Once I started my career as a flight attendant I quickly discovered my personal preferences when it comes to luggage. I am a bit of a minimalist, and I am much more comfortable traveling with smaller bags. I think I have finally found my perfect main roll-aboard luggage piece. It is a 17″ rolling bag from the Aurora collection by Luggage Works. It is not too big, not too small, and it will save my shoulders since now I can use a J-hook. I will explain how I came to pick and love this bag in this post.
Even though I primarily work 4 and 5 day trips, I have used a small RON (remain overnight) bag as my main luggage unit. Specifically, I have been using a Travelpro Maxlite 4 rolling tote bag. It holds 28 liters, and the measurements are 13×15.5×8.5. While this bag is about the right size for me (maybe a tad small), the main issue I had with it is that the bag is not tall enough to use a J-hook. A J-hook (a hook hanging off the bag to hold another bag) would cause the attached bag to drag since there was a lack of height. As you can see in the photo below, I was stacking all of my bags ( my crew cooler and tote) on the trolly pull handle. This is not ideal because it causes a great deal of shoulder strain.
I have a 22″ Travelpro Maxlite 4 roll-aboard as well, but that thing is just too big. It could accommodate a J-hook, but I despised having to carry that bag up and down shuttle steps in high heels. It was just not a good fit.
Finally I started to notice how stiff my shoulders were feeling, and the timing was right for a company-offered luggage reimbursement. I did some research and came upon my ideal bag. I like how the Luggage Works bag is 3 liters larger than my small travelpro bag. While that may not seem like much, it is just the perfect degree larger that I wanted without becoming too large and bulky.
The bag retails for $160, but if you are an airline employee you can likely get a discount. Additionally, I love it that Luggage Works will provide custom embroidery of the handle (for $15), and they have so many colors to choose from. I had “Stewardess” embroidered in dark pink.
FEATURES:
- Strong honeycomb frame
- Telecospic handle
- High quality rubber wheels
- New metal J-Hook buckle
- Reinforced carry handles
- New interior organization
- Handle customization option (sold separately)
SPECIAL FEATURES:
- Ideal for 1-2 day trips
- Convenient size
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS:
- Dimensions – 17H x 14W x 8D in
- Volume – 31L
- Weight – 8.6 lbs
What is your favorite main roll-aboard? If you found value in this post, you may also enjoy reading about the flight attendant tote that changed the way I pack, post here.
Luggage Works 17" Aurora
