Children have so much energy and now you’re about to put them in a confined space for a long period of time. Hope you brought your sanity pills. Here’s a look at three pieces of luggage that can make your trip a little easier.
The Trunki: There is no doubt this product is a huge hit with kids age 6 and under. With its bright color offerings and the size and contour of its design it’s a magnet for children. Makers Melissa & Doug have plugged a hole in the market, as no other luggage is safely ride-able, and nothing else that’s ride-able works as luggage. All I had to do was place the small wheeled suitcase on the floor at my sister’s house and her four kids flocked to it. Many of the user reviews on Amazon.com mention the same natural attraction children have to the Trunki. The item has a curved saddle shaped dip at the top for straddling and a leash that clips onto the front long enough for an adult of average height to pull – or the child can pull it. The interior is about five inches deep on each side. It opens down the middle. The Trunki label says it’s suitable for airline travel and is best for children ages 3 and up. However, it should be recommended by weight, not by age, as weight can vary wildly from child to child. It does say it can handle 100 pounds sitting on it, but the wheels have been known to come off. A better weight limit might be 60 pounds as the products itself only weights about three and a half pounds. The locks on the sides can sometimes be fussy. For these reasons, I would highly recommend it for a car trip to grandma’s house or a long train ride. Even though it does meet airport and airline carry-on requirements, this level of travel requires a bit more durability in the wheels and locks than what the Trunki currently offers. But at its current price (around $40), it’s a huge hit even if they just play travel at home.
Brookstone’s Dash: The Dash Rolling hardside carry-on isn’t designed for children, but due its small size, various colors and multi-directional wheel base, this piece can go around the world with them and back. The suitcase stands 17 inches tall and the average 4 year old is about three feet, three inches tall. My nieces and nephews didn’t go as crazy for these as they did the Trunki, but the pink, green, raspberry, and grey pieces withstood several airline trips to Europe and all around the U.S. – that is until one of the handles broke. Brookstone has offered to replace it, even though its one year warranty is past. When it comes to children and travel, durability takes on a whole new level of battery testing. Several frequent business travelers on Brookstone’s website left comments about its ability to last through weekly business flights and over cobblestone streets in Paris, until the wheels eventually show wear and tear. Like the Trunki, it nicely wheels itself down narrow airplane aisles, but once fully packed, it’s much heavier. It’s also almost double the price without being nearly as big of a hit with the 6 and under crowd, but is probably best for extensive plane travel.
Any backpack with wheels: Disney, Samsonite, and L.L. Bean’s rolling backpacks are some of the most frequently purchased travel pieces online. Skip Hop makes several animal themed packs as well. Since we’re talking about toddlers and travel, look to the Disney and Skip Hop brands for items they will want to carry. Both brands have sized their bags to be too small for practical school use. For example, the owl version of the Skip Hop bag measures 8 inches by about 10 inches on the interior, making it too small to fit the standard sheet of ruled paper. Priced around $20, other animal options include an elephant, frog, monkey, penguin or dog, all of which are a huge hit with little kids. Disney, is, of course, another no-brainer/children will love it option. These backpacks, more designed for train or car traveling than school even though these are a bit bigger at 12 inches tall, are priced around $20 as well. Go with one of the licensed products for warranty reasons, but be aware that the stitching sometimes comes apart at the edges, which might be considered “normal wear and tear.” While Disney offers every theme under its brand umbrella, the Handy Manny backpack weighs almost twice as much as the Trunki, so I’m not sure how well a toddler could strap this on his back. It does wheel around really well though. The L.L. Bean backpacks are really meant for older children, not toddlers and retail anywhere from $70 to $90. The Samsonite’s Sammies collection had the best warranty at three years, but has been discontinued and extremely hard to find. If you score one on eBay, consider yourself fortunate.