Keep Your Carry-On Compact With These Travel Bags

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Whether you like traveling by plane or not, it can be a hassle. Sometimes you're stuck in the middle seat with very little leg room. Maybe your carry-on is slightly overpacked and doesn't fit as nicely under your seat as you'd like, or perhaps your fellow travelers already took up all the space with their oversized bags.

Don't worry, though: We have some solutions. From bags designed specifically as carry-ons to fashionable utility backpacks, there's something for every traveler. Here are some of our favorites.

Osprey's lightweight, reasonably sized backpack is perfect for efficient travel. It weighs about 1.6 pounds and features a dual-stretch mesh side pocket on either side, good for carrying liquids (while adhering to TSA restrictions, of course). A multi-function interior sleeve provides room enough for a tablet or a laptop of up to 14 inches. In the front, there is also a small pocket to fit a light raincoat and/or other smaller items.

The Osprey Packs Daylite Plus Daypack is available in nine different colors and comes with a lifetime warranty.

Not all carry-ons were created equal, nor were all carry-ons created to fit in the overhead compartments or under the seat in front of you. The AmazonBasics Underseat Luggage, however, was made just for that (hence, the name).

Weighing just over six pounds, the bag's front can fit smaller necessities and entertainment, like a boarding pass, a book or a magazine. As for the main compartment, it's spacious enough to fit clothes and a pair of shoes.

The Underseat Luggage comes in 10 different colors and is backed by a one-year warranty.

Look cute while being efficient with your carry-on with this lightweight bookbag from Aiduy. Weighing in at 1.5 pounds, this travel backpack can hold a 14-inch laptop and was made with comfort in mind. It has padded adjustable straps and a padded back, making long treks stress-free and comfortable.

This Aiduy backpack comes in seven different colors. It can be bought alone or in a three-item set that includes a pen case and a shoulder bag.

Tired of having your passport but missing your wallet? Or maybe you want to leave space in your bag or your pockets for other items, like a phone or a pack of gum. Maybe you simply want to have everything in one place. If any of these apply, then the Zoppen multi-purpose passport wallet is exactly what you need.

This one-stop spot for all your personals is made of high-quality, eco-friendly PU leather. It has a passport pocket, boarding-pass compartment, three credit-card slots, ID slot, SIM card pouch, coupon-ticket slot, cellphone pouch, zippered pocket, key holder, pen holder and additional slim pocket.

If you're taking an extended vacation way outside of the neighborhood, consider bringing a Lermende TSA-approved toiletries/make-up pouch for those longer flights. It's made of a durable, transparent PVC material, making finding items hassle-free. The making of this pouch also makes it waterproof.

Ideal for carrying shampoo, liquid soap, lotion, perfume, cosmetics, toothpaste, a toothbrush and a comb, among other items. Each purchase comes with three pouches, and there are nine colors available.

If you're hauling a game system, a glass vase or anything fragile, you obviously want maximum protection. Coolife's expandable luggage is made of an ABS+PC hard plastic shell to handle the roughest of handlings when loading your suitcase aboard. It also has multi-use organization pockets on its interior.

Each size—20- (carry-on), 24- or 28-inch—can come in one of four available colors.

Laptops can be troublesome sometimes, especially when you have limited space on planes. Bringing along a tablet instead is sometimes a better alternative. With that in mind, try out this shoulder bag from Kenox. There are nine total pockets in various locations around the bag. You can also tote a 10-inch tablet in this bag. It comes in either black or a light brown.

Ever have difficulty packing your clothes? Bagail's packing cube is a solution for that. These mini suitcases-within-suitcases are made of a high-quality fabric with finished interior seams for increased durability.

Each set comes with six cubes—two large, two medium and two small—that can fit in just about any carry-on bag or suitcase. If you're trying to lessen the load of a checked bag, take a cube out as a carry-on.

Flatten your clothes in these compression bags to utilize all of the limited space in your carry-on or checked-in bags. RoomierLife's packing organizers provide up to three times more space, using four large and four medium compression bags. Simply put your items inside, and zip and roll, as air exits from valves at the bottom of the bags.

You can purchase these transparent bags in the standard set of eight or in sets of 16 and 24, respectively doubling and tripling the amount of the large and medium bags.