carry extra clothes and supplies. I’ll write about my carry-on and our family suitcase soon, :-).

Safe travels! Towanda

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