The Best Gear for Travel

Updated Dec 10, 2022

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Traveling well can be one of life’s great pleasures, whether you’re alone or with family and friends—and this is true now more than ever, after two years of sticking close to home. But what does it mean to travel well? Along with, of course, traveling safely, following CDC guidelines, and being mindful of what the pandemic situation is wherever you’ve been and may be going, we’d say it involves avoiding hassle, packing a single bag if possible, and bringing only the necessities.

Cotopaxi Allpa 35L

A versatile small pack for a week or a weekend

The Allpa’s clamshell design makes organizing your things simple. The strap design lets you easily wear this durable bag on your back or carry it in your hand while you’re on the move.

We recommend

Peak Design Travel Backpack 45L

An easily customizable large bag for long trips and expensive gear

This bag was built with photographers in mind, but most travelers will appreciate its easy accessibility and clever tuck-away straps, and the elegant way the bag expands and contracts depending on how much you’ve packed. The accessory cubes cost extra, though.

We recommend

Travelpro Platinum Elite 21" Expandable Spinner

Great features, great value

This spinner carry-on offers the best balance of size, value, reliability, and durability, with high-end details. It’s backed by a lifetime warranty.

We recommend

Briggs & Riley Baseline Domestic Carry-On Expandable Spinner

For frequent flyers

If you fly more than 25,000 miles a year, invest in a bag with unique features, superior details, and plenty of expandable room. This manufacturer guarantees your satisfaction.

A better upgrade

REI Co-op Ruckpack 60+ Recycled Travel Pack - Men's

The best travel backpack for people with longer torsos

Thick padding and highly adjustable straps make this the most comfortable and easy-to-fit pack sized for people with longer torsos.

We recommend

REI Co-op Ruckpack 60+ Recycled Travel Pack - Women's

The best travel backpack for people with shorter torsos

Thick padding and highly adjustable straps make this the most comfortable and easy-to-fit pack sized for people with shorter torsos.

We recommend

Travelpro Platinum Elite 25-Inch Expandable Spinner Suiter

The best checked bag for most travelers

The bag provides a luxury feel at a reasonable price, with a capacity, warranty, and reliability that should suit most travelers. The 25-inch model should offer plenty of room for most people without going over airline weight limits.

We recommend

Ovener Silicone Luggage Tag

Strong and easy to see

Rugged silicone and a metal cable mean this tag (which comes two to a pack) may well outlive your luggage. The brightly colored case displays its owner’s name but keeps other personal information out of sight.

We recommend

Osprey StraightJacket (8L)

Easier access, less compression

It has a full-length zipper on its side that allows access to the bag’s entire contents. However, it doesn’t compress as tightly as traditional designs.

Another good choice

Eagle Creek Pack-It Reveal Cube Set

Well built with easy access

Simple and solidly constructed, these packing cubes keep your bag organized while you’re traveling.

We recommend

ExOfficio Men’s Give-N-Go 2.0 Sport Mesh 6″ Boxer Brief

Best for most men

Durable, quick-drying, and relatively inexpensive, this soft-fabric version of ExOfficio’s time-tested Give-N-Go undies will get the job done for years.

We recommend

Patagonia Women's Active Hipster

Best for most women

These light, stylish, quick-drying hipsters stay in place whether you’re walking, flying, or hanging upside down.

We recommend

Smartwool Women's Merino Sport Seamless Bikini

Naturally resistant to odor and bacteria

These wool undies have less odor than the synthetics, but they’re expensive and dry more slowly.

Another good choice

Uniqlo Men Airism Boxer Brief

For men

Comfortable, compact, and fast-drying, these are a great value but don’t fit quite as nicely and aren’t as supportive in the crotch.

Budget friendly

Uniqlo Women Airism Ultra Seamless HipHugger

For women

Similar fabric to the Men’s Airism, with a no-ride cut for women, these underwear are the least expensive of any we tested and among the best performing.

Budget friendly

Darn Tough Light Hiker Micro Crew Light Cushion (men’s)

For the best quality

The same great versatile sock as the women’s model, but in different color options and more sizes.

We recommend

Darn Tough Light Hiker Micro Crew Light Cushion (women’s)

The best quality for women

The best mix of comfort, durability, and cushioning in a versatile height.

We recommend

WrightSocks

Light and fast-drying

Not as durable but much lighter and faster-drying. A dual-layer design prevents blisters better than any other synthetic sock.

Another good choice

Havaianas Top Flip Flop (Men's)

The best flip-flops for men

Durable, grippy, and squeak-free when wet.

We recommend

Havaianas Top Flip Flop (women’s)

The best flip-flops for women

Same shoe in women's sizes.

We recommend

Flexo-Line

A secure, hassle-free option

The Flexo-Line attaches easily to a door handle or faucet and grips garments securely between its loops.

We recommend

Minisoak Travel Packs

A travel size version of the best delicates detergent

Perfect for traveling because you don’t even need to rinse it out.

We recommend

Enro Tech Mask

Best balance of fit, comfort, filtration, and breathability

The Enro Tech Mask, available in sizes XXS through XL, has a bendy nose-bridge wire and adjustable ear loops, and it should fit most faces well. In lab tests, this mask filtered 99% of 0.5-micron particles.

We recommend

Happy Masks Pro

High filtration, generous clearance

This mask tents up over the nose and mouth more than any other mask we tested. So it’s more comfortable and breathable than if it sat flatter on the face. In lab tests, it filtered out around 94% of 0.5-micron particles. The drawback: It’s hand-wash-only.

We recommend

Proper Cloth The Everyday Mask

Lots of choices, with a puffed-up silhouette

This stylish mask has good clearance off the nose and mouth and—thanks to a sewn-in filter—decent filtration efficiency. You can choose between adjustable headbands and ear loops, both of which provide a good fit.

We recommend

Sea to Summit Travelling Light Hanging Toiletry Bag (small)

A space-saving hanging bag

This lightweight, well-organized bag fits a week’s worth of travel-size toiletries into a compact package. It’s meant to be hung, which makes it good for tight spaces, but it doesn’t have much in the way of internal structure.

We recommend

L.L.Bean Personal Organizer Toiletry Bag

For more stuff and longer trips

With a 6.4-liter capacity and over a dozen compartments, this toiletry bag has a place for everything—and everything will stay put during transit, too. It can also accommodate non-travel-size bottles.

Another good choice

Sea to Summit Travelling Light TPU Clear Zip Pouch with Bottles

These six TSA-friendly bottles are sturdy and smartly designed, dispensing liquids more precisely than any of the other bottles we tested.

We recommend

Gillette Mach3

The best manual razor for most faces

This classic razor’s three widely spaced blades provide the best balance of speed, smoothness, and safety. Its handle is comfortable and well designed, and replacement blades can be had for a fair price.

We recommend

Gillette Venus Original

The best body razor

This classic Venus is one of the easiest razors to grip and maneuver and its three-blade design keeps the blades remarkably free of hair.

We recommend

PackTowl Personal

The best all-around packable towel

The PackTowl Personal Towel is lightweight, soft, absorbent, quick to dry, and odor-resistant.

We recommend

Travelrest Nest Ultimate Memory Foam Travel Pillow

More support for most necks

Its tall memory-foam walls let it offer more support than any other pillow we tested. It’s also shaped to sit flush against a headrest, and it compresses to a manageable size.

We recommend

Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700

The best over-ear noise-cancelling headphones

The Bose 700 headphones deliver excellent noise cancellation in a comfortable, lightweight design that’s traveler friendly—but they carry a high price.

We recommend

Mack’s Slim Fit Soft Foam Earplugs

For blocking out the most noise

These blocked the most noise in our controlled testing and got the most votes from our subjective sleep panel.

We recommend

Nidra Deep Rest Eye Mask

For air travelers and back-sleepers

The lightweight and contoured Nidra mask is a light-blocking win for most face shapes, with deep eye cups that allow the wearer to blink freely and arrive feeling refreshed.

We recommend

Alaska Bear Natural Silk Sleep Mask

A flat, silk mask

A silken exterior material, a flat design, and an adjustable strap make this mask a fit for almost any face, but it puts pressure on the eyes.

Another good choice

Sea to Summit Silk Stretch Mummy Liner

For a silky feel and extra warmth

The Sea to Summit silk liner wicks moisture, doesn’t retain smells, packs down to the size of an apple, and even weighs less than one. It makes scratchy motel and hostel linens a lot more bearable.

We recommend

Epicka Universal Travel Adapter

Best universal travel adapter

With four plugs that will work in most countries, plus faster-charging USB ports (and more of them) than its competitors, this adapter is the best all-around choice.

We recommend

Ceptics International Worldwide Travel Plug Adapter 5 Piece Set

The best plug adapter

Individually, these tiny plug adapters are smaller, lighter, and cheaper than any universal travel adapter. To juice up multiple devices, though, you’d need a separate multiport charger too.

We recommend

Incase Nylon Accessory Organizer

Best for tech and gadgets

This slim, light, and water-resistant bag keeps your gear organized, accessible, and secure when you’re on the go.

We recommend

Athlon Optics Midas ED

The overall best binoculars

Amazingly affordable with great optics, these binoculars have performance comparable with that of many models that cost thousands more.

We recommend

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Kids (11th generation)

Our pick

The Kids version improves on the Kindle Paperwhite’s great display, adjustable color temperature, even lighting, and waterproofing with a cover, a longer warranty, and no ads.

We recommend

CamelBak Podium (21 ounces)

A lightweight squeezie

This squeeze bottle is leakproof, light enough to throw into a carry-on for a flight, and cheap enough that if the TSA forces you to ditch it, the loss won’t break your heart.

We recommend

Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Travel Day Pack

A pack that fits in your palm

Toss this lightweight, phone-sized packable bag into your luggage or coat pocket, and you’ll never get caught without a spare bag again. If you need something to carry every day, though, we think you’ll prefer one of our more-structured picks.

We recommend

Field Notes Memo Book

For ultimate portability

Field Notes are cheap but contain high-quality paper that earns praise from pen and stationery geeks across the web.

We recommend

Field Notes Expedition

A weather-resistant option

Weather-resistant Expedition Field Notes are great if you’re writing in wet conditions, but don’t get them if you don’t need them. The synthetic paper feels weird and can cause some inks to smear.

Another good choice

Merchant & Mills Rapid Repair Kit

For the best combination of sewing tools

The Merchant & Mills Rapid Repair Kit is the only travel kit we found that had objectively high-quality thread and scissors.

We recommend

Repel Windproof Travel Umbrella

The best umbrella for most people

This is a solidly built, easy-to-find umbrella that holds up in high winds. It also comes in a variety of colors.