She also likes to bring the carry-on whenever she’s in a city - the spinner wheels are smooth and quiet on concrete sidewalks (and on glossy airport floors). This very minimal suitcase is Mensink’s favorite whenever she’s traveling with the requisites for that one perfect shot: her collapsible tripod, camera lenses, external hard drive, and tablet. (For our full list of the best rolling luggage, click here.) This suitcase and the one below are both handy and light - making them ideal for a short trip. (The Black Hole duffel, not surprisingly, also made our list of the best duffel bags for travel, according to frequent travelers).Ī suitcase might be better if you don’t want to bring several bags for the weekend. “Because it’s soft-sided, you can easily squish it into overhead compartments or awkward trunk spaces,” she says. It endured the four-and-a-half-month trip - and others that have followed. (On one work trip to Brazil for National Geographic, Winter told us he checked 41 bags - “all Patagonia Black Holes.”) He also appreciates that the brand stands behind its products - even if you purchase them from other retailers: “Anything you’re dissatisfied with, you can return, and they also donate money to terrific environmental causes.” Criscione bought it for a Shanghai-to-Istanbul bicycling trip almost a decade ago.

Be, who says the bag is ideal for an outdoor enthusiast, likes that it “transforms from a duffel bag into a backpack with padded shoulder straps,” a feature she says is especially convenient if your weekend plans include hiking, because “wearing it on your back distributes the weight nicely.” Winter agrees that it’s “great for weekends because the bag is weather- and waterproof and incredibly lightweight.” He adds that Black Holes are great for longer trips, too.

The Patagonia Black Hole Duffel is a favorite of three of our travelers - National Geographic photographer Steve Winter and Stephanie Be, the creator of blog TravelBreak and travel app Buena, and Candice Criscione, who’s behind the blog Mom in Italy.

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