For a five-week trip through southern Europe, Istanbul, Morocco and Tunisia, we tackled a packing challenge of a scale we hadn't faced in years. I went for a traditional upright rolling suitcase but my wife, concerned about having to carry a heavy bag, wanted to try a convertible, a bag that can roll like a suitcase but has hidden shoulder and waist straps for those situations where only a backpack will do. Our teen took a soft duffel plus a mega-backpack to carry his essentials.

In this era of well-designed and designer luggage, every family member -- even the youngest -- can truly carry their own.

We traveled with Eagle Creek luggage and found the dual nature of their Cross Roads 22 (US$200) convertible a mixed blessing.  The rolling function is a no-brainer -- who wants to go anywhere without a rolling bag?  The backpack option is the compromise, because the rigid, arched plastic frame limits the bag's internal capacity and the external zippers don't extend to the end, making packing slightly difficult.

On the plus side, the shoulder straps are very comfortable and enable even slightly-built travelers to carry weight easily -- a serious consideration when traveling to bellman-free zones. There are genius details like easy-access water bottle pockets on both sides; large wheels that roll easily on most surfaces; a reflective strip for nighttime visibility and... this bag expands from 3060 cubic inches to 3900 cubic inches. Surprisingly, it's a checkable, legal carry-on.

Our family carried two distinctive Eagle Creek daypacks that share the coolest feature ever — a hidden security pocket built into the top seam of the pack that provides easy access and total security for passports and money.

Like the Cross Roads 22, the Boundary backpack (US$85) is super light (1 lb.3 oz) and super comfortable, with an array of different size organizational pockets. The internal support frame and external webbing allows air to flow between the wearer and the pack, but as with the suitcase, the frame limits the usefulness of the 1985-cubic inches of narrow internal room. However, with its dual color scheme, tough glossy fabric, reflective strip and sexy load-bearing straps at chest and waist, this is an elegant adult pack.

The unstructured Day Trek ES (US$85) has tons of room (1700 cubic inches) to hold sweaters and big items like a laptop in the main pocket, with only one vertical pocket and two zip-up water bottle (or cellphone or camera) pockets on the outside, and an interior mesh sleeve for organization. That didn't stop our teen from carrying an iPod and charger, laptop and charger, guidebook, sunglasses, cellphone, brochures and snacks for daily use. Segueing from the Underground to Heathrow to the subway to high school, this pack has remained durable, easy to clean, and very comfortable on the shoulder. It carries more than most travelers would want on a day of sightseeing, but it packs away easily if not needed.

Again, Eagle Creek's gear may be pricier than their competitors, but they really stand above the crowd and will last forever.

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