With all the traveling I've been doing, my suitcases are starting to fall apart. I've been seeing more and more people carrying hard-side luggage in the airport, not necessarily for its durability (since no one seems to check a bag these days), but more for its light weight and maneuverability (you can roll them through the airport with just your fingertips). So I took advantage of the 4th of July sales and bought myself 2 new bags. Both are considered carry-ons. The one on the right is technically called an "underseater," though the only seat it's going to fit under is the middle (the support post for an aisle seat runs right down the center).
These suitcases are also called "clam-shells" with a zipper down the middle opening up to 2 halves. My current suitcase has a zipper at the top with one deep half and the top half acting like a lid. I was a little worried about how to pack the clam-shell style, since it seems like the clothes in the top half would flop out when you tried to close the suitcase. So, You-Tube to the rescue, I saw several videos where people used packing cubes to organize their clothes. I bought a set off Amazon, and they were right - the cubes fit into the suitcases perfectly. I can't wait to try this system out on my next trip.
