The Best Travel Accessories for Carry-ons

When you fly, there are so many reasons to be a carry-on-only traveler — from avoiding extra baggage fees to skipping out on notorious baggage mishandling issues. But of course, traveling with just a single carry-on suitcase means that you have to be strategic with your luggage space. Fortunately, Amazon’s best-selling carry-on essentials have already been vetted by thousands of travelers, so you know that they’ll deliver on functionality and value. And many of shoppers’ top picks are on sale for Presidents Day (think: up to nearly 50 percent off). 

With options including best-selling suitcases, duffel bags, travel backpacks, packing cubes, tech tools, and other essentials for carry-on travel, these popular items have prices starting at just $7 — and every item on our list rings in under $60. But hop to it, because these sales won’t last forever.

Travelers Club Chicago Hardside Expandable 20-Inch Carry-On Luggage

Not every suitcase is made equal, which is why you need to carefully select the luggage that you recruit for your carry-on-only journey. This hard-side spinner carry-on luggage with nearly 30,000 Amazon ratings has a budget-friendly price point and a nice feature set: a fully lined interior with an accessory pocket, expandable capacity, and double spinner wheels with 360-degree mobility. Plus, it comes in 14 cool colors and is incredibly spacious. “I fit two pairs of heels, two pairs of sandals, and one pair of sneakers in the little front/top half, and two weeks’ worth of clothes in the main part,” one traveler wrote. “It fits so much more than I thought.” 

Shrradoo 52-Liter Travel Laptop Backpack

This is a travel backpack that Succession’s Tom Wambsgans would call “ludicrously capacious” — and that’s a good thing when you want to go carry-on only and still have room for all of your gear. With a 52-liter capacity, this backpack is equipped with 20 unique pockets and smart bonus features like an external USB charging port. According to one of its 30,000-plus five-star reviewers, “This backpack is a true powerhouse when it comes to carrying essentials for longer trips.”

Bagsmart Water-Resistant Toiletry Bag

This roomy toiletry bag has a genius design that makes it very practical for traveling. Its tri-fold construction is stocked with pockets, pouches, and organizers to keep your toiletries secure, and you can easily pack it up and locate what you need from it at a glance. Plus, despite the number of products that you’ve stashed inside, its 11.8-inch by 7-inch frame won’t take up too much precious luggage space. “It’s exactly big enough for all my stuff but it is still compact enough to fit in my carry-on or backpack,” a shopper commented. “They keep everything organized on the bathroom counter at the hotel.” 

Bagail Packing Cubes Set

These popular packing cubes with more than 20,000 five-star ratings come in a set of eight, so there’s a size for everything that you need to bring. Mesh windows make it easy to see what’s inside each one at a glance, while also allowing air to escape to compress the contents and free up more luggage space. Taking to the review section, a traveler shared that the comprehensive set in a range of sizes “was perfect for my recent seven-day trip, easily holding all my clothes and even some toiletries with a few packing cubes/bags to spare.” Chiming in, another shopper added that the “time to pack is cut in half” by using the set. 

Depoza Travel Bottles Set

Transfer all of your toiletries for carry-on-only travel into this complete set of TSA-friendly vessels, which includes four travel bottles, four jars, two spray bottles, two spoons, a funnel, a cleaning brush, and labels, all in its own clear bag. The bottles are leakproof with wide-mouth designs to make them easier to fill and clean to eliminate any messes. In their review, a traveler, who jet-setted to Europe with just a carry-on, said, “These little gems turned out to be a central part of my successful [packing] strategy…The ‘bullet’-shaped containers are big enough to store ample shampoo for a couple weeks.” 

Bagsmart Clear Toiletry Bag Set 

When you’re only traveling with a carry-on, you’ll need to be a step ahead of the TSA security line. Instead of frantically shuffling through your suitcase to gather up your liquids, pack your toiletries in a clear bag in dimensions that abide the agency’s liquid rules. This best-selling two-piece set is made with thick, transparent PVC material that is easy to wipe clean and reinforced seams for durability. “I have gone through TSA at many airports with these with zero problems,” one five-star reviewer wrote. “They fit all my travel-sized aerosols and liquids just fine.”

Witroman Belt Bag

At this price, this best-selling belt bag is worthy of a swift impulse buy (maybe even in more than one color), and it’s a must-have for travel. Wear it as a chest bag or waist pouch to keep your essentials close to your body — and away from would-be thieves. Plus, its compact size allows you to get away with flying with an additional bag; stock it up with your in-flight essentials and keep it in your seatback pocket pouch for easy access. The main bag is divided into partitions, and the rear anti-theft zipper keeps valuables extra secure. A reviewer noted that the bag “feels much more secure” than one you carry on a shoulder, and called the format “very difficult to pickpocket.”

Eachy Travel Makeup Bag

We get it, you want all of your makeup products in tow when you travel. Ditch your bulky, poorly designed toiletry bag and opt for this sleek makeup bag that is surprisingly roomy, according to shoppers. It keeps all of your toiletries well-organized and protected for carry-on-only travel with its large-capacity and multi-partition design, which opens flat so you can see everything that’s inside. Useful pockets, pouches, and dividers ensure that every product has a secure spot. After calling the makeup bag the “perfect travel space-saver,” an Amazon customer said, “It holds everything my larger toiletry bag held, but then folds and zips to take up half the space and leave more room in my carry-on bag.” 

Iniu Portable Charger

The carry-on-only life involves strategic swaps. Eliminate clutter by replacing your bulky charging cords with this super-thin power bank, which is just .5 inches thick so it can slide into your backpack or pocket for easy on-the-go charging. According to the brand, its fast-acting battery can fuel phone batteries by 78 percent in just one hour, and one shopper raved that they “could go several days without recharging” the power bank. 

Napfun Travel Neck Pillow

This best-selling memory foam neck pillow is currently on sale for almost half off, so it’s a no-brainer investment for travel comfort. It comes with a travel bag for convenience and compression, and it can easily attach to your suitcase handle or personal bag strap for hands-free carrying. “I used this on a recent trip to Asia and easily slept the most I have ever slept on a plane,” one reviewer wrote. “This pillow provided the perfect amount of support and the tie prevented my head from falling forward.” 

Puma Evercat Duffel Bag

This polyester duffel with nearly 20,000 perfect ratings is a soft-sided weekend bag warrior, and makes an excellent personal bag for carry-on-only travelers. It features a shoulder strap that is both adjustable and removable, a ventilated shoe pocket, and front and side zip pockets for keeping your travel essentials easily accessible. Take it from this shopper, who said it made a perfect carry-on bag for a recent flight: “I used it for a short three-day trip to Spokane and was able to pack two pairs of jeans, sweats, pajamas, a pair of gym shoes, boots, and three shirts along with a wallet.” 

Taygeer Travel Backpack With USB Charging Port

This backpack unzips 180 degrees to open like a suitcase, so it’s extra functional for travel. It has a USB charger on the outside and a built-in, internal charging cable so you can easily charge while you’re on the move. What’s more, there are three large main compartments, plus nine inner and side pockets, including a designated laptop compartment that holds a device up to 17 inches. Vouching for its spaciousness, one traveler said, “This bag can easily fit clothes for a week and be a carry-on. It is comfortable to carry, too.” 

Love a great deal? Sign up for our T+L Recommends newsletter and we’ll send you our favorite travel products each week