Best Prime Big Deal Days Sales on Carry-Ons, Weekenders, and More

This expandable hard-shell carry-on from Delsey is easy to use and performed well in most of our tests—though it suffered in some of our impact tests. Its 10-year limited warranty is not as generous as some other brands’ lifetime warranties, but it’s not as stingy as some others. It comes in pink, navy, black, and graphite.

This is a great price for this carry-on; it was about $215 during July Prime Day sales.

At 5.7 pounds, the American Tourister Wavebreaker 20" Spinner is the lightest hard-shell carry-on in our ratings. Yet, it’s a sturdy traveler. We found it to have top-quality construction, and it performed admirably in our evaluations of impact resistance, ergonomics and design, and safety. But with just two interior pockets, no built-in lock, and no expanding middle, it’s only so-so for usability. Its telescoping handle has only two positions, which contributes to a middling score for carrying and pulling. The manufacturer’s listed dimensions of 23x18x11 inches—with its telescopic handle stowed—are a bit bigger than the carry-on dimension requirements of most domestic airlines.

With its relatively low price and admirable test performance, the expandable Amazon Basics 21-inch Hardside Spinner is a worthwhile pick for those who don’t care about the bells and whistles. It aced most durability tests and had strong scores in our assessments for usability, carrying and pulling, construction quality, ergonomics and design, and safety.

The TravelPro Maxlite 5 21" Carry-On Spinner is a great choice. This expandable hard-shell carry-on aced our impact resistance tests, so it should stand up to any tossing, bumping, or other airport mishaps. It also performed admirably in our other tests: its spinner wheels make it easy to pull and carry. It comes with a limited lifetime warranty.

This affordable Herschel weekender comes in fun, youthful colors and patterns (tie-dye! florals!). It’s water-resistant, light and easy to carry, and simple—no confusing bells and whistles here. A separate compartment for shoes keeps your clothes clean, but other than that, this is a straightforward, affordable bag to get you from point A to point B.

There are multiple colorways on sale for about $8 more than during the summer sales.

The Bagail 8Set Packing Cubes won CR’s evaluator over with the sheer number and variety of cubes it offers. In addition to three packing cubes (medium, large, and extra large) that have mesh on the top panels to help you identify the contents inside quickly, it also comes with two zipper bags, a cosmetics bag, a shoe bag, and a drawstring bag that you can use to separate your dirty laundry. The extra organizational features were ultimately what gained Bagail the edge over the other packing cubes CR tried.

There are 14 different color options, but not every variation is on sale. Check the coupon box to get the full savings.

Veken Packing Cubes provide great bang for your buck, though they are a few dollars more than we’ve seen recently. This set has the largest capacity among the cubes we tried, and you get eight different ones to stay organized: four small, medium, large, and extra large, a laundry bag, a shoe bag, a toiletries bag, and an accessories bag. The laundry bag, in particular, is on the larger side, which can be a real asset when you’re on a longer trip.

Prices may vary by color.

You can save a few bucks on this packing cube set from Amazon. The cubes come in small, medium, large, and slim. Overall, the quality is reflected in its name: It’s good but basic. And though it might not have extra features such as pockets or buckles, the Amazon Basics 4-Piece Packing Travel Organizer Cubes Set is perfect for people who don’t want to deal with too many cubes and just want something simple and functional.

With lighter loads, this Osprey Daylite hydration backpack is a very comfy carry, especially for shorter jaunts under 2 hours. The longish back panel and adjustable sternum strap make this pack easy to fit long or short torsos, and two stretchy side pockets are large enough for carrying a water bottle or two if you want to ditch the reservoir during the week. The Daylite’s interior is large enough to accommodate both a paperback and an iPad Mini. The main hold is roomy enough for spare clothes and more and has a reservoir sleeve that’s padded, so it doubles as a laptop slot (for up to 15-inch models). The HydraPak Shape-Shift 2L reservoir worked seamlessly with this pack. 

Various colorways are on sale for different prices.

The CamelBak Mini M.U.L.E. Kids Hydration Backpack has two quick-release straps that allow you to attach a rain slicker or another light outer garment, and its rear pocket has decent internal organization, where you can store an energy bar, snacks, and a multitool. Keep in mind: Its reservoir—smaller than some others we tried—is harder to dry out, and sometimes its drinking tube would kink. Otherwise, it’s a great pared-down pack for a young person.

Topo Design’s versatile backpack has a capacity of up to 14 liters and its dual exterior pockets with neon-yellow lining and mesh sleeves are surprisingly roomy. The main sleeve can hold several articles of clothing and accessories—it also features a laptop sleeve that can fit a 15-inch computer. According to our evaluator, the backpack’s construction seems solid enough, and the oversized compartment zippers are very stout, plus the extra-long zipper pulls are exceptionally easy to grab.

The Travando Austin RFID-blocking wallet is a faux leather wallet, great if you’re looking to move away from leather products (most of the other nonmetal wallets we tried were made of real leather). It features a full-sized—nonremovable—money clip inside of it, as well as a window sleeve, a front sleeve that exposes part of the card held there, and enough pockets to hold 11 cards. This is the same price the wallet sold for—$21.55—during last July’s Prime Day sales.

The Serman Brands’ 1.0 RIF Blocking Wallet is great in lots of ways—it’s a nice-feeling, suede-like accessory to add to your collection—but what we really loved is its elaborate packaging, making it a great choice for gifting to someone special. It also comes with a pull strap that cleverly lifts up cards inserted in the compartment behind the photo ID window.

Use the on-page coupon to receive the full discount.

The Ekster Senate Cardholder features a design that keeps that pop-up switch level with the aluminum card holder. It includes a cash strap and single card holder with the company’s logo emblazoned on the front, and you can keep a card on the outside, such as a Metro card, for tap-to-go. The company includes an extra strap without a card holder, to slim things down even further, inside a very beautiful box.

The Lysian Soft Foam Earplugs were the least polarizing for evaluators; people with larger and smaller canals experienced good sound dampening using them, and the hot pink color made them easy to find in the dark.

The Cloudz Microbead Travel Pillow is a good budget pick that’s light, soft, and supportive. The surface is comfortable to the touch. One side is warm, cozy, and plush, while the other is a cooler spandex for the best of both worlds. Of the three travel pillows we evaluated, this offered the most support for the back of the head but didn’t provide as buck side support, so if your head tends to lean to the sides when you sleep, it may not be the right choice.

Note that this pillow won’t ship until later this month.

Headed to Disney World or Disneyland? You’ll want the Torras Coolify Air, which launches hurricane-force air at your face to keep you cool when the mercury’s high. It also comes with a heating function, which may be useful as we head into a chillier fall in the Northern Hemisphere.

This price matches the lowest we’ve seen for this fan, which normally sells for around $150.

While the Jisulife Portable Neck Fan has basic features, it’s quiet and cool-looking. The product itself feels substantial and solid, as if made from quality plastic, but isn’t so heavy as to feel uncomfortable resting on the collar bones. Its cooling abilities, however, are more moderate than those of the dorkier Torras Coolify.

This is a decent price; this fan usually sells at Amazon for $31.99.