Like everything else in the world these days, kids suitcases come in all shapes and sizes. Because kids also come in all shapes and sizes, probably the most important thing to consider when buying one for someone in your family is the ease of transport. Can your two-year old pull the wheeled duffel, or will this lead to comical and eventually annoying inconvenience?
Kids suitcases come in many different types. There are wheeled duffels as opposed to Pullmans, and trolleys as opposed to wheeled duffels. Wheeled duffels are just what they sound like: smallish duffel suitcases on wheels, featuring collapsible handles.
Pullman suitcases may have wheels on the bottom but they’re more conveniently lifted up and carted along. Trolley suitcases are slightly larger than wheeled duffels, and will generally come with more bells and whistles—like additional shoe bags and inner pockets. Whatever type of kids suitcase you settle on, there is sure to be a rainbow of color options.
In making your decision about which kids suitcase to buy, you’ll want to keep in mind how big it needs to be and compare this with what your child is able to tote. If you take a lot of long trips (say, more than a week-long) you’ll probably want to invest in one of the trolleys over the wheeled duffels. There’s just as great a range in quality in these products as there are with any other.
A smart buyer will take a few minutes to research the products online and read customer reviews. If there’s a fault in the design or if the manufacturer doesn’t quite live up to its promises, some long-suffering parent has undoubtedly already noted it.
You’ll also want to pick out a bag that has an easily identifiable design—this comes in handy when waiting at the baggage claim. Other things to look for are nametags (many kids suitcases are designed with two nametags, but not all of them are) and handle settings. Some kids suitcases have only one handle setting—this may not be optimal for your child. Others come with multiple handle settings, which helps the suitcase grow with your child.
Mercury Luggage, LEGO Luggage, Lassig Bags and Dante Beatrix are just a few particularly well-reviewed manufacturers. Each of these companies sell the three primary categories of kids suitcases as well as variants on each design.
Most of them come with multiple handle-settings, feature designed-in nametag slots, and are made of tough, high quality materials that can put up with a lot of kicking, throwing around and dropping. If you’ve been happy with your diaper bag, it’s probable that the same company manufactures kids suitcases.
You can of course peruse a wide variety of them at most major retail stores—like Target—or department stores, but the smart buyer will spend a little while getting acquainted with the products and their reviews before making a purchase.